This makes me almost sick. The SMH has an <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=311&amp;entry_id=202″ title=”http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/the-fine-art-of-patent-trolling/2006/03/18/1142582554382.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/the-fine-art-of-patent-trolling/2006/03/18/1142582554382.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>article</a> about “Patent Trolls”. These are companies that own patents through acquisition and make money by suing companies for “patent infringements” even though they may not be actively involved with product development.<br />
<br />
One company, Forgent Inc, made $108.4 million last year from licensing one patent - U.S. Patent No. 4,698,672, issued in 1987 and obtained years ago in an acquisition. At the heart of the so-called 672 patent is something ubiquitous in the technology world: the JPEG format for digital pictures.<br />
<br />
Though used in countless electronic gadgets and software programs since the 1980s, it wasn’t until two years ago that Forgent sued 44 companies, including some of the high-tech industry’s largest players. It claimed they were using the patented compression technique covered in the 672 without paying a licensing fee.<br />
<br />
Rambus was a similar company that owned a patent and waited until the technology was mainstream before informing memory manufacturers that their memory technology would be subject to licensing fees.<br />
<br />
If they aren’t going to develop a product out of their idea I don’t think that they have the right to hold the patent. These companies have spent a significant amount of time and money in commercialising their ideas and then to have someone threaten legal action would be extremely annoying. Some of these small companies cannot afford hugely expensive patent lawyers and as such could be discouraged from any sort of innovation and R&D.<br />
<br />
Also with the free trade laws coming into affect, I think this could have detrimental impacts to Australian R&D budgets (<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=312&amp;entry_id=202″ title=”http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/negotiations/us_fta/outcomes/08_intellectual_property.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/negotiations/us_fta/outcomes/08_intellectual_property.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/negotiations/us_fta/outcomes/08_intellectual_property.html</a>).<br />
<br />
Surely it is time to revisit this legislation?

Yahoo news has an <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=310&amp;entry_id=201″ title=”http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mostemailed/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060313/ca_pr_on_od/oddity_beer_on_tap” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mostemailed/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060313/ca_pr_on_od/oddity_beer_on_tap’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>article</a> on a Norwegian woman who was surprised to turn on her taps and discover that beer was flowing instead of water.<br />
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Two flights down, employees and customers at the Big Tower Bar were horrified when water poured out of the beer taps. By an improbable feat of clumsy plumbing, someone at the bar in Kristiandsund, western Norway, had accidentally hooked the beer hoses to the water pipes for Gundersen’s apartment.<br />
<br />
“We had settled down for a cozy Saturday evening, had a nice dinner, and I was just going to clean up a little,” Gundersen, 50, told The Associated Press by telephone Monday. “I turned on the kitchen faucet and beer came out.”<br />
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However, Gundersen said the beer was flat and not tempting, even in a country where a half-litre can cost about 25 kroner (about $5.11 AUD) in grocery stores.<br />
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Per Egil Myrvang of the local beer distributor said he helped bartenders reconnect the pipes by telephone.<br />
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“The water and beer pipes do touch each other, but you have to be really creative to connect them together,” he told local newspapers.<br />
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Gundersen joked about having the pub send up free beer for her next party.<br />
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“But maybe it would be easier if they just invited me down for a beer,” she said.

I had been looking for an intel-mac version of a plugin to playback XVid’s through Quicktime. Finally it is <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=308&amp;entry_id=200″ title=”http://n.ethz.ch/student/naegelic/download/” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://n.ethz.ch/student/naegelic/download/’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>here</a>! Installing is a breeze and I have been able to test it successfully through Front Row.. makes the appeal of using a Mac Mini as a home theatre component more viable (but only if you have a HDMI or DVI compatible TV).

OSXbook.com reports that they have Windows XP working on a Intel Imac using a linux version of VMWare.<br />
<br />
Full details are <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=306&amp;entry_id=199″ title=”http://www.osxbook.com/book/bonus/misc/vmware/” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.osxbook.com/book/bonus/misc/vmware/’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>here</a>.<br />
<br />
Note that this is not the same as the <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=307&amp;entry_id=199″ title=”http://windowsxp.onmac.net/The%20Contest.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://windowsxp.onmac.net/The%20Contest.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>challenge</a> to dual boot an intel-based mac into either Windows or Mac OSX as they explicitly state that the use of emulation software such as VMWare is prohibited. But still it gives a viable alternative to using Virtual PC (which is not currently available for Intel macs).

<a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=305&amp;entry_id=198″ title=”http://www.bubbleshare.com/” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.bubbleshare.com/’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>BubbleShare</a> has one of the cooler uses of ajax out there at the moment. Photos that you upload can be viewed using a dynamic zoom “bubble”. Check it out..

CNN has a piece on <a href=”https://dave.shakenmartini.net/serendipity/exit.php?url_id=304&amp;entry_id=197″ title=”http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/Careers/03/01/cb.resumes.from.hell/index.html” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/Careers/03/01/cb.resumes.from.hell/index.html’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=”;return true;”>Resumes from Hell</a>:<br />
<blockquote><br />
In their years as recruiters, Jon Reed and Rachel Meyers saw plenty of resumes pass across their desks. Plenty were good… but some raised some eyebrows.<br />
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Reed and Meyers kept track of some of the more bizarre entries and compiled them in their funny new book, “Resumes from Hell” (eCruiting Alternatives, Inc.).<br />
<br />
As Reed and Meyers point out, the mistakes these job-seekers made give us valuable how-not-to’s for our own job searches. These are some example entries from their book, and some useful lessons for the rest of us.<br />
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<b>Lesson 1</b><br />
<br />
Keep all of the information on your resume relevant.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
<br />
“When I’m not programming, I perform magic. I like solar applications, optical stuff, cool technology and anything to do with radio waves. I juggle and twist balloon animals. I bungee jump on occasion, and I would like to experience skydiving soon.”<br />
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“I am attending college to obtain two degrees and three certificates in the field of Computer Science. In my spare time I like to work on my computer and do various activities with my girlfriend.”<br />
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<b>Lesson 2</b><br />
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Be specific with your qualifications, but too much information can work against you.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
<br />
“Since the project was coming to a close and it was obvious I was leaving anyway, after the last bugs were fixed, I was fired, and my credits in the game were all but removed to make it more difficult to get a job with a competitor. It’s a given that … my old boss has been calling up everyone in the industry spreading God only knows what types of hideous rumors about me, to scare off any competitors from hiring me.”<br />
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<b>Lesson 3</b><br />
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Keep everything on your resume positive.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
<br />
“Please Remember dear Sir/Madam, that I have failed in a few subjects in my diploma in computer engineering, and that I have no degree…”<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson 4</b><br />
<br />
Take the time to find legitimate, glowing references.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
<br />
“Dr. Frank C. Peterson had a Ph.D. in both Physics and Mathematics, and was a fantastic person to work and play with (I suspect our play would be called work by others, but we enjoyed our work so well that when we did things for Science, for which we were not paid, we called it play and it really was for us.) I only wish he was still with us (RIP).<br />
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“If you call my previous employer, they’ll tell you that my technologies were also used in Bone Crunch Football and Master Blastoff (hook up your Caller ID blocker before calling this reference, these people are slime).”<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson 5</b><br />
<br />
Don’t be too quick with that send button. Double-check the address, subject line and tagline before you submit any message.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
<br />
“Keep me posted on which headhunters you deal with. I am currently tied into 50-70 placement agencies, none of which are aware of the others.<br />
<br />
“Hi Jon — it’s been a while since we talked. I ended up over at Johnson and Johnson in a full-time position. I saw a position in this week’s newsletter that I’m interested in. It may be a stretch, but I thought I’d drop you a line with my resume and see what you think. Hope all is well.<br />
<br />
Gdog G Gdog.”<br />
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<b>Lesson 6</b><br />
<br />
Confidence is great, but there is such a thing as too much self-promotion.<br />
<br />
What not to do:<br />
<br />
“My objective is simple: I want your job. I don’t mean the one I’m applying for, but your job. I’m a communications major with a minor in creative writing at a California school. I still have two semesters to go, but I know more than some of my teachers. Once I hit the real world, though, you’re gonna hear from me.”<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson 7</b><br />
<br />
Proofread!<br />
<br />
What not to do:<br />
<br />
“When I saw your ad in the paper, my eyeballs literally fell out!”<br />
<br />
“I am looking for a company that is driven to excellent.”<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson 8</b><br />
<br />
Adding fluff to expand your resume diminishes your credibility.<br />
<br />
What not to do:<br />
<br />
“Arranging chairs and tables for various school occasions, washing dishes, putting dishes and silverware into the dishwasher cycle, removing leftovers from trays, changing trash, wiping the tray belt line.”<br />
<br />
“Telepresence: Voice messaging, fax mailbox, direct phone to my desk.”<br />
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<b>Lesson 9</b><br />
<br />
Politics, religion and other loaded subjects have no place on a resume.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
<br />
“Though the right opportunity might not be available for several months, I’m willing to wait for the right situation. I’m 42, have a wonderful wife and two sons, and love Jesus Christ with all my heart.”<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson 10</b><br />
<br />
Badmouthing former bosses or colleagues will get you nowhere with recruiters or potential employers.<br />
<br />
What not to do:<br />
<br />
“In the management arena, I have originated and developed marketing leads. I have written winning proposals for federal and commercial contracts — I later negotiated and balanced their budgets and schedules. I am an extrovert, and because of my exceptional ability to express myself, I have even delivered client presentations for projects other than my own to help my less gifted teammates.”<br />
</blockquote>