Steam Box, Monkey Love - Tech Addiction Episode 12
**Tech Addiction Episode 12: A Deep Dive into the World of Technology**
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**Introduction**
Welcome back to *Tech Addiction*, where we dive into the wild world of technology, bringing you the latest, craziest, and sometimes downright bizarre stories from the tech industry. In this episode, we’re covering everything from patent trolling to monkey-related mishaps, and even a little bit about toilet paper (yes, really!). So, buckle up, because this one’s going to be a wild ride.
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**Patent Trolls Are on the Rise**
One of the most pressing issues in the tech industry today is the rise of patent trolls—companies that don’t develop any technology themselves but instead sue companies that do. A law professor from the University of Santa Clara decided to dig into this issue and found some staggering numbers. In 2012, a whopping 61% of patent infringement lawsuits were filed by companies or individuals with no track record of developing the technology in question. This is up from 45% in 2011 and just 23% in 2010, showing a clear trend of trolls preying on legitimate businesses.
These companies are essentially “ patent farmers,” spotting unclaimed technologies, patenting them, and then suing anyone who uses the tech without developing anything themselves. It’s a disturbing trend that shows no signs of slowing down.
Speaking of patents, here’s a fun fact: your host has now secured the patent for using paper to wipe your butt. That’s right—every time you blow through, it’s two cents on the nose for me. (Insert evil laugh here.)
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**Lawsuits and Missteps in the Tech World**
Reuter’s recent coverage of a lawsuit involving Widelands suing Research in Motion (RIM) is another example of this patent trolling epidemic. Widelands claims that every single cell phone manufacturer in the world, including RIM, has infringed on its Bluetooth technology. While it’s strange to target RIM—a company known for its struggling BlackBerry line—it makes sense from a business standpoint. After all, suing a company with no money is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Meanwhile, over at Apple, we have another story of corporate missteps. A man in New Zealand bought $1,600 worth of Apple peripherals for just $35 after the company mistakenly undercharged him. When Apple tried to retrieve the items, they sent a kind note apologizing for the error. It’s a classic example of how even big companies can mess up.
But not all tech giants are handling mistakes poorly. Best Buy recently made headlines for doing it right. A woman ordered an iPad and received five instead of one. Instead of trying to reclaim their mistake, Best Buy offered her the extra iPads as a gift, asking her to keep them or donate them. It’s a PR move that could have been planned by a team of branding experts. Kudos to Best Buy for handling this with grace.
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**Twitter vs. Instagram: The Social Media Showdown**
Switching gears, we’re diving into the world of social media and its inner workings. If you’ve noticed your Instagram photos disappearing from your Twitter feed, there’s a reason. It turns out that Twitter is none too happy about Instagram’s recent acquisition by Facebook. As a result, Twitter has removed the code that links Instagram photos to their platform. Now, instead of seeing the actual image in your tweet, you’ll just get a link.
While this might seem like a small inconvenience for users, it’s a significant blow to the seamless sharing experience that made Instagram so popular. For now, Twitter is focusing on its own photo filters and effects, but we’ll miss the days when one post could reach multiple platforms with ease.
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**Valve’s Linux-Based Steam Console: The Future of Gaming**
In exciting news for gamers everywhere, Gabe Newell of Valve dropped some major hints about their future plans. After spending years perfecting their Linux-based Steam system, Valve is now looking to expand into the living room with a console designed to compete with the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation. This new device will allow console gamers to play a wide range of PC games that aren’t available on traditional consoles.
When asked about the openness of this new platform, Newell was clear: it’s going to be a controlled environment where Valve has significant control over what happens on the system. While this might sound restrictive, it also means that developers will have more support in creating high-quality content for the console. It’s an intriguing blend of PC and console gaming, and we’re excited to see how it pans out.
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**When Life Imitates Tech: A Woman vs. Apple and the Cops**
Now, let’s take a trip to the Apple Store where things got *very* interesting. Zhe Li George, a Chinese woman living in Newton, Massachusetts, decided to make a trip to the Pheasant Lane Mall to pick up some iPhones. But what started as a simple shopping excursion turned into a full-blown altercation with police.
George wanted to buy more than two iPhones, but Apple’s store had a limit of two due to shortages of the iPhone 5. When she was asked to leave after trying to purchase four iPhones, George decided to fight back—literally. She started filming everyone in the store, apparently through her daughter, as a way to document what she felt was unfair treatment. The manager wasn’t happy and called the police.
The situation escalated quickly, with George getting into an altercation with the officers. Despite a language barrier (she doesn’t speak English), she continued to resist, leading the mall cops to deploy a taser on her. It’s a bizarre and tragic end to a story that could have been avoided if Apple had handled the situation more carefully.
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**Monkey Business: The Lab Technician Who Went Wild**
Finally, we have this week’s “Technology Dumbass of the Week” award going to Cooley Mitchell, a lab technician at the Georgia Health Sciences University. Mitchell was working in the animal services department when he decided to let loose one night.
According to reports, Mitchell was found naked (pants around his ankles), drunk, and surrounded by monkeys. The incident ended with him being subdued by police, but no harm came to the primates involved. It’s a story so absurd it almost feels made up—but believe us, this one is 100% real.
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**Conclusion**
And there you have it—another wild week in tech! From patent trolls and monkey mishaps to lawsuits and social media showdowns, the world of technology never fails to surprise us. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to *Tech Addiction*, follow your host on Twitter, and check out our Facebook page for all the latest updates.
As always, we hope you enjoyed this week’s episode. Stay tuned for more tech craziness next time, and don’t forget to like, comment, and share if you found this episode as entertaining (and slightly insane) as we did.
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