A Guardian Angel In Your Cell Phone 215
theodp writes "Bill Gates and Ray Ozzie are listed as inventors of the Guardian Angel, which is described in a most unusual Microsoft patent application that should intrigue privacy advocates. In addition to protecting you from possibly diseased people, by detecting body temperatures, the Guardian Angel's 'monitoring component can take note of the number of conversations occurring in a room (and more specifically, a breakdown of the types of people in the room accompanied by a warning for dangerous persons, based on sex offender registration, FBI most wanted, etc.).' The versatile Guardian Angel, Microsoft notes, can also recommend restaurants, advise you on the appropriateness of your jokes, detect that your heartbeat has stopped, display targeted ads on billboards, and block spam."
WTF? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh thanks. And am I going to be conscious when it tells me that? Talk about BSOD!
Nobody is going to be walking around with freakin' defibrillator pads on their chest and a Microsoft Guardian Angel in their pocket.
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Funny)
BSOD indeed! Just imagine how insistent Microsoft could get about validating the software?
"User authorization failure. Your software license has expired or is an illegal copy. Please purchase a legitimate license immediately or your heart will be shut down."
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Re:WTF? (Score:5, Funny)
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Lawsuits and common sense should get rid of these devices. They are going to accuse people of horrible crimes with all the accuracy, security and correctness of Microsoft Windows.
I could imagine the political controversy that would ensue.
Plaintiff: That device keeps falsely accusing me of pedophilia.
Hannity: Why should we believe you. You're a pedophile!
Plaintiff: But I didn't do it.
Hannity: How could you! They're children and you robbed them of their...
Plaintiff: But I didn't do it.
Hannity: with the groping and the touching and...
If the Supreme Court doesn't stop it, then it will be controversial for a week and then be trusted unquestioningly.
Re:WTF? (Score:4, Funny)
1. design device to detect the 'guardian angel' in a roomful of people that you don't like
2. broadcast subversive material in its vicinity
3. profit!
Re:WTF? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:WTF? (Score:4, Insightful)
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It's open the pod bay door please HAL, all over again. An even better touch would be if the program sang Daisy Daisy when you disabled it. But somehow I don't expect such humor from Microsoft.
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Sooo... (Score:2)
I call bullshit (Score:5, Funny)
They should start with something simple like an OS that works.
Re:I call bullshit (Score:5, Funny)
They should start with something simple like an OS that works.
Windows 1.0 was launched 23 years ago [wikipedia.org], in 1985.
MS-DOS wasn't too bad. But then they bought that one [wikipedia.org] from Seattle Computer Products.
Re:I call bullshit (Score:5, Funny)
Microsoft "Commissioned" MS-DOS, they didnt "Buy it". Everyone knows that.
And Windows 11 will be coming out in 2010. Thats going to really kill Apple.
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Re:I call bullshit (Score:4, Interesting)
Seems sort of odd to be trying to patent something that clearly can't be made to work at the present time. I don't see why this would be patentable anyway, similar devices have certainly been described in various science fiction stories in sufficient detail to be "prior art".
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Guardian Clippy (Score:3, Funny)
Would you like to:
1) Restart your heart, and languish in a coma, fed with a feeding tube while your family stuggles to pay your mounting hospital bills
2) Die here on the street. (By the way, you're missing out on an incredible canoli just 2 blocks to the North).
*1*
Please wait while the system restarts....
Hello! It appears you have just woken up from a coma!
Since you are groggy, now is the perfect time to sign up for Microsoft Live Email service!
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Seeing as how Windows already works on 90% of the machines in the world.
What do you mean 90%? Can it run on a PowerPC architecture? No. ARM? Not really (Ok, Windows mobile probably can but its not as much Windows as a new OS similar to Windows). SPARC? Nope. Can (current versions XP/Vista) run on old hardware? Not very well.
Can Linux work on almost any CPU architecture known to mankind? Yes. Can it run on old hardware on current versions? Yes. Is it as easy to attack as Windows? No. Can (and does) Linux run on many cell phones? Yes. UMPCs? Yes.
To say that Windows w
oh good... (Score:3, Funny)
Clippy in your pocket... (Score:5, Funny)
Ew.
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"You appear to have a problem achieving wood, press 2 to temporarily unblock vi4gr@ spam filters"
I Want (Score:2)
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Wait, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Funny)
Fixed that for them?
Re:Wait, what? (Score:4, Insightful)
Probably 90% of the adverts any given person is exposed to on a daily basis are a complete waste of their and the advertiser's time. (which is why email spam works, because it doesn't cost much to spam everybody)
Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Though I do agree that the few that buy from spamvertisement do encourage the behavior. If you build a system that has a fundamental de
Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Insightful)
Sounds a little like voting with your wallet.
Bunk (Score:5, Insightful)
No, it is a problem because it is exactly what it is: Unsolicited messages. TV and Radio commercials are not spam. When I watch TV, I am not paying for the show. When I listen to the radio, I am not paying for the music. I get these feeds free because I am willing to listen to the ads on some level. Newspapers are partially subsidized by the ads, and some are completely subsidized. In all these cases, I get paid something for my attention.
My inbox (and my phone for that matter) is a different thing, though. *I* pay for that communication channel, not the advertisers. It is supposed to be for my private use. If my ISP offered some sort of discount based on the number of ads I have to cope with, then fine. Until that happens, spam is a leeching evil blight. (Well, all ads are pretty much leeching evil blights, but spam is especially so, but with puss, and foul odours on top of it.)
Spam, and telemarketing should be made illegal.
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That depends on how you view spam. One way is that it is mind pollution. I try not to buy from companies that pollute excessively, and tha
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Re:just great (Score:4, Insightful)
There, fixed that for you.
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No. You're going to see the billboards whether or not you have this phone, the difference is that the advert you end up seeing is tailored to the people in the vicinity that have this phone. The spam blocker is presumably for email/SMS/etc and obviously isn't going to block you from seeing billboards.
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Re:Wait, what? (Score:5, Funny)
Exactly the problem with patents (Score:5, Insightful)
Since it's impossible to make, there can't be prior art. Since it's being patented before it *could* be made, it never will be made. This is a very common, very ridiculous occurrence.
Re:Exactly the problem with patents (Score:5, Informative)
35 U.S.C. 112 Specification.
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
In that case, and at least theoretically (i.e. the Examiner would have to catch it), the application could be rejected for not having an enabling disclosure. The idea behind the patent system is to only be able to get patents on inventions you provide an enabling disclosure for, in other words actually invented.
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The following section of 35 U.S.C. states the requirements relating to enabling disclosures: 35 U.S.C. 112 Specification. The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. In that case, and at least theoretically (i.e. the Examiner would have to catch it), the application could be rejected for not having an enabling disclosure. The idea behind the patent system is to only be able to get patents on inventions you provide an enabling disclosure for, in other words actually invented.
Glancing at the patent application, it seems to suggest it can be implemented using computers, communications and input devices. It shouldn't be too hard, given that, for a person skilled in the art to slap one together.
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I'm sorry, but this is simply ludicrous...
By the premise of this patent, I could at this very moment patent every interesting idea I've ever read in a science fiction story. Give a full discription of the what, with a pitifully vague description of the how. Then as the technology became available to make it happen, I could fill in any of the 20 or 30 [And a miracle happens] type, blank spaces in my patent disclosure, until shebang, it's 2019 and I have now got a perfectly good patent back-dated to 2008, fo
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They pre-patented the "guardian angel in your cell phone" because they don't want them to be made.
Notice, they did not patent the "rat fink in your cell phone" - so that's what we have to look forward to.
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Bad jokes? (Score:4, Funny)
So this thing will let me know when I'm surrounded by the type of people who will be offended by my telling of dead baby or titty-fuck jokes? Awesome.
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Yes, remeber back that time you met with the queen mother.. ?
"detect that your heartbeat has stopped" (Score:5, Funny)
Beginning dump of physical memory...
Out of memory. Dump aborted...
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That's OK. That's the one thing the the Guardian Angel will actually be able to do.
Re:"detect that your heartbeat has stopped" (Score:4, Funny)
"Bloodloss detected. Seek immediate medical attention."
"User death imminent."
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
One of these things is not like the others (Score:2)
(And the last two are somewhat at odds with each other...)
But ?!!!? (Score:2)
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Hey, don't shoot this down just yet (Score:2, Insightful)
Just don't forget the off switch.
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I can see it now... (Score:5, Funny)
Clippy: It looks like you are having a heart-attack! Would you like help?
Me: Ow! Stop zapping me! I'm not having a heart-attack, I just dropped my phone!
Detects that your heartbeat has stopped? (Score:2, Funny)
oblig Dr. Who... (Score:2)
Wow, talk about going for the gusto (Score:3, Interesting)
ROFL....they want me to believe they have a working device that does all these diverse tasks, some of which are amazingly difficult? I suppose I'm also supposed to believe it's going to run on a Windows platform on some kind of portable computer. <voice="Bill Cosby">Riiiiiight</voice>.
Sorry, but as much as I'd like to think some pair of uber-geniuses managed to build one product (that runs on a portable Windows platorm, no less) that does all this, it just screams, "Vaporware inspired by Marketing!" to me. I thought you had to have some semblance of a working device before they'd give you a patent? Or is that something I remember from reading how it's supposed to work?
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RTFA
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utter, utter bullshit (Score:4, Insightful)
This patent is nothing more then a placeholder on imaginary tech that might become a reality in the future.
In the words of the deity of slashdot:
"And thus he spaketh, 'there be nothing to see here, moveth thee along'. (Gospels of CommanderTaco IV)"
Uhhhhh... Okay (Score:2)
Riiight. "Your heart has stopped beating. Have a nice day!". Unless it has a built in defib device I don't think it will help much. I have a problem seeing that somebody is going to have the presence of mind to check their cellphone WHEN THEIR HEART HAS STOPPED BEATING.
The targets ads on billboards is just slightly more ridiculous. The blocking of spam is just hilarious.
This thing should be called Guardian Angel.
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actually, maybe it could be a resuscitation for clippy.
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7. The system of claim 1, the broadcast device receives appropriate payment before allowing any information to transfer from the user to the plurality of other users and devices.
qz
Typical (Score:5, Funny)
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and it can run up your data bill and don't even th (Score:2)
Just wait for the blue screen... (Score:5, Insightful)
If this ever gets made I can just see the news storys and lawsuits... Family sues Microsoft after daughters murder... Daughters Guardian Angel bluesceened while on a date with a serial murderer... Details at 11...
And if its polling information on everyone you are around, just exactly what information is it sending about you back to Microsoft?
Other features (Score:2)
My lie detector works! (Score:2)
The perfect patent! (Score:2, Funny)
Sure... (Score:2)
that's nice, but... (Score:5, Funny)
Is the filing date by any chance April 1? (Score:2)
Hmmm (Score:5, Insightful)
In all seriousness, though, we have got to do something about the "if it moves, advertise at it; if it doesn't move, advertise on it" culture we have growing. At this rate, the first people with mind control rays won't be the CIA spooks, it'll be Brainpoint Concepts Media, inc. and Your Dreams(tm), brought to you by Ambitrex.
Zune II (Score:3, Funny)
Identify dangerous persons? (Score:2)
Sounds a lot like Emacs (Score:2, Funny)
Inventors? (Score:5, Insightful)
And since the thing is only an idea at this stage, does that make science fiction stories with similar ideas prior art? My God what a mess the patent system is right now...nuke it.
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Prior art (Score:3, Funny)
Display targeted ads on billboards. Great. (Score:2)
Quite a broad range of capabilities... (Score:2)
Hope it doesn't lose the vegamatic function... (Score:2)
I always suspected that Microsoft = Ronco
Guard this. (Score:3, Funny)
Each Guardian Angel [wikipedia.org] equipped cell phone comes with its own little red beret and is pre-enabled to warn you about anyone within a 10' radius trying to access a You Tube [slashdot.org] link.
NEWS FLASH (Score:5, Funny)
"We began with Microsoft Bob in the early days, and started by mating him with various other characters, such as ELIZA and ALICE. We then put the resulting offspring through enormous selective pressures, and mated Bob with any surviving females. After a few iterations we had Clippy, who Microsoft Office users soon fell head over heels in love with.
This success was so, uhh, successful... that we took the project underground for further development.
Our first thought was to continue with Clippy, but after some analysis, we decided that Clippy had become so inbred that we should just start over again, with Bob.
Things went fine at first, but we ran into a problem trying to bring 'new blood' into the family. Bob resigned from the program after his first mating with RACTER, leaving us with a lot of messy, uhmm, code, to clean up.
It looked like the program was doomed, but we discovered that while we were pre-occupied with Bob, Clippy had been engaging in a three way with ALICE and PARRY. Intrigued, we introduced Clippy to RACTER, and they have since been inseparable.
At last we had found the road to success!
Though, we have had our ups and downs since then. PARRY commited suicide soon after RACTER moved in to Clippys apartment, and Clippy was so distraught that he could not perform for months.
Bob, for his part, refuses to speak with Clippy, but we found that we could arrange a channel between them, via ALICE. According to ALICE 'Clippy can be annoying, popping up with unwelcome comments at random moments. But he's a good fellow, he's only trying to help.'"
According to our sources, the technology will be released to manufacturing once a troublesome tendency for the offspring to speak with a LISP can be solved.
the user interface needs improvement (Score:2)
[OK][Cancel]
Heart bypass ads (Score:2)
detect that your heartbeat has stopped, display targeted ads on billboards
I can just see it, you're having a heart attack and the billboard above you flashes an ad for Methodist Hospital cardiac unit. Got bypass? Tell the ambulance driver to take you to Methodist's state of the art cardiac acute care center. Surgeons are standing by.
When my cell phone starts analyzing my jokes is when I beat it to death with a hammer and dance naked around it until it loses all its power.
But can it detect erectile disfunction? (Score:2)
Microsoft phonehack live! (Score:2)
Sexoffender fighter enter the room.
Sexoffender fighter pick up the knife.
FBI Most Wanted Wizard sleep.
Sexoffender fighter notice you.
You zap Sexoffender fighter with cellphonetaiser.
FBI Most Wanted Wizard wake up.
FBI Most Wanted Wizard zap you with microwave pain projector.
You are in pain. You are slow.
You throw cellphonebomb at FB
Fuck it (Score:5, Funny)
I give up, I'm going Amish. See you guys later.
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Re:invasion of privacy (Score:4, Informative)
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