August 8, 2003
FOUR FOR FRIDAY
Q: How do you feel about the upcoming recall election of California's governor, Gray Davis?
Q: Should Internet-related concepts and technologies, such as the "Buy It Now" feature on eBay.com, be patentable?
Q: Do you believe that another 9/11-type of attack will take place on U.S. soil within the next 12 to 24 months?
Q: Name one daily activity that you absolutely despise doing.
Posted by Mikal at August 8, 2003 7:17 AM
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Q1: I've amazingly not paid attention to this one.
Q2: No. The patent system itself is corrupt and problematic.
Q3: I don't know when/if an attack will happen. Most likely attacks will happen. Terrorism will probably never be contained or controlled by the United States or any other country.
Q4: Getting in the car and driving. I don't like to do it.
A1: Anything that puts Arnold in a position of power makes me nervous.
A2: Absolutely! Why Not?? There are so many other unethical ways for a company to make money so I have no problem for them getting paid for winning the race to the patent office. Besides someday I may want to patent some ridiculous thing. :)
A3: Dunno... I Hope not of course. And I really don't want to be the guy who predicts it.
A4: Shaving. It takes too much time, it's pointless since I'll have to do it again. The whole thing is an exercise in futility and poor time management.
1. I think it's SOOO California. The ballot is in two parts. First, voters choose to recall, or not, their Governor, Gray Davis. Second, they choose their new Governor, who is sworn in immediately upon certification of the votes. Several hundred people have put down $3500 for the application. Today, at 17:00 (Pac), all applications are due and then the research begins to qualify all applications. The ballot will likely contain 20 or more candidates when all is said and done. Gray Davis is one of those candidates. That's the beauty!!! The vote for a replacement will be by plurality, not percentages. Hence, the winning candidate need only receive 1 more vote than the next. Gray Davis, VERY likely, could be recalled and re-elected in the same process!!! How friggin' cool?
2. Yes. I don't believe it a fair business practice to steal a concept without retribution. eBay did just that in this case. A patent was filed on the idea and they should have paid that inventor an appropriate fee for the use. As is, they did not and they should be punished financially as has the inventor.
3. I don't believe that the terrorist attack will be of 9/11 porportions. However, I'm quite certain that we will experience a terrorist attack of significant scale in the next year or so.
4. Waking up. Waking up sucks, mornings suck...Sleep is sooooo nice, but waking up is horrible. Your groggy, parched, expected to join the waking life, and you have to pee to name a few of the reasons waking up sucks.
Question 1: I'm extremely amused and somewhat glad I don't live in California anymore.
Question 2: The current system allows you to patent pretty much anything, including different techniques to swing on a swingset. So yeah, if someone develops an Internet technology they could (and probably should) patent it.
Question 3: I try to avoid anything to do with telling futures and statistics.
Question 4: Getting out the door in the morning to go to work. Once I step foot outside, I know there's no turning back.
1.) I haven't paid much attention to this whole thing that's going on out west, but it's interesting. What's really funny is that Larry Flynt is running as well.
2.) Technology should be; ideas, that's a different story. I'm not all up on what's going on with eBay, but I have heard of another company that "patented" the whole online transaction as an idea. Everything was all in generalites. At the time, they had no way of implementing this, but yet a patent was granted. I think you should be able to produce, within a certain amount of time, a working explain of your patent or it becomes null and void.
3.) That's a tough question. I don't think that another airplane will be hijacked and crashed into a building, but I do belive that another terrorist attack will occur on U.S. soil within the next year or two.
4.) Putting in my contacts. Or taking them out. I hate that. Day in and day out, fingers to the eyes. I wish I had 20/20 vision.
The recall process as allowed in California is undemocratic, in my mind, and allows the opportunity to cause constant political chaos, if not crisis. The truth is that less than a year ago, Californians re-elected Gov. Gray Davis. The Republicans were sore losers and funded a recall petition given the ease with which it could be done. Only a tiny fraction of the voters are required to demand a recall. If this is the case, conceivably a recall could happen after every election - always prompted by the losers. This sets a dangerous precedent and the recall provisions should be strengthened. With that said, it *is* legal and should be done given the signatures gathered. I think the great triumph of this process could be the recall and RE-ELECTION of Gray Davis, as Matt pointed out. That is politics at its most bare moment - a game sometimes played with smoke & mirrors.
Lee, I doubt that that Davis can get himself back into the mansion that easily. The mud slinging will have to get MUCH worse. Currently, Auh-nold holds a 10% lead over his nearest rival, Lt. Gov. Bustamanate - who said just 4 months ago that he didn't "intend" to run if a recall attempt was successful. http://www.drudgereport.com/flash1.htm
If Davis is recalled, Arnold probably will be the next Governor of CA. My hope is that both Clintons will help Gov Davis keep his job & help the Californians keep their sense of sanity about elections.
I really don't see how Arnold or any other celebrity of his nature can provide a beneficial service as a public servant. What does he know about the realities of his constituents? He knows nothing about the average Joe-Blow on the street and what his/her needs are. Then again, do many of these politicians really know what their constituents need? Some do but the majority have never lived the average American life and have no clue. They live in a completely unrealistic rich and privileged life. And now they run the country.
Anyone notice that Mikal has stopped answering his own 4 For Fridays?
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