Futurelawyer

Books - The Human's Futile Reach For Infinity.

Whether you prefer to buy books on cloth and paper, like my friend, Michael Wade, or prefer them in digital form, as I do, the acquisition of more books than we can read in a lifetime, is truly a futile reach for infinity. We won't ever get there; but it is about the journey. One thing I know that I won't regret on my deathbed are the books I have read, or just contemplated reading. 

One Of The CIA Officers Who Caught Aldrich Ames.

Nine years ago today, I was in D.C. for a Redskins game, and visited the Spy Museum. Met one of my heroines that day. Sandy Grimes is one of the CIA officers who caught Aldrich Ames, who betrayed many assets and secrets of our country. She wrote a book about it, Circle of Treason; and, later, a TV series examined the case, "Assets". Thanks, Sandy.

Why Bookstores Are Becoming Obsolete.

#TBT - Reading Is Fundamental.

I was blessed with a mother who believed that reading to her children, and teaching them to read, was the best thing she could do to educate us. I was encouraged to read everything and anything, from billboards in the car, to cereal boxes. I still have the set of Children's Classics she bought for us, and which exposed me to classic literature in a child's language. I annoyed my parents often in the car, by loudly spelling along with billboards; most notably, the store signs like LIQUORS. We didn't have Television; but, we did have to point out that our comic books had words in them. If you have kids, the more they read, the better they will be able to navigate their world. Teach them to think for themselves, and you will never have to ban a book. Free access to knowledge is as important as free speech.

 

I Have Over 70,000 Books In My Library...And I Am Holding Them In My Hand.

Project Gutenberg. I have, as you know, many computers and computer devices in my possession. I carry some of them with me everywhere I go. My Kindle Scribe has my Ebook library and serves as my daily journal and calendar, as well as the place I take notes about everything I do, from client conferences to writing pleadings and books. My Smartphone and Tablets also serve as EReaders depending on my location and needs. But, the coolest thing about all of them is that I carry access to hundreds of thousands of books, papers, and other written materials, all accessible with the touch of a finger on a screen. I can bring up, and search, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, wherever I am. The days of scrounging around for a year old magazine in a Doctor's office are over. Automobile waiting lounges have become a respite from my daily grind; although, I can do legal work there, if I like. Freedom is about choices. Digital knowledge has made each of us free to choose at all times. It is a wonderful time to be alive.

RV Lawyer - The Book

I am pleased to report that the RV lawyer book is with the editor and image placement department now, and, while it won't be out by next month's Florida Bar Convention, it will definitely be out this year. I have tried to cover just about everything a lawyer needs to know or learn in order to be a moving target; but, the book will just be a jumping off start for those of you who want to leverage the current tech to be able to get away from the office. Planes, trains, automobiles, RVs, boats or whatever mode of transportation gets you moving. There is no reason you can't be a lawyer wherever you happen to be. It is the ultimate freedom. No bosses. No desks in stuffy office buildings. Just set yourself free.

William Golding Opens A Private High School.

Digital Books Versus Paper Books.

Bring Back Indexes. Execupundit is a lover of books on paper. His library is a sight to behold. We often jest with each other about my love of digital reading, and my Kindle library contains thousands of books that once were on paper. I have that library in the palm of my hand with my Kindle Scribe and Kindle PaperWhite. I can also access my Kindle library from my Windows computer, my Android tablets, and my Smartphones. I still have a paper library, and love it. But, the big advantage of digital books is that, with modern search engines, an index is unnecessary. Lawyers have been trained since the dawn of the computer age to do Boolean word searches on computers to drill down to relevant case law, and the advent of AI has made natural language searches even easier and more comprehensive. Sorry, Michael, but indexes are obsolete.

ChatGPT-4 - Smarter, Safer, Bigger, and Visual - What's Not To Like?

GPT-4 Unleashed. Open AI has introduced the next iteration of its ground breaking AI, and Kevin O'Keefe (My Internet Guru) cites this PC World article this morning, that discusses the changes and improvements over 3.5. The biggest one, for me, is the ability to create documents with 25,000 words. This thing can write papers and books. Amazing. It is 80% more accurate, and obvious errors are far less likely. Human editing and review will still be required; but, what a time saver. As a subscriber to ChatGPT Plus, I have access to 4, and I love it already. Kevin will be integrating it into his blog aggregator and publishing services. He has always been on the bleeding edge of tech; and generative AI is the new frontier. Since I am in the declining years of my life, I feel fortunate that I have lived to see the development of computer intelligence. The Turing model is obsolete. Computers can be trained to mimic human content creators; and we are not far away from computers that can initiate conversations on their own. My favorite science fiction librarian is here.

 

What Are Your Saturday Plans?

When I want to sit down with a book, I pull out my Kindle Scribe. There are hundreds to choose from. Paper books wouldn't fit in the RV. I just sit down with my computer.