| Archive for: January, 2008
Ed Burnette's Dev Connection Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives TiVo judgment is fascinating, yet frightening Posted in: General Patents Linux Ok, I know most people would not consider a 37-page legal opinion "fascinating". But as a computer science major and armchair software patent quarterback (not to mention long-time TiVo fan), that's exactly how I'd describe today's written decision by the US Court of Appeals in which they ruled that EchoStar (Dish Network) infringes on TiVo's "time-warp" patent. I mean, how can you not appreciate passages like this one, which delves into one of life's great mysteries: is the word "an" singular or plural? As a general rule, the words “a" or “an" in a patent claim carry the meaning of “one or more." That is particularly true when those words are used in combination with the open-ended antecedent “comprising." However, the question whether “a" or “an" is treated as singular or plural depends heavily on the context of its use.
The Year in Rewind
DVD Reissue of the Year: Warner Home Video's incredible release of Blade Runner was a triumph for archivist-documentarian Charles de Lauzirika, who oversaw the reconstruction of Ridley Scott's influential 1982 sci-fi detective story into a stunning new package built around a definitive new director's cut and a comprehensive documentary running over three and a half hours. And that's just the basic two-disc set; you could also opt for four- or five-disc sets that included as many as four different cuts of the movie, including the legendary Workprint version. Whether or not you buy into the theory of Deckard as a replicant, this is an essential title for your library ... particularly if you own a high-definition player. .
Larry Richman Joins PrivateBancorp, Inc. as Chief Executive Officer
CHICAGO, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Board of Directors of PrivateBancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PVTB) announced today that Larry D. Richman, 55, has joined the Company and on November 5, 2007 will assume the role as its President and Chief Executive Officer succeeding Ralph B. Mandell, 66, who will continue as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Richman was also appointed to the positions of Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The PrivateBank - Chicago and was appointed to the board of directors of PrivateBancorp, expanding the board to 16 members. Mr. Richman was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of LaSalle Bank, N.A., Chicago. "We are thrilled to have Larry join us to lead PrivateBancorp into its next stage of growth, building upon the unique approach to private banking that we have successfully fostered since our inception.
Mar 2, 7:26 AM EST
Robots have long been portrayed as friendly helpers in Japanese popular culture, a far cry from the often rebellious and violent machines that often inhabit Western science fiction. This is, after all, the country that invented Tamagotchi, the hand-held mechanical pets that captivated the children of the world. Japanese are also more accepting of robots because the native Shinto religion often blurs boundaries between the animate and inanimate, experts say. To the Japanese psyche, the idea of a humanoid robot with feelings doesn't feel as creepy - or as threatening - as it might do in other cultures. Still, Japan faces a vast challenge in making the leap - commercially and culturally - from toys, gimmicks and the experimental robots churned out by labs like Takeno's to full-blown human replacements that ordinary people can afford and use safely.
MacBook Pro Penryn update imminent (updated)
Update: I really wish that Apple would have built Penryn into the MacBook Air, but George Ou speculates that Penryn was probably still an unknown quantity when the MBA was being designed many moons ago. Update 2: According to AI Penryn increases battery performance by as much as 16 percent and encoding operations by as much 40 percent. posted by Jason D. O'Grady February 20, 2008 @ 11:57 am Previous Post: Revealed: The mysteries of Apple's logo and other high-tech brands Next Post: MacBook Air Diary-Day 22: Argh! Recessed headphone jack Last 10 posts: iPhone 2.0 wishlist (03-04) iPhone SDK release rumor roundup (03-03) More on the naked drive lifestyle (03-03) Time Capsule ships; quickly unboxed and dissected (updated) (03-03) Multi-Touch gestures in any application (03-02) Wintel Vista conspiracy screws customers: Another win for Apple (02-29) Running naked (with hard drives) (02-29) Nicewear: SmartSleep (02-28) Living a bare drive lifestyle (02-28) Apple to make iPhone SDK 'roadmap' announcement next week (02-27) more Posts (Archives) WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
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