Killing Patent Reform

The patent logjam is a symptom of a system that allows poor quality patents. When the issuance rate for applications is so high, of course more people are going to apply for patents. And more of these applications are going to be very stupid. And more of these patents will haunt our innovation space just shy of two decades from now.(via The Next Patent Office Director Probably Shouldn't Be One Of The Guys Who Killed Patent Reform | Electronic Frontier Foundation

Unless things start to change, I see a "We the people ..." moment coming in the future.

Will Nest customer Data be Shared with Google?

Will Nest customer Data be Shared with Google?Techcrunch

Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change.Nest

That answer is a bit vague, but the concerns over the recent revelations of enormous data gathering efforts on the part of the NSA should definitely cause some to worry. Whether Google chooses to share information voluntarily, it’s still a big target for those looking to hoover up vast swaths of data about its users, and that will only be more likely as time goes on, not less.Techcrunch

Watermarks suck

As you may know, my work is all Creative Commons Non-Commercial. That means people, as long as they give credit and link back to http://www.StuckInCustoms.com , can use my images on their blogs, wallpaper, personal use – anything – as long as it is not used commercially. Every day, I upload a HUGE 6000+ pixel max-resolution image to the Internet. I do not have any fear at all… Believe me, it’s quite liberating living in a world without internet-stealth-fear. ~ Trey RatcliffLike Trey, I also don’t use watermarks on my photos and I use a Creative Commons Non-Commercial license. Watermarks ruin my experience of a photograph. It’s like listening to a great piece of music with someone talking in the background. It’s like watching a movie with someone making commentary the whole time.Trey Ratcliff