Futurelawyer

Elmo Testifies Before Congress - Attempts To Eat Microphone

Elmo Testifies Before Congress - Lowering the Bar. This post makes an excellent point about those who complained about Colbert's appearance before Congress last week. It reminds us that this isn't the first time that a strange character made fun of the process. When Elmo testified, he tried to eat the microphone. Maybe he should have eaten every microphone inside the U.S. Capitol. Then, all those legislators could concentrate on passing legislation that was good for the country, rather than pandering to the cameras. What a concept.

Google Phone Gallery - What's Your Flavor?

Google Phone Gallery. So, you know you want an Android phone; but, the choices are so vast and varied that you are confused. You could always give up, and buy an iPhone, since there is only one choice at Apple. Or, you could go to the Google Phone page, where every current Google Android phone is pictured and listed, along with its carrier, features, and comparisons. Mobile phones are like ice cream. You can eat Chocolate for the rest of your life; because, like iPhone, it is the only choice; or, you can go to Android's Ice Cream Store, and have your choice of a hundred different flavors. I love chocolate ice cream, as any photo of me will prove; however, occasionally, I like to choose something else. What's your flavor?

Taskbar Items Pinner Pins Anything to the Windows 7 Taskbar

Taskbar Items Pinner Pins Anything to the Windows 7 Taskbar. One of the nice features of Windows 7 is its ability to pin commonly used programs to the TaskBar. While I keep mine at the bottom of the screen, the Taskbar will go to either side or the top if you prefer. Just click and hold, and drag it where you want it. However, this free little program gives the taskbar pinning process another level of functionality. You can pin user defined folders, photo collections, common groups of programs, and all sorts of other stuff. The only problem with this is that I now have so much stuff pinned to the bottom of my screen, I can't find anything. Oh, well. It is free and useful. 

Measure Air Pollution? Your Droid Does

Mobile Sensing. The Robotic Embedded Systems Lab has created a new app for Droids that measures air pollution at a specific location. An  iPhone app is coming; but, for now, you need a Droid and at least OS 2.1. Just snap a photo of the sky at your location, crop out the trees and buildings, if any, and send the photo to the lab. By measuring the light obstruction and your location, they can measure the air pollution. This won't do anything for the air you breathe; but, if enough of us create the data, who knows what might happen. Go green. Measure the air.

The Stranded Traveler Scam - Hackers Don't Understand The American Family

The Stranded Traveler Scam %u2013 blogan. The latest hacker scam to hit the net involves spoofing email addresses to send fake emails to friends and family members, claiming the family member is stranded abroad, without a wallet, and needs money wired to get home. These hackers must be from another country; because, if a hacker spoofed an email from a member of most American families, the response would probably be, good, stay over there. I only speak partly in jest; some of the nastiest litigation I have handled in my career involved family probate disputes. Of course, the real reaction to receiving one of these emails would probably be, "How can my (brother) (uncle) (niece) (nephew) (you fill in the relative) afford a trip to Europe, while I am stuck here in the U.S. trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage? Find your own way home." Of course, in all seriousness, don't take these emails seriously; unless you verify them on the telephone. Or, of course, you could empty the bank account, and fly over to take them home personally. 

So Simple, A Kid Can Use It

This ad for the XPeria smart phone is cute; but, I think the bigger message here is what we are teaching our kids. Or, are they that much smarter than we are? You be the judge.

When You Absolutely, Positively, Have To Have A Real Keyboard

Hands-on: HTC Desire Z - Z stands for ZOMG the keyboard!.   The pop out keyboard of the Desire Z is made for fat fingers, and old men and women. But, this thing looks like something a pre-teen would use to tap out OMG, LOL, and ROFL messages to his or her BFFs. I used to be a fan of hard keyboards; primarily, because I got used to them on the old, tiny Palm phones that had a little keyboard at the bottom. However, the more I used the bigger smart phones, with virtual keyboards, I realized that, unless you are a messaging tornado, you can get along quite fine with a virtual keyboard. I even gave my Droids to my kids, who like the slide out keyboard of the original Droids. But, then, OMG, comes the Desire Z, and I am lusting after a real keyboard again. Oh, well.

Cool Jobs That Don't Involve Practicing Law

Business & Technology | HTC CEO Peter Chou discusses future of smartphones | Seattle Times Newspaper.   I want this guy's job. Peter Chou is the boss at HTC, which is making some of the coolest new smart phones on the planet. He gets to carry around 4 or 5 of them, not even publicly available yet, and test them. He has 3G, 4G and who knows what else G to play with, and then he gets to decide which ones make the cut. Mobile phone providers don't threaten to sue this guy. They court his business, and beg him to use their companies' services. I am sure his life has plenty of stress. But, at least his stress involves cool gadgets.

Before The Law, There Stands A Guard

Since Kafka seems to be the theme of the day, here is the Introductory sequence to the movie adaptation of The Trial. Orson Welles created this dark version of the absurdist view of law and justice by Franz Kafka. But, is lack of access to the law absurd, or is it frighteningly familiar? You be the judge.

Kafka Is Probably Smiling

The Kafkaesque Question Of Who Owns Kafka's Papers | Techdirt.   As one author put it, Kafka would probably be smiling if he knew that his directive to his friend to burn all of his papers was ignored, and his stuff became famous, and the friend gave it all to some lady, who gave it to her daughters, who keep it in an apartment full of cats. At least the cockroach problem would be under control. Once an author passes, the ownership of the copyright is a legal problem best left to the experts. However, human nature being what it is, what better author than the man who created the insane world of The Trial, to star in this long-running dispute about ownership of great literature.