Sergey wrote regarding 'Re: [OT]:  Domain names for evil patents' on Mon, Feb 13 at 15:46:
> Danny Sauer <piclist <at> dannysauer.com> writes:
> > ...but just what patent has led to Google being the most popular
> > search engine today?  Do they have a patent on fast database
> > lookups?
> 
> An example from US PTO:
> United States Patent  6,678,681  
> Brin  January 13, 2004  

I'll be damned, they *do* have a patent on database lookups.  Eh, I'm
convinced that's taken out only as protection from being sued by
someone else who would have eventually patented database lookups -
something which shouldn't be patentable anyway, and an example of the
problems with the patent system.  Retrieving tuples from gathered
information, indeed.  Bah. :)

> You have a point here, although I have to say that this society,
> which has fallen behind, still has the most developed economy and
> standard of living.  No system is perfect, but it seems to me that
> the greed-fueled society ( I would call it entrepreneurial society)
> is much better off than other, more idealistic ones in terms of
> social development, protections etc.  I speak from experience living
> in 2 vastly different countries for extended periods of time.  

I question just how much longer resting on our laurels (I'm taking a
US-centric view in my posts here, in case that's not yet clear) will
be adequate to maintain that position.  Our bullying of the rest of
the world (some justified, some not) and the erosion of my rights as a
citizen certainly aren't doing much for *my* view of our security...
:)  As I write out another $1200 check for one more month of two
people's health insurance, and as I fill my car's fuel tank up with a
product whose cost has doubled in the last 12 months while its
producers' income has also increased at a similar rate, I question how
much longer the standard of living will remain "better".

Regardless we're (I'm) drifting a little too far into politics at this
point, and I'm starting to sound like someone who dislikes his
country, when in fact I'm quite happy for the opportunity available to
me here.

--Danny, not packing up and moving just yet... ;)
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