I just saw this on Slashdot: Linked List Patented in 2006. It prompted me to write this knee-jerk reaction: Oh my god! It's widely known that the U.S. patent office is completely retarded when it comes to giving out software patents, but this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. What the hell could possibly possess them to grant a patent to someone for a process that millions of programmers have been using every day for decades?!? This is the most embarassing abuse of the patent system ever. Reform now before someone patents the if/then statement!

P.S. Reading over the Slashdot comments has shown that the patent is actually for something a little bit more complex than a "linked list," but not much, and this programmer has, in fact, implemented the "auxiliary pointers" described several times before 2006.