Peterism » technology

Tan Le: A headset that reads your brainwaves

Peter — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:15:55 +0000

Apple’s Undeserved Claim to Multi-Touch Patents

Peter — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:46:15 +0000

First off, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Apple. They do have the ability to get well-designed products out and do it quick. Their marketing guys are geniuses, in ways that lure unsuspecting tech junkies into faithful worshipers. On January 20, 2009, as CNet reported in this article, Apple was awarded several patents related to its multi-touch technology as implemented on its iPhone and iPod Touch. The same article points out that Apple’s COO Tim Cook said Apple “will not stand for having our (intellectual property) ripped off, and we’ll use whatever weapons that we have at our disposal.”

This development reminds me of Amazon’s ill-conceived “One-Click” patent in the late 90′s that was subsequently criticized by many, including the EFF, who then called for a boycott against the online retailer. The fact that the USPTO awarded Apple these patents is troubling. Apple is trying to stifle competition by scaring others into NOT implementing “concepts”. I am not a patent attorney (yet), but it appears to me that the US legal system has been abused again, and is at least partially responsible for Google’s decision not to implement multi-touch in their G1.

As pointed on in this article from Gizmodo, I don’t think Apple will have a rightful and lasting hold onto those patents.

Hack your digital camera.

Peter — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:34:17 +0000

For certain Canon point and shoot digital cameras and the Digital Rebel line (or the EOS 300 series for those outside of the US), there are some free firmware you can load onto your camera to “unlock” a few neat tricks. CHDK is the community forum that is dedicated to advancing these hidden functionality. This article shows some of the tricks you can do with your hacked camera.

Spoofing your Phone Number

Peter — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:35:32 +0000

I stumpled upon this site today that provides a service which allows you to change the phone number that is displayed on the receiver’s Caller ID. Check it out.

http://www.telespoof.com/freecall.php