Futurelawyer

There Is No Such Thing As A Bad Thing

It%u2019s Not As Unfortunate As It Seems. Days off are good days to reflect on our lives and law practices. Lost you last trial? Lost a spouse? Had a bad day? Got cut off in traffic? Poor baby. Did these events cause you to change from a good person to a bad person? Did you all of a sudden go around robbing or killing people? Of course not. You either obsessed on your bad fortune, or you got on with your life. I only discovered this truth when I experienced the death of a spouse. I realized that I had wasted much of my life worrying or obsessing when things didn't go my way. Anything that doesn't harm your character is indifferent to you. Of course, some things, like a loving spouse, are preferred parts of our lives. But, even those tragedies are indifferent to whether we change our character. You still are in control of your person, and that puts you in control of your fate. Now, get out there and live your life the best way you know how.

Perhaps I Should Rethink This Whole Marriage Thing

Law Firms Lose Money To Phishing CyberCriminals

Two U.S. Law Firms Lost $117,000 to Cybercriminals -  @nikkiblack highlights this article from FindLaw about a couple of law firms who had their Quicken Bill Pay accounts hacked in a phishing attack. A fake message ostensibly from Quicken Bill Pay was opened by a firm employee, which contained malware that infected the employee's computer, enabling the hacker to gain access to the firm bank accounts. This can happen to anyone, and every firm employee needs to be very careful about opening attachments that come from any source. When in doubt, don't let it out. Be careful out there.

Google Pixel 3A XL Has A Great Camera - Use It Properly

Smartphone cameras have gotten very good recently. My new backup phone, the Pixel 3A XL has a 12.3 megapixel beauty that is better than many SLRs in the past couple of years. With the addition of the Pictar camera grip, it becomes a mobile powerhouse that you can take anywhere. Here is a front and rear view of my setup. Now, let's go take some parrot and bird photos.

Google Duplex - My Smart Assistant Is Ready To Go

What is Google Duplex and how do you use it?. Google Duplex, the Google Assistant answer to a personal assistant that can make reservations without human intervention, is now available on more phones, one of which is my new backup phone, the Pixel 3A XL." Google, make a dinner reservation for me at Bern's." For now, dinner is the only thing Duplex can do for me; but, I am looking forward to asking her to do many things; including, but not limited to, taking out the garbage.

Google Pixel 3a XL - Medium Priced But Top Choice

Google Pixel 3a XL | PCMag.com. Meet the perfect smartphone for under $500. The new Pixel is the best Smartphone I have seen for this price, and it competes admirably with phones costing close to $1,000. Since this won't be my everyday phone (I still use the Galaxy Note 9), it will be in my bag wherever I go. I love the purity of having a phone that is all Google all the time. It gets the updates without carrier intervention, and has some really cool features. Want to call on the Google Assistant for guidance? Just squeeze and she appears. No more "OK Google" while in a crowd of people. Want to use it in one hand? The big screen notwithstanding, it feels comfortable in the hand. Worried about slippery glass backing? This phone uses strong, easy to handle, polycarbonate. My only minor problems with the phone? No Micro SD slot and no wireless charging. That said, what do you want for $500?

Pixel XL - There Goes The Afternoon

I was busily working away this afternoon. I have 5 files on the desk that need action, and I was determined. But, alas, the computer gods strike again, and my new backup phone, the Google Pixel XL arrived. Oh well. I had to replace Diane's phone with my Essential PH1 that had been my backup. So, I decided the get the official Google phone, the pixel, which has some interesting features not available on carrier phones, and which doesn't load the system with bloatware. This is a sleek, fast little phone. It has middling specs, with 4 Gigs of RAM and 64 Gigs of storage; but, it is perfect for my use. So many Smartphones. So little time.

WestLaw And Lexis Join The Price War, And Lose

Price Wars in Legal Research Mean Deals for Small Firms; I Compare Costs | LawSites. In most businesses, the economies of scale make the larger company more competitive. However, in legal research, it appears the opposite is true. Lexis and West are offering lawyers, with a straight face, barebones versions of their research services for $75 a month, and $96 a month, respectively, and require 1 to 3 year contracts. Are you kidding me? They only offer your State cases and statutes, all of which are available online for free from Google Scholar and your State Legislatures. For additional services, the price only goes up from there. Hey, I get it. The Internet has more than leveled the information research playing field. And, with Bar affinity agreements with FastCase and Casemaker, most lawyers get comparable research as part of their Bar dues. The law belongs to the taxpayer. It should be free. Disruptors like those and CaseText are the future. Lexis and Westlaw are the past. Jeez.

#PoetryFriday - Reunion

REUNION

He sat at the table
looked around
and saw the images of his youth.
Each of the women
had been the subject of his inept fantasies
so many years ago.
He was awkward and unsure of himself then
and never asked them to dance.

His mind was elsewhere
and his face was always in a book.
He never went to the dances
or the parties.
He told himself
that he would be safe
with little human contact;
but, when he moved on to college
he had to learn those skills to get along.
He regretted that his adolescent self
missed sharing part of his life with them.

He looked around the table again.
He was happy that their radiant beauty remained
and the glow of their maturity
warmed him.
Their smiles reminded him of teenage passions
and long lost loves.

He told them he loved them,
turned to the one he loved
and knew that his life
had meaning.

#TBT - Can't Get A Date? It Could Be Your Wearable Tech.

I posted this five years ago, which seems like a galaxy far, far away. How I ever got a date is beyond me.