On the surface, I understand the idea of a patent. Brilliant or lucky, an inventor documents a wonderful new gadget and controls how that whatamajig is produced and sold. Half of the Great American Dream is the notion that any kooky character with enough brains and penmanship can create the seeds of a million-dollar industry. What I see in the news these days, though, isn’t that image of patenting.
Of Monkeys and Men
It was the last night of the summer before I had to head back to DePauw for my sophomore year, and I probably wasn’t very anxious to do so. My dad came down after he and my mom returned from some dinner party, with the latter heading to bed. We talked a bit and bonded over the TV. When the little monkey in the dress started lunging for Dave, my dad and I started guffawing. Thanks to the miracle of YouTube, I can relive that moment with Carter and Archie.
Waiting for Answers
About a month ago, AltSearchEngine reported on a creative writing contest offered by Answers.com. There is a nominal prize incentive and an October 1 deadline. The event is one of those viral promotion things, where bloggers invest some time creating buzz by crafting some content around a few links. In this case, there are ten words with links into the Answers.com web site that need to be used in some creative work.