Futurelawyer

Requiem for an iPhone - Can't We All Just Get Along?

Link: Ernie The Attorney: Requiem for an iPhone. Ernie Svenson has a bricked IPhone, cause unknown. I feel his pain. My Treo was requiring daily reboots for a while, until Palm stepped up and fixed the problem. However, I have never had the kind of hardware problem Ernie describes. This goes to show that technology is never as bullet-proof as the advertising says, and that the raging debate between Treo and IPhone and the 8525 is more a matter of taste and function than reliability. None of these things will always work, and computers and software will ALWAYS have bugs and problems which must be fixed. We all need to gain some perspective, and concentrate on the many positive impacts these little tools have on our lawyer lives. We all tolerate flaws in our personal relationships, and we pray that our significant others will tolerate our flaws. Are we less tolerant of our machines? Can't we all just get along?

Phonifier: use it like a feed reader in sidebar |

Link: Phonifier: use it like a feed reader in sidebar | Kansas Business Attorney. Good friend Dan Covington finally found something I didn't already know about. Phonifier converts web content on the fly for cell phone web browsing. My Treo Web browser, Blazer, already does this pretty well; however, I was interested in Dan's take on using Phonifier in a FireFox session. It shrinks the typeface and font so that everything can run in a side-bar.

Finger Mouse - It Actually Works!

Earlier this month, I posted about the finger mouse , which I purchased online. Cheap, at $20 bucks, it came in last week, and I strapped it to the FutureLawyer finger (no, not that one, the index finger), and it works fine. It is an optical mouse, so you don't have to be on the surface; it can hover above the table and you move your finger in the direction you want the cursor to go. It has a USB interface, so it is truly plug and play. the Scroll wheel and left and right buttons are conveniently located on the side, for thumb control. It takes some getting used to, but I threw it in my travel bag, and will be using in on airplanes and such. FutureLawyer recommended for those who want a light travel mouse.

Why Microsoft must abandon Vista to save itself | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

Link: Why Microsoft must abandon Vista to save itself | Tech news blog - CNET News.com. Add C-Net to the chorus of pundits who are abandoning Vista. Having never bought the expensive operating system in the first place, and refusing to buy a new computer that has it pre-installed, I am not surprised. Vista has so many problems, and is so expensive, that it is amazing that Microsoft hasn't fixed it, or abandoned it already. The telling sign? Users are actually uninstalling it, and reinstalling old copies of XP Home and Professional. I haven't seen that since the ill=advised Millennium Edition (ME) back in 2000. Vista reminds me of the pretty girl, who is an ugly person underneath. Mr. Gates, fix it or take it back.

Palm Centro - Treo For The Rest of You

Link: Hands-on with the Palm Centro - Engadget. Dad, your Treo is heavy and bulky. I want something cool. So said daughter, who was angling for a cell phone with cachet. She Who Must Be Obeyed is chafing at the prospect of living with her Motorola Q until a designer phone from Prada or Armani is available. Lawyers and businessmen want functionality. We really don't need to be stylish or cool. For the rest of you, and your kids, the Palm Centro may be the ticket. A smartphone that fits in the palm of your hand, is slim and sexy, and still runs all the Palm applications. What's not to like?

Five ways Linux is better than Vista

Link: Five ways Linux is better than Vista - Operating Systems - www.itnews.com.au. By now, it should be obvious to everyone that Vista is a slow, kludgy, bloated, too-expensive operating system. While even Ubuntu Linux is probably only 90% ready for the lawyer desktop, Vista is a disaster. Windows XP Professional remains the only stable choice for the mass of lawyers and businesses that rely on stability and function. Linux will be ready soon, however, and businesses and law firms should be testing and using Ubuntu Linux now.

Thinking Like A Lawyer - Is That A Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

Link: Law Librarian Blog: Professional Reading: Thinking Like a Lawyer: The Heuristics of Case Synthesis. One of my favorite TV shows in the 80s was "The Paper Chase", a TV adapation of the best-selling book about Harvard Law School. The show's principal teacher character, Charles Kingsfield, ably played by actor John Houseman, used to tell his students that he was going to teach them to "think like a lawyer". After many years of thinking like a lawyer, I go into the twilight years of my life wondering whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. More than one relationship has gone badly when my significant other accused me of acting like a lawyer. On the other hand, I always considered it a compliment that I had been trained to think rationally, and that I was able to synthesize a large amount of information before making a decision. However enabling Socratic thought is, however, perhaps we need to do more thinking like a bum. You know, spend some time acting on impulse, and smelling flowers. Relaxation and thinking like a lawyer can both be components in a life well lived.

Lies Lawyers Tell - This Isn't You, Is It?

Link: How to Change the World: The Top Ten (Sixteen) Lies of Lawyers. Guy Kawasaki has dealt with a lot of lawyers. I hope, after reading his article about the lies he has been told by lawyers, that you don't see yourself. If you do, you need to refocus your marketing. Of course, lawyers aren't the only professionals who sometimes lie to their clients. I have some stories about auto mechanics and plumbers myself. Never overpromise. Always overdeliver.

Rush to Judgment - Is Jeffrey Skilling Innocent?

Link: Houston's Clear Thinkers: The Skilling Appeal Brief. Like many others, I was unaware of the facts of the Skilling case, and didn't give much thought to his conviction. However, after reading this post, I am resolved to read the appellate brief referred to, and to learn more about the case. Is it a case of a corporate criminal brought to justice, or another case of prosecutorial misconduct, and the power of the Government run amok? Read all about it, and you be the Judge.

Legal Suicide for Web 2.0 start-ups: A beginner's guide

Link: Legal Suicide for Web 2.0 start-ups: A beginner's guide | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone. As Web 2.0 startups proliferate, the laws and regulations concerning copyright, information security, and  patents evolve. As this article points out, many new Internet based companies violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) or the Childrens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), or use technologies that may violate a patent, or may expose the company to claims by patent trolls and other opportunistic individuals. I would add the many legal exposures from not paying attention to the form of the legal organization, and not documenting the organization's legal matters. Some startups think that a lawyer is an unnecessary expense. Think again, because in the early days, you are betting the company, and  the beast is out there waiting.