Futurelawyer

Jon Stewart Doesn't Use An IPhone

Link: Screen Grabs: the Daily Show's Jon Stewart grabs a Centro for some speech critique - Engadget. I admit freely that I was shocked by Jon Stewart pulling out a Centro to make an on-air crank call in commentary after the DNC. I figured that Stewart, a cool guy, would have gone over to the IPhone dark side; however, I was wrong, and he is cool AND smart. Now that IPhone is having some serious problems with the ATT network here and abroad, it is possible that Stewart and the FutureLawyer have a lot in common. We are both smart alecks, we both say outrageous things to get attention, and we both use a Centro.

Stupid Store Names

Link: Chuck Newton: How Bad Is This?. Thanks to Chuck Newton for this item about the 99 cent store that is going to have to change its name because prices are going up. How dumb is it to make a price your store name in the American economy? I remember, many years ago, when I was in College in New Orleans (okay it was the late Sixties), that there was a restaurant that served a full steak dinner, with all the trimmings, for $1.49. You guessed it, the restaurant's name was "Buck Forty Nine". Oh, well, today the store's name would have to be "Fifteen Ninety Nine".

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.

Hey, Buddy! Can You Write Me A Contract?

Reasons why Verizon thinks they are better than the iPhone - Appletell

Link: Reasons why Verizon thinks they are better than the iPhone - Appletell. I love my Centro. I wouldn't trade it for two IPhones, 3G or otherwise. Verizon is the best cell provider I have tried, even though they can be heavy-handed at times. However, their commercials are accurate. They have the fastest, most reliable, most comprehensive 3G service available. And, they support the Centro. This post, highlighting why the IPhone's 3G is inferior is also accurate. Read it and weep, Apple fans.

Bulk Convert Old Documents to the new Office 2007 Format

Link: Bulk Convert Old Documents to the new Office 2007 Format. I am a WordPerfect holdout. I LOVE WordPerfect. WordPerfect is a friend of mine. You use Microsoft Office, and you have recently upgraded to Office 2007. Just to show there are no hard feelings, here is an Office 2007 tip, which I got from LifeHacker. If you have a lot of documents in old formats (Word XP, etc.), you can convert them in bulk by following these simple steps. No need to open them one at a time to convert to the new .docx format. I wish you were in the WordPerfect fold; but, until you go back, this may help.

FireFox Add-Ons - The Best Browser Gets Better

Link: Become an Efficient Researcher: Top Twenty Firefox Add-ons that Make Firefox the Researcher's Browser of Choice | Res Ipsa Blog. Thanks to Benson at ResIpsaBlog for reminding me that I intended to post about the new version of Firefox. It is the best browser, and blows away the Microsoft alternative. One of the reasons is the ability to download dozens of enhancements to its usefulness. These "add-ons" perform a multiciplicity of functions, and Benson's post highlights an article that points to 20 of them. Enjoy.

Paragon Drive Backup - You Could Do Worse

Link: Paragon Drive Backup Review 2008. As you know, if you read this blog regularly, you know that I am always harping on backup, backup and more backup. You can never have too many. I have been a happy user of the Ghost drive imaging and backup software by Norton for some years. I use it regularly. I also buy a lot of computer mags at the bookstore. If anyone asks me how to learn about computers, my first answer is get a lot of mags and read them cover to cover. One of the mags I tend to buy is the UK Windows XP mag that comes with a CD filled to the brim with free and useful software. The August version came with a free copy of Paragon Software's Disk Backup 8.5. Normally around $30, I got it for the $12.95 price of the magazine, along with some other useful freebies. Having run it once on my notebook, I can say that it is more full featured than Norton Ghost, although a little more difficult to use. See the linked review for more detail. However, it works great, and I now have two different images of my drives, giving me a better chance of having a usable ghost image in the event of a crash. Preparation, preparation, preparation. Backup your drive today.

Been There, Done That

Okay, maybe I haven't gone THIS far, but I have wanted to.

Your PC is NOT Old - You Are!

Link: Your PC is NOT Old | PC Pitstop. As I grow older (yes, I am old), I become aware that the body parts don't move like they used to. (Get your mind out of the gutter, we're talking knees and ankles and low back here). Computers, like people, get old, and they are replaced by something prettier, faster, and more efficient. I am the worst offender, in that I am always trying out a newer, faster computer. However, many of the problems with sluggish computers are caused by use and clutter, not age. A properly maintained computer can perform its functions for years. By properly maintained, I am speaking of removing file clutter, re-installing software, removing temporary files, and other techniques better described in the linked post. Before you buy that new computer, ask yourself if the old one can't be cleaned up first. As an example, She Who Must Be Obeyed asked (okay, told)  me to get the school computers ready for the Fall Semester. She teaches at a small private school here in town. The computers were, on average, over 10 years old, and were running Windows 98, Windows 2000, and some weren't running at all. The solution, since new computers were out of the question, was simple. I installed Ubuntu Linux on all the machines that could handle it, and Puppy Linux on the others. Presto, the school had workable computers that, with the addition of the Edubuntu package, are designed for school children and education.