Yearly Archives: 2004

Beware the Coin Toss

This entry was posted in Science Statistics on by

It looks like it isn’t quite fair:

The typical person flipping a coin varies enough in velocity, position, angle, and such to produce random-looking sequence. But when viewed this way, there is no reason for the flips to be precisely fair.
Now, with mathematician Richard Montgomery, Diaconis has shown that coin flips are in fact slightly biased to land on the same side as they started when flipped. By closely observing people flipping coins and carefully modeling the process, they estimate a bias on the order of 1�2%, dominating for example the house advantage in some casino games.

And if Diaconis is flipping they will land the way he wants them 100% of the time.
Via Marginal Revolution.

Good News on the pretend Patent Front

This entry was posted in Economics Intellectual Property Internet Patents on by

The key here is not that M$ may be off a $521 million hook. No, it is simply that the patent office invalidated the Eolas patent (also known as the 906 patent):

A system allowing a user of a browser program on a computer connected to an open distributed hypermedia system to access and execute an embedded program object.

This patent should not have been awarded in the first place. Not only is there substantial prior art but this type of software process patent should not qualify for a patent. Yea, I know the patent office has been granting these types of patents but, come on, let’s restrict patents to things that take, say, a bit of originality and genius. Not things that your average programmer or system analyst knocks out routinely.
Via mozillaZine.

Move Over Democrats and Republicans

This entry was posted in Democrats Politics Republicans Sex on by

Though his campaign billboards could not be as attention grabbing as this perhaps Nader could form a US version of this new Australian political party for his current political run.
In a brief discussion of the new party’s founder The Curmdugeonly Clerk offers us a learning moment:

this is not the first time that Ms. Moore has stood for office. No doubt, portions of her film oeuvre are available online; however, I will leave finding such material as an exercise for the reader.

Via Dylan at The Slitherly D.

Protect yourself against Identity theft

This entry was posted in Personal on by

I just received this from my brother and thought some of you might find it useful.
__________________
The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first
name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your check book they will
not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name
but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

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