The double-edged sword of patents

When we launched Yahoo! Podcasts last year, we put together a quite impressive list of patents to file for. On the one hand, it's cool to have patents in your name. And at Yahoo!, there's a bonus for patents filed. And it's good for Yahoo! So I'm a big fan of patents.

However, they are a *huge* time-suck. Each one requires a number of discussions with attorney's, and at the very least reading a 50 page legal document for each, if not writing sections of it. I am *still* doing patent work for Yahoo! Podcasts, from 9 months ago. Craziness.

And in the meantime my team has put together a list of potential patents (not all of which we'll file, thank God) for stuff we've worked on since then that's more than twice as long as the list from Y! Podcasts.

But it's hard to complain when you get a bonus check in the mail.

From Advanced Products to Mobile Web

Today was officially the first day of a new job for me at Yahoo!. I loved running the Advanced Products Group and am going to miss working with that team on a daily basis. But I'm really stoked about my new gig, running Mobile Web. As one of the designers on APG phrased so eloquently, Mobile Web is the crouching tiger of the mobile world.

I've got tons of learning to do; Yahoo! Mobile has a lot going on, but I'm really stoked to join such a strong team and change the world. For real.

Goodbye standby mode?

According to Engadget standby modes on electronic devices eat up 8% of the UK's energy. That's incredible! And a complete waste. Crazy.

So they're thinking of outlawing it, and from my California environment-friendly perspective (although I do drive an SUV... guess no one's perfect), that's a great idea. It's not like we "need" standby mode.

But then part of me is also like, holy cow, that's going to cause a ton of extra work for lots and lots of companies...

Maybe instead of outlawing standby they should require that devices using standby include their own solar energy cells.

Back from the beach

I went to a wedding and then to the beach in South Carolina for all of last week, and am now back in the flow of my regular life. I have to admit, though, that I miss the beach. Big surprise, huh? 6 days of doing pretty much nothing at all. Wake up when I wake up, read a book, get in the water, read a book, eat, eat, eat, read a book, sleep again. Awesome.

I really needed the break, both from work and from regular life (six weekends in a row of weddings or wedding-related activities knocks the wind out of you). For some reason whenever I actually let myself take a break, I get sick, or nearly so. For the first half of last week I felt like a truck had run over me. Sore muscles, sore throat, headache, etc. Basically I felt like ass. Soph speculated that when I actually let myself relax that much that my muscles release any and all toxins that they'd been accumulating. Who knows. But I do know that after a week of aggressive relaxing, I feel way better. Almost fully awake.

And I've got another adventure/vacation in August. I should be fully functional by September.