Futurelawyer

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Have To Use A Corporate Phone

Opinion: Google Pixel 3a could be the enterprise presence it desperately needs. Hey, I get it. BigLaw IT administrators have a tough job. In addition to herding cats, they have to guarantee security of the computers and devices in the enterprise, and it is a thankless job. They get to be service techs when an employee breaks a device, or doesn't know how to use it. So, an inexpensive enterprise grade device directly from Google without bloatware is a no brainer. I bought a Pixel 3A XL as one of my backup phones because I needed to test it; but, using it a little convinced me that IT Administrators who don't want to bet the farm on an expensive or proprietary device should take a hard look at the Pixel. Better yet, though, go solo.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Get To Work Seven Days A Week

Why I Am A Solo - On Saturday Morning.
Good morning. Every day can be a work day for a solo practitioner. However, most days, I don't mind. I concentrate on how lucky I am. I don't have to go to an office filled with other people who scurry around worrying about their job security. I can't be fired. I get to be who I am every day, a lawyer. I think about my favorite solo practitioner, Atticus Finch, whose life was filled with pain; but, who did what he loved with passion and integrity. Today, I get to be a lawyer again, and nobody can tell me to go home.

#PoetryFriday - Fear

Fear.

The small boy loved a girl.
He used his lawn mowing money
to buy a box of candy
held precariously on the handlebars
while he rode his bike to her house.
On the way
He encountered a bigger boy
who stopped him in the street.
“Where ya goin”?, he snarled.
His menace was obvious
and the boy was afraid.
The bully took his candy
and sent him on his way.
For the first time
he had felt fear
and shame.
He never went to the girl’s house.
He went home
and wept.
Time passed.
He met other girls
who became women
who became friends
who became wives.
His obstacles became fewer
But, the fear remained.
He grew big and strong.
But, the fear remained.
The bicycle became a car.
But, the fear remained.
His gifts were all delivered.
But, the fear remained.
The fear accompanied him
as he lived his life.
But, then one day he realized
that the fear belonged to him.
It was part of him.
He put it away
in a box
of candy.
Then, he ate it.

Sometimes he wondered
whether the bully ate his candy.
He wondered whether the bully felt fear
and whether he realized it was his
before the candy ate him.

Livescribe Aegir Smartpen - Analog And Digital NoteTaking

Livescribe Aegir Smartpen - Affordable & Stylish Smartpen. Walter Isaacson is quoted about pen and paper:

“Paper’s not a bad technology. It is really a good technology for the storage and retrieval of information. After 500 years, we still can turn the pages of Leonardo’s notebooks. From the 1990s, Steve Jobs had some memos on a NeXT Computer in his house. Even with his tech [abilities], we couldn’t retrieve that, because the NeXT operating system no longer can retrieve the documents that well. So every now and then, one of the lessons I learned is take notes on paper in a notebook. They’ll be around 50 years for ...your grandchildren or great-grandchildren. They’ll be around maybe 500 years.”

We spend a lot of time these days storing digital data, retrieving digital data, and worrying about digital data. Aegir enables me to have all the benefits of pen and paper, and still keep digital copies of my notes. What are you writing with?

 

This Is So NOT On My Diet

Delete Alexa Recordings By Voice? Is That A Good Thing Or A Bad Thing?

How to Delete Your Alexa Recordings by Voice. You can't tell Alexa not to remember everything you say after saying the Wake Phrase. Those recordings are kept by Amazon forever. As a lawyer, those recordings can be a gold mine of evidentiary information and admissions. But, criminals leave evidence too. What if they could delete their voices by merely saying "Alexa, delete everything"? There are always competing interests involved as technology advances. When Alexa voice recordings could only be deleted by hand, as now, only the user with the password and two factor authentication device could do it. Convenience has a consequence. We will have to live with those consequences. Be careful out there.

#TBT - Law Office For The FutureLawyer?

It's been a while since I posted a dream office for the FutureLawyer. This is a flashback to several years ago. Any client who can make it to the office gets free legal advice. Happy climbing.

AnyLaw - Could It Be? Really Free Legal Research? For Anyone? Anytime? Anywhere?

AnyLaw. I just saw a new website that promises all State and Federal case law, with a search engine, that is free. It appears to be ad supported; but, the interface is clean and simple, and you just start typing search terms. You can limit the search to a particular State or Federal Court. Of course, I will be delving deep into this new resource; but, it looks like our dream of real legal research for free may be here. It doesn't appear to have hyperlinked citations or any of the other sweeteners of FastCase or others; but, check it out yourself and let me know what you think.

Galaxy Note 10 Dex Live - Take My Money, Please

Galaxy Note 10 Dex Live Could Beam to Desktops Wirelessly. Samsung keeps upping the bar, and the upcoming Note 10 looks like a no brainer upgrade. It is expected to have the first 5X optical zoom lens available. Now, it is expected that the Dex feature, which required a bulky docking device with the Note 8, and an HDMI cable connection with the Note 9, will wirelessly connect to any monitor with WiFi cabability. Just with a wireless connection, you will be able to use your phone on a big screen, with the DeX software turning it into a desktop environment. Cool.

Neither Philosophy Nor Empire...

I was very angry this morning. A new roof on the office, which was supposed to take 2 to 3 days, has been going over 3 weeks. My bank held some deposits I made, and I need to pay some bills. I cried for days when SWMBO died. I get tears in my eyes these days watching TV and movies. Are my emotions weaknesses? Do they interfere with my ability to enjoy my life? For a moment, yes. But, I am happy to have those emotions. Without them I would be a sorry human being. As I was quelling my anger this morning, arguing to myself that anger is irrational, since it solves nothing, and only hurts me, I thought about my favorite Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, and a quote attributed to Antoninus:

"It is related of him, too, as an instance of his regard for his family, that when Marcus [Aurelius] was mourning the death of his tutor and was restrained by the palace servants from this display of affection, the Emperor [Antoninus Pius] said: "Let him be only a man for once; for neither philosophy nor empire takes away natural feeling". 

^{Never let your philosophy nor your empire or aspirations take away your natural feeling.}