Here is the latest in our year-long look at one cool comic (whether it be a self-contained work, an ongoing comic or a run on a long-running title that featured multiple creative teams on it over the years) a day (in no particular order whatsoever)! Here's the archive of the moments posted so far!

Today we take a look at the initial story arc from Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos' Alias...

Enjoy!

With the news that Jessica Jones would be returning to the superhero game in New Avengers, I thought it'd be a fun idea to re-visit the early days of Jessica Jones in the pages of Alias.

When we first meet Jessica, she is accosted by a jerk of a client and she ends up throwing him through her door after he tries to hit her.

Thus we learn her background...

And soon after, we discover that she is in a dark, dark place in her life right now...

At the end of issue #1, after Jessica is hired to find the sister of a woman, she tapes the sister with a man, who turns out to be, well, someone that Jessica did not expect...

Jessica is then thrown into a whole big mess of a conspiracy that goes all the way to the highest level of national politics, and it all revolves around the world of superheroing that Jessica left behind long ago.

The greatest thing about Alias is that Brian Michael Bendis did such a good job creating a multi-faceted character in Jessica that he basically can just throw her into different situations just to see how she will react.

It makes Alias a very interesting book to read, especially because she's a likable enough character that you WANT to see her make the most out of her life.

Michael Gaydos handles the darkness of the tale quite well - he is a strong storyteller and the sequences in the book are top rate.

This first storyline is collected in the first Alias trade, along with the following story arc.

If you enjoyed Bendis' earlier crime comics, then Alias is right up your alley as it has the same character-driven focus that his crime comics had. Very well crafted comics.

When movie clip search startup AnyClip demoed at last year’s TechCrunch50, it was one of the crowd pleasers. The concept was to be able to search for any line or scene in a movie, and the site would take you to that exact moment and play the clip. The demo looked great, but could the startup actually get the movie studios to license their films? Sean Parker, one of the judges on the panel noted: “This is the kind of thing that absolutely should happen. But it will take you twice as long to make those deals.”

Parker turned out to be right. AnyClip continues to negotiate with the studios, but decided not to wait for those deals to open up its service. Yesterday, it launched in a public beta, without many actual video clips. There are some older and public domain movies, licensed from the Film Chest catalog, such as the classic Reefer Madness. Search for “faster, faster” and up comes the piano scene from Reefer Madness.

But AnyClip works even for movies where it cannot show the clips. Search for “I drink your milkshake” and the dialogue from the scene in There Will Be Blood comes up as a result. Or you can search for “ferris wheel” scenes, where a ferris wheel appears in the scene but is not necessarily mentioned in the dialogue.

AnyClip has indexed 2,000 movies so far. CEO Aaron Cohen estimates that “two percent of all searches appear to be for 8,000 Hollywood films and 1,000 actors.” Creating really deep meta data around movie clips and exposing those to search engines should be enough to get traffic growing simply as movie quotes database. But the ultimate appeal of AnyClip is the ability to start playing the movie clip at the exact moment you are looking for and share those clips. It’s going to happen. Rival MovieClips.com, which launched in December, has already struck licensing deals for 12,000 clips. Those are predetermined clips, however. AnyClip still wants to provide data on, literally, any clip.

At the same time, the movie studios are paying companies to index their digital archives for their own internal purposes. Cohen is hoping to do a trade: give them the metadata on their catalogs for free in return for the ability to promote their films. Maybe if AnyClip gets big enough, they will start paying attention.

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

The British House of Lords has passed a bill that might, if enacted into law, put the UK's Parliament at odds with the European Commission over how best to enforce copyright anti-infringement laws. Called the Digital Economy Bill, it would charge Internet service providers with the task of keeping track of suspected file sharers and copyright violators, and reporting on them to copyright holders as well as to the country's Office of Communications (OFCOM).

As the bill is currently written, OFCOM would be charged with determining the "initial obligations" of Internet service providers with respect to suspected infringers, provided those obligations meet the specific guidelines. It would be up to OFCOM, should the bill be enacted, to determine all the specifics -- the "fiddly bits" -- such as how ISPs monitor their customers ("subscribers"), at what stage it becomes necessary to report on their activities, how long they retain information on those customers, and what else they do with that data. In the UK, regulations enacted by a regulatory body such as OFCOM are called codes.

Specifically, the bill would require that OFCOM "makes provision about how internet service providers are to keep information about subscribers; that it limits the time for which they may keep that information; that the requirements concerning subscriber appeals are met in relation to the code; that the provisions of the code are objectively justifiable in relation to the matters to which it relates; that those provisions are not such as to discriminate unduly against particular persons or against a particular description of persons; that those provisions are proportionate to what they are intended to achieve; [and] that, in relation to what those provisions are intended to achieve, they are transparent." (This page from Parliament.UK contains the exact text of this section.)

ISPs would be indemnified from any responsibility for the infringing activity, but only if they fulfill their obligations as OFCOM would define them. Those obligations would include, according to the bill, expedient response to requests from copyright holders, as well as some sort of "technical measure" to punish the "relevant subscriber." As the bill is written now, it appears the fuzziness of "relevant subscriber" may be intentional, so as not to imply that the customer must first be found guilty of charges.

"A 'technical obligation,' in relation to an internet service provider, is an obligation for the provider to take a technical measure against some or all relevant subscribers to its service for the purpose of preventing or reducing infringement of copyright by means of the Internet," the bill reads. "A 'technical measure' is a measure that: (a) limits the speed or other capacity of the service provided to a subscriber; (b) prevents a subscriber from using the service to gain access to particular material, or limits such use; (c) suspends the service provided to a subscriber; or (d) limits the service provided to a subscriber in another way. A subscriber to an internet access service is 'relevant' if the subscriber is a relevant subscriber to the service...in relation to one or more copyright owners."

From here, the bill proceeds to the House of Commons, where elected officials will debate whether it would be fair, under the terms of the last paragraph, to punish suspected subscribers prior to their hearing in court. Liberal leaders there were quoted by the BBC this morning as having indicated such a law would be contrary to the EU's Technical Standards Directive.

Last week, in a near-unanimous vote of the European Parliament, a resolution was adopted to compel participants in the multi-national Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to report to the EU Parliament, and eventually publicly, on terms being negotiated between countries. Such terms might compel member countries in ACTA to adopt laws similar to what the House of Lords just passed.

Ironically, this entire affair comes on the same week as MPs begin debate on a measure, first reported by the London Telegraph, to replace the House of Lords entirely with a second, publicly elected body of Parliament. The new upper house -- which may, the report states, be dubbed the "Senate" -- would include members who may very well be lords and landowners, elected for staggered terms of up to 15 years. Some say the Labour Party is unveiling the plan now in order to attract opposition from Tory leaders, who currently have an edge in public opinion polls. Painting the Tories as "pro-Lords" could, in turn, color them as "pro-establishment," and thus out of touch with modern-day British interests.

By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Exploding Asian demand for shark fin soup has slashed worldwide shark populations, and global regulation is the best way to save eight species now under pressure, ocean conservationists reported on Monday.

Google has demonstrated that it too can name a phone without waiting until it owns the name: its attempt to get Nexus One recognised as a trade mark has been rejected....

What is your recession sales strategy?

A new torrent has been uploaded to U2Torrents.com.

Torrent: 5752
Title: 1992-09-11 Anes Pro - Shot - snippet incomplete
Size: 997.87 MB
Category: ZooTv
Uploaded by: Daywalker

Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZooTV Ames
ZooTV Ames, Iowa
11 September 1992

DVD incomplete
Pro-Shot-snippet
Running Time 14.45 min

NTSC

Setlist
Intro
George Bush Rap
Zoo Station
The Fly


This DVD was uploadet here as Torrent
#3236 from U2BPMU2 Sat 11th August 2007.

i filling a request from Markus (*wink)

The Torrent from U2BPMU2 was banned here:
"Could the seeder please check the vob files as there has been a
report that they contain all the same footage."

i take my DVD in a Trade from Gatomaluco a few years ago.
Thank you Lutz again.

This DVD is smaller than the DVD from U2BPMU2

I hope this is Ok, i don`t have any infos about this DVD

so, enjoy and have fun

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can use the URL below to download the torrent (you may have to login).

http://u2torrents.com/torrents-details.php?id=5752&hit=1

Take care!

Live U2
_________________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: Please do not reply to this email account it is NOT monitored.
Please visit the U2torrents.com Help section at http://www.u2torrents.com/help/ for helpful information or to Ask a Question.

The Self Care Campaign is telling people not to see their GP with minor ailments. As a doctor, take my advice – ignore this

The Times leads today with the not-very-exciting headline that people go to their GP too often with minor complaints. The "story" is based on a letter in the paper signed by a host of signatories who have set up the Self Care Campaign. The chief executive of Diabetes UK is among the leading lights of the group.

The signatories, who include some very eminent and sensible doctors, are publishing a manifesto saying that people should be encouraged to manage their minor ailments on their own and not visit the GP with them.

They have produced a report based on an analysis by IMS Health. IMS Health's website says "virtually every major pharmaceutical and biotechnology company is a client of IMS", while the report is funded by the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, which represents manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines.

The aim is to discourage people going to the GP so they will look after themselves when they have a self-limiting illness. Nothing wrong with that. But nowhere in the worthy-sounding letter to the Times, or its front-page article, does it mention that this is an agenda driven by a trade organisation representing international drug companies that want to sell you cough and cold remedies over the counter.

The upshot of the Self Care Campaign report is that:

· In 2009, 18% of visits to the GP were deemed to be for "minor ailments", a steady rise since 1987 when only 10% were characterised as minor.

· These common minor ailments now account for a fifth of visits to the GP.

· They cost £2bn a year.

· Nearly half of these visits were by 16- to 59-year-olds, not the young or elderly.

· In 2007, there were 51.4 million GP visits for a minor ailment alone, and 90% of those people came away with a prescription.

But here are a few thoughts.

In my experience as a GP, there is almost always a good reason that brings someone to see me. If a person only presents the minor ailment, it may be that they don't feel comfortable enough to talk about the real reason they came, like depression. Our cancer survival rates lag behind the rest of Europe in some key areas. People's reluctance to present their symptoms to the GP is cited as a significant cause.

One person's "minor" is another's "major". A cough is usually minor and self-limiting, but is also a key feature of TB and lung cancer. The public can be told that a cough lasting more than six weeks needs investigation, but the sudden onset of a severe cough in someone who never gets one and has no other features suggestive of a viral illness, may require immediate attention.

Older people often preface any visit to the GP with the words, "Sorry to bother you." There is still a culture that our health service, paid for by tax payers, bestows care as a beneficent gesture rather than providing an efficient, customer-friendly service. That's why going to the GP is rarely as satisfactory as going to John Lewis.

A visit with a "minor" ailment provides the chance to have your blood pressure checked, be reminded that a cervical smear is due or be offered help to quit smoking. Most preventive health measures in primary care are carried out in this opportunistic way. The health (and cost) benefits of preventing smoking-related disease or treating high blood pressure to prevent heart disease or a stroke, need to be offset against the savings made by telling people to stop "bothering" their GP.

People are not stupid. If they go to their GP once with a self-limiting viral cold and are told they don't need antibiotics, they won't bother to go the next time they have the same symptoms. GPs need to stop treating minor illnesses inappropriately. There is no need for a national pamphlet campaign with patronising advice about buying over-the-counter remedies and staying warm.

• Health
• GPs
• NHS
• Pharmaceuticals industry
• Health & wellbeing

A new torrent has been uploaded to U2Torrents.com.

Torrent: 5751
Title: 1997-07-02 Foxboro - ma - Foxboro Stadium soundboard
Size: 517.92 MB
Category: Popmart
Uploaded by: u2popbrasil

Description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997-07-02 FOXBORO sbd
========================

1997-07-02 0- Foxboro, MA
Foxboro Stadium
Soundboard
=====================
tour :Pop mart tour
leg: leg2. north America
city : Foxboro
town: USA
venue: Foxboro std
type :audio
intégralité: complet

======================
other's source audio
http://www.achtungbootlegs.com/index.php?nav=281&jour=02&mois=07&annee=1997


=====================
i've got this shows in trade, so
i'don't know about the lineage
support cd-r
taper: unknow

i guess this is a broadcast tv.

=====================

Disc 1
01 Pop Muzik Intro
02 Mofo
03 I will Follow
04 Gone
05 Even Better Than The Real Thing
06 Last Night On Earth
07 Until the End Of the World
08 New Year`s Day
09 Pride (In the Name Of Love)
10 I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me
11 All I Want Is You
12 Staring At The Sun
13 Suspicious Minds (Edge Karaoke)
14 Miami
15 Bullet the Blue Sky

Disc 2
01 Please
02 Where the Streets Have No Name
03 Lemon (perfecto mix)
04 Discotheque
05 If You Wear That Velvet Dress
06 With Or Without You
07 Hold Me, Thrill Me Kiss Me, Kill Me
08 Mysterious Ways
09 One
10 MLK
11 Rain
======================

enjoy; don't sell only trade and share.
u2popbrasil ;-)

Especial thank to: bonozitoun



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can use the URL below to download the torrent (you may have to login).

http://u2torrents.com/torrents-details.php?id=5751&hit=1

Take care!

Live U2
_________________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: Please do not reply to this email account it is NOT monitored.
Please visit the U2torrents.com Help section at http://www.u2torrents.com/help/ for helpful information or to Ask a Question.

Continue reading Droid Eris rooted to 2.1, but look before you leap

Droid Eris rooted to 2.1, but look before you leap originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pros:

• Form Factor;
• Back-up software included;
• USB 3.0 Speed;
• Capacity.

Cons:

• Until you have USB 3.0 in your laptop, you have to use an ExpressCard/34 card.

Summary: This is one of the first USB 3.0 Portable Drives to hit the market. Having half a terabyte in your hands is great, especially if you are a road warrior. The Seagate BlackArmor drive delivers speed, capacity, and portability in a solid, user friendly, package that provides for a complete system recovery in the palm of your hand or enough video for a weeks' worth of trade show video demos. It is a valuable addition to any traveler.

We all know about Moore's Law, but sometimes it helps to be grounded in what it means for daily life. Some of us remember the days when a 10 MB hard disk was the size of a hatbox. We remember opening large cases with a Philips screwdriver, checking the interrupt jumpers on the motherboard, checking the SCSI card jumpers before putting it in the case, manually loading the init files so we had them in the right order in the autoexec.bat file, and then hoping the whole thing worked.

This week, I added a 500 GB drive a little bit larger than a deck of cards, about half as thick, by plugging in an ExpressCard/34 and a driver and I will not need either of those when USB 3.0 becomes universally available in laptops. At the time I wrote this, HP, ASUS, and Dell are all shipping USB 3.0 laptops.

Because USB 3.0 ports are not readily available, Seagate provides an ExpressCard/34 USB 3.0 card along with the PS 110 drive. The first step is to connect BlackArmor to the laptop USB 2.0 port to install the drivers for the USB 3.0 card. Seagate provides the drivers on the drive so you won't find any software in the box. The drive is compatible with USB 2.0 and all you have to do is attach to a 2.0 port, load the driver, and you're ready to install the ExpressCard/34. Because of power requirements, there is a USB 2.0 dongle required to provide sufficient power to the ExpressCard. The cable is long enough to use almost any USB port on a standard laptop. Once you plug in the dongle, the light on the ExpressCard turns green and you can plug in the drive to take advantage of the USB 3.0 speed.

The USB 3.0 Standard provides for transfer rates of up to 4.8 Gbit/s about 10x of the USB 2.0 specification of 480 Mbit/s. I ran a simple test by copying 27.4 GB of Photos and Videos to the drive using the ExpressCard/34 USB 3.0 port and a standard USB 2.0 on my HP laptop. This is not a test using a software package to measure time; I am just a simple user so I used the computer clock. I also continued to do some word processing while the copy took place. On the 2.0 port, it took 40 minutes to copy. On the 3.0 port, it took 26 minutes to copy. Almost 2x faster than the USB 2.0 port in daily life. I'll take that improvement. The material provided to me by Seagate indicates an expectation of a 3x improvement, but that is under ideal conditions.

The backup and restore software that's included on the drive is powered by Acronis. The software prompted me to create a bootable CD in case of emergency. That went very well. The backup software looked as expected. We can do a deep dive into backup software another time.

Some of us don't read instructions very well. The two-step process of installing the ExpressCard/34 drivers before inserting the USB 3.0 card could have been highlighted more. However, once I re-read the instructions, the process went smoothly. The power dongle off the USB 2.0 port is a bit funky, but given the availability of native USB 3.0 ports on new machines and backward compatibility, this is acceptable given the speed improvements.

This is another in the line of portable drives from Seagate. BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0 portable drive with USB 3.0 performance kit is a great addition to any road warrior's computer bag.

Jeff Deneen is the Principal at 17 STS Marketing Group, a company which is focused on customers, prospects, and using technology to enable companies to communicate with them. You can catch his blog at 17sts.wordpress.com. He recently moved to Birmingham, Alabama along with his wife, daughter, son, dog, and two cats. His wife accuses him of having a Bluetooth headset permanently implanted in his right ear.

Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the Thoughts Media Review Team! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? Then click here for more information.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION

Modern communication networks, such as cell phone systems and the Internet, have provided researchers with the opportunity to study human associations and movement on a much greater scale than previously possible. Almost all of the papers that describe this sort of network analysis notes that it could have real world applications, since existing and emerging disease threats can spread through social and transit networks. A paper that will be released later this week by PNAS, however, skips the whole "this may be a useful model" aspect, and goes straight to a network in which diseases actually do spread: prostitutes and their clients.

Although organized prostitution is apparently illegal in Brazil, there are no laws against receiving payment for sex, making it possible for sex workers to freelance. Like everything else these days, that trade has found its way onto the Internet, and some enterprising Brazilians created an ad-supported public forum for individuals on both sides of the transaction. The forum is heavily moderated to keep it strictly on-topic: sellers (aka prostitutes) can advertise their business, and those that partake can rate the experience, as well as provide some information about the precise services rendered (the focus was strictly on heterosexual prostitution in this system).

Read the comments on this post

Chris Foresman / Ars Technica:
40% of Blackberry users willing to trade in for an iPhone  —  BlackBerry users may be ready to move on to other smartphone platforms, suggesting that RIM isn't keeping up with consumer demand in its efforts to combat growing encroachment from the likes of iPhone and Android.

BlackBerry users may be ready to move on to other smartphone platforms, suggesting that RIM isn't keeping up with consumer demand in its efforts to combat growing encroachment from the likes of iPhone and Android. In fact, two in five BlackBerry owners plan to swap their current device for an iPhone when it's time to upgrade, according to market researcher firm Crowd Science.

The iPhone has had a lasting effect on the smartphone market, changing the conception of what a smartphone should be almost overnight after the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. Despite RIM's entrenchment among business users, however, the iPhone platform has grown at a faster rate than the BlackBerry over the last year.

Perhaps the trend can be explained by Crowd Science's findings that many are using their smartphones for both personal and business use. Nearly a third of iPhone owners use their device for strictly personal use, versus just 16 percent for BlackBerry users. Just one percent of iPhone owners use their device for business only—no surprise there—so two-thirds are using an iPhone for business and personal use. And, while the BlackBerry has a reputation as the best enterprise mobile device, a scant seven percent of BlackBerrys users dedicate the device to business use only. That leaves over three-quarters of BlackBerry owners using their device for dual purposes.

The iPhone isn't the only platform attracting the attention of BlackBerry users, though. Interest in Android-based devices has grown since the introduction of Google's Nexus One, with 32 percent of BlackBerry users surveyed saying they would swap their current device for a Nexus One.

"These results show that the restlessness of BlackBerry users with their current brand hasn't just been driven by the allure of iPhone," John Martin, CEO of Crowd Science, said in a statement. "Rather, BlackBerry as a brand just isn't garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems."

About 90 percent of current iPhone and Android users plan to stick with their current platform for their next phone upgrade.

Read the comments on this post

BlackBerry users may be ready to move on to other smartphone platforms, suggesting that RIM isn't keeping up with consumer demand in its efforts to combat growing encroachment from the likes of iPhone and Android. In fact, two in five BlackBerry owners plan to swap their current device for an iPhone when it's time to upgrade, according to market researcher firm Crowd Science.

The iPhone has had a lasting effect on the smartphone market, changing the conception of what a smartphone should be almost overnight after the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. Despite RIM's entrenchment among business users, however, the iPhone platform has grown at a faster rate than the BlackBerry over the last year.

Perhaps the trend can be explained by Crowd Science's findings that many are using their smartphones for both personal and business use. Nearly a third of iPhone owners use their device for strictly personal use, versus just 16 percent for BlackBerry users. Just one percent of iPhone owners use their device for business only—no surprise there—so two-thirds are using an iPhone for business and personal use. And, while the BlackBerry has a reputation as the best enterprise mobile device, a scant seven percent of BlackBerrys users dedicate the device to business use only. That leaves over three-quarters of BlackBerry owners using their device for dual purposes.

The iPhone isn't the only platform attracting the attention of BlackBerry users, though. Interest in Android-based devices has grown since the introduction of Google's Nexus One, with 32 percent of BlackBerry users surveyed saying they would swap their current device for a Nexus One.

"These results show that the restlessness of BlackBerry users with their current brand hasn't just been driven by the allure of iPhone," John Martin, CEO of Crowd Science, said in a statement. "Rather, BlackBerry as a brand just isn't garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems."

About 90 percent of current iPhone and Android users plan to stick with their current platform for their next phone upgrade.

Read the comments on this post

BlackBerry users may be ready to move on to other smartphone platforms, suggesting that RIM isn't keeping up with consumer demand in its efforts to combat growing encroachment from the likes of iPhone and Android. In fact, two in five BlackBerry owners plan to swap their current device for an iPhone when it's time to upgrade, according to market researcher firm Crowd Science.

The iPhone has had a lasting effect on the smartphone market, changing the conception of what a smartphone should be almost overnight after the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. Despite RIM's entrenchment among business users, however, the iPhone platform has grown at a faster rate than the BlackBerry over the last year.

Perhaps the trend can be explained by Crowd Science's findings that many are using their smartphones for both personal and business use. Nearly a third of iPhone owners use their device for strictly personal use, versus just 16 percent for BlackBerry users. Just one percent of iPhone owners use their device for business only—no surprise there—so two-thirds are using an iPhone for business and personal use. And, while the BlackBerry has a reputation as the best enterprise mobile device, a scant seven percent of BlackBerrys users dedicate the device to business use only. That leaves over three-quarters of BlackBerry owners using their device for dual purposes.

The iPhone isn't the only platform attracting the attention of BlackBerry users, though. Interest in Android-based devices has grown since the introduction of Google's Nexus One, with 32 percent of BlackBerry users surveyed saying they would swap their current device for a Nexus One.

"These results show that the restlessness of BlackBerry users with their current brand hasn't just been driven by the allure of iPhone," John Martin, CEO of Crowd Science, said in a statement. "Rather, BlackBerry as a brand just isn't garnering the loyalty seen with other mobile operating systems."

About 90 percent of current iPhone and Android users plan to stick with their current platform for their next phone upgrade.

Read the comments on this post

Earlier this week, we noted that the major parties in the European Parliament had all agreed on a resolution trashing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and the secret process that has been hashing it out. That resolution has passed Parliament by a huge margin—633 yes votes, 13 no votes, and 16 abstentions.

The Greens/EFA coalition praised the vote. Greens MEP Carl Schlyter of Sweden said that "ACTA risks becoming known as the Absence of Commission Transparency Agreement... The EU cannot continue to negotiate on ACTA if the people are not allowed to take part in the process. It is also a totally absurd and unacceptable situation if MEPs, behind closed doors, have to ask the Commission about the content of the agreements we are supposed to vote on."

Read the comments on this post

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

Now that buzz about Apple's patent lawsuit against HTC has quieted a bit, I'm ready to pipe in with some contrarian analysis. I agree with other pundits suggesting that the lawsuit is competition by litigation, where Apple hopes to scare off mobile manufacturers from licensing Android. Surely some handset manufacturers will pull back, but they would be foolish to do so. For other existing and potential Android licensees, the lawsuit is a get out of jail free card. Apple's patent case should embolden, not restrain them. There may never to be a better time to license Android than now.

Apple claims infringement of 20 patents related to iPhone's user interface. Engadget's March 2nd patent breakdown is a must-read clinical analysis. But there's more to competition by litigation than the actual patents. Lawsuits often aren't so much about what's right but what lawyers think they can prove; often the winner tells the more believable story, even in patent cases. Similarly, much strategy goes into lawsuits -- how they're presented, where they're filed and when. Then, of course, there is whom. In this case, Apple took on HTC and not Google. Now why is that?

Apple's initial goals have little to do with protecting intellectual property as much as scaring away competitors. I hone in on this because Apple chose not to sue Google, Android's major developer, but instead the largest licensee of the mobile operating system. HTC's Sense UI gives Apple a bit more range to single out the one manufacturer, but based on various analyses of the patents that's more bark than bite.

Why not sue Google? I'll give eight primary reasons:

1) Apple potentially gains more by scaring off potential Android licensees than engaging in a protracted patent lawsuit. It's easier and more effective to raise bluster (and loads of free press) by engaging HTC than Google. Meanwhile, Apple can drag out the lawsuit as a distraction for HTC and other (frightened) Android licensees -- for years.

2) Apple doesn't want to take on Google, which already has come to HTC's defense. Google would fiercely fight Apple, understanding that mobile devices are the future of search and advertising.

3) Apple needs Google more than Google needs Apple. Unless Apple is willing to switch to Bing -- not a good idea considering iPhone buyer demographics -- Google search and maps are a necessary evil. If Google is willing to play tough with China, Apple is easy enough for Google to snuff off. Apple won't take on Google from a weaker position.

4) HTC is somewhat disadvantaged, being a Taiwan-based company. Google has home-court advantage (like Apple), making it a much more formidable opponent than HTC.

5) Patent lawsuits take years to resolve, hence Apple's separate complaint with the International Trade Commission. Again, Apple is using scare tactics to psychologically attack existing and potential Android licensees. So, this is quite similar to No. 1.

6) The patent claims are likely not as sure as they appear. Since most of the claims are really about Android, Google is the more sensible target of any lawsuit. If Apple lawyers were truly confident of winning against Google -- and in reasonable timeframe, they would file lawsuit against the search giant.

7) Android's open-source status creates all kinds of logistical and legal problems for Apple. The company really doesn't want to be labeled with a big Scarlet Letter as an open-source opponent. Apple has benefitted from open-source community development. It's a vocal group Apple doesn't want to piss off. Then there are all the nasty legal issues and potentially damaging precedents should Apple make a frontal open-source assault.

8) The iPhone-Android phone market looks much like the Mac-Windows PC market did in the 1980s and 1990s. Apple unsuccessfully sued Microsoft for infringing on Macintosh user-interface intellectual property. The lawsuit dragged on for years, ending in settlement in 1997. But what if in the early days of the Windows PC, Apple had sued clone king Compaq instead? Compaq was more vulnerable to a UI copyright claim than Microsoft, and other DOS/Windows licensees would have received the message to back off. By attacking HTC, Apple hopes to prevent a repeat "us against everyone else" scenario.

What Apple Fears

Apple has good reasons to fear Android. In the three months from December to February, Android's US smartphone subscriber share shot up from 2.8 perent to 7.1 percent. Worldwide, in 2009, Android smartphone market share -- based on sales -- rose from 0.5 percent to 3.9 percent, according to Gartner (The first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, shipped in late 2008). Last month, Google CEO Eric Schmidt asserted that 60,000 Android handsets are shipping by the day.

All this circles back to my claim that the patent lawsuit is a bluff. My reasoning:

1) Apple chose HTC, not Google. There is no immediate risk to any patent claims against HTC. Since the real claims are against Google, Apple may find the court -- or even the ITC -- reluctant to rule against an Android licensee in good faith. There is perceived risk, but none in the short term, which is long enough for a united Android front to do market damage against iPhone -- particularly in emerging markets.

2) Apple filed against HTC and not other licensees. Apple had its chance to take on Android licensees, choosing instead to go after one. HTC is enough:

• If the claims are shaky.
• If Apple is looking for one case to establish precedent.
• If the more immediate objective is to scare off existing or would-be Android licensees.

HTC being enough for this lawsuit isn't enough to legally or even logistically hurt other Android licensees.

3) Apple is unlikely to sue other Android licensees anytime soon. A good legal strategy -- from cost and logistical perspectives -- is to make a single case. Rather than being afraid, existing and would-be Android licensees should feel emboldened by the HTC lawsuit. Behind the bluster, Apple has really given the all clear -- it's safe to go ahead; that's Apple's tell. Apple's bluff is meant to convince other licensees that they can't win; so they lay down their Android hands. Yes, Apple could file against other Android licensees, but the only immediate benefit would be to create more fear -- that licensees should fold their hands. Hardware manufacturers should look at Google's backing HTC; there is a heavy-sitting ally at the table across from Apple.