Securely Providing Advertising Subsidized Computer Usage

What were they thinking when they filed this patent? Microsoft has filed the Securely providing advertising subsidized computer usage patent last week with the US Patent office. The patent proposes a method to provide free computer access in exchange for eyeballs staring at advertising. Sounds like an idea that has been tried and failed already, except Microsoft adds a new twist to it. They will guarantee that consumption of the advertisements by the user has actually happened by having the user interact with the ad. If the user doesn't provide the correct response, the free computer will cease to be free. Who would go for such a deal? Well, Microsoft doesn't specifically say, but they're targeting you and me, including the kiddies who are in school. Yup, you got that right -- schools.

The patent itself presents nothing remarkable. Eyeballs for free stuff has been around for a while, but this patent does stand a chance of making it, thanks to inept US Patent Office. I've always had a problem with process patents, and this is one of them, that conjures nothing remarkable. I wouldn't be too surprised if the lawyer that filed this patent wasn't the idiot that actually came up with the brain dead scheme.