u/babaghanoush

This is fine - you have less than $10k invested. You should probably get $10k in VOO/SPY/FXAIX before you worry about anything else.

This is fair. Have you passed the patent bar yet? It’s especially fair if you have not yet passed it as there is so much to learn just to start being useful for the firm or to clients.

Glad someone else pointed this out. I doubt he actually planted the plants - probably had some farmer who knew what they were doing plant the plants and irrigate them for him.

If the work is truly in the public domain - it is not patentable. You totally missed my point, which is: if Google or any BigCo patents something which is considered to be in the public domain because they can afford an attorney and can convince the patent office that they are entitled to a patent, it is not likely that Google (or other BigCo) is likely to actually sue individuals, small companies, or anyone based off of the patent - so the patent is actually worthless and meaningless. More than likely, what Google and other big companies are doing is pursuing and publishing patents and applications in the area so they prevent small companies from coming in and finding some unique, novel, and patentable variation that may subject the big company to a patent infringement lawsuit.

True. No dispute from me on that. People who are not patent attorneys tend to mis-characterize what a patent actually claims or covers.

Maybe her stroking her hair too much. That's it though.

No - I would highly doubt that they'd waste their time on reddit trying to convince people one way or another. Plus - Google actually would love a weakened patent system - they just have to play the game because they are in business and they have plenty of money to play the game.

You don't even go to court to invalidate patents anymore - you file what is known as an IPR - inter partes review - and you have some administrative law judges (ALJs) review the patent. Granted you can go to court to resolve the dispute over validity, but an IPR probably would cost $300,000 to $500,000 to invalidate a patent versus $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 in US District Court.

Agree with most of the other stuff you said.

I think you meant "patent" not "patient". Why would there be severe criminal penalties for anything related to patents? They are not the be-all-end-all, they are simply a government approved public franchise for disclosure and description of a apparatus, method, composition of matter, etc. that patent owner can license for money, or even for free if they want to. It is not theft - its just an archaic system that hasn't kept up in the software realm.

Which means that Google is unlikely to assert the patent against you as the average Joe. You don't have enough money to make it worth their while. Big companies usually don't sue little companies on this type of stuff - it's usually the other way around - little companies try to use them against big companies. Or big companies try to use the most valuable patents against each other, or threaten to use them against each other.

Solid points and good analysis.

What is the lasting damage from Gorsuch's presence? That is just pure negative and pessimistic speculation. Gorsuch replaced Scalia. Scalia was probably even more conservative than Gorsuch.

And I do see where a lot of people are coming from - I guess I just get real tired of the blame from both sides. It is not a good situation.

Read this article - well done but sad state of affairs: http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/poor-millennials/

I don't believe in absolutism. We live in a gray world - with never ending choices.

I am as condescending to people who disagree with the proclamations of capitalism, as those who look with disgust upon the outputs of the system and those who work hard within the framework of the system.

Do I probably resent those that I labelled? Yes, to be completely honest, probably - and truthfully it probably is in defense of the resentment I see showered on those I know who worked hard for years on end - that are then criticized for their virtues of patience, hard work, and delayed gratification. Maybe I'm more honest than others.

“Do I resent rich people? No. The best or worst I can do is notice them. I agree with the great Socialist writer George Orwell, who felt that rich people were poor people with money.” — Kurt Vonnegut

I think this article does a better job of explaining the winners and losers than either of us did. https://www.bankrate.com/investing/winners-and-losers-if-inflation-skyrockets/

I wrote a long comment out that I was going to respond to you with, but I get the feeling I would be like an atheist trying to convince a Christian that God doesn't exist; or, conversely, like a Christian trying to convince an atheist that God is a being, three-in-one, who sent his only son to die for your sins.

Fundamentally, we disagree.

Thank goodness we live in a country where we have the freedom of speech and thought to do so. I would gladly take the "untruth" as my own and know, think, and believe that hard work, sacrifice, dedication, commitment, and self-choice allow you to accomplish goals that others will certainly criticize or denigrate.

You mentioned truth and untruth in your comment three times, which is strange because mine didn't say it once, so I'll take it as a compliment that my original comment will be taken to be so commanding (I see a future in the advertising business).

In any event, it reminded me of a good quote, from a great author.

"Live by the foma* that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy." - The Books of Bokonon. I: 5 *harmless untruths Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut

What's the harm in purporting that hard work will make you successful? We absolutely know that the opposite of hard work, complete inaction, certainly leads to poor results and undesirable outcomes.

I'll say it even though I'll get down-voted, but reddit has turned into a cesspool of anti-capitalist, anti-free market, pro-"you didn't build that", trigger warning needed crybabies and jerks. I've been lurking and reading on reddit for over ten years and I find that there's an astounding number of people on this site (and the internet in general) that would rather tear you down for working your ass off and succeeding.

The fact is, this country is still a very free place to live. If you want to build something, whether it be a house, a business, or a non-profit organization, you can still do it. If you want to take out huge student loans to study renaissance history, you can.

It takes a lot of saving and hustling to accomplish goals and save up for real property etc., but most "rich folks" work extremely hard and a lot of them give a lot back to their communities, friends, neighbors, and families. It's a damn shame you can't work hard for yourself and your family without people turning so nasty. There is no other economic structure that works as well as the free market. Yeah executive compensation and the difference in pay from the 1% compared to the rest of us is ridiculous, but if you work hard from early teenage years until you are in your 60's, you don't live above your means, and you consistently save and give a portion of what you make, your life will turn out just fine.

I agree that inflation devalues cash, but I suppose I don't agree with your statement because the mega rich probably don't hold all that much cash, they are more likely going to be in stocks, bonds, and even in TIPs. The poor and working class are less likely to hold these other asset classes, but rather hold almost exclusively cash, (or no cash/assets, or very little).

Second, inflation can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the facts and circumstances. Yes, if the debt is held prior to inflation occurring and wages actually increase the value of the amount you owe might decrease; however, there is also the possibility that an economy can experience inflation with no real wage gains and so the value of the amount you owe does not decrease because prices are higher but your wages have remained the same. (See https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/111414/does-inflation-favor-lenders-or-borrowers.asp)

"Despite the common belief, inflation hurts the mega rich far more than it hurts the poor and working class." - Source for this?

They are definitely tubes. See here: https://www.google.com/maps/@38.15979,-104.6231693,3a,15y,12.43h,86.42t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdPpYGQ9x_BYwHtXDnYce9g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 See here: https://earth.google.com/web/@38.18058243,-104.63368409,1495.33972168a,0d,45y,140.82238463h,88.67074547t,0r/data=IhoKFkliWEJIYVFOZkptT284bzlSU2hic2cQAg And here: https://companyweek.com/company-profile/industry-report-vestas-plant-in-pueblo-building-wind-towers-at-capacity (which is the link from aseilen, above).

And that is definitely correct based off the map and how they look in real life.

Is there a type of railroad ties that are encapsulated in a tube? I think the other two responses regarding them being wind turbines might be more likely, but I see that your address matches the business that is there. I thought maybe that these could be related to the hyperloop / vacuum tube concept transportation space but that's why I reached out to reddit.

Cool. That's what i thought they might be. They are all the same size diameter so it made me think they might be something else, but I couldn't see them well from the highway.