Futurelawyer

#ParrotSunday - Yellow Front Amazons Singing Along With Phantom Of The Opera

Amazons are great mimics. My yellow front, Jade, loves to whistle back and forth with me. These Yellow Fronts love to sing along with the Phantom of the Opera theme. 

Stop Spying On Me

How to Stop Services Like Unroll.me From Snooping on Your Gmail | WIRED. Most of us give whatever permissions are asked for when we sign up for a new web service or app. We want the app at that moment, and we don't think of long term consequences. Recent disclosure that Unroll.me was spying on user emails has put the spotlight on the permissions scandal; and, you need to go to your Google accounts settings, and deauthorize many of the apps and services you have authorized over the years. I guarantee there are apps you have deleted or don't use anymore for one reason or another. I found 10 or 15 of them. It is satisfying to revoke their access; especially the ones that I deleted for bad behavior. Clean up your account. Do it now.

I'm Not A Gamer - But, I Mouse Like One

Razer Gaming Mice Technology: Precision Laser Sensor - Razer United States. I am still in love with my deep travel, mechanical, keyboard from Razer. I got one for home and the office, and the satisfying click, click, click of the keys brings me back to the early days of computing, when mechanical keyboards were ubiquitous. These days, short travel keyboards and chiclet keys are common, with manufacturers wanting to make them prettier and lighter. Well, I prefer the old keyboards, and gamers get it. Razer makes keyboards and mice for gamers, who require precise pointing, and fast typing. So, I also traded in my old wireless mice, for a couple of Razer laser pointer mice that make my document work much faster and easier. Why should gamers have all the fun? Of course, the light up keys and mouse, with the snazzy Razer logo make me look like a teenager at his computer; but, I can handle the ridicule as long as I can keep this keyboard and mouse. Mouse on.

Samsung Galaxy S8 - Meh

Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8 Review | Droid Life. The new Samsung flagship phone, the Galaxy S8 is a beautiful phone. It is thin. The screen wraps around both sides and looks fantastic. It is powerful, and smooth, and a great smartphone. But, it is NOT $900 beautiful. The prices on these new phones have gotten way out of line, and I, for one, refuse to pay up. My Nexus 6p is more phone than I need, and I purchased it for around $500. Yes, I have several other phones; but, reviewing tech and playing with gadgets is part of what I do. What is your excuse? 

#WhyIAmASolo - It Is Easier To Live A Life

Are You Forcing Your Life? Or Living Your Life? | Above the Law. I suppose I have always had a philosophical bent; it is a way to deal with life's twists and turns. Stoicism teaches that indifference to things external to ourselves and beyond our control helps us to concentrate on ourselves; which we can control. If you observe the things that are happening in your life, without attempting to force a desired outcome, it will prevent a lot of useless waste of time and effort. The concept of indifference doesn't mean uncaring. Stoics are often misunderstood for this. We are human. We worry, we fear, we get upset, we fail, we succeed, and all the range of human emotion. However, when we feel these emotions, it is helpful to realize that they are not helping us live our lives. Accept the inevitable. Then, live your life within those boundaries. Relax. Let life come to you. It will. You don't have to be a solo to have a life. But, it helps.

Is Your Android Phone Secure?

Easy ways to make your Android device more secure - TechRepublic. Cross platform syncing means that your phone contains as much confidential client data as your notebook or desktop computer. And, since you carry it around all day, misplacing it or having it stolen are also risks. How should you protect the data stored on it? This article suggests some methods. The first I recommend is that you encrypt the contents. Second, use a lock down screen that activates 15 seconds after non use of the phone. Use a PIN, or a password, or a fingerprint; just use something. Third, don't ever allow someone else to use the phone, unless you are present the whole time. These are minimal steps. Read the article for more. Be careful out there.

Take Notes With A Pen - Digitally

A Learning Secret: Don%u2019t Take Notes with a Laptop - Scientific American. The premise of this article is that students and others retain more if they use a pen and paper to take notes. This makes sense, since the user must concentrate on the words in a way that voice or typing can't replicate. But, what if you could combine the benefits of manual note taking with the efficiency of the computer? Of course, you can, and I have written before about the marvelous LiveScribe Echo digital pen. Notes are taken  on LiveScribe paper, which has thousands of invisible dots that track the progress of the Smartpen over the page, using an infrared sensor parallel to the ball point pen tip. Then, the image is stored in the USB drive of the pen, and easily transferred to the computer via USB cable. The included software creates digital images of the pages, which can be converted to text if you wish, or stored and viewed on the computer. Additionally, the pen contains a voice recorder and microphone, which can be used to store a contemporaneous recording of the seminar or meeting. So, take notes manually, which forces you to summarize, digest and listen better. Then, access your notes digitally on your computer. Truly the best of both worlds.

Why I Am Still Using And Recommending A Nexus 6P

Google engineer shows the spectacular extremes of nighttime mobile photography - The Verge. I am often asked what smartphone I recommend. I have used them all, and owned a few. But, the best, by far, is the Nexus 6P by Huawei that I have owned and used as my daily drive for over a year. It gets the latest Android first. It has a spectacular camera as evidenced by this Verge article. And, it is the perfect size for my hand. The specs are near the top of the heap, and plenty more than any normal human needs. If you are looking for a smartphone, don't pay $800 to $1,000 for the newest one out there. You can get the 6P for less than $600 and it will be the best phone you ever owned. Just my opinion.

Nuance Power PDF 2 - A Lawyer's Best Friend

Nuance Power PDF 2 review - PC Advisor. If I had to choose the most valuable document software on my computer that wasn't a document creator like Word or WordPerfect, it would be Power PDF 2. This software is easier to use than Acrobat, less than half as expensive, and does everything a lawyer needs to do with any document. In a world where efiling PDF documents has become the de facto standard, it is the only document management system you need. It does much more; but, I use it every single day to organize, store and create pdf files for filing and management. I use it to digitally sign documents for filing with Courts, conversion from any format to any other format, and much more. If you aren't willing to spend around a hundred bucks on software to make your law practice much more efficient and capable, you shouldn't be practicing law. Futurelawyer gives this wonderful software his highest recommendation.

Windows 10 Creator Update - Just Say No

Why you shouldn't rush to install the Windows 10 Creators Update. You would think that anything with "Creator" in its name would be infallible. Wrong. Many users are having problems with the update to end all updates, Windows 10 Creator. When I installed it, my early Windows billing software stopped working. Wouldn't even load. As a solo lawyer, if I don't bill, I don't survive. Luckily, I know how to roll back the update to my previous version. If this happens to you, make sure you know how to go back. Read this article and others to find out how. In the meantime, if you can, avoid the Creator update until the Microsoft gods fix it. Be careful out there.