Futurelawyer

Google Docs For Android Available

Official App for Google Docs Finally Hits Android %u203A AndroidGuys. I have been using my GTablet at lunch and while mobile for a while now. There is something about the portability of it that I love. However, at lunch today, I realized I had to email a document to a client and another attorney, and, while I had it saved to Google Docs, it was a kludge to use the browser. I was thus amazed to find that Google has released a Google Docs app for Android, and it is point and click simple to convert formats, send, and otherwise deal with documents in Android. Just another cool free service from our friends at Google. 

Typewriter As Art

Execupundit.com: Alas Poor Typewriter, We Knew Thee Well. When I read Michael Wade's post about the closing of one of the last typewriter factories in the world, I thought about this one, which graces the waiting room in my office. It is a circa 1930s Underwood (no, I have NOT been practicing law that long). It is a reminder of a simpler time, and has a real platen, a ribbon that spools, with red on top and black on the bottom, and weighs over 50 pounds. They made them to last in those days. Don't buy a replica; you can get the real thing at an antique auction, better yet, on Ebay, for around $150. Mine needs restoration; but, that is on my list of things to do. 

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda...

We should have been safe with Sony, say gamers | Reuters.This story says that gamers are "shocked"  that their Sony accounts were exposed in a hack attack.They are saying that Sony should have protected them.  Anyone who is shocked that there are bad people out there with the smarts to attack computer networks is living in PollyAnna land. Safety is a relative thing; just as I wasn't safe last year when burglars broke into my house, no one is completely safe from a criminal act. The best we can do is be as careful as possible, and understand that risk comes with the power of the Internet. So, gamers who complained, change your passwords, and understand that  life comes with risk.

1st Amendment - RIP

9th Circuit's Kozinski: Internet Guilty of Killing 1st Amendment. Is the 1st Amendment dead, and did the Internet kill it? An argument can certainly be made that privacy is dead, and that the resulting impossibility of keeping secrets has made the 1st Amendment irrelevant. In an Internet society, if you post it, think it, say it, or otherwise look at the words, there is no way to get the Genie back in the bottle. Whether words go viral or not is subject to the whim of the denizens of the net. As Judge Kozinski points out, there are many instances in which the speaker would have been better served by keeping his or her mouth shut. Free speech? It depends on whose ox is being gored, doesn't it?

Uh, Oh. Here Come The Politicians

Apple, Google Summoned to Senate Hearing On Mobile Device Privacy | Epicenter�| Wired.com. Never ones to shy away from a hot topic, the U.S. Senate has now decided to hold hearings on mobile privacy, and the recent disclosures that mobile phones are storing location information of the users. The reality that privacy has been gone for a long time is lost on the politicians, who know a hot political topic when they see one. Perhaps they will pass a law mandating privacy in mobile apps; which, of course, would be totally unenforceable. It is already illegal to intercept someone else's mobile communications; unless, of course, you have a validly issued  subpoena or search warrant, which can get you any evidence relevant to a pending lawsuit or criminal matter. But, hey, why not? These Senators and Congressmen need to look like they are doing something for the money, right? Lord, spare me.

  

ASUS EeePad Transformer - Is This Your Next Tablet?

ASUS EeePad Transformer review | Android Central. What is thin, runs Android Honeycomb, has a dual core processor, and has an SD card slot for external storage, 1 Gig of RAM, and GPS and Bluetooth? No, not the Motorola Xoom. This tablet from ASUS plugs into a keyboard that makes it into a WiFi netbook computer. I like dual use devices; my main computer is a Windows 7 covertible from Dell, the Inspiron Duo, that flips the screen to become a tablet. Much of my productivity software is Windows based; so, I need the OS. However, I also carry an Android tablet running Froyo, from Viewsonic, which has the same hardware specs as the Xoom and the Transformer. If you can get along without Windows or MacOS, this is the netbook for you. It is cheaper than iPad and Xoom, and automatically converts to a netbook when plugged in to the keyboard. Will it replace netbooks? Probably not, because Android OS isn't really designed for document creation. But, this is a cool tablet, and it does a lot more.

This Is How We Treat Guests In Florida?

This guy was found recently in a Palmetto woman's guest bathroom, hissing and generally being a nuisance. Imagine that you have been invited to spend the night, and get up to this. We really like tourists down here, seriously. The seven footer (small by Florida standards) got in the house through a doggie door; but, I don't think the dog stuck around to say hello. Just another welcome guest in Florida. I think I will go block off the doggie door now.

Florida, N.Y. consumers sue Apple over location tracking - Computerworld

Florida, N.Y. consumers sue Apple over location tracking - Computerworld. It had to happen. Apple failed to disclose that its OS collected tracking information on a file on the iPhone, and kept the collection for up to a year, in an unencrypted file on the phones. Apparently, this lawsuit focuses on the material omission by Apple of the facts concerning tracking. If so, Google and Android will probably escape, since their data collection requires opting in by the user. Of course, it is possible that the whole thing is overblown, since cell phone companies already collect similar information. On the other hand, now Apple will have to come forward and explain itself. That can't be bad.

Location, Location, Location

Google Defends Way It Gathers Phone Data - WSJ.com. Is there a difference between Android collecting anonymous location data for users who opt in for locations services, like maps, and Apple collecting location information on the phone without regard to whether the user requests it? From a security standpoint, probably not, because the cell phone carrier knows who you have called and where you were when you called. If your comings and goings become relevant in litigation, it is posssible to collect the information via subpoena. However, the current phone security flap is more about perception than reality anyway. Google is transparent about what they do, and respond to questions with a defense. Apple has been mysteriously silent? Why?

Easter - Not Just A Symbol

Easter %u2014 History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts. One of the things I love about Easter is that it is many things to many people. At its base, however, it is a retelling of history, and which history you believe is a matter of faith. It is a religious holiday, a secular holiday, a focus for the struggle between Christian and Jew, and has been the excuse for violence. Whichever religious tradition you follow, if any, let's hope that you have a safe, happy and blessed time.