Sunday, June 1, 2008

High tech fashion

I think these kids are cute. Leave it to Beaver-cute. They are dressed from the LA Police Gear store. First, about flashlights. Searching the Google Patents the other day for LED illuminators I stumbled on the LED flashlights section. That led to a simple web search for LED flashlights, where I saw a familiar name, LA Police Gear. Apparently the high tech field has made strides in adapting LEDs for mainstream use, as we have been enjoying LED lights on cars, and flashlights going the LED is not surprising. Light emitting diode (LED) technology is now available in several flashlight models and as an add-on conversion for many of SureFire's (the brans carried by LA Police Gear) high-performance flashlights. After looking into the product inf0ormation, it turns out that Surefire LED flashlights and conversion heads differ from other manufacturer's LED flashlights with features such as digital regulator circuits to maintain consistent levels of light output for as long as possible, and digital current limiters to protect the LED module from current and heat-related damage. Just when I was ready to click on through to my Blogger dashboard, I saw shorts on LA Police Gear page. Shorts, the kind I have been looking for , for the hikes in Mojave desert, or arounbd Lake Tahoe. The 511 Shorts are the tactical type, designed to carry bulky items and still remain durable. Like all 5.11 Tactical ™ clothing, the store information says, only the finest components are used in construction – from the 100% Cotton Tactical Canvas to the Prym® snap and YKK® zipper. The short has double fabric in the seat and thirty-six bartacks (reinforcement stitching) at stress points for superior strength. I am really fed up with cheap discount stuff I got from my local pop. I am dressing high tech from now on.

Frankenstein (artificial life form) seed also opposed

Golem-Frankenstein master Craig Venter and his colleagues have applied for a patent on a minimal-genome bacteria, which is sparking protests. First, here's the preliminary claim: United States Patent Application 20070122826 Minimal bacterial genome 1. A set of protein-coding genes that provides the information required for growth and replication of a free-living organism under axenic conditions in a rich bacterial culture medium, wherein the set lacks at least 40 of the 101 protein-coding genes listed in Table 2, or functional equivalents thereof, wherein at least one of the genes in Table 4 is among the lacking genes; wherein the set comprises between 350 and 381 of the 381 protein-coding genes listed in Table 3, or functional equivalents thereof, including at least one of the genes in Table 5; and wherein the set comprises no more than 450 protein-coding genes. I suggest the claim be written - I am not a fan of negative limitations - "... wherein the set lacks at least 40 of ..." - you can write this claim constructively ("most to all of the Table 3 genes, plus less than 60 of the Table 2 genes"). Legally, if you accept Chakrabarty, well, this invention is even more artificial, and even less a natural phenomenon, than the bacteria in Chakrabarty. This new application won't be shot down on caselaw grounds.