Futurelawyer

Turn your laptop into a wireless hot spot - Laptop - Lifehacker

Turn your laptop into a wireless hot spot - Laptop - Lifehacker. This little trick will turn any XP or Vista laptop computer into a portable hotspot. So, if you don't have a wireless router at home, or you haven't sprung for a Cradlepoint portable router, or you are hooked up to the cable in a hotel room somewhere, you can still share your Internet connection with your wife, kids, and colleagues, as long as they are within 50 feet or so, and have a wireless card in their computers. Just follow the instructions for Internet sharing for your OS contained in this great little PC mag article. You need to use the Windows configuration screen, and the host of this little adhoc network needs to be connected to the Internet. I haven't checked to see if this works with the host computer connected to wireless broadband; but, it should work for that also. In short, you set up an ad hoc network on the host machine, and set up a little wireless network. Fun Saturday project. And, it will give you an excuse not to cut the grass.

Stupid Geek Tricks: Browse the Web from Outlook

Stupid Geek Tricks: Browse the Web from Outlook :: Mysticgeek’s Realm. Outlook's Calendar app, and its ability to sync simultaneously with my case management software, Amicus Attorney, means that it is always running, when my system is running. I keep Oulook's calendar on screen with the handy Outlook On The Desktop free application, which puts the Outlook Calendar up all the time, in various stages of transparency. This little tip is very handy, if you want to check out a web site while in Outlook. Just make sure the Web toolbar is checked in the View menu. Then, just type in the URL. Presto, you will view the web page in Outlook's view window, using the IE engine. When you want to go back to the Calendar view, or Email, or whatever, just click the choice in the left pane.

The Frugal Lawyer - Top 10 Ways to Save Money in a Recession

Lifehacker Top 10: Top 10 Ways to Save Money in a Recession. This is a great list about ways to save money in a down economy. My favorite is the one that recommends the use of CraigsList. The Internet is a great way to search for things that are cost effective. CraigsList is free to list, and free to search. All you need is a web browser and an Internet account. The "Get Better at re-using your stuff" suggestion is good also. While most technology becomes obsolete before it can be reused, I still have a big tub in the office at home, into which I throw every gadget or tech that I am not using. Periodically, I drag out the tub, and go through it for a while. I have found some cool new uses for tech that I had thrown out. As an example, some time over a year ago, I purchased a smartphone pouch that had two compartments, one of which was designed to block cell phone signals. When you didn't want calls, you just slid the smart phone into the front pouch. I used it for a bit, and got tired of missing calls. Recently, I dug it out of the bin during one of my reclamation projects; and, lo and behold, discovered it was the perfect pouch for my iPod Touch, with a pouch in the front for earphones. Reuse and repurpose. Good rules for a new economy.

Windows Defender And Software Explorer - Protection For Free

Download details: Windows� Defender. Microsoft has a lot of money. When it decided to add Anti Virus and Anti Spyware functionality, it purchased and renamed a commercial product, calling it Windows Defender. Windows Defender does a good job of protecting Windows computers; but, there are a lot of free antivirus and antispyware solutions out there that do an adequate job. What sets Defender apart, and deserves a look, is the Software Explorer, which scans the computer for software applications, and permits plain language tweaking of the startup stuff you are running. Msconfig is a useful XP tool; Software Explorer is much more intuitive. Download Defender, and check it out. It's free, and it's from Microsoft.

Moleskine: Turn Your iPhone into a Moleskine Book

Moleskine: Turn Your iPhone into a Moleskine Book. While free application Stanza, and the thousands of free ebooks in the esphere make the iPhone and iPod Touch wonderful ways to read a book, the thin devices are uncomfortable to hold for long lengths of time. How nice it would be to hold an iPod Touch like a real book? This kludge involves cutting out a hole in a paper book, and the insertion of the device into the hole. Aside from destroying literature, to which I object on principle, this seems much ado over nothing. However, I would have no objection to using a trashy novel or novella as an ebook holder. How about you? What work of English Literature or other body of words would you be willing to sacrifice to the paper book gods? May I make a "modest proposal"? How about buying one of those journals they sell at the local stationery store, with blank pages? They often have expensive binding, and look really nice in the hands. I have no principled objection to cutting on blank paper. Destroying real words, no matter the quality of the author, gives me pause.

WinAudit - Do You Know Where Your Computer Has Been?

Create a Report of Installed Hardware and Software with WinAudit :: Mysticgeek’s Realm. This handy free program will do a complete system audit of your Windows computer, and report all installed software, and everything else you ever wanted to know about your computer but were afraid to ask. You will be surprised at the information that this audit will provide, and you will be able to make intelligent decisions about what you need and what you don't need.

Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About - Solutions by PC Magazine

Link: Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About - Solutions by PC Magazine. Okay, I like and use WordPerfect every day. However, I sometimes am forced to send documents in Word format to other lawyers and clients who don't share my iconoclastic loyalty to the first great word processor. So, in deference to you Word users, here is Neil Rubenking's take on 8 underused Word tools; some of which are great for lawyers. The Florida Bar, and others, have opined that it is unethical to mine documents for metadata (hidden information about a document such as revision histories, etc.) that can be embarrassing or damaging in legal documents. However, it is still incumbent upon careful lawyers to make sure you don't send out documents that carry such information (better safe than sorry). My favorite tool, highlighted here, is the Document Inspector, that will reveal the stuff you might want to keep confidendtial. The compare tool is very useful to find out whether a document that comes back to you has changes in it. Be careful out there. Friends don't let friends use Word. But, if they insist, help them.

10 Tips to Keep Your Notebook Safe when Traveling ~ Chris Pirillo

Link: 10 Tips to Keep Your Notebook Safe when Traveling ~ Chris Pirillo. Lawyers are just as mobile as other professionals. Traveling nowadays demands a laptop computer; and, like other professionals, we carry our lives on these little machines. Other than strapping the computer to your rear end, and carrying it EVERYWHERE, what else can you do to protect it, and your data, on the road? Chris Pirillo has ten ideas; some of which you have read about in this space before. Tops on the Futurelawyer list? Backup, backup, backup. Always have an image of your hard drive, made recently, and especially when you travel. Other tips? Check out Chris' excellent article. By the way, one tip that Chris doesn't mention; but, I find most important...get a SMALL ultralight notebook for travel, like less than 3 pounds. Any larger, and you won't want to carry it with you.

Windows XP - Tried, True And Always Getting Better

Say what you want about Microsoft and Windows; it is as familiar as an old shoe, it gets the job done, and Microsoft is always making it better. I found the latest improvement quite by accident, and it is very handy already. One of the best ways to change the configuration, or streamline the boot-up process for XP is to run the handy "msconfig" command. Just click the Start button, then run, and type "msconfig" in the box.
A handy dandy dialog box pops up that permits the user to monitor the Startup programs and to delete the ones you don't need, significantly reducing memory use, and making boot up faster. There are other boxes, which permit modification of the initialization files that load when XP starts. Well, when I loaded up "msconfig" recently to remove a useless program that was loading at startup, I found a new tab, identified as Tools, that, when clicked, brings up a laundry list of useful tasks that can be performed in XP. Try it, you'll like it.

Mr. Phelps, This Tape Will Self Destruct In 15 Seconds

Link: Windows Mobile Tip: Enable Self Destruct Mode on Your Windows Mobile Phone. Now that the Palm Treo Pro is on the way to the market, it is likely that more users will be jumping ship to the Windows Mobile OS. There are a lot of Windows Mobile phones out there, and they will be carrying much personal and business data. This tip will show you how to protect that data, by giving you extra protection over and above the password entry interface. If someone attempts too many unauthorized entries, the OS self destructs. This can be cool; except when the unauthorized accesses are actually authorized attempts by you when you forget your password. Oops, I just destroyed my smart phone's OS. Just to be safe, better have current backups if you use this tip.