Tons of great captions, guys! It was hard to pick the winner (Adam's away, so I'm filling in), but I like Nora's caption: "Mario Lied to Me!" so Congrats Nora!
It's actually a trademark issue - not a copyright one.
When you apply for a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark office, new applications are published by the office for public comment (i.e. to give trademark holders opportunity to peruse new applications to see if there are anything that may conflict).
Because a company doesn't normally want to spend its time watching the list, they contract services that specialize in doing so. Naturally, to justify their expenses, these services pounce on ANYTHING that resembles - or potentially resembles - the trademark they're paid to watch.
A trademark lawyer's bread and butter is to rebut new trademark applications on behalf of their clients (about 0.5 hours worth of work cutting and pasting a letter from their repertoire of past letters, and they bill for 7 hours) - they submit letters to the USPTO, which will then decide whether to grant the applicant the trademark or not.
How do I know this? I've trademarked stuff in the past - with a lawyer and by myself :)
In addition to sedentary lifestyle, American people also eat more processed food and junk food. Though some people tell me that calories are calories, I think our body process different types of food differently (meaning that a 500 calorie fast food burger will make you fatter than a 500 calorie from a well-balanced meal). I may be wrong.
I noticed that I gained a lot of weight after I moved away from Berkeley. During my years there, I walked everywhere, but after I moved out of town and had to drive to school/work, the pounds just keep on keepin' on!
Exercise does help, but daily activity (walking/lifting/doing stuff rather than just sitting on our duffs) also matters.
@Aeris: yeah, it gets reset to zero every month. So the slate is wiped clean monthly ... will it be your turn next time?
@Video Game Dork: that's an interesting idea but displaying the entire list will surely grind the server to halt! The top commenters list only list the 15 most prolific commenters, but they also show the number of comments made - so that'll give you an idea of how far off you are :)
@Fresh: With most browsers, all you have to do is login once and it'll remember who you are via cookies. :)
When you apply for a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark office, new applications are published by the office for public comment (i.e. to give trademark holders opportunity to peruse new applications to see if there are anything that may conflict).
Because a company doesn't normally want to spend its time watching the list, they contract services that specialize in doing so. Naturally, to justify their expenses, these services pounce on ANYTHING that resembles - or potentially resembles - the trademark they're paid to watch.
A trademark lawyer's bread and butter is to rebut new trademark applications on behalf of their clients (about 0.5 hours worth of work cutting and pasting a letter from their repertoire of past letters, and they bill for 7 hours) - they submit letters to the USPTO, which will then decide whether to grant the applicant the trademark or not.
How do I know this? I've trademarked stuff in the past - with a lawyer and by myself :)
I noticed that I gained a lot of weight after I moved away from Berkeley. During my years there, I walked everywhere, but after I moved out of town and had to drive to school/work, the pounds just keep on keepin' on!
Exercise does help, but daily activity (walking/lifting/doing stuff rather than just sitting on our duffs) also matters.
As far as Neatorama, I don't think I'll post any April Fool's joke post this year ;)
Happy April Fool's Day to you, GeekAlerts (do they celebrate it in Sweden?)
@Video Game Dork: that's an interesting idea but displaying the entire list will surely grind the server to halt! The top commenters list only list the 15 most prolific commenters, but they also show the number of comments made - so that'll give you an idea of how far off you are :)
@Fresh: With most browsers, all you have to do is login once and it'll remember who you are via cookies. :)
If you like Hot Zone, check out the Cobra Event (also by Richard Preston).