iMatt :: The Blog of Matt Clare

Apparently my blog has become, between the Smashing Pumpkins and car postings, a bit a of a reference about BlackBoard’s U.S. Patent No. 6,988,138 – their patent of the electronic teaching and learning of human beings. BlackBoard (Bb) now owns it’s major competition, WebCT, which is the tool that consumes most of my day job.… Continue Reading More BlackBoard v. Sakai News

I went to a small group meeting with the BlackBoard team later this afternoon. I knew I wasn’t going to get them to rescind their patent or drop their suite, but I think it went well. Matthew, Peter & Jan from Bb talked with Sakai community members (I don’t yet include myself in that community… Continue Reading Follow up with the Bb team

Today I attended an excellent panel on the current BlackBoard patent (and indirectly their legal action against Desire 2 Learn) that featured Eben Moglen, General Counsel for the Free Software Foundation, and the Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center and Matthew Small, BlackBoard’s senior legal council. Both parties took questions and talked about Bb’s patent.… Continue Reading Bb v. SFLC, Sakai, Moglen, rational thinkers, et all.

George Bush just announced that the current CIA director will become the new secretary of defence. Finally, an exit strategy.  The democrats are being greeted as liberators! Last night’s US mid-term elections demonstrated that American’s wanted change. The Canadian equivalent of the shift in leadership in the US Senate and House would (loosely) be a… Continue Reading Don’t let the WMD hit you on the way out Rumsfeld!

Steven Howards, like many of us, is outraged with the Iraq war, and knew exactly what he wanted to tell the president and vice president. He got his chance when Dick Cheney made an unscheduled appearance at his local mall. Apparently the current republican administration’s reputation for an unwillingness to accept criticism with well earned:… Continue Reading Man Arrested for Criticizing Dick Cheney