Futurelawyer

It's The Vision, Stupid.

Why you should envision your ideal law practice - Ernie The Attorney. Ernie Svenson really hits the nail on the head, when he talks about having a real life as an attorney. What is your vision? I am pretty sure it doesn't involve long hours in a cubicle doing legal research or drafting briefs about boring subject matter. Technology can free you from many of the mundane tasks associated with our profession, and can free you to live the vision. Don't just dream about it. Do it.

Google Photos - Crop That Sucker

Google Photos gets markup functions for its image editor. Most amateur photographers (that means you, person with phone in hand taking photos and posting them online) make one colossal mistake with their photographs. They don't get close enough, and don't fill the frame with their subject matter. Sometimes, scenics and nature require broad views; but, if you are photographing people, animals, birds or other subjects, it is almost always better to get close. If you don't get close when you take the photograph, you can zoom in with the cropping tool of an image editor. There are a lot of these around; but, now, Google Photos, the best image collection cloud service, is providing editing tools in the app. You can crop and now make annotations on the fly. So, start cropping those photos, so I don't have to look at extraneous background anymore. Please.

#PoetryFriday - Cancerian Shuffle

CANCERIAN SHUFFLE

Her hard shell protected her
Suspicious,
tentative,
eyes sharpened to a point
fixed on the beach sand
she shuffled back and forth,
never settled in,
never happy.
The sand rubbed her underbelly
as she slid towards the surf.
She cast a bug eye
looking for scorpions
known to prowl in the area.
She touched her claw
in the water
gingerly.
The water was cold with the winter chill,
but would warm in the spring.
She wanted a long peaceful swim,
predator free.

She was surprised
when the scorpion
offered her a ride
to love island.
Could a scorpion be trusted?
She refused,
and the scorpion vowed
to keep asking
until she said yes.

After all,
hadn't he been willing
to leave the desert
without knowing
how to swim?

Mechanical Keyboards - It Isn't The Game, It's The Work

Amazon.com: Razer BLACKWIDOW Essential Mechanical Gaming Keyboard: Green Mechanical Switches - Tactile & Clicky - Individual Key Green LED backlighting - 10 Key Anti-Ghosting - Programmable Macro Functionality: Computers & Accessories. When my mom made me go to summer school to learn touch typing, I was the only boy in the class. Since I was a nerd, that didn't help me with the girls. But, when I got to College, I made extra money typing papers for other students, and I have used the skill every day since. Any touch typist will tell you that deep travel, mechanical keys, are the best way to get speed and accuracy in typing. Modern chiclet low travel keyboards are impossible to type on accurately; and, smaller keyboards with tiny keys can be impossible. One of my pet peeves are the half sized Shift keys. So, even though Razer keyboards are made for gamers, they are ideal for typing. Get one. You'll never type on anything else again.

Motorola Is Back, And It Has A Winner

motorola US | unlocked cell phones & moto razr. One of my first cell phones was a Motorola Droid, and it was best in class at the time. When I saw the announcement of a new foldable Razr, I got the same feeling I got with the Droid. Classy, well built, and innovative. I still have the Droid, and I charged it up yesterday, and used it with WiFi, since I no longer have a Verizon account. Why Motorola is locked to Verizon is understandable, as it is still the biggest vendor. But, alas, I long ago realized that Verizon is about taking your money, and not about the customer experience. So, I will pass on the Razr; but, it looks like the answer to the foldable phone question. If you can stomach Verizon's arrogance and price gouging, it is the one to buy.

In 2005, A Younger Lawyer Turned His Website Into A Blog...And The Rest Is History

Recent anniversary posts by some of my legal blogging friends sent me on a search for my first post. It was August, 2005, and I had been introduced to this new method of publication by Kevin O'Keefe at a seminar in Chicago. I had published the Futurelawyer website since 1996; but, didn't update it often, and it had a static, unchanging biographical feel to it. Hardly the way to get readers coming back day after day. So, the experiment began, and here we are 15 years later. I have posted every day since; except when I was in the hospital or tending to a sick family member. Blog on.

#WhyIAmASolo - Quicken Is My Accountant

Quicken Home & Business Download | Quicken. Okay, I still use an accountant for tax returns and monthly financials. But, a $99 a year subscription to Quicken is all I need to have control over my finances, both personal and law firm, and, with connections to my bank, daily monitoring and control of all the bank accounts. Office accounts, trust accounts, asset and liability listings, are all available at all times. I know balances, checks clearing, deposits, and anything I need to manage my finances instantly. My entire financial life can be encrypted and backed up to the cloud for instant retrieval; and, with a mobile app, I can do it from a phone or tablet. Are you a solo lawyer yet?

#ParrotSunday - Galah Family

I know it isn't Sunday. But, this family of Galahs (Rose Breasted Cockatoos) is too cute to pass up. My Pepper is a Galah, and a little pistol.

South Dakota Bureaucrats Being Bureaucrats

South Dakota%u2019s %u2018I%u2019m on Meth%u2019 Campaign Prompts Online Guffaws. Breaking Bad aside, if you are going to start a campaign against unlawful drug use, it might be a good idea to hire an ad agency with English speaking, and fluent grammar policemen. I swear this is a true story. I have attached the ad campaign banner, which consists of a map of South Dakota, with an interesting message. Somebody missed Eleventh grade grammar class.

The Game Of Kings - AI Version

Amazon.com: Square Off Chess Set - an Electronic Chessboard, which Moves The Opponent's Wooden Chess Pieces on its Own. Kids or Adults can Play Against The AI or Any Online Chess Player Across The Globe.: Toys & Games. Well, as is the way, the best gifts are those you buy yourself. This year, I purchased an Artificial Intelligence powered chess set that uses classic Staunton wood pieces, and moves them by itself. You might remember Charlton Heston in "Soylent Green" playing chess with a bust of Napoleon. I might use a bust of Marcus Aurelius; and, my chess set will move its own pieces. AI finally does something worth doing. Pawn to King Four. Your move.