According to a fascinating article in The Times, walking to work may actually result in your augmenting, rather than reducing your “carbon footprint.” The article debunks the claims of those promoting many “green” or “eco-friendly” products and services. Included among the myth-busting:
Some left-leaning bloggers want to form one in order to “receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards.”
Interesting post about software patents. Explains that even companies that oppose software patents, such as Oracle Corporation and Red Hat, still file for and receive software patents—they must do so for defensive purposes. Of course, this disproportionately penalizes smaller companies, as with much federal legislation such as minimum wage, FLSA, and pro-union laws. The post notes that “The fashion industry ...
On The Washington Post, John McQuaid has determined that the United States is now the can’t-do nation. He starts by mentioning the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis and wonders whether there has “ever been a period in our history when so many American plans and projects have, literally or figuratively, collapsed? In both grand and humble endeavors, the United States can no longer be relied upon to succeed or even muddle through.”
Various Democratic politicians, including Diane Feinstein, are considering reviving the fairness doctrine to rein in talk radio’s “unfair bias.” Unfortunately, it is just the latest abuse of a perennial political weasel word—fair.
I was recently talking with a very intelligent fellow patent attorney, and we got around to the subject of policy issues. One thing led to another and he discovered, and was a bit shocked by, myt opposition to patent and copyright. He was interested in some further information on the topics we discussed so I compiled an email with some information. As this corrals some useful links, material, and arguments about patents, I’ve provided an edited version below.
The Principled Case Against Patents
