Microsoft Patents Ones, Zeroes | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

[James Knott]

Lennart Sorensen wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 05:54:51PM -0500, Paul King wrote:
>>> http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29130
>>> -- 
>> They have the best satirists. You have to read all the way to near the end to 
>> get this gem:
>>
>>     "Because all integers and natural numbers derive from one and zero,
>>     Microsoft may, by extension, lay claim to ownership of all mathematics and
>>     logic systems, including Euclidean geometry, pulleys and levers, gravity,
>>     and the basic Newtonian principles of motion, as well as the concepts of
>>     existence and nonexistence," Yale University theoretical mathematics
>>     professor J. Edmund Lattimore said. "In other words, pretty much
>>     everything." 
>>
>>     Lattimore said that the only mathematical constructs of which Microsoft
>>     may not be able to claim ownership are infinity and transcendental numbers
>>     like pi. Microsoft lawyers are expected to file liens on infinity and pi 
>>     this week.
> 
> Well cetainly not one of the best pieces the onion has made.  It just
> ignores too many things really make sense.  It ignores the whole limited
> time of patents, and such, which to me makes it just dumb, not funny.
> The onion usually does a lot better than this.
> 

I guess they should have added "Closed captioned for the humour 
impaired".  ;-)


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