Bill Gates Seeking Patent To Make Shakespeare Less Boring 338
theodp writes "GeekWire reports that Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold are seeking a patent on making textbooks less boring by using a cellphone or other device to scan text on a page, parse its meaning, and automatically create suitable accompanying video or pictures to keep students engaged. From the patent application for Autogenerating Video From Text: 'A student is assigned a reading assignment. To make the assignment more interesting, the student may use his or her mobile phone to take a picture of a page of the textbook. The systems and methods described herein may then generate a synthesized image sequence of the action occurring in the text. Thus, rather than simply reading names and dates, the student may see soldiers running across a battlefield.' Furthermore, the patent explains, the experience may be tailored to a user's preferences: 'For example, in a video clip about a Shakespearean play, the preference data may be used to insert family members into the video clip instead of the typical characters.'"
What problem (Score:3, Insightful)
What problem are they trying to solve here? If people don't want to read, why force them? Sure, reading is a skill we all should possess, but by doing this you don't help with learning how to read at all. So all the benefits of forcing them to read are removed.
Re:A patent on making textbooks less boring? (Score:5, Insightful)
No algorithm should mean no patent (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A patent on making textbooks less boring? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure what "it" is since the patent itself doesn't describe an algorithm. It's just a wish list of potential features.
Isn't that how *all* software patents are, nowadays? A lot of hand-waving and absolutely zero meat.
Imagine if all patents were like SW patents. You could patent the flying car, and all you need to write is a description of what your flying car will/should be able to do. And anyone who actually builds such a flying car will be hit over the head with your patent! That's totally Apple's style of doing business.
Re:No algorithm should mean no patent (Score:5, Insightful)
... also known as a software patent.
Catastrophically awful idea (Score:5, Insightful)
This proposal just makes my flesh crawl. Why are we so afraid of the idea that some classic works of literature (just like classics in the field of art or film) require a degree of diligence and attention to get the most out of them? Why do we object so strongly to the idea of teaching children the value of deferred please; that hard work and effort now can produce greater rewards down the line?
It's not just a problem in the arts. If we teach the next generation that all study should be easy, quick and fun, then how do we get over the fact that a learning lot of the science that underpins our current standard of living is none of those things.
"Sit down, shut up and read" might not be patentable as a teaching method due to prior art (though part of me wouldn't be surprised if somebody tried), but it strikes me as far more useful than the technology described in TFA.
Re:What problem (Score:5, Insightful)
The problem is the mentality that something is only worth doing if it makes you feel better right now. This "solution" only makes things worse. It's like a parent trying to get compliance by bribing their toddler with candy.
Re:Catastrophically awful idea (Score:4, Insightful)
The proposal isn't actually about literature; it's explicitly about textbooks. I dare say it'd have a really hard time with literature because important contextual information is unlikely to be held in the text snippet that it's supposed to visualise. For example it would be pretty trivial to put together an illustration of "1000 men storm the river whatevs" given that it's an abstract, but "What light through yonder window breaks?" takes a lot more foreknowledge.
I suspect the original intention was for them to be able to programatically generate those little illustrative videos you used to see on Encarta articles. Most of the claims are trashed so whatever the original patent was, it was quite a bit more substantial.
Re:No algorithm should mean no patent (Score:5, Insightful)
you know what's funny? such wish lists have been written before.. and it'll be expired by the time people can make it reality in state that's not total bull.
Re:Prior art again Bill! (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd have settled for Key Comics ancient releases of Shakespeares tales.
Not a new idea Bill. If you had the patent, you'd probably sue a comic book company for that. Shame on you, now go away and stay out of my news.
Is it just me ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Catastrophically awful idea (Score:5, Insightful)
To be fair, Shakespeare's plays aren't *meant* to be read. They're meant to be performed. So seeing a performance of the play is actually quite appropriate.
Re:What problem (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't understand. Reading Shakespeare is enjoyable. What is wrong with those kids?
The language is now a bit dated. Also the plays are always hard to read if you have no imagination. They were meant to be performed. In many ways this patent describes the job of a director. In which case I would have to decline. Politely.
In most other cases it is a prosthetic for imagination and thought processes.
At this point I would have mandatory philosophy classes just to get the kids back on track. Just the basics. Logic, the nature of knowledge, the old Aristotle vs. Plato argument, Munchhausen trilemma. No complex post-Renaissance/modern stuff. Just a kickstart for the old noggin. Then MAYBE they will learn to read and understand texts, the spirit they were written in and their context.
Re:I was just gonna say (Score:4, Insightful)
Unfortunately, people tend to dislike the idea of having their life ended prematurely, so it is very unlikely that the average child molester will come forward to collect his bullet. Since precrime doesn't really exist, you have to wait for someone to actually commit a crime before you can convict someone.
And if virtual kiddy porn can keep just one from going for the real deal, it's worth it.
Re:What problem (Score:4, Insightful)
Short-term effort shows the results reasonably quickly, good or bad. Long-term effort is a difficult thing to justify in our busy lives, so many people avoid it, whether that be consistent exercise, working on a hobby that will take months to produce something half-decent, or indeed, building any skills that aren't strictly necessary to survive.
I agree. All this will achieve is distract children from actually understanding anything by looking at a feed of supposedly related pictures/videos instead. It reminds me of a YouTube video of "My favorite things" (Sound of Music) in which someone had put clipart pictures of all the things. How completely irrelevant and distracting. The point of the song is not the list of things!
Re:Prior Art? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sure the 'reduced shakespeare company' might have something to say about making the bard more interesting.
Shakespeare is never boring. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs either an English comprehension course or medication for attention deficit disorder.