4 ms·

The patent minefield is already patented.

10 points by Schwolop 14y ago

noonespecial 14y ago
I agree with everything you said about patents and this is completely off topic, but have you ever actually tried projecting onto a whiteboard with a projector? We had the bright idea of using the whiteboard in a conference room as a screen as well but the glare off the board's shiny surface made everything unreadable. As for patents: This bit by Don Lancaster (from 1990!) seems to be the definitive work on how startups should relate to patents. It definitely changed my mind as to how I proceeded in my own ventures. http://www.tinaja.com/glib/casagpat.pdf http://www.tinaja.com/glib/casagpat.pdf
- Schwolop 14y ago
  We have tried a few times (before this company was established) and yes, it can be crap. However, we've got a few ideas on how to fix this such as matte overlays, light filters, anti-speckle laser projectors, etc. We're very early stage so I can't tell you whether any of those will work at all, but I'm confident we can solve the technical problems - it's the business side I'm finding hard!
  - noonespecial 14y ago
    Good luck then. Sound like an exciting project. Oh and; Whiteboards are white. You don't have to re-project the white part. (Didn't see that in your list. Sprang to mind)
    - Schwolop 14y ago
      Well yes and no actually. Projectors can't produce black (absence of colour) so they typically do so by increasing the contrast with respect to surrounding areas (that, and you turn the lights off). So to draw black text, you need to shine white around it. But yes, in general you're right. If we draw text in blue for example, we should be able to get away with this. Again, more testing required... :-)
wissler 14y ago
The truth is, patents are not a poorly executed good idea; they are a morally indefensible, heinously evil idea. They are a more sophisticated feudalism, but feudalism nonetheless. There obvious moral truth is that no human being has the right to tell another that he can't independently think, create, and sell a given product, and that truth holds regardless of whether he thought of an idea that someone else happened to think of first. Patents are based in pure mythology, they are a sign that humanity still hasn't gotten out of barbaric intellectual ruts (along with a number of other litmus tests of human barbarism, such as the War on Drugs, the non-consensual forms of government we have, and many other things).

10 points by Schwolop 14y ago

I agree with everything you said about patents and this is completely off topic, but have you ever actually tried projecting onto a whiteboard with a projector? We had the bright idea of using the whiteboard in a conference room as a screen as well but the glare off the board's shiny surface made everything unreadable. As for patents: This bit by Don Lancaster (from 1990!) seems to be the definitive work on how startups should relate to patents. It definitely changed my mind as to how I proceeded in my own ventures. http://www.tinaja.com/glib/casagpat.pdf http://www.tinaja.com/glib/casagpat.pdf

Schwolop 14y ago
We have tried a few times (before this company was established) and yes, it can be crap. However, we've got a few ideas on how to fix this such as matte overlays, light filters, anti-speckle laser projectors, etc. We're very early stage so I can't tell you whether any of those will work at all, but I'm confident we can solve the technical problems - it's the business side I'm finding hard!
- noonespecial 14y ago
  Good luck then. Sound like an exciting project. Oh and; Whiteboards are white. You don't have to re-project the white part. (Didn't see that in your list. Sprang to mind)
  - Schwolop 14y ago
    Well yes and no actually. Projectors can't produce black (absence of colour) so they typically do so by increasing the contrast with respect to surrounding areas (that, and you turn the lights off). So to draw black text, you need to shine white around it. But yes, in general you're right. If we draw text in blue for example, we should be able to get away with this. Again, more testing required... :-)

wissler 14y ago

The truth is, patents are not a poorly executed good idea; they are a morally indefensible, heinously evil idea. They are a more sophisticated feudalism, but feudalism nonetheless. There obvious moral truth is that no human being has the right to tell another that he can't independently think, create, and sell a given product, and that truth holds regardless of whether he thought of an idea that someone else happened to think of first. Patents are based in pure mythology, they are a sign that humanity still hasn't gotten out of barbaric intellectual ruts (along with a number of other litmus tests of human barbarism, such as the War on Drugs, the non-consensual forms of government we have, and many other things).