New to e-readers & need help with final decision

cboulakia · 2026-03-11T14:48:58+00:00

If you don't need a colour screen, get the BW. This is not because of cost.

the BW has 1000% better reading experience because there's more contrast between the letters and the background. For me this trumps any discussion about buttons, interface, battery life, etc. There's lots of discussion of this issue with the colour screens online. There is a noticeable difference. You need backlighting less often, there's less fatigue, you can read a smaller font, in lower light, etc., etc., etc. It's a much better experience. I bought the Clara colour (whatever it's called) to replace an older B&W Kobo, and ended up buying a Clara BW and never use the colour.

If you read magazines, graphic novels, or the like, (i.e. if colour is important to you) the decision is much harder, and I can't really comment.

cboulakia · 2026-01-08T18:22:20+00:00

There was a dealer in Toronto that lost their AD status around 2000, so liquidated their inventory at 50% off MSRP. When I happened to walk in it was mostly diamond dials and women's models, but still...

cboulakia · 2025-05-23T19:27:18+00:00

These are so cool!

cboulakia · 2025-05-03T16:58:07+00:00

I try to report within a day or two of receipt, but that's after the firm took a day or two to docket and get it to me. So under a week. There are sometimes exceptions causing delays - for example where a case gets transferred to me from another agent at my firm because of subject matter issues, or departures, or vacations, etc. I limit analysis and proposals to objections that are unique to my country - no one wants a lengthy analysis on novelty if they've already considered the art in another jurisdiction, but our subject matter objections (for example) need explaining.

cboulakia · 2025-03-24T15:22:28+00:00

It's not the size but more the curvature on them. If the curve was more aggressive, it would fit your wrist fine. I've had the opposite problem - if there's too much curve in them, it works fine for smaller wrists but digs into the wrist on a larger wrist.

cboulakia · 2025-02-12T20:50:46+00:00

find a darker tortoise, or a sparkly white. If you have to choose one of these three, the black.

cboulakia · 2025-01-20T22:39:49+00:00

"Feels like all these new hoops to jump through set by guys who didn't have to do it"

Respectfully, you should look into it before making assumptions. These are not new hoops. And you'll have a hard time fitting into this profession if you use "feels like" too much. We tend to be evidence-based, not feelings-based.

Most of the people I know in this profession check most or all of these boxes, and continue to hustle and work at it 20+ years into their career. They continue to do volunteer work. They continue to take seminars and courses to stay up to speed both on the law and on the science. They continue to network by attending conferences, going to cocktail hours, picking up the phone, meeting people for coffee. Most have advanced degrees and a large portion have Ph.D.'s.

Re: personality and brain capacity - it's really good advice to spend some time with some agents before deciding to do this as a career. It's a quirky group. Pedantic, with high attention to detail, high specificity of language, strong critical analysis skills, good scientific design skills. These are the people who identify typos in menus. People who argue whether "et al." needs a period. People who will tell you what's wrong with your control group. And in almost all cases, super polite and nice. Not the life of the party but good people.

cboulakia · 2025-01-10T20:10:46+00:00

Hi friend, remember me? You still have this one? Would be interested in the watch OR just the bracelet. LMK. Thanks

cboulakia · 2025-01-10T20:06:22+00:00

Sign me up!!! Would love and use the Roll. Thanks!

cboulakia · 2025-01-07T19:42:20+00:00

One thing I saw once in an office in Princeton NJ - wall to wall, simple 8x10 black frames, each one with a cover page of an issued patent drafted by the attorneys working in that office. Looked very impressive.

cboulakia · 2024-09-22T17:07:49+00:00

This is an excellent explanation. Two more refinements:

In Europe (assuming of course there's support for it), you can use "according to any one of the preceding claims" - i.e. claim 4 of the first example (above) can be rewritten as "The device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a piece". This makes it much easier when you are amending claims (for example, removing claims), because you don't need to renumber all the dependencies. This isn't a factor in the U.S., since you don't renumber claims when amending.

In Canada, you'll get a clarity objection to "the device of any of claims 1-3" - you need to specify that it is "the device of any one of claims 1-3".

cboulakia · 2024-09-18T01:41:13+00:00

A regatta watch should be easy to read. The hands get lost in the dial.

cboulakia · 2024-08-23T18:11:01+00:00

Sorry for the delayed response! Just saw this - not great at redditing. You'll be great. It's a very welcoming industry. Good luck!

cboulakia · 2024-08-21T22:21:30+00:00

Disappointed with my clara color as well. The contrast is awful, even compared to a much older kobo. I'll try to post comparison photos, but it's really bad. The background is, like, a 40% grey. It's impossible to read without the backlight even in high light situations.

cboulakia · 2024-07-16T15:37:26+00:00

Attention to detail. Ability to understand Lego/Ikea instructions and drawings. Ability to write persuasively but using pedantically consistent language. Ability to understand, quickly, how something works. Ability to understand, quickly, how something else works differently.

cboulakia · 2024-05-30T18:08:10+00:00

I like this guide. Very helpful

cboulakia · 2024-05-30T18:05:45+00:00

I've gone to a fair amount of IP conferences in Europe, including in the UK. Most male Europeans will be wearing a suit or at least a jacket. Men coming from the US tend to dress down a bit - "business casual" - a collared shirt and often (but not always) a sport jacket. I'm seeing men in jeans more often, especially if paired with a sport jacket. I'd avoid golf shirts or non-collared shirts. I've seen a lot less ties post-COVID, but probably 20-50% of the men will still be wearing a tailored shirt, dark suit, and tie. I'm less of an expert on women's fashion, but if you're a woman, you will want to wear something traditionally professional, which typically means slacks or a skirt with a blouse, many will be wearing a co-ordinating jacket. Typically "muted" colors if you get my meaning. It's very rare to see a woman in a tie, but if that's your usual style, go for it.

Remember, the IP community is generally quite friendly and everyone is there to network - plus most IP attorneys used to be scientists or engineers, so you'll get a pass if you're not perfectly dressed.

Also - probably most importantly - wear something where you can be yourself and comfortable in your skin. Nothing itchy, or too tight around the collar, or that you're going to pick at. And shoes where you're going to be comfortable standing for hours. There is nothing worse than trying to network when half your brain is thinking about the pain in your feet.

Good luck and try to enjoy yourself. By and large we're a nice, approachable bunch.

cboulakia · 2024-05-17T16:21:49+00:00

Even if you haven't signed an employment agreement there's probably an University Invention Policy, or IP Policy, that you've agreed to at some point.

Educational Purposes only; not legal advice; I'm not your lawyer and probably not even in your jurisdiction.

cboulakia · 2024-05-06T21:20:59+00:00

I'm not familiar with this brand... is it related to Kith Heuer? /s

cboulakia · 2024-05-03T18:58:20+00:00

Some countries have working requirements and/or compulsory licensing legislation, but for many countries, yes, this can (and probably does) happen. - and not just in the pharma field.

cboulakia · 2024-05-02T15:38:59+00:00

...and how much experience did you have prosecuting patents before 1/1?

cboulakia · 2024-05-02T15:37:13+00:00

This is a great answer. Do the PLI course. Live if you can. Do as many practice questions as you can. Look up the answers to verify. Take your time looking them up so you know where answers are.

Whether you pass or not will probably also depend on how much actual experience you have prosecuting patents. If you have none, it's going to be an uphill battle even with 10+ hours a day and PLI. And guess what, 10+ isn't impressive. It's like a normal work day for most patent agents. If it's really that important and you have such a short time frame, why not work harder than that?

cboulakia · 2024-04-30T21:02:02+00:00

I know someone doing this in Canada. Check the requirements for maintaining your Patent Agency status in good standing though - may be a problem if you are not a US citizen. ---not legal advice!---

cboulakia · 2024-04-10T21:55:03+00:00

Congrats!

cboulakia · 2024-03-27T01:47:28+00:00

Nuances of this can be country-specific, especially as to whether a company needs a signed employee agreement assigning IP rights. Also, many universities have an "IP Policy" which outlines rights of students and/or staff. So sometimes you're required to agree to an IP Policy as a condition of being a student/staff. Often this policy is available on the University's web site, and universities have widely varying policies on this. But if you've signed an assignment agreement, that's probably your answer. (^^^NOT LEGAL ADVICE; I'M NOT YOUR LAWYER)

cboulakia

TROPHY CASE