Futurelawyer

#ParrotSunday - Parrots Annoying Cats

Cats are aloof. Cat dander makes my nose run. Dogs are loyal. I like dogs better. But, I really love parrots that annoy cats.

Elio - A Commuter Car For The Masses

Elio Motors | The next big thing in transportation!. As I grow older, my fascination with cars grows. I love style, comfort, and the cool factor, and I love the fact that there is always something on them that needs to be fixed or improved. Four years ago, I gave Elio Motors $500 to reserve a three wheel American made commuter car that would cost $6,800 and drive like a regular automobile. It would have Air Conditioning, automatic transmission, and seat two. Jacquelyn and I saw it in Las Vegas a year later, and I still have a photo she took of me in the prototype. (You can't see my face in the photo, and I reminded her of that often). Car manufacturing being what it is, the delays increased, and I lost interest a year later; but, I still keep getting emails. Now, the memories of that trip to Vegas with Jacquelyn have lit the fire again, and I have sent another $500 to Mr. Elio's company to get into the group that will be first in line to buy one of these cool little cars when they go into production. Now, I just have to live long enough to buy one. The price is now over $7,000; but, that is pretty inexpensive in today's market. It is one thing to say the words, Memento Mori, every day. It is quite another to experience it in the death of a loved one, and really understand it. Dreams are the human way to fight back. So, remind yourself every day that you will die; and, then, list your dreams and go for it. 

Facebook Data Breach - Change Your Password

Facebook breach put data of 50 million users at risk - CNET. It isn't pleasant to wake up to a data breach that affects 50 million people on a website that you probably use every day. But, the Facebook feature allowing users to see their profiles as others see them affects 50 million people. If you have two factor authentication enabled, you have an extra step that will make your data less attractive to hackers; but, change your password anyway. And, if you don't have two factor authentication enabled, do it now. Before breakfast. Before lunch. Before whatever meal you were planning before you read this. Be careful out there.

The Right To Repair And The Competing Interests Of Manufacturer And Consumer

The fix is in: How right-to-repair laws can improve tech and the environment. Last night, in my interview with Mike Rubio, the subject of Right To Repair legislation came up. Increasingly, manufacturers are making it harder for consumers and third parties to repair their products, prompting nationwide efforts to procure legislation mandating that they make spare parts and manuals available. The manufacturers claim that making their products repairable by consumers and others will violate their intellectual property rights. Of course, they will also make more money if the consumer has to buy a new version of the product, or have it repaired by the manufacturer. I brought up the original consumer lawyer, Ralph Nader, to show that consumers have power, if they are willing to do the work, and organize. Much of our consumer protection legislation; especially concerning motor vehicles, is a direct result of Mr. Nader's efforts. In the end, we need to ensure that the rights of manufacturers and consumers are balanced. 

Android Messages - All You Need To Know

Android Messages tips and tricks you need to know. Text messaging has replaced email for quick and dirty communication. Sure, you can Facebook Message, and do video calls; but, for all around utility, you can't beat Android Messages. My favorite feature is the ability to text while online in Google Chrome. Just open a tab at messages.android.com, and sync with your phone. All your texts will appear on screen, and you can type replies while working on something else. I particularly like the pop up screen that tells me I have a message. My Smartwatch does the same thing, and a gentle vibration tells me a text or email has come in. Modern communication for the Internet age. It's what's happening.

#PoetryFriday - Twins

Gemini

He raised his tail
Stinger ready
Took aim
and missed

His double vision
deceived him
as he struggled to see
twin images
and uncertain beauty

According to legend
the twins were Adam and Eve
expelled from Paradise
Facing the renewal
of new birth
and
Dodging scorpions

Would she let him take her across the river?

GAZEPAD PRO Wireless Charging Mouse Pad

GAZEPAD PRO Wireless Charging Mouse Pad | Indiegogo. This innovative product adds wireless charging to a mouse pad. Plug it in to a USB port, and, if you have a phone that uses wireless charging, just lay the phone down on the mouse pad while you work. I ordered one, and will report on how it works; but, the concept is clever, and should keep my phone charged all day. I love wireless charging, as it eliminates plugging the phone in to cables all the time. Just leave the phone on the mouse pad when you aren't using it. I still have my wireless cradles; but, this gives me another option. At $44 including tax, it is less expensive than the cradles. 

What's In A Name? Google Keep Becomes Keep Notes

Google changes Keep app name to %u2018Keep Notes%u2019 | Android and Me. I thought Keep was a fine name for a note taking app. It wasn't plain vanilla descriptive, using the word "Notes" in the name as so many apps do. But, hey, Google employees need something to do, so adding a word to the name of a product is fine. Henceforth, Keep will be Keep Notes. The app is the same, the code is unchanged; but, let's call it something else. Hey, Google, let's change your name to "Google App and Search". Very descriptive. Very normal. We can "keep" "notes" about it in our "Keep Notes" app. Keep on.

Oculus Quest Looks Like Rift Without Wires

Oculus Quest has Rift-like VR without the wires. As an early adopter of tech, I tend to get products that get improved on later. The early Oculus VR devices required a phone to be inserted in the headset before they could be used, and the phone functions kept interrupting. Also, they needed a separate headset for sound, and were generally a pain to use. Then, the Oculus Go came out for $199, and it was completely stand alone. I have one, and love it. However, the graphics aren't on the level of the best VR set out there, the Oculus Rift. I didn't get that one because I was turned off by the $699 cost, plus a $2,000 computer with discrete graphics and the wired connection to the computer. Too much money for too little fun. Now, it appears that, for $399, next Spring, a new wireless headset will become available that combines the best of both worlds. High impact graphics in a stand alone headset, and Rift like controllers. VR may finally become available for the masses, and I will be first in line. If the current state of the world is getting you down, and, like the airline commercial, you "wanna get away?", VR is just the escape you need. As more content becomes available, the dream (or nightmare) of millions of people escaping into another world, just might come to fruition. Remember, nothing is a good thing, or a bad thing. Everything depends on your reaction to it. So, dream on in VR. Just make sure you come back to reality occasionally. 

 

The Elephant In The Room - Why AI Won't Be Replacing Lawyers Anytime Soon

Machine Learning Confronts the Elephant in the Room | Quanta Magazine. Artificial Intelligence isn't really intelligent at all. Intelligence requires a (currently) human only ability. That ability is to distinguish between images that require a second look to analyze and determine objects. Until computers can be trained to take that "second look" before they make decisions, automated systems will have a critical flaw that could endanger real human beings. Call it human sight, or human judgment, it is one of the big reasons we are human, and, so far, we can't teach computers to do it. When computers can see the elephant in the room, AI will take a big step towards replacing humans in dangerous situations. Until then, fellow lawyers, our jobs are safe.