Futurelawyer

Solo By Choice - The Book

Link: Chuck Newton: Solo By Choice. I haven't received my copy of Carolyn Elefant's excellent new book, Solo By Choice, yet. I was promised one; however, Chuck is either cooler than I am, or Texas is closer than Florida to the Northeast. But, we are both in the Sunbelt; which should be one of the reasons for becoming a solo down here in the warm. In any event, Carolyn had the discipline and talent to write this book, and every lawyer or soon to be lawyer should read it. Most of us never actually thought seriously about the type of law practice we chose. We got into it by accident, not by design. With this book, there are no more excuses. Even if you are already practicing, you need to read this book. It might just change your life.

FutureLawyer Subscribes - Sprint Cuts Stores and Employees?

Link: Excite News - Sprint Nextel to Cut Jobs, Close Stores. Is the FutureLawyer a jinx? No sooner did I become a Sprint monthly subscriber than Sprint announces plans to close stores and fire employees. Oh, well. I knew I kept my Verizon Wireless account open for a reason other than I had a year to go on the contract. I went with Sprint because I didn't want to wait a year for Verizon to decide to offer the Centro. Verizon Wireless is notorious for testing and testing and waiting even longer before agreeing to support new tech. Actually, having two wireless companies is no more expensive than one. I support cell phones for my spouse, kids and secretary, and have EvDO cards for two computers. Some are with one company, and others are with the other. Always hedge your bets in the wireless world. You never know who is getting fired next.

FlipStart Price Reduced to $699 - Now I Love It!

Link: FlipStart Labs. When I first reviewed the FlipStart, it was $1,999 and I thought it was heavy and boxy; but had a lot of computer in an ultra mobile form factor. Apparently, the price was a problem; the company has reduced the price to $699; yes, you read that right. This little UMPC is now primed for anyone's briefcase. If you don't want to carry a full computer, but want full computer power, this is the little guy for you.

Maybe Dell Is Just Trying to Wake Us Up?

Link: Dell laptops in electric-shock shocker | Crave : The gadget blog. New problems with Dell laptops and shocks ranging from tingles to jolts may, or may not, be a concern. However, I have never been shocked by anything about my Dell notebooks, except for their long-lasting functionality. Maybe it isn't a bug; it is a feature? Most of us stroll somnolently through our day; perhaps we NEED a jolt that doesn't come out of a coffee cup?

And You Thought You Had Problems?

Verizon XV6800 / A New Phone For Her

Link: Verizon XV6800 / HTC Titan coming November 16th? - Engadget Mobile. She Who Must Be Obeyed has a new smart phone; and, I am happy that she is happy. Choosing a usable keyboard over an on-screen disaster; choosing a real operating system (Windows Mobile 6) over IPhone hell, she has upgraded from the non-touch screen Moto Q to the HTC Mogul, branded by Verizon as the XV6800. This beauty runs Windows Mobile 6, has a slide out keyboard for texting, and a big, beautiful screen. I had an earlier HTC phone, but found the ease and simplicity of the Palm OS more to my liking. However, if you are a Windows Mobile fanatic, this phone is for you. I have been wanting to dip into the alleged improvements in Windows Mobile 6 anyway; you can guess to whom She Who Must Be Obeyed goes for tech support.

Buy Back This Gadget! Please!

Link: Excite Money & Investing. This story, about companies that, in effect, sell "put options" on gadgets, would seem to be right up my alley. I have boxes of old gadgets, non-working gadgets, broken gadgets, and other stuff cluttering my home office (more affectionately known by the family as "the cave" or "the garage". I have spent many pleasant hours rummaging through them, searching for a forgotten joy that I can figure out how to fit into my gadget laden existence, or for which I can find new mobile lawyering purpose. However, paying $9 up front for the privilege of selling the gadget in the future, at a predetermined price, seems crazy to me. If I truly have an old gadget that has market value, I can sell it on Ebay to another brain addled gadget freak. But, mostly  I hoard this stuff, like a squirrel,  content  to be surrounded by  old tech, and deriving enjoyment out of the prospect of a future treasure hunt.

Macworld 2008: Apple MacBook Air Is World's Thinnest Notebook, Looks Absolutely Amazing

Link: Macworld 2008: Apple MacBook Air Is World's Thinnest Notebook, Looks Absolutely Amazing. Okay, Grant, call me impressed. The new Apple MacBook Air is so thin, it looks like it could do double duty as a butter knife. Very cool. I might even buy one, if it didn't cost $1,799, not have an ethernet port, and cost over a grand for an upgrade to an 80 Gig hard drive. But, I admit, it is the prettiest notebook I have ever seen.

The Specialized Lawyer

Link: Execupundit.com: Going Beyond Our Specialty. This excellent post by Michael Wade, at Execupundit, got me thinking about law practice and the trend to specialization. Like Doctors, the more complex the law becomes, the more we seem locked into small areas of practice. Solo law practice tends to work against this trend; the solo lawyer has to be part lawyer, part janitor, part manager, part accountant, part dishwasher, and many other things. We pride ourselves on being renaissance men and women; however, we still tend to gravitate towards specific areas of law. I really like the Heinlein quote in the piece, except for the ending. I really don't want to "die gallantly". I expect that I will be dragged from law practice, kicking and screaming. So, go ahead, stretch yourself. Try something new; you might like it.

Know Where You Are Going - Cheap

Link: Buy.com - TomTom ONE - Portable GPS - Preloaded MAP of US/Canada on SD Card - Refurbished - 1N00.188. There are a lot of expensive portable GPS units out there. When it first came out, the basic TomTom One was $300. This sale for $159 is a real bargain. I use one of these (I paid $199) every time I travel. You can take the battery powered unit out of the car, and use it while you are walking around. I even spent $5 for the John Clees voice. There is something cool about being guided by a sardonic voice from Monty Python days. My family has begun repeating his last voice direction from memory; imagine that British voice saying: "You have reached your destination; you can get out now; but, I am NOT going to help you carry your bags. From now on, you are on your own." It is somewhat like having our own family version of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show".