Not an IP lawyer, (those people are EXPENSIVE), It’s perhaps less about the idea than it is about the process to get there. And yes the patent office does make mistakes at times. It’s just expensive and hard to correct those mistakes because it generally takes a judge to do so. And I’m willing to bet this patent is valid in the EU also due reciprocity agreements and trade deals. It would take an EU judge to invalidate the patent, which would cost as much as doing so in the US.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that no patent is actually really valid until a judge bangs a gavel and says yea or nay to the patent, (I’ve held a couple). Until then, it pretty much just a piece of ass-wipe paper you can wavy around and hopefully scare off others that don’t have the money or want to spend the money to challenge the patent.

Vi or die!

Oh I’ve seen pictures of them. Just haven’t seen one in the real world nor seen one tossed on the ground. I do suspect they just aren’t popular around me. Smokers around here probably prefer real cigarettes.

That seems like a “you” problem at the polls in your state. Not an issue here.

I live closer to Winnipeg than I do to my state capital. We are often referred to as “Canada Lite” by other states.

Been there made that. The flavors are dulled a noticeable amount compared to a sauce made with fresh ripe tomatoes.

Yes that’s true. But that’s a very good reason to not add more.

I had that misfortune when I was teaching math at my local school for 4 years.

I probably spend more time you side than you do. I just mostly do it in a forest.

I wouldn’t claim to be all that enamored of humans as a rule. But I’m not a hermit in the classic sense.

This is why I make my own fresh tomato sauce. A single pound/half kilo of ripe tomatoes and about 15 minutes, you can have a fresh pasta sauce at home.

Them little old Italian Grandmothers ain’t wasting all day to slow cook a tomato sauce. Unless they want to show off. They got lemoncello to make and drink…

Yeah, I live in legal weed state. The nearest dispensary is a mere 20 miles away. I’m not even sure they sell vapes. Flower and edibles for sure, but I have no idea if they sell vapes. (I’ve never been there-- weed just ain’t my thing). But I still don’t see any used ones tossed out. Maybe we are just neater people here and don’t litter.

Ain’t no night clubs within 100 miles of me. Plenty of bars, but no night clubs.

Perhaps where you live. I recently helped a young man get an e-bike, (somewhat mentally handicapped-- we raised funds to purchase the bike to get him to have better mobility), We got him an Aventon Cargo bike. The local bike shop plainly stated they would work on any e-bike you brought in. And that that all of the area bike shops were the same.

One does not turn away a paying customer.

Perhaps it’s odd, but I have never seen anyone use a vape in public. Nor have I seen one just lying on the ground. I maybe need to get out the forest here and visit civilization for a bit again.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The bikes are very simple and the battery pack can be rebuilt. Any decent bike shop should be able to repair an orphaned e-bike.

At some point the toys would fail, they were 8 and 9 year olds after all, but it could take a month or more in the hands of children. I was pretty shocked. I did have a paper wad cannon that had a spring that was printed all in one inside the barrel. The first few had issues with the compression spring breaking when over compressed by the kids. But a bit of a redesign of the spring by making it beefier, it not only lasted nearly the whole school year but the kids got more range. Much to the other teachers and parents disappointment.

I’ve Printed LOTS of PLA living hinges and even springs. They do work just fine for the limited to moderate cycles they last. I’ve printed 100’s of toy catapults and other small toys in PLA and then handed them out to 8 and 9 year old children. They held up amazingly well under that abuse.

You do realize that human touch can differentiate between .01mm? It’s why braille works so easily.

I think Hammond and May are actually real life friends of Clarkson. And that generation tends to not abandon a friend because of social pressure. Personally, I would have a beer with May and Hammond anytime and anywhere. But Clarkson would be a pass for me.

But who knows, they are all actors and are pros at being what they are not.