5 ms·

Given Danny Hillis's history (per Wikipedia) isn't it possible that there is some legitimate R&D going on that is reasonable to protect? I'm not really familia

by jauer 13y ago

Given Danny Hillis's history (per Wikipedia) isn't it possible that there is some legitimate R&D going on that is reasonable to protect? I'm not really familiar with Intellectual Ventures but he has done some fascinating things in the past, Thinking Machines being a prime example.

JamesArgo 13y ago
It will really be heartbreaking if Danny Hillis becomes a patent troll.
- stephenlovell 13y ago
  From This American Life, he sounds like one to me, and IV is a skilled Patent Troll at obscuring who they are and what they really do. Part One (When Patents Attack): http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/w... Part Two (When Patents Attack): http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/496/when-patents-attack-part-two http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/496/w...
sytelus 13y ago
Well, you might want to get familiar with IV. http://tinyurl.com/pxa6m9w http://tinyurl.com/pxa6m9w. They are likely the most dangerous troll there is. This fox had masked itself as sheep for pretty long time by combination of favorable reports from top tier journalists, their giant PR machine, projects such as mosquito killing lasers for 3rd world, promises of no first attack, backing of Bill Gates and so on. They had been only recently been uncovered as having literally 1000s of shell companies suing small and large companies for patent infringement. Outside of their tiny fraction of showpiece projects like mosquito killing lasers their most of the "innovations" are done by bunch of people sitting in a conference rooms and trying to "solve" problems by thinking of ideas that they almost never verify/productize or whatever but just wait for someone else to try so they can get piece of their reward for thinking it first.
NelsonMinar 13y ago
I'm a long time fan of Danny's work and am disappointed in his affiliation with IV. I'd love to hear his side of the story. (I still have this fantasy that IV is an elaborate prank to demonstrate how awful the US patent system is, but at this point that'd be an awfully long con.) Despite being a dangerous, destructive company, Intellectual Ventures has a lot of smart people associated with it. Myhrvold himself is no slouch and many of the folks who go to the infamous dinner parties with paralegals taking notes are interesting people. Here's IV's marketing on some of their "inventors": http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-network/inventor-spotlights http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-netwo... http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-network/senior-inventors http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-netwo...
- levesque 13y ago
  They are either convinced that they are doing good, or in it for the money.
abecedarius 13y ago
I got to play with a working pinch-to-zoom map table at Hillis's company around 2004 or 5, before the iPhone came out. (It was not Intellectual Ventures; I forget the name of the company.)
- wnoise 13y ago
  Applied Minds?
  - abecedarius 13y ago
    That was it, thanks.

by jauer 13y ago

JamesArgo 13y ago

It will really be heartbreaking if Danny Hillis becomes a patent troll.

stephenlovell 13y ago
From This American Life, he sounds like one to me, and IV is a skilled Patent Troll at obscuring who they are and what they really do. Part One (When Patents Attack): http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/w... Part Two (When Patents Attack): http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/496/when-patents-attack-part-two http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/496/w...

sytelus 13y ago

Well, you might want to get familiar with IV. http://tinyurl.com/pxa6m9w http://tinyurl.com/pxa6m9w. They are likely the most dangerous troll there is. This fox had masked itself as sheep for pretty long time by combination of favorable reports from top tier journalists, their giant PR machine, projects such as mosquito killing lasers for 3rd world, promises of no first attack, backing of Bill Gates and so on. They had been only recently been uncovered as having literally 1000s of shell companies suing small and large companies for patent infringement. Outside of their tiny fraction of showpiece projects like mosquito killing lasers their most of the "innovations" are done by bunch of people sitting in a conference rooms and trying to "solve" problems by thinking of ideas that they almost never verify/productize or whatever but just wait for someone else to try so they can get piece of their reward for thinking it first.

NelsonMinar 13y ago

I'm a long time fan of Danny's work and am disappointed in his affiliation with IV. I'd love to hear his side of the story. (I still have this fantasy that IV is an elaborate prank to demonstrate how awful the US patent system is, but at this point that'd be an awfully long con.) Despite being a dangerous, destructive company, Intellectual Ventures has a lot of smart people associated with it. Myhrvold himself is no slouch and many of the folks who go to the infamous dinner parties with paralegals taking notes are interesting people. Here's IV's marketing on some of their "inventors": http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-network/inventor-spotlights http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-netwo... http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-network/senior-inventors http://www.intellectualventures.com/index.php/inventor-netwo...

levesque 13y ago
They are either convinced that they are doing good, or in it for the money.

abecedarius 13y ago

I got to play with a working pinch-to-zoom map table at Hillis's company around 2004 or 5, before the iPhone came out. (It was not Intellectual Ventures; I forget the name of the company.)

wnoise 13y ago
Applied Minds?
- abecedarius 13y ago
  That was it, thanks.