Futurelawyer

The Complete Harvard Classics - You Can Pay $1,000 Or Get Them For Free. Your Call.

Complete Harvard Classics. You can get the entire 51 Volume, Leather Bound edition of the complete Harvard Classics, for around $1,000. Or, you can download the entire set on a tiny Kindle device for free. If I had another 50 years to live, I would like to get through all of the over 100 works; but, alas, I will have to settle for making a dent. In any event, I downloaded the entire set to my Kindle PaperWhite in around 60 seconds. I just give you options. You decide.

Project Gutenberg - A Lifetime's Worth Of Free Reading.

Project Gutenberg. So many books. So little time. I don't remember when this old saying morphed from "So many women. So little time." But, it did, and when I finally realized how little time I had left, my reading days got shorter, and the number of books I wanted to read got longer. You really don't need any other reading site than Project Gutenberg, which has over 60,000 free Ebooks, and many in Kindle format. But, you can get them with or without images, in most cases, and in every EReader format. In my younger years, a trip to the wonderful library at Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, where my step-father was stationed, was a real treat. I could settle into a big leather chair, and read for whole days. I discovered Bruce Catton there, and learned about the Civil War and tales of bravery and tragedy. I thank my mom for inspiring, in me, a love of books and reading, and some of my best days have been spent with books. Michael Wade, of Execupundit, loves books also, and has an extensive paper library. While I love the tactile sensations provided by books on paper, there is great power in having the collected knowledge of the planet in a small device that fits in your hands or pockets. Check out Project Gutenberg. There is not a moment to be wasted.

Four Years With The Best EReader On The Planet. The Kindle PaperWhite.

Kindle PaperWhite Review. I have owned a tiny EReader, the Kindle PaperWhite, for four years, and I carry it everywhere. It is IPF 8 water resistant, so reading by the beach or pool is easy. It has a bright screen that is easily viewable in any lighting conditions, and I got rid of the cloth case, since I like the feel of a light, tiny device in my hand that holds thousands of books. It syncs with my tablets and computers, so that I am in the same place on every device. This little thing only cost $130, and you can find them cheaper. The newer versions cost $140, and have a bigger screen; but, you can get my version for around $110. I have an Ebook version of my last poetry book on it, along with many of my favorites, ranging from Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, classical literature, and current stuff as well. Currently, I am reading Jay Glazer's great new book on his lifelong battle with anxiety, "Unbreakable". Having suffered with mild anxiety myself, the raw power of his book speaks to me. But, you have your own favorite stuff, I know. The Amazon world is filled with stuff you can put in your pocket, and carry with you everywhere. One of my favorite pastimes is to spend time searching the 60,000 book library of Project Gutenberg, which has free ebooks spanning hundreds of years. The complete Shakespeare is another favorite. Reading is fundamental. It is enjoyable. We have a limited time to do it. Get started.

Why I Write Poetry.

I never have to worry about so many people buying my books that I have to do a reading in a book store, and be spat upon for the wisdom I gained from my life mistakes.

Book Fair.

The men and women walked the aisles

of the book fair.

Their gaze fell upon

ornate leather bindings,

and they moved into the booths

like panthers on the prowl.

They peered through narrow eyes,

squinting as in a bright sun.

Their fingers lovingly moved

over the books,

with a reverence

reserved for their god.

They opened the books,

looking for marks of the first born,

judging their condition

like beauty pageant contestants.

Money was no object,

and rarity was a good thing.

In this contest,

antiquity was the winner,

and some collectors

cared more about depriving others

of a find,

and wanted to keep the books safe

from the destroyers of knowledge.

After their purchases,

they went home to their other books,

put the new ones

in the bookcase,

and never touched them again.

 

 

What If Someone Published The News Every Day Without Spin?

1440 Newsletter. I don't know about you; but, I really hate the anger, hatred, spin and general unhappiness that marks the so called "news" these days. Since the invention of the printing press in 1440, the ability to publish our thoughts and ideas has grown exponentially over the centuries, until now, in the digital age, we are swamped with millions of bits of information, all tainted with someone's political spin. I hate that. I don't want to convert anyone. I don't want to argue with anyone. I just want to know what the hell is happening, and I can make my own judgments without having to get the rest of the world to agree with me. This free newsletter promises to do just that. I don't know if it can survive by being factual and non judgmental; but, I am willing to give it a shot. Sounds like a great idea to me.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Am Alone Responsible For My Choices.

One of my favorite quotes from the prescient novel by Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, deals with independence of the solo human being from the control of another. Ascribing negative connotations of "selfishness" to an individual, who asserts control over his own life and thought and work product, has always seemed wrong to me. It is the individual who, by honorable effort, and refusal to be controlled, that allows our society to reach its highest potential, for the good of all. 

“Independence is the recognition of the fact that yours is the responsibility of judgment and nothing can help you escape it—that no substitute can do your thinking—that the vilest form of self-abasement and self-destruction is the subordination of your mind to the mind of another, the acceptance of an authority over your brain, the acceptance of his assertions as facts, his say-so as truth, his edicts as middle-man between your consciousness and your existence.”

                                                                                                                     John Galt

Why I Still Have A Library Full Of "Book Books".

I love the term "Book Books". The emphasis is on a collection of words printed on paper with ink and occupying physical space. Don't misread me. I love the ability to find "booK" in the cloud and on my devices. I have access to hundreds of thousands of books and the ideas of many thousands of humans. The obsolescence of paper and ink shouldn't cause alarm, however. Like vinyl records, there will always be "Book Books", if only for nostalgic reasons. The best part is that we can always hold them in our hands, and reverentially read their contents while sipping a cup of coffee, and smoking a really fine cigar. The simple pleasures are the best.

 

The First Place To Go For Legal Research.

Google Scholar. In a legal system based on precedent, every case requires a search for relevant decisions of appellate courts in the past. The farther back, of course, the less precedential value a case will have. But, in a particular State, it is possible to see the path of a particular issue by looking at a chronological chain of cases. If the cases indicate that your State's courts favor your position, you can argue the cases. If not, you can advocate for your Courts to change the law. But, first, you have to figure out what your State's particular cases have to say on an issue. In the old days, long hours were required for the process, sitting in a library filled with books that had to be located in a card catalog, and pulled off the shelves, opened up, and read. Often, the researcher would be seated at a long wooden table, surrounded by piles of books. This iconic image is still used by TV and movies to show legal research. And, in the old day, lawyers paid a lot of money to have a library full of books, and usually could only afford their own State's reporter system, which could be hundreds of volumes. So, let's be crystal clear. For case finding, in 2022, the first place you should go is the Google Scholar website, which searches, in an instant, the case law of all 50 States and all Federal courts. This massive and instantaneous research costs absolutely nothing. Free. Nada. Zip. No more excuses that you can't afford a library. Start with Google Scholar. You can add the edited stuff that costs something later. Now, get out of the library and get some research done.

You Can Endure Years Of Pain, Or You Can Learn The Lessons Now. 50 Lessons For Happy Lawyers.

50 Lesson For Happy Lawyers. I am looking forward to the latest book by Nora Riva Bergman and her Co-Author, Chelsey A. Castro. I have spent 50 years practicing law, and living, to learn how to be a happy lawyer. Read this book, and learn the lessons the easy way.