Surowiecki on the sorry state of the US patent system. "Since the [USPTO] is funded by patent fees, as opposed to getting its budget from Washington, it has a financial incentive to process applications as quickly, rather than as diligently, as possible."
"Does anyone devote as much energy to avoiding simple, sensible solutions as the modern graphic designer?". Novelty is necessary to foster innovation, but is missing the mark so frequently worth the effort?

