MS Seeks Patent On Virtual Fuzzy Dice

theodp writes "Microsoft just published a patent application for an adaptive heads-up user interface for automobiles. It covers, among other things, virtual fuzzy dice that appear to move with automobile movements."

Re:Obviousness Criteria

[PinkyDead]

This sucks:

GM/Ford/BMW (or whoever) patents putting information on the windscreen -- Hmmm useful.

Microsoft [attempts to] patents putting more information on the windscreen -- WTF?!

Wasting the patent office's time should be a crime. I wonder could patent a bigger wheel - I'd make a fortune.

Re:Obviousness Criteria

[conspirator57]

My dell here does that for me. It's let me know for the past 6 months that my battery "is still working, but nearing the end of its useful life." The same notice provides a handy "come on down to the web dealership..." notice and link to dell's shop. It does this each time the laptop starts. Oh, and the laptop is one year old, so it was six months old when it started this crap.

Re:Nothing new here

[Gazzonyx]

That's a very good point; I think that companies 'forcing' software on people is the other half of the viscous cycle - if they don't, their competitors will.

I think we're all partly responsible for Microsoft being what it is. And I'm saying this, mind you, as a Linux user. If Microsoft didn't 'push' software on us, Apple would; if Apple didn't, IBM would... Sun... Novell... your friends neighbors brothers nephew ("...and everyone says he's a real whiz with computers, and he's writing this software that...").

Sometimes I think we deserve this monster we've built. Everyone is falling over themselves to get our money, and we walk to the slaughter like the cattle we are. As a fan of irony, and an esoteric dichotomy, I should note that while I complain about this, I've also used it for my own gain on several occasions. I guess that's just part of my inner turmoil.