Futurelawyer

Lazy Man's Dog Training Aid

Link: Retromodo: Doggy Treadmill Idea is Actually From 1930. In 1930, long before the Dog Whisperer was born, dog training fell victim to an idea that equipment could solve any problem. Too lazy to take your dog for a walk? It isn't necessary to strain yourself. Just put the dog on a flywheel controlled contraption that fools the dog into thinking he is going somewhere. There is no indication that a doggy treat followed this exercise routine. However, the dog owner probably enjoyed his time sitting indolently on the porch or in the front yard. What has this to do with legal tech? Nothing, but I wouldn't want to disappoint those who think this blog is "eccentric".

Windows XP SP3 RC2 Ready For Download?

Link: Download details: Windows XP SP3 RC2 Refresh. The rumors of the demise of Windows XP are not true; Microsoft will keep pushing back the death of the only stable OS it has out there because millions of users will demand it. This Release Candidate of Service Pack 3 should only be downloaded by the not so faint of heart. Wait for the official release. However, the FutureLawyer predicts that those who are patient will find that many of the better parts of Vista (there are some) will gradually make their way into XP, and that many users and enterprises will jump Vista for Windows 7.

Chuck Newton: The Ego Is Big

Link: Chuck Newton: The Ego Is Big. I love this post by my friend, Chuck Newton. He talks about lawyers who won't move their practice to their homes as having low opinions of lawyers who do. You know, the lawyers who have big offices, big overhead, big heads, and think of themselves as better than the run of the mill solo practitioner. He also talks about the lawyer who moved his practice home so he could care for his kids after his wife died, and stayed home after they grew up. I happen to think practicing at home (at least all or part of the time, as I do) is the selfish choice. It is in my self interest to be home when the kids are home. It is in my self interest to keep the overhead low, by not having a passel of employees with their hands out for salary and benefits. It is in my self interest to practice from a former house that is paid for, so that I have no rent. Maybe we solo lawyers know something the biglaw types don't?

ECTACO's jetBook reader will purportedly change your life - Engadget

Link: ECTACO's jetBook reader will purportedly change your life - Engadget. A serious competitor to the Amazon Kindle has emerged from ECTACO. The JetBook looks a lot like the Kindle, down to the buttons on the side, and has a 5 inch paper-like screen. Will it, as the author posits, make books obsolete? Well, let's just say that the nation's forests still aren't safe. Just as newspapers and magazines are becoming partners with the Internet, I suspect that having a book in your hand will always be a part of a satisfying life experience. On the other hand, when was the last time you sat in your library doing legal research in books?

Value of Second Life to law firms is over : Real Lawyers Have Blogs

Link: Value of Second Life to law firms is over : Real Lawyers Have Blogs. Kevin O'Keefe is right that Second Life isn't ready for prime time; at least, insofar as virtual law offices are concerned. I toyed with Second Life for a while; and, I found it difficult to use, very difficult to navigate, difficult to find property, and difficult to build in. Since it was so labor intensive, it stands to reason that serious hobbyists were the only denizens. In addition, the bandwidth and computer power necessary to support 3D online virtual worlds just doesn't fit with attorney client interaction. When the technology becomes easy to use, and virtual worlds are as easy to navigate in as the real world; then, virtual lawyering in 3D might become a reality. However, don't hold your breath.

How To Get The Girl - Geek Style

Should You Stock Up On Copies of Windows XP?

Link: Windows XP: Going, going ... gone?. Is Microsoft really dumb enough to stop selling new copies of Windows XP, in a world full of computers without the raw computing power to run Vista? Of course they are. However, Microsoft has been planning to stop selling XP for a long time, and the date keeps getting pushed out. According to the current timetable, you won't be able to buy it legally after January, 2009. Of course, as long as your current computer is working, you will be able to get support, at least until 2014. There is trouble brewing, however, and Microsoft may finally be finding out that it can no longer bully the poor consumer. One of the byproducts of the computer age is that no one is bigger than the Internet. We consumers are mad as H*** and we aren't going to take it anymore!

You Might Be A Scientist if...

Link: $75 accessory turns any cameraphone into mobile microscope - Gadgetell. If you think a gadget that uses the computer power of your smart phone and an attachment that looks like a telescope, to create a mobile microscope, you might be a scientist. If you spend your spare time trying to figure out how many amoeba can fit on the head of a pin, you might be a scientist. And, if you can't wait til this $75 microscope accessory is available for purchase, you might me a... you guessed it.

Should Microsoft Throw Away Vista? | Advice and Opinion

Link: Should Microsoft Throw Away Vista? | Advice and Opinion. The Anti-Vista drums are beating. Like a political firestorm that won't go away, the writers, and CEOs, and CIOs are joining in their almost universal lack of excitement, and complete derision, of the Operating System that is stalled. Like Windows ME before it, Vista has become the whipping boy for a dissatisfaction with Microsoft's flawed OS development, and bloated applications that choke the considerable technical prowess of modern chipsets. I am certain that Vista has some redeeming qualities; I just haven't found any yet. So, I stay with XP, until Microsoft gets its act together. The good news is that, historically, Microsoft, sooner or later, seems to get it right. Sooner would be better.

The Common Scold: DRIZZLED OUT IN TAMPA

Link: The Common Scold: DRIZZLED OUT IN TAMPA. Monica Bay and I spent a wet two innings at the Blue Jays - Yankees game yesterday. I feel like a mutual admiration society when I am with Monica. She introduced me to blogging several years ago, when I happened on the Common Scold totally by accident. Being surrounded by Yankees fans at Legend Field yesterday was surreal. I felt like the wedding guest dressed in jeans who didn't know anybody. My understated Rays logo on my shirt made me stand out like a sore thumb. Monica is one impressive person. She travels all over the country and the world in her job, for 40% of the year; and still finds time for baseball and blogging. We shared our love of dogs and baseball, and had a really productive discussion of law practice and journalism. She moved from law to journalism early on, and has never looked back. I decided that the independence of solo law practice was appealing; but, a corporate health plan looks pretty good to me as I age. Smart, feisty, courageous and ambitious, Monica Bay is a model to look up to. See, told you it was mutual admiration.