Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Eurovision 2013 Song Contest Semifinals and Final Upcoming in May 2013: Subjective Impressions in April: Who Could Win?

The Final of the Eurovision 2013 Song Contest is upcoming May 18, 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. Semi-Final 1 is on May 14 and the Semi-Final 2 is on May 16.

Who will win the actual song voting? The juries and TV voters will decide.

Right now, it appears to be a question of "can anyone beat Denmark?"

Our own TOP TEN, after Denmark, are, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER only and not in the order we would vote: Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Russia, San Marino, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

Below are a few of our subjective impressions of the competing songs, music, lyrics and artists.

We have our own personal favorites, of course, in our own top ten above, but we have greatly enjoyed listening to all the songs and reading about the music makers from each country. Thank you to all. Each entry has something interesting to tell, even if it does not emerge as the ultimate winner.

The Eurovision Song Contest is only in part about winning and losing. More importantly, it is about culture and music among the European family of peoples. This unique event fosters a common sense of heritage and identity in Europe and is always of interest for that reason, much as sports often serve a similar purpose for the community of humankind at international events like the Olympic Games.

Sometimes winning is overemphasized, or, to put it another way, nearly everyone in Europe "wins" through the Eurovision Song Contest.

One thing to remember is that official videos of the entries -- to which we link below -- can often be better than the on-stage performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, where one has to sing "live", and it is the latter which is determinative, so one can not rely solely on the videos to gain an accurate view of the chances of an entry in the contest. The day of competition is determinative.

Countries Exempt from Semi-Final Competition and Automatically Qualified for the Final

  • SWEDEN (last year's winner with Euphoria by Loreen)
    Sweden - Robin Stjernberg - You
    Stjernberg! Although we tended in favor toward La La Love by Idi Adamou of Cyprus last year, we did also very much like Sweden's ultimate winner Euphoria by Loreen, a song that had broad appeal among voters. Sweden's 2013 song You by Robin Stjernberg is a change in style from the 2012 winner, and comparable success in 2013 for Sweden is unlikely.

  • GERMANY: Teutonic Eurodance
    Germany - Cascada - Glorious
    Eurodance! We are fans! The Eurodance song Glorious by Cascada has several million hits online already at YouTube, surely many from the great number of devoted fans in Germany. We like this song because its theme concentrates with optimism on the youth of our time and their future. However, Eurodance has historically not done well at the Eurovision Song Contest. This year should be an exception, but Cascada is unlikely to garner sufficient votes throughout all of Europe to win. Being from Germany, we nevertheless say "toi, toi, toi", which means "good Luck!"

  • UNITED KINGDOM: Bonnie Tyler (!) in the prime of life!
    United Kingdom - Bonnie Tyler - Believe in Me
    Oldies but goodies! Bonnie Tyler and her special voice and song have enriched the lives of millions over the years. Bonnie is now 61 and is unlikely to win the Eurovision Song Contest, just as the famed Engelbert Humperdinck, age 76, last year did not win for a nostalgic, traditional United Kingdom. Nevertheless, Bonnie is a great addition to the Eurovision spectacle, regardless of the voting. Go, Bonnie, go!

  • FRANCE:
    France - Amandine Bourgeois - L'enfer Et Moi ("Hell and Me")
    50 Shades! The French entry merges a young female pop rock singer with a song that relates to BDSM and, in the video to the song, shows various pictured subjects of the macabre, we suppose all intended in the trend of the immensely popular risque book series 50 Shades .... Voters will have to decide how this borderline toxic mixture fares at Eurovision.

  • ITALY:
    Italy - Marco Mengoni - L'Essenziale
  • Another Italian stallion! Italy continues in its tradition of solo performers singing a typically Italian song described by its songwriter/singer Mengoni as: "an Italian-style ballad in the tipping point between love and social issues". Songs like this are of course very popular in Italy (currently millions of YouTube hits) and every once in a while they are successful on the international stage. Again, the voters have to decide if this is one of those very rare compositions that extend beyond the country's borders.

  • SPAIN: Back to Celtic Roots
    Spain - ESDM (El Sueño De Morfeo) - Contigo Hasta El Final (With You Until the End)
    Celtic! Spain presents a sweet song and a fittingly sweet lead female singer and presentation. The song has not been a sales magnet in Spain since its debut, so that a high placement at the Eurovision Song Contest would be a surprise, but it is not excluded.

Semi-Final 1, May 14, 2013, Malmö, Sweden
Pre-Contest Impressions
  • AUSTRIA: The Starlit Sky Shines
    Austria - Natália Kelly - Shine
    Shining! 18-year old Natália Kelly represents Austria with her debut single. She is of Austrian ancestry and has roots in the USA and Brazil as well, showing the international nature of the Eurovision Song Contest. "Shine" is a breathy pop-type song that will give Kelly's singing career a boost.

  • ESTONIA: Continues Tradition of Solo Singers, but as a Duo
    Estonia - Birgit Öigemeel - Et Uus Saaks Alguse
    A Duo as One! Birgit is a female singer with a nice voice who sings a pleasant song the translated title of which is "New Beginning", an idea that incorporates her expecting, pregnant status. Something new for Eurovision. Why not?

  • SLOVENIA: Female Singer with a typical Eurovision Song
    Slovenia
    - Hannah Mancini - Straight into Love
    Mancini is a name of fame in music! This zippy dance song is sung by Hannah Mancini, who was born in America, but is married to a Slovenian, showing once again the broad international flavor of Eurovision. Mancini has appeared on the Jay Leno show in the USA and previously worked in Hollywood on Disney films soundtracks.

  • CROATIA: Top Harmony, Melodious Song in the "Old Style"
    A Musical Challenger in Accession mid-2013 to the EU

    Croatia - Klapa s mora - Mižerja (Misery) -- see lyrics
    The darkhorse challenger! We really like this entry for its sheer musicality. "Misery" is melodious and soulful music in the "old" tradition, and should have a strong following among older generations, which could translate into a strong showing at Eurovision. We expect a lot of votes here from Eastern Europe, which could give Croatia a high placement, maybe even a win.

  • DENMARK: Wonderful Musical Talent and Performing Art
    The Clear Early Betting Favorite Thus Far

    Denmark - Emmelie de Forest - Only Teardrops
    Perfect! Nearly everything about this song is perfect: song, singer, musicians, costumes, performance, yes, even "a royal touch".The Wikipedia writes about the singer: "Emmelie de Forest [is possibly] the great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria, as her grandfather, Count Maurice Arnold de Forest supposedly was an illegimate child of King Edward VII." Her grandfather married into the Swedish nobility (Armfelt family)."
    We  definitely agree that this fabulous song must be viewed as the favorite. It dances in one's head for days after hearing it several times. Denmark must worry, however, that voters could find this song somewhat similar to last year's winner and the crowd may be in the mood for something different. It is also clear that this is a "Eurovision" song but may not be a musical piece that tops radio charts or YouTube song hits. Hence, a win by favored Denmark is by no means guaranteed.

  • RUSSIA: A Surprisingly Soft Song with a Sweet Message
    Russia - Dina Garipova - What If
    What a Soft Song! Human talent has no geographic boundaries. Dina Garipova not only represents Russia but is from the lesser known city of Zelenodolsk in the Republic of Tatarstan. The budding journalism student at Kazan University has a superb female voice and presents a moving, emotional song that should find many adherents. The bookmakers have Russia in the top 6 for Eurovision 2013 and that should not be far off the mark.

  • UKRAINE: Fantastically Done from the Central European Plains
    Ukraine - Zlata Ognevich - Gravity
    Ready for Hollywood! The song "Gravity" is presented by Zlata Ognevich, a top female singer, together with superb backups, a great song and excellent lyrics. This  presentation has bounce and élan and is Broadway and Hollywood ready. The magic-bubbled Disney-like unicorn and butterfly video is "cool". Make sure you see it. We doubt if "Gravity" can gain enough votes to win against this year's very strong competition, but it should do well.

  • NETHERLANDS: Dutch superstar Anouk with a love ballad titled Birds
    Netherlands
    - Anouk - Birds
    When "for the birds" is good! The Dutch song entries have struggled at Eurovision in recent years and in 2013 the Netherlands now sends their superstar Anouk Teeuwe into the contest. Her unusual song "Birds" adds color to the Eurovision musical spectrum. The entry is perhaps too unique to capture enough excitement among voters in all countries, but it may do well regionally. In any case, well worth a listen.

  • MONTENEGRO: Putting a Country on the Map
    Montenegro -- Who See -- Igranka
    The winning video! This entry has bounce. Who knows exactly where Montenegro is located by geography and can identify its neighbouring countries? Montenegro is not well known, but their spicy rap song "Igranka" by the hip-hop duo "Who See" viz. "Who See Klapa" will surely help to put the country on the map -- if not the song, then surely the racy video that accompanies the song, which at this date already has over 1 million online hits. Win or lose, Montenegro raps!

  • LITHUANIA: Indie Rock Spin-Off
    Lithuania - Andrius Pojavis - Something
    Something, in the shoes of love and faith! The song "Something" appears to be in the style of "something" that reminds this observer of a popular "indie rock" group. The lyrics have the singer/songwriter wearing the shoes of love and faith.

  • BELARUS: A Question of Songs
    Belarus - Alyona Lanskaya - Solayoh
    Oriental! Belarus presents a song with a definitely Oriental beat that may find it difficult to garner sufficient votes in all European countries. Alyona Lanskaya originally won the Belarus final with the entry Rhythm of Love, later replaced by Solayoh. Opinions differ on which song is "better", but neither would appear to be a strong contender for the winner's circle.

  • MOLDOVA: A Pasha on the Piano
    Moldova - Aliona Moon - O Mie
    What a Voice! Moldova has a catchy song, nicely sung by Aliona Moon (Aliona Munteanu), who last year was a backup singer for Pasha Parfeny’s team in Azerbaijan. As written at Moldova.org: "Pasha is the one who wrote the song “A Million” for Aliona and will play the piano along her song during the competition in Malmö." This song might do well in the competition, but again, who really knows. Only the voting will tell.

  • IRELAND: An Song in Best Irish Music Tradition
    Ireland - Ryan Dolan - Only Love Survives
    Irish vibes! Ryan Dolan comes on the Eurovision stage in the Irish musical tradition of rhythmic pop rock music. We liked this song better the second time we heard it, and that is sometimes a problem with voting on a song heard only once. Some songs grow on you, others are less convincing if heard again. Ireland could do well with Only Love Survives.

  • CYPRUS: A Female Singer with an Easy-Going Song
    Cyprus - Despina Olympiou - An Me Thimase
    Ballad in Greek! A sole singer singing a ballad in a language (Greek) most European voters do not speak will have a difficult time winning the Eurovision Song Contest, unless the song is stunningly original or marks an exceptional musical departure from what people know already. This is a nice song, but unlikely to enter the winner's circle.

  • BELGIUM: Spokenly Song-like
    Belgium - Roberto Bellarosa - Love Kills
    Spoken like a song! This is one of the zippier Belgian entries in recent years, having a nice beat, but that is no guarantee that this entry will do better in voting, as Belgium has struggled at Eurovision in the past.

  • SERBIA: Three Female Singers and an Eurovision Song
    Serbia - Moje 3 - Ljubav je svuda
    Terrific Trio! This is a likeable song entry with an active beat and a pleasant performance by three female singers, although there is perhaps not enough uniqueness in the song or presentation to build a winner, though the entry is a nice addition to the song contest.

Semi-Final 2, May 16, 2013, Malmö, Sweden
Pre-Contest Impressions
  • LATVIA: "Here we Go", "Gone" in the Semifinals?
    Latvia - PeR - Here we go
    Here we go, gone in the semifinals? We have Latvian ancestors, but we think this somewhat "outdated in style" song may be gone early in the competition. "Here we go" has not been rated well at all at the bookmakers and we agree that it was not the right choice for Eurovision. We would have voted for one of the other national finalists in Latvia.

  • SAN MARINO: Lovely Song
    San Marino - Valentina Monetta - Crisalide (Vola)
    Marvelous! The song, singer and presentation all mesh together well and we would put San Marino among the handfull of entries who might expect to be in the upper level of voting. Solo singers have difficulty beating out the competition because their possibilities of presentation are much more limited than larger musical groups. This song was thus a positive surprise, definitely.

  • F.Y.R. MACEDONIA: Eclectic Mixture
    F.Y.R. Macedonia - Esma & Lozano - Pred Da Se Razdeni
    Eclectic! This entry is a rather eclectic song mixture that combines elements of folk and pop into an unaccustomed array of costumes and presentation.

  • AZERBAIJAN: Solo Song by Male Singer
    Azerbaijan - Farid Mammadov - Hold Me
    Solo! Azerbaijan has produced some stunningly good entries in recent years. This year's entry takes on the difficult task of finding a male solo performance that can distinguish the singer and song from the field.

  • FINLAND: Song as a Matrimonial Outsider
    Finland - Krista Siegfrids - Marry Me
    Matrimony! This is a fun-loving entry that is perhaps a matrimonial outsider with its marriage theme. Although the tongue-in-cheek entry is likeable, it may not be placed in the top ranks of the voters.

  • MALTA: Simple as Music Gets
    Malta - Gianluca Bezzina - Tomorrow
    Simplicity! The idea of such a simple song is good, but one has to doubt that the song is catchy enough to place high in the voting.  Plus points for idea.

  • BULGARIA: Primordial
    Bulgaria - Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - Samo Shampioni (Only Champions)
    Primordial! This primordial Oriental-tinged music is to our liking. Elitsa and Stoyan were in Eurovision in 2007 with the song Voda, which placed 5th, and we preferred that song over this year's entry.

  • ICELAND: Male Singer with a Quiet Ballad
    Iceland - Eyþór (Eythor Ingi) - Ég á líf
  • Nordic Ease! This song is such a quiet ballad that it is unlikely to stir up enough excitement to challenge other entries in the upper levels.

  • GREECE: Too much Alcohol
    Greece - Koza Mostra feat. Agathon Iakovidis - Alcohol is Free
    Booze as a theme? We like Greek traditional music and culture, but this "alcoholic" entry is not our cup of tea at all. In the Greek national competition we would definitely have voted for ΘΩΜΑΗ ΑΠΕΡΓΗ. This does not mean that this entry will not do well.

  • ISRAEL: Solo Singer "Only for Him"
    Israel - Moran Mazor - Rak Bishvilo
    Costumes! The Israeli entry is translated as "Only for Him". There was some internal difficulty in Israel about the singer's design costume. Certainly presentation plays a role, but song and music remain paramount.

  • ARMENIA: About the Earth
    Armenia - Dorians - Lonely Planet
    Black Sabbath! Terrific song by legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi! The English-language song is sung by Gor Sujyan who, together with his band, the Dorians, were selected out of a pool of 70 applicants. It is a tune that gets better with every hearing.

  • HUNGARY: Alternative Music
    Hungary - ByeAlex - Kedvesem (Zoohacker Remix)
    One for Me is the title translation in English! It is interesting to see various musical forms tried on Eurovision, although it is difficult to know how the voting audiences will vote on this somewhat unusual entry.

  • NORWAY: Highly Rated by the Bookmakers but Unlikely to Win
    Norway - Margaret Berger - I Feed You My Love
    Norway and Norwegians! We love Norway and its people, but worry that this well-liked song could be currently ranked a bit high. The song has a top placement at the bookmakers, but it may have difficulty getting sufficient votes from all countries in Europe to occupy such a high position in the voting. Norway feeds us their love, and that is nice.

  • ALBANIA: A Bit of Harder Rock
    Albania - Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko - Identitet
    Law to the Fore! Adrian Lulgjuraj, the lead singer, a young lawyer by profession, is joined by Bledar Sejko on the guitar in a "hard rock" piece for Eurovision.

  • GEORGIA: Excellent Male and Female Duo
    GeorgiaNodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - Waterfall
    G:son! Goergia has a song by Swedish composers Thomas G:son and Erik Bernholm. G:son composed last year's winner, Euphoria. It was his first win, but unlikely to be repeated this year, though this is a nice song.

  • SWITZERLAND: Covering the Spectrum
    Switzerland - Takasa - You And Me
    From 21 to 95! This is an unusual musical group, as the Swiss entry ranges from 21-year-old Sarah Breiter to an Eurovision-record 95-year-old Emil Ramsauer.

  • ROMANIA: Hitting the High Notes
    Romania - Cezar - It's My Life
    Contratenor! Cezar is a contratenor viz. countertenor, i.e. someone who sings at a pitch level equivalent to a female contralto or mezzo-soprano. He sings well and the song is good, but it is difficult to know how audiences will vote on this kind of an unusual presentation.
See the videos of the songs in the competition at Eurovision 2013 at http://www.eurovision.tv.

Germany and Spain to Determine UEFA Champions League Finalists: Munich beats Barcelona 4:0 in 1st Leg of Semifinal as Madrid meets Dortumund in 1st Leg Match Upcoming Today

Bayern Munich scored a sensationally decisive 4:0 win over FC Barcelona in the 1st leg of the Champions League semifinal, leaving Barcelona little chance via the 2nd leg of making it into the May 25 final at Wembley Stadium in London, though the 2nd game must still be played on the field, so no one should get overconfident.

The winner here will meet the winner of the other semifinal matches between Spain's Real Madrid and Germany's Borussia Dortmund.

The current strength of German and Spanish soccer (association football) viz. the rest of Europe is evident from the semifinal pairings.

Andrew Das has the story at the New York Times of the Bayern 4:0 win in the first leg of their match against FC Barcelona:

In Champions League, Bayern Munich Subdues a Stunned Barcelona.

Real Madrid visits at Borussia Dortmund in the 1st leg of their semifinal matches today at 8:45 p.m. (20:45) at Signal-Iduna-Park, Dortmund.


Monday, April 15, 2013

Patents on Human Genes: U.S. Supreme Court Oral Argument in Myriad Genetics Case Indicates Natural Genes Will be Found Unpatentable as a Matter of Composition but Genes Worked by Human Ingenuity May Be Patentable as to Use

Oral argument on U.S. Supreme Court case 12-398, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. (see the transcript) took place today, Monday, April 15, 2013.

Essentially, it appears to us that the ultimate decision of the Supreme Court Justices in this case could fall along the following line of decision-making:
A natural human gene, i.e. DNA, is NOT patentable,
but a gene worked by human hand, such as cDNA,
could be patentable subject matter ....
That is an alternative weighed by Justice Kennedy during oral argument:
"And -- and that avoids giving special industries special subsidies, which is very important it seems to me. Let me ask you this, and it's consistent with my -- my preface. If we were to accept the Government's position that the DNA is not patentable but the cDNA is, would that give the industry sufficient protection for innovation and research? And if not, why not?"
Viewing cDNA to be patentable has two judicial options, i.e.
either

1) as "patentable" composition of matter in its own right, limited by the doctrines of prior art and obviousness, but without any monopolistic patent attaching to the actual DNA involved, whether in whole or part (i.e. snipped or unsnipped)

The problem with that option is Justice Sotomayor's question:

"Now, how do you understand Judge Bryson's dissent with respect to cDNA? I think he's saying that a gene created from -- into cDNA as a whole is okay, but that he had a problem with the description of that claim because it included 15 nucleotide long segments or fragments which he says reoccur in nature."

There is no convincing good answer to that question. Just try copying 15 notes exactly from one song into a "new" song and then try to claim you are not infringing on the original. No way.
or (the alternative which we prefer)

2) as patentable subject matter in terms of the use to which the genetic discovery, e.g. the cDNA, is put, limited by the doctrines of prior art and obviousness, but excluding its patentability as patentable composition of matter, i.e. a finding of the narrowest possible scope of patentability in the "use" of the cDNA.

Justice Sotomayor asked about the value of the isolated cDNA:

"That's the whole point, isn't it? The isolation itself is not valuable; it's the use you put the isolation to. That's the answer, isn't it?
MR. HANSEN: That's exactly correct. Thank you. Yes, that is the answer."


Justice Scalia said nearly the same thing in the argument about recombinant DNA:

"Yes. But, of course, to profit from -- from that recombinant DNA, you have to not just isolate the gene, but then you have to do something with it afterwards."
In other words, our view here at LawPundit is that DNA is not patentable subject matter, whereas cDNA could be, but only for a specific, narrow use discovered by the inventor. Nothing more.  cDNA should be free for use by others for other uses, including, e.g. discovering improved tests via further research, also as regards breast and ovarian cancer, as in the case of BRCA.

No selfish lab like Myriad should ever be allowed by law to shut down competing labs engaged in genetic research just because they are using the same genes, or cDNA. Competing BRAC tests of course can not be carbon copies of the Myriad tests, but improved tests should be welcomed and encouraged, also by competing labs in the industry. That is the nature of invention and discovery and always has been, especially in the pharmaceutical and biochemical sector. Monopoly means stagnation, paid for by those who suffer needlessly. Patents should always be granted for the narrowest possible claims, not for the broadest. Monopolies should be avoided.

In general, we most closely thus accord with the basic reasoning of Justice Breyer in questioning Gregory A. Castanias, counsel for Myriad, in James Baker-like fashion [excerpted and with more paragraph division than in the original transcript], where Breyer observed:
"I had thought ... and ... I'd be interested in your view -- that the patent law is filled with uneasy compromises, because on the one hand, we do want people to invent; on the other hand, we're very worried about them tying up ... a thing that itself could be used for further advance. And so that the compromise that has been built historically into this area is:

Of course, if you get a new satisfying process to extract the sap from the plant in the Amazon, patented.

Of course, if you get the sap out and you find that you can use it, you manipulate it, you use it, you figure out a way to use it to treat cancer, wonderful, patented. 
But what you can't patent is the sap itself. 
Now, in any individual case that might be unfortunate or fortunate. But consider it in the mine run of things. 
It's important to keep products of nature free of the restrictions that patents [trigger? ("there are" in the transcript can not be correct)], so when Captain Ferno goes to the Amazon and discovers 50 new types of plants, saps and medicines, discovers them, although that expedition was expensive, although nobody had found it before, he can't get a patent on the thing itself. He gets a patent on the process, on the use of the thing, but not the thing itself. 
Now, that's my understanding of what I'd call hornbook patent law, which you I confess probably understand better than I."
Counsel countered by citing the ignominious "precedent" of USPTO practice on gene patents over the years, saying that the "decision by the Patent Office is entitled to respect", i.e. he "begs the question" by offering the thing in dispute as proof of its correctness, or, to put it into Bakeresque terms, he puts the cart before the horse. It is is an argument which in our opinon has no chance in the decision-making on this case, and, indeed, as Justice Ginsburg then correctly rebutted: "even though the Government has disavowed it".

For more about the oral argument, see e.g. Amy Howe at SCOTUSblog in Justices debate gene patenting issues: In Plain English.

See also Patently-O.

See also Greg Stohr & Susan Decker at Bloomerg in High Court Justices Seek Compromise in Gene-Patent Case.

We posted previously about the Myriad gene patent case at LawPundit in:

Can Human Genes Be Patented? U.S. Supreme Court Answer Likely to Be "No", but the Ultimate Issue Down the Road is the Patentability of cDNA (Complementary DNA) viz. Is a Split Hair viz. Split Gene an Invention? 

The Unteachables on the Federal Circuit: If Citizens Are Obligated to Obey Laws They Do Not Agree With, Are Lower Courts Also Not Obligated to Follow the Precedents of the United States Supreme Court Even if The Judges Disagree?

Myriad Human Gene Patent Case Vacated and Remanded by U.S. Supreme Court in Light of Prometheus

Split Federal Circuit in Myriad Case Partially Reverses District Court and Finds Isolated Human Genes to be Patentable: Subsequent Supreme Court Review of this Case is Surely Essential

How SWEET It Is! Gene Patents Ruled Invalid as Genes are Found to be Non-patentable Subject Matter

Stephen Colbert on Gene Patents and the Myriad Case : Humor

The Body Snatchers are Alive and Well : In ACLU v. Myriad, the Battle over DNA Patents Rages


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Networking Successfully: Spreading Awareness and Increasing Followers in Social Media

Jeff Hamada has picked up a following that accounts for 3 million page views per month -- in the arts!

Sam Milbrath has the story in #MyDash with Booooooom ~ Spreading Brand Awareness in Social Media - HootSuite Social Media Management.

So what is his secret?

Hamada's basic social media networking principles in the arts are surely applicable to many other fields and to many other ventures, also to the broad European Union spectrum of online activities. Take a look.


Thursday, April 04, 2013

Do You Punch a Time Clock? Timekeeping and the World of Watches (or) What's in a Chronometer?

Do you punch a time clock in your work?

Time is omnipresent in the modern world.

Day-to-day time and longer term dates, dating and chronology are the clocks for all that we humans do, and time represents the monetary basis for billing in most areas of work.

We at LawPundit are always amazed that more people in all professions do not share our interest in prehistoric stargazing, ancient astronomy and megalithic cultures, all of which involved man's time-keeping long ago -- and all of which serve as timekeepers' precedents for what we call "time" now.

In this vein, the new Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater is featured at the Robb Report at FrontRunners: Jaquet Droz.


For a description of the mechanical complications of this watch, which costs about a half a million dollars and includes movable birds, see the Robb Report.

Please keep in mind that our interest in these watches is not so much how much they cost, but rather the human ingenuity and creativity that they represent.

This is just a beautiful watch, whose complex machinery is a joy to behold.

I have a special personal reason for featuring this "bird watch".

See the next posting about a more ancient time-keeping bird.


Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Weak Patents, the USPTO, European Patent Office, Japanese Patent Office and the Actavis Case at the U.S. Supreme Court

Make sure you read the posting Actavis Case Shows Weak Patents Are System-Wide at Patent Progress, which writes inter alia as follows:
"The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) grants 78% of all original patent applications as opposed to 61% granted by Japan and 55% granted by the European Union.... [O]nly 72.5% of the patents issued in the US were issued by the European Patent Office and only 44.5% were issued by the Japanese Patent Office.... The PTO receives roughly ten times as much money from issuing a patent than it does from denying it....

[S]tatistics cited by the PPF show that 30% of all issued patents reviewed by courts lacked novelty, and 40% of the remaining patents were found invalid for being obvious...."
Read the whole thing here.


EU History & Ancient Britain: Creswell Crags Ochre Horse Rib Bone Carving Decipherment Update 2.0

This posting is Update 2.0 to my previously posted original decipherment on this topic as also to Update 1 of the Creswell Crags "Ochre Horse" rib bone carving decipherment.

This update provides an image of the details of the rib bone, all except for the Winter stars on the top left of the rib bone, which are already included in the previous posting, and shows that large darkened spots on the rib bone are to some degree intentional carved "placements" marking stars of the heavens, e.g. stars of Ursa Major, but also other stars, some prominent, some not so prominent, and also some that are uncertain, but in general they can be said to confirm that the decipherment is correct.

Update 3.0 will follow at some time in the future with a text explanation of various matters in detail.

The engraved bone, now popularly called the "Robin Hood Cave Horse" after the cave in which it was discovered in 1876, is dated by the archaeologists to the Ice Age ca. 12500 years ago. It is the oldest artifact (British artefact) of this kind ever found in northern Europe and, as a stroke of luck for those interested, is currently on display at the British Museum until May 26, 2013 in the British Museum exhibition: Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind.
See the reviews at:

For today, only this updated decipherment, no text.
In the course of time I will reveal how I arrived at this solution. Enjoy.

Attribution of the source of the photograph above, from which I have removed the black background, is as follows from the Wikipedia:
"Creswell Crags. The Ochre Horse. This original fragment of a rib bone contains the oldest known carving of its type in Britain. The horse was carved approximately 12,500 years ago and was on temporary display at the small museum at Creswell Crags to November 2009 (although a replica of the ochre horse is always on display). It was found on the 29th June in 1876 at the back of the western chamber in the 'Robin Hood Cave' in Creswell Crags. Sieveking 855, British Museum. More information can be found at the original website: www.creswell-crags.org.uk/Home.aspx
Date     23 October 2009, 15:58
Source     The Ochre Horse - 12500 Years Old!
Author     Dave from Nottingham, England
Camera location 53° 15′ 48.48″ N, 1° 11′ 54.74″ W
 

The image was originally posted to Flickr by DaveKav at http://flickr.com/photos/8089996@N06/4038464041. It was reviewed on 18 December 2010 by the FlickreviewR robot and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ochre_Horse.jpg"
The astronomical interpretations that surround the photograph are by Andis Kaulins, April 2, 2013, and are not part of the original photograph of the Ochre Horse rib bone. The forms of stellar constellations are taken from Starry Night Pro.


Creswell Crags Robin Hood Cave Ochre Horse Rib Bone Carving Decipherment Update 1.0

This posting is Update 1.0 to my previously posted decipherment of the Creswell Crags "Ochre Horse" rib bone carving, showing that the calendric astronomy of stars is continued on the rib bone if it is turned 180 degrees, thus covering all the heavens and all the seasons and marking divisions of the heavens that would suggest a lunar and solar mesh. This update also puts the date closer to 10500 B.C. and shows that the deeply incised lines on the rib bone were added to separate the stars noted on one half of the rib bone.

A more detailed posting will follow as Update 2.0.

That engraved bone, now popularly called the "Robin Hood Cave Horse" after the cave in which it was discovered in 1876, is dated by the archaeologists to the Ice Age ca. 12500 years ago. It is the oldest artifact (British artefact) of this kind ever found in northern Europe and, as a stroke of luck for those interested, is currently on display at the British Museum until May 26, 2013 in the British Museum exhibition: Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind.
See the reviews at:

For today, only this updated decipherment, no text.
In the course of time I will reveal how I arrived at this solution. Enjoy.

Attribution of the source of the photograph above, from which I have removed the black background, is as follows from the Wikipedia:
"Creswell Crags. The Ochre Horse. This original fragment of a rib bone contains the oldest known carving of its type in Britain. The horse was carved approximately 12,500 years ago and was on temporary display at the small museum at Creswell Crags to November 2009 (although a replica of the ochre horse is always on display). It was found on the 29th June in 1876 at the back of the western chamber in the 'Robin Hood Cave' in Creswell Crags. Sieveking 855, British Museum. More information can be found at the original website: www.creswell-crags.org.uk/Home.aspx
Date     23 October 2009, 15:58
Source     The Ochre Horse - 12500 Years Old!
Author     Dave from Nottingham, England
Camera location 53° 15′ 48.48″ N, 1° 11′ 54.74″ W
 

The image was originally posted to Flickr by DaveKav at http://flickr.com/photos/8089996@N06/4038464041. It was reviewed on 18 December 2010 by the FlickreviewR robot and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ochre_Horse.jpg"
The astronomical interpretations that surround the photograph are by Andis Kaulins, April 2, 2013, and are not part of the original photograph of the Ochre Horse. The forms of stellar constellations are taken from Starry Night Pro as is also the sky map of the stars turned 180 degrees to emphasize the stars that the ochre horse rib bone portrays when it is turned, i.e. those stars on or between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox in ca. 10500 B.C.