Futurelawyer

Online bidders vie for wartime Enigma machine - Yahoo! News

Link: Online bidders vie for wartime Enigma machine - Yahoo! News. Was it a computer? Was it a typewriter? Was it a code-breaking machine? Enigma was all of the above. It was before my time (yes, I am not really that old), but, while it didn't really make computations, it scrambled messages by using a combination of typewriter keys and rotors. Think of it as a manual version of a modern software based encryption system in which a public key is used to send encrypted messages, and the intended recipient uses a private key to read the message. In this case, the Germans used enigma machines to encrypt and decrypt messages at both ends. By capturing a machine, the British were able to decipher encrypted German messages; many believe that the War was shortened substantially by the intelligence intercepted. Somehow, today's software driven encryption and decryption doesn't carry the romance of this beautiful piece of antique technology. If you want to learn more about how the Enigma machine worked, check out NPR's website, at Nova - How the Enigma Works .

U.S. Demands Files From ISPs, Tech Firms - Yahoo! News

Link: U.S. Demands Files From ISPs, Tech Firms - Yahoo! News. Recently, I posted about the battle between Google and the U.S. Government over the Government's subpoena of search data from Google. In this battle between the right to Internet privacy and a Government that is already snooping on its citizens in the name of national security and combating terrorism, the Government is saying it seeks the information to enforce statutes against child pornography in its defense of the 1996 Child Online Protection Act. The U.S. Supreme Act has already issued preliminary injunctions against the Act asserting it is probably unconstitutionally overbroad. Now, the Government has added dozens of other Internet Service Providers and Online companies to the list of subpoena recipients. The companies are scrambling either to comply or to resist; some say that the Government should be spending its money on giving software to parents to protect children. This is a tough one. I have children, and I want them protected. However, I also love freedom, and it is disquieting to watch as the most basic of freedoms, the freedoms of speech and privacy, seem to be under attack. It will be interesting to see how the Supreme Court, with two new members, reacts to this lawsuit when it finally and inevitably reaches D.C.

Treo 700p release date leaked? - Engadget

Link: Treo 700p release date leaked? - Engadget. I love rumors; especially when they confirm something I really want to be true. Treo 650 owners are anxiously awaiting the 700 version of the Treo running the Palm operating system. We don't particulary like Windows Mobile, and we are heavily invested in our Palm applications. The 700p purports to use EV-DO which is much faster than 3G, and, while it won't likely have WiFi, I am already salivating. This alleged scan intimates a May 28th launch date for the 700p; nobody knows for sure, and this could be a hoax. But, we can dream, right?

D.C. Law Firm's Big BlackBerry Payday

Link: D.C. Law Firm's Big BlackBerry Payday. Who said Personal Injury lawyers got all the big contingency fees? Patent law and technology lawyers occasionally take contingency fee cases also, and Wiley Rein and Fielding. LLP, of D.C. is about to get a third of the 612 Million Dollar settlement received by tiny NTP in the BlackBerry settlement from RIM. It is a fitting end to the drama that was the BlackBerry patent case. Now, if I can figure out a way to write this blog on contingency...Wait, I already am. I get 100% of the fee now...Wait, I don't get paid...Oh, well. Back to law practice for me. Too bad I don't work for Wiley Rein Fielding. Their total annual revenue last year was 140 Million. The fee for the NTP litigation is 200 Million. Of course, the case has been around their office since 2001.

Critical Internet Explorer Flaw Patched by Third Party - Computing -

Link: Critical Internet Explorer Flaw Patched by Third Party - Computing -. The Internet Explorer critical flaw I highlighted the other day (The Zero Day Exploit) is attracting third party fixes, in the absence of a Microsoft solution. EEye Digital Security has published a temporary fix, which will go away by itself when Microsoft gets around to distributing a patch. If you didn't take my advice, and move to SeaMonkey or FireFox or some other browser, at least protect yourself with this fix until Microsoft gets its act together. Microsoft claims IE7, when released, will not have the vulnerability. I realize that this stuff gets old; however, if you insist on using Internet Explorer, get used to it.

"A blog shows that we are not a stuffy old Law Firm" - Times Online

Link: Law news and Law Reports from The Times - Times Online. Blogs are reaching lawyers all over the world, and this discussion points out the competing viewpoints. Each lawyer who reads this blog has a particular expertise, and a blog can help you to acquire a broader presence and give you a soapbox for your expertise. Even the FutureLawyer blog, although aimed at lawyers and paralegals, has attracted readers who are or have become clients of the firm. What is your expertise? Why aren't you blogging about it? Does your firm have a blog? Lawyers are not known for being shrinking violets. We put our ideas and abiliites on the line all the time. Believe me, blogging is a lot easier than talking to a jury.

LiveScience.com - Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip

Link: LiveScience.com - Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip. Ok. Now we're talking. I used to think I wanted a computer chip planted in my temple, and connected to my optic nerve so that I could control and see the computer screen. This article has caused me to rethink. Now, I want to have my brain cells melded together with silicon circuits, creating a "neuro-chip" that will glue neurons to the computer chips with brain proteins. This, scientists believe, will allow the brain cells to pass information to the chips, and vice versa, creating a human-computer hybrid. Can this Borg-like entity be the human of the future?

Law.com - NewsPoint Newsreader

Link: Law.com - NewsPoint Newsreader. Many readers of this blog subscribe by email. It is a convenient way to get my content, automatically. However, what if you want to read more than one blog? To do that, you need to download an RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication), which is just a way to download blog content and read it in your browser, or in a stand-alone RSS reader. ALM, of which this blog is an affiliate, is now launching a newsreader, NewsPoint, that aggregates all of the affiliate blogs of Law.Com, as well as all of Law.Com content. I am really impressed with the new reader, and have already installed it. I know you already have a bunch of stuff in your ToolBar, but this little reader has a small footprint, and deserves a look. You can even add non law related content, if you like.

Microsoft Security Advisory (917077): Vulnerability in the way HTML Objects Handle Unexpected Method Calls Could Allow Remote Code Execution

Link: Microsoft Security Advisory (917077): Vulnerability in the way HTML Objects Handle Unexpected Method Calls Could Allow Remote Code Execution. Here is yet another reason why you should be using SeaMonkey or FireFox as a web browser. Of course, this exploit of Internet Explorer is aimed at users who use IE because it is there, and because many IE users never think about security. You know who you are. Be calm, there are millions of you out there, but be aware, the bad guys are targeting you. The scary thing is that this exploit is out there, and Microsoft hasn't posted a fix yet. If you are using IE7, just released on March 26th, you are allegedly okay. Lions and tigers and bears, oh boy.

Skype sued over P2P technology :: Contractor UK

Link: Skype sued over P2P technology :: Contractor UK. Oh, no, say it isn't so! My favorite Voice Over IP service, Skype, has been named in a RICO suit by Streamcast, which originally developed Morpheus, the peer to peer file sharing software used by some to illegally download music. Of course, claiming that P2P software was wrongfully sold by one company to another causes a fleeting thought about motivation. Morpheus and Kazaa can be used for legal downloading; however, the vast percentage of its use has been illegal. If the Skype founders improperly installed it in Skype for file transfers, this article's author believes a quick, quiet settlement is coming. Of course, VOIP is rapidly making traditional phone service obsolete, and Skype is the biggest and best; so it makes an attractive target. I still recommend Skype. You can check it out at Skype.Com .