Lego wants your unique vehicle design for upcoming movie [w/video]

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/29/lego-wants-your-unique-vehicle-design-for-upcoming-movie-w-vide/

"Time to get creative folks. The folks behind Lego are making a new movie, Lego: The Motion Picture, and they need your help in populating the big screen with custom-created vehicles. Cars, planes, boats, boat-cars, truck-planes. They're all fair game if they can provide transportation to those yellow-headed Lego guys.

But there's a catch. Your vehicle must look like it was built from something else. Turn a castle into air boat (maybe it burned down, fell over and didn't sink into the swamp). Or a pickup truck assembled from the pieces of a 1950s diner. You get the point."

POTUS on Reddit

Barack Obama on Reddit earlier today doing an AMA - "Ask Me Anything" http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/z1c9z/i_am_barack_obama_president_of_the_united_states/

Do you know anyone who'd like to be a Disney Princess? Or frozen in carbonite like Han Solo?

Your body in carbonite, or on a Disney Princess, thanks to the miracle of 3D printing! Available only at Walt Disney World in Florida, for $99 a pop. No word on when this might come to Disneyland on the West Coast.  The shipment time is 6 weeks, probably to account for painting and maximum wait time if the service ends up being 100% utilized.  Which I'm guessing it was/will be.  The best introduction is the cool video here.

It appears the "Carbon-Freeze Me" Experience is over (more here), but the D-Tech Me Princess experience at the World of Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace is still running for a limited time (read more here).

Breakdown of the decisions in Apple versus Samsung verdict | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

http://www.tuaw.com/2012/08/24/breakdown-of-the-decisions-in-apple-versus-samsung-verdict?partner=skygrid 

The final 7 patents of the complaint.

"The jury handed down its decision today in the case between Apple and Samsung in the US. It was a big win for Apple and a sweeping loss for Samsung, which will have to pay nearly $1.05 billion in damages assuming its appeals do not change the damages (and assuming the judge does not impose additional penalties for willful infringement). Here is a quick breakdown of the claims and how the jury decided on each.

'381 patent

This patent describes the bounce-back feature that happens when you scroll beyond the edge of an image or document. The jury found that all of Samsung's devices infringe this patent.

'915 patent

This patent describes the one finger scroll or two finger pinch to zoom gestures. The jury found that all devices except the Intercept and the Replenish were infringing.

'163 patent

This patent describes the tap to zoom gesture. The jury found that the Droid Charge, Epic 4G, Exhibit 4G, Fascinate, Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Prevail, Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Infuse 4G, Mesmerize and Replenish. The jury found that the Captivate, Continuum, Gem, Indulge , Intercept, Nexus 4G and Vibrant did not infringe.

'D677 patent

This patent covers the design of the iPhone. The jury found that the Fascinate, Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G touch, Skyrocket, Showcase, Infuse 4G, Mesmerize and Vibrant are infringing. The Galaxy Ace did not infringe.

'D087 patent

This patent covers the design of the iPhone. The jury found that the Galaxy S, Galaxy S 4G and Vibrant are infringing. The Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch, Skyrocket and Infuse 4G are not infringing.

'D305 patent

This patent is a trade dress patent for the iPhone's homescreen. The jury found that the Captivate, Continuum, Droid Charge, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Galaxy S, Galaxy S 4G, Showcase, Gem, Indulge, Infuse 4G, Mesmerize and Vibrant are infringing.

'D889 patent

This patent relates to the industrial design of a tablet computer. The jury found that none of Samsung's tablet devices are infringing.

Samsung patents 914, 711, 893, 460, and 516.

The jury found that Apple did not infringe any of Samsung's patents.

Sherman antitrust law

The jury found Samsung violated Section 2 of the Sherman antitrust law by monopolizing markets related to the UMTS standard, while Apple did not."

Apple sues Samsung: a complete lawsuit analysis | The Verge

http://www.theverge.com/2011/04/19/apple-sues-samsung-analysis/

The original complaints.

Apple v. Samsung: How it was explained to the jury | Macworld

http://www.macworld.com/article/1167966/apple_v_samsung_how_it_was_explained_to_the_jury.html#lsrc.mod_rel

Good summary of Apples's charges.

Apple v Samsung: Five experts, five questions | Macworld

Me: It seems obvious that the jury had already decidied who was at fault, and all that remained was figuring out damages. In my opinion Samsung has skated the closest to apple's patents. They never tried to deviate from the flat slab design. Motorola, HTC, and especially Google have made sure the physical body of their phones have certain curves, ramps, and thickness variations that made them unlike the totally symmetric iPhone. Also Samsung has hung on to the physical "Home" button that to this day no other Android phone has. On my Galaxy Note I actually find the physical button to be hugely annoying, every other interface gesture is touch, why do i have to press down on a button so often? Samsung was already a very compelling competitor to Apple without having to copy them so closely. I think this is a big wake up call to Asian companies who are a little more used to directly copying their competitors. And a big wake up call also to the US, who shouldn't get too complacent that the US somehow has a monopoly on innovation. Samsung has made big inroads in the US in TVs, phones, refrigerators (have you shopped for a fridge in the last few years? Samsung owns that market), washer/dryers...

http://www.macworld.com/article/1168253/apple_v_samsung_five_experts_five_questions.html#lsrc.mod_rel

"What has surprised you about the trial?

Roy Futterman: I am surprised that the attorneys and the judge have allowed the jury's job to be staggeringly complicated by providing them with an elaborate verdict form and remarkably long jury instructions. In our experience working on complex patent litigation, we always advise attorneys to do everything possible to clarify the complex legal and technological issues for the jurors as a means to a favorable verdict. A simpler case with a clear verdict form would be most favorable to Apple as the plaintiff charging infringement. A complicated verdict form may lead an overwhelmed jury to check a box that leads to an invalid patent."

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What the Apple-Samsung verdict means to you | Macworld

http://www.macworld.com/article/1168287/what_the_apple_samsung_verdict_means_to_you.html

"In one sense, the verdict against Samsung in its patent contest with Apple isn't that momentous. The damages—a bit north of $1 billion—are less than half of what Apple originally sought.

And that award isn't going to ruin Samsung: The Korean manufacturing giant made a profit of $4.5 billion in the most recent June quarter, 63 percent of which came from its mobile business. So the jury award amounts to about half of one quarter's mobile profit for the company. (Of course, the financial hit could wind up being bigger for Samsung: The judge has the option to triple the damages awarded to Apple.)

Furthermore, of the products that the jury found violated Apple's patents, only the Nexus S 4G and the T-Mobile Galaxy S II are still being sold. Other devices in Samsung's current product line should be safe, thanks to design shifts Samsung made following the Galaxy S II.

Those shifts were most likely defensive, made to protect Samsung against lawsuits like this one, which Apple filed in April 2011. Many of the infringements that the jury cited in Friday's verdict centered on elements of the TouchWiz user-interface that for the most part are no longer used."

LOL - The 35 Greatest Animal Photobombers Of All Time

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/greatest-animal-photobombers-of-all-time?sub=1560317_287733

Register for CES 2013 before Aug 31 to avoid $100 fee. Do it now!!

http://registration3.experientevent.com/showCES131/Default.aspx?pcode=LC14

Nikon Coolpix S800c - pictures

Thanks imaging-resource.com for the photo. Looks nice in white!

Actually I don't think they need to add a phone to this (WWAN radio). Just add the ability to text, over Wifi. Done.

Nikon Coolpix S800c Camera - Hands-On Preview

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/nikon-s800c/nikon-s800cA.HTM

"The camera industry has long been trying to figure out how to compete with smartphones and tablets -- devices that take pictures, but don't take them nearly as well as most digital cameras. The Coolpix S800c is the first attempt to coexist with smartphones and tablets, and even bypass them completely, uploading photos directly to sharing and storage sites. Some manufacturers have approached the challenge by adding WiFi capabilities to their cameras, allowing photographers to transfer their higher-quality images to smart devices so they can be easily managed and shared via email, texts and social media. But with the Coolpix S800c, Nikon breaks new ground by bringing the smarts into the camera itself. Nikon says they worked closely with Google to optimize the integration between camera and Android system so that photo-minded consumers could get (at least some of) the best of both worlds in one device."

35 Greatest animal photobombers of all time

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/greatest-animal-photobombers-of-all-time?s=mobile

Not Even the Olympics Can Make 3DTV Worth It

http://m.gizmodo.com/5931223/not-even-the-olympics-can-make-3dtv-worth-it

"HD was a quantum leap in part at least because you can reap its benefits with the naked eye. 3D glasses and the cost are turn have turned out to be a bigger barrier than anyone anticipated. People are cooling down to the gimmick.

Consider the movies as an example. Sure Avatar was an incredible 3D experience unlike anything anyone had seen before, but just a few years later Christopher Nolan refused to shoot The Dark Knight Rises in 3D. It just wasn't worth it to him because he didn't think audiences cared."
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Pinnacles National Monument could become 59th national park - latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-pinnacles-national-monument-park-bill-20120731,0,5387194.story

Pinnacles is a great park. We hiked thru one of the caves a few years back. Some of the sections of the cave are in complete darkness! Bring your flashlight. Not a large park but a very enjoyable one.

Dont miss it if you're near the central California coast. Glad to see it will be protected.