Month: August 2012

By Dennis Crouch, Patent Law Blog (Patently-O) – August 10, 2012 at 07:52AM

Guest Post by Martin Goetz

In Dennis Crouch’s July 29, 2012 Patently-O essay “Ongoing Debate: Is Software Patentable?” he concludes by writing “It is simply ridiculous that after 40 years of debate, we still do not have an answer to the simple question of whether (or when) software is patentable”

One of the main reasons for this long debated argument about the patentability of software is that the wrong question is being debated. The current debate is mainly on the question “Should software be Patentable? And whether software, in the form of a computer program, is patentable subject matter?” Software is just a means to an end.  The debate should be about the invention.  

If the debate was on the question “Is an invention that is patentable in hardware, equally patentable if implemented in software?” there would be much less controversy. Hardware implemented inventions have been issued for well over a hundred years, long before the advent of the digital computer.

Back in October 2011 I wrote an article for a UK publication “Should software be patentable? That’s the wrong question to ask”. Because of the many comments to that article, many of which were critical of my arguments, I was asked for a follow up article “Pioneer Goetz rebuts software patent critics”. In these two articles I tried to stress that software (a computer program) is purely part of a proper disclosure

Article 29 of the US Patent Office’s application guidelines covering “Disclosure Obligations” states “…An applicant for an invention shall disclose the invention in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for the invention to be carried out by a person skilled in the art and may require the applicant to indicate the best mode for carrying out the invention….”

Clearly, if the best mode is a computer program, then that disclosure would be described through diagrams, flow charts, and descriptive text. In many inventions, the best mode is a combination of hardware and software. (Or if the best mode is not hardware and/or software but cams, pistons, and flywheels or water or wind power, so be it.)

If the Patent Office’s examiners focused on the invention, and not on how the invention was disclosed, it would reject many, if not most Software and Business Method Patents. Unfortunately, the Patent Office is bound by a plethora of confusing Supreme Court and lower courts decisions and opinions. Yet, the US Patent Office does have flexibility in how it interprets the US Supreme Court’s many rulings. This gets us back to the US Patent Office and its examiners who must be better trained to recognize true inventions. Easily said, and a gigantic challenge for the US Patent Office. But, unfortunately, that is where we are today.

Postscript: Back on November 30, 2009, Patently-O published my blog “In Defense of Software Patents” in response to the editorial “Abandoning Software Patents” by Ciaran O’Riordan, Director of End Software Patents (posted on Patently-O on November 6, 2009) which had as its premise that software companies are trying to protect “software ideas”. In that article I commented on the Bilski Opinion as well as gave some concrete examples of software-only patents as well as hardware/software patents. That article also received hundreds of comments, many being negative, and in response in September 2010 I had a follow up article “In Defense of Software Patents – Part 2”. Both those articles explained why software companies and other companies should not be denied patent protection on true inventions solely because part or all of the disclosure involves a computer and a computer program. It goes on to describe why many software companies are high technology companies that employ many highly educated people fully capable of inventing.

By info@innovationamerica.us (Administrator), InnovationDAILY for Syndication – Friday August 10, 2012

You can’t win as an entrepreneur working alone. You need to have business relationships with team members, investors, customers, and a myriad of other support people. That doesn’t mean you have to be a social butterfly to succeed, or introverts need not apply.

It does mean that you need to look, listen, and participate in the business world around you, and network through all available channels, like business-oriented social networks online (LinkedIn), local business organizations (Chamber of Commerce), and events or conferences in your domain.

Read more…

By info@innovationamerica.us (Administrator), InnovationDAILY for Syndication – Friday August 10, 2012

Extroverts suck up all the energy in many work groups, but when it comes to generating innovating ideas introverts may be on par. They just need a way to get their ideas across, says Harvard Business Review.

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

“New ideas are only valuable if they’re shared with others. If you’re an introvert, you may not feel comfortable talking about your creative ideas.

Read more…

By Tim Brookes, MakeUseOf – August 09, 2012 at 10:30PM

A few weeks ago we took a look at the Prelinger Archives, a swelling collection of video that’s free to be taken, adapted and used in any way you see fit in your own projects. Thanks to the Creative Commons licence you’re free to take the video, audio or both and make something wonderful.

Today we’ll be looking at one of the web’s best and truly free resources for audio material – be it samples of instruments, drum loops, a capellas or even full songs. If you’ve been thinking of trying your hand at a few remixes and some music creation but have struggled to find samples then look no further.

What Is CCMixter?

CCMixter is a hearty collection of sound files that you’re encouraged to download, modify and use in your own creations. If you’re producing a video and need some backing music or sound effects, CCMixter provides an attractive cost-free solution. Similarly if music is your thing and you’d like some drum loops or vocals then you can take all you want for free under the Creative Commons licensing scheme.

Creative Commons licensing is in fact something the guys behind CCMixter feel very strongly about. Not only is it your golden ticket to gigabytes of free sounds, but it’s also a license to be respected and adhered to at all times. Not everything can be used commercially, and some uploads (which we’ll be getting to later) have very restrictive licensing conditions. If you’re going to use something from CCMixter, show some respect to the original uploader and follow their licensing conditions.

Aside from being an inspiring source of creativity and a great way to kill a couple of hours, CCMixter stands out from the sea of other remix sites and competitions in that you don’t have to forfeit all rights to your creation once submitting it. I’ve seen countless remix competitions where every entry (not just the winners) can be used in any capacity whatsoever once submitted, without so much as a credit. CCMixter differs in that there is no onus on you to upload to the site once you’ve done, and you’re free to stick your remixes wherever you like – provided you adhere to licenses of course!

The site is fairly “raw” in terms of design and content – everything is well-organised, with samples, remixes and a capellas separated into three different categories. If you’re short on inspiration then the Featured tab under Samples lists the most recent interesting additions, including artists who have submitted stems (individual remix ingredients) for the community to work on – like this one from DJ Vadim. One final area of particular interest can be found on the Extras page, under “How I Did It” which reveals some insight into the tools and techniques used in some of the collection’s many remixes.

Digging for Music

Finding samples and vocals is a relatively time-consuming process, but if you’re writing music then the slog is usually worth it to find just what you’re looking for. If you’re not knee-deep in some creative process, working your way through finished music can prove somewhat more of an obstacle, but thankfully there’s a tool to help you out.

digCCMixter is a shortcut to finished remixes, organised by what you can and can’t use them for. So if you’re looking for instrumentals to use in your latest video project, you can browse by instrumental music for videos. Similarly, if you need music for commercial purposes (i.e. to promote anything that isn’t the music itself) then you can browse music approved for commercial use. Putting together a podcast and looking for cleared music? You’ll be wanting podsafe music. Need music for a video game? Lucky for you they’ve got a music for games section too.

Of course you’re free to just search the whole collection to see what turns up, listening, downloading and enjoying the free fruits of the Creative Commons licence. digCCMixter is a great tool, with an in-line player that makes previewing tracks a quick and painless process.

iPhone App

Last but not least if you’re an iPhone owner then you’ll be pleased to hear you can explore the bounty of music on offer at CCMixter on-the-go, with the official app. Featuring remixes organised as per the content on digCCMixter, there’s plenty to keep you entertained whether you’re just listening or browsing for something specific.

Featuring a cover-flow style browser, the ability to play songs in the background and sharing options, it’s a nice way to listen or browse the collection on the go.

Download: CCMixter @ App Store

Conclusion

If you could use free, downloadable audio that’s licensed for fair use in your next project then CCMixter is an invaluable resource to have at your disposal. digCCMixter makes the perfect tool for cutting through the huge collection. Don’t forget to adhere to any Creative Commons licenses you encounter, and if you make something wonderful then why not share it under a similar license yourself?

If you have used CCMixter in the past then we’d love to see a few examples – feel free to drop any links to projects in the comments, below.

By (author unknown), Groklaw NewsPicks – August 09, 2012 at 04:47PM

Here’s some good news for developers of all platforms: the popular Mac text editor ‘Text Mate’ is going open-source.

TextMate is one of the most popular text editors available on OS X.

Announcing the open-sourcing on the TextMate blog, developer Allan Odgaard writes:

“I’ve always wanted to allow end-users to tinker with their environment, my ability to do this is what got me excited about programming in the first place…

“…with the still growing user base, I think the best move forward is to open source the program.”

[PJ: It’s GPLv3, at GitHub. Please, please, please, someone.] – Joey Sneddon, OMG Ubuntu

By Melanie Pinola, Lifehacker – August 09, 2012 at 12:00PM

Popular password management tool, LastPass, offers a bunch of security options to keep your passwords safe. If you’re not aware of all these options, though, such as using a dedicated security email address, it’s a good time to review.

How-To Geek has compiled a list of 11 ways to increase your LastPass account security. Many of these we’ve discussed before, including restricting logins by country and disabling TOR logins and activating two-factor authentication (as you should for all your accounts where this extra security is available).

A couple of notable security options you should enable in LastPass include: restrict mobile access (to specific mobile device UUIDs or disable mobile device access entirely), log off automatically (be sure to set this in any browser extension preferences too), and use a dedicated security email address. That latter option means if someone hacks into your everyday account, they still won’t be able to get the account recovery emails or password hint emails for LastPass. (Limiting your dedicated recovery email address is one of the lessons we learned recently from Mat Honan’s hacked story.)

Most of these options are under your LastPass account settings, so head there to lock down your LastPass account as much as possible.

11 Ways to Make Your LastPass Account Even More Secure | How-To Geek

By Justin Pot, MakeUseOf – August 08, 2012 at 01:01PM

Turn your neglected Wii into a media player. Listen to music and watch videos from your computer on your TV, or browse a bit of the best the web has to offer using your Wiimote. With WiiMC it’s easy.

I’ve shown you how quick it is to set up the Homebrew Channel on your Wii with Letterbomb – all you need is an SD card. There’s a lot of great software you can install when you do, including several media players. In my experience, however, none come close to WiiMC.

This little piece of software features a simple interface that works great with the Wiimote, and it can play almost any file you throw at it. It can even play DVDs, provided your Wii isn’t one of the newer (red or black) models. If you’ve wanted a media center device but don’t want to spend the money, this software means you don’t have to – you can use your Wii instead.

Using WiiMC

Launch WiiMC and you’ll see the main interface:

At the top, from left to right, are icons for Video, Music, Pictures, DVD and Internet Media. In the first three you can browse your media from an SD card, a USB drive or a network share.

Here’s me browsing my podcasts:

You can play any file you want, but notice you need to be in video mode to play video, audio mode to play audio and picture mode to open pictures. It’s weird, but you’ll get used to it.

Playback is great, but HD-quality videos will play in SD (if at all) because of the Wii’s limitations. Sorry about that.

Adding Network Folders

Do you want to add your network folder? Head to the settings by clicking the gear in the top-right corner. Here you’ll find the network settings; you can add any FTP server. Alternatively, you can add any SMB share – SMB is the file sharing protocol used by Windows.

You’ll need to know your computer’s IP address to get this working, but once you do WiiMC will remember your settings.

Internet Stuff!

You can also explore a limited amount of Internet video. YouTube is here, complete with search but sadly lacking subscriptions, and NaviX provides access to almost any TV show or movie. Sadly NaviX isn’t working well as of this writing, but hopefully updates will fix this – I’m sure it’s due to NaviX’s recent server move.

Download WiiMC

Are you ready to check out WiiMC? Remember, you’ll need to set up the Homebrew Channel on your Wii with Letterbomb before you can do anything. You can simply download WiiMC in the Homebrew Browser; it’s listed under “Media”.

Alternatively you can download WiiMC from WiiMC; just unzip the file and move the folder to “/Apps” on your SD card. You’ll also find an optional channel installer. Only grab this if you want to launch WiiMC without using the Homebrew Channel. Be careful with this; I take no responsibility for anything breaking while installing channels.

Need help? Be sure to check the WiiMC documentation; you’ll probably find your answer.

Conclusion

This simple piece of software gives you a new reason to use your old Wii. Do you want to teach your old Wii some other new tricks? Why not try playing classic point-and-click adventures with ScummVM or installing emulators to play classic games?

Do you know some other alternative uses for an old Wii? Let us know in the comments below!

By Melanie Pinola, Lifehacker – August 08, 2012 at 11:30AM

If you find your knives are too dull after you’ve tested if they’re sharp enough, it’s time to hone those blades or use a whetstone. Master Bladesmith Bob Kramer demonstrates how to properly hone and stone your knives—with some clever tricks to get started.

In the video above, he’s showing how to hone your knife with steel to straighten out the knife. We’ve shown you how to do this before, but Kramer’s video demonstrates the technique very quickly and he offers two useful tips: find the correct angle to hold your knife by using a matchbook and use a kitchen scale to figure out the right amount of pressure to use.

If after honing, your knife still isn’t sharp enough, here’s Kramer’s instructions on stoning—using a whetstone to form a sharp edge on your blade.

Bob Kramer: “Honing Your Knife” presented by Zwilling JA Henckels and Sur La Table | YouTube

Bob Kramer: “Stoning Your Knife” presented by Zwilling JA Henckels and Sur La Table | YouTube

[via The Kitchn]

By Jamie Condliffe, Gizmodo – August 08, 2012 at 03:54AM

The Internet Archive is somewhat of a goldmine: it provides a huge library of books, music and film, all of which are available for free. Now, though, you can download any of its hundreds of feature films for free as torrents. More »