Teknovis

Somebody told me about the Maker Faire Dublin today. It is probably best described on About:

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.

Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, artists, science clubs, students, authors, and commercial exhibitors. They are of all ages and backgrounds. Maker Faire’s mission is to entertain, inform, connect and inspire these thousands of Makers and aspiring Makers.

It seems like an interesting event, and there are some good people and organisations involved in it!

It looks like the EU leaders have finally agreed to proceed with a single EU patent, according to EU leaders agree to introduce a single european patent. You can read a brief overview of the torrid time EU patents have had in European Union patent.

I think that the idea of a single streamlined EU patent is brilliant! I think that it is vital for encouraging innovation and economic activity!

Unfortunately, I think that the politicians are going to dilute the idea to suit their own national interests. For example, I am already disappointed with the following aspects of it:

• The court will be split between London, Paris, and Munich :( One court, in a single location, would be far better!
• The official languages will be English, French, and German. It should be English only! Languages are important, and they are an integral part of our culture. However, patenting activity is not a cultural activity! One language facilitates communications (both within and outside the EU), and it reduces unnecessary costs.
• It appears that Italy and Spain will remain outside of the EU patents. I would prefer if they were included, but ultimately I think that their self-exclusion will hurt themselves more than anybody else!

This really cannot happen soon enough!

Tags: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK

Somebody recently told me about on{X} (part of Microsoft), and its service that enables you to program your Android mobile device without any programming skills. Interesting idea!

For more details see on{X}: The Coolest Thing to Happen to Android. Courtesy of… Microsoft Israel?.

Tags: Microsoft

Today I read an interesting article about the cost of patent trolls in the US. Apparently, the figure is $29 billion!

The article is ‘Patent trolls’ cost other US bodies $29bn last year, says study.

ESB (the incumbent electricity provider in Ireland) is currently looking for ambassadors to trial some electric cars. There are more details in The Great Electric Drive, and the Private Motorist Application Form will need to be completed before midnight on Monday 16th July (that is three weeks from today).

Tags: ESB

I came across the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list today, and I thought it was fascinating!

Tags: Forbes

A friend made me aware of this fascinating story of a two-factor authentication failure – I know someone whose 2-factor phone authentication was hacked….

(It is an interesting blog!)

I came across an interesting tablet user demographic during the week in Tablet users are older, richer and more likely to watch video – study. The article title contains all the key points, but I will include the figure here regardless.

Tablet User Demographic (Copyright ComScore)

Have a good weekend!

There is an interesting, and counter-intuitive, argument for obtaining patents described in The Defensive Patent License makes patents less evil for open source.

However, I am not sure if this is so viable in light of the judgement earlier this week described in Apple blocks HTC’s use of Google patents in US lawsuit.

A US judge has ruled that HTC is not allowed to use some of the patents that it recently acquired from Google, as part of its efforts to sue Apple! For the full story see Apple blocks HTC’s use of Google patents in US lawsuit.

This ruling could have significant effects on the values associated with patent rights, portfolios, and transfers!

Tags: Apple, Google, HTC