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25 Mar 2011 13:09

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Biz: Once-powerful Kodak now raising money by patent trolling

  • $1 billion — the amount Kodak wants to shake out of RIM & Apple source
  • » Wait wait, how sad is this? Kodak, one of the great companies of the 20th century — and probably the one most deserving of a Paul Simon tune — has been relegated to patent troll status. Kodak claims that they hold the patent to an image-preview feature commonly used in cameraphones. The company has lost half of its market value in the past year.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2010 11:18

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Offbeat: School: You can take your test whenever if we can spy on you

  • Somehow, fingerprints and cameras doesn’t sound better than sitting in a classroom. University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, is testing a new exams-at-your-leisure program by Software Secure. You can take tests anytime, but it shuts off your Internet and watches to ensure you’re not cheating. It’s intended for people who have full-time jobs, but honestly it just sounds a wee bit over-the-top. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2010 10:36

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Politics: The Supreme Court’s blocking of Prop. 8 cameras: Unfair?

  • Everything about the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the broadcast (and the Proposition 8 camp’s request to black out the trial in the first place) betrays a deep ambivalence about the same humble American voter whose very rights the court purports to be defending.
  • Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick • Discussing the Supreme Court’s decision to ban cameras during the Proposition 8 gay marriage trial in California. Lithwick claims the trial itself is somewhat questionable, but the banning of cameras in the courtroom is beyond absurd and is completely disrespectful to the rights of the American public. She further explains: “As it explains in its order: ‘This case, too, involves issues subject to intense debate in our society’ and it ‘is therefore not a good one for a pilot program.’ So, um, we the people are only fit to watch low-profile, boring cases?” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2010 22:10

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U.S.: Prop 8 trial: No cameras in the courtroom. Thanks, Supreme Court!

  • 5-4 the righties beat the lefties again at the High Court source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Jan 2010 08:53

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Biz: Polaroid: Once dead, now letting Lady Gaga play with the corpse

Just think, if Polaroid had actually harnessed Outkast’s “Hey Ya” seven years ago like it should have, we wouldn’t see this hat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

13 May 2009 09:20

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Tech, U.S.: The Hubble rescue mission continues for Shuttle Atlantis

  • The goal Astronauts from Shuttle Atlantis are up in space attempting to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, a 19-year-old beast of technology which needs new batteries and gyroscopes, a new camera and pointing mechanism, and a 300,000-mile oil inspection.
  • The perils Well, beyond the fact that they’ll be chilling outside attempting to fix a broken telescope via spacewalk, there’s lots of space junk in that part of the orbit, and if a piece hits the shuttle, NASA might need to send a rescue mission. Scary. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2009 01:08

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Tech: Save it like a Polaroid picture

  • Could instant camera film be saved? One investor wants to make sure that Polaroid doesn’t just turn into a footnote of popular culture. Florian Kaps, an Austrian artist and entrepreneur, bought the company and plans to start making the film once again, with hopes to bring it to market by the end of the year. “The project is more than a business plan,” Kaps said. “It’s a fight against the idea that everything has to die when it doesn’t create turnover.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
 
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