Futurelawyer

Life Isn't A Bowl Of Cherries. But, It Is What It Is.

Nicholas Bate On Life. Nicholas Bate pretty much nails it with this 50 item list of what life is, and isn't. Your reading assignment for this day:

"(1) Life is messy. (2) Life is unpredictable. (3) Life can make you cry, (4) pull your hair out, (5) throw your hat in the air and even (6) sit down and weep. (7) Life is exciting, (8) scary and at times (9) daunting. (10) Life is funny and often makes you (11) giggle. At other times it is so (12) awe-inspiring, even (13) electrifying it makes you want to (14) hug somebody. Nobody said (15) Life is nor should be easy. Certainly not a (16) bowl of cherries. Life can (17) can pass you by unless you (18) wake up, (19) switch on and (20) fully engage. Life (21) isn't DNA: that's a stack of bonded atoms. No, Life (22) is what you make of it. (23) Examine it fully to notice all the (24) moving parts, its (25) potential smooth running and ability to (26) accelerate into action, given (27) regular maintenance, of course. Life (28) meanders on a fine summers day, (29) shivers in NYC snow and (30) loves hot chocolate by outside braziers in Stockholm. (31) Life knows few boundaries, is (32) ever curious and sometimes (33) day-dreams and an (34) amazing imagination conjures up lyrics to pop songs or new improved digital cameras or cool recipes. (35) Life is great long, even better (36) wide and kinda gorgeous (37) deep. (38) Life needs regular massage, (39) good books, quality (40) sleep and regular glimpses of the sea, mountains, the desert and needs also to hear the CRACK of a good (41) thunderstorm. (42) Life loves drama because (43) Life is drama. Life is (44) Planet Earth's greatest story in which for once we get the major role. (45) Every day an audience turns up and notices our performance. (46) In Life we may or may not connect with that audience; (47) we may or may not have an impact. But whatever, Life is (48) cool, (49) Life is staggeringly rich; Life is (50) pretty damn Good."

December 4, 2024 - Kindle Scribe 2 Is Released.

Kindle Scribe 2024. As I promised, Amazon is continuing to update the software on my trusty Kindle Scribe, First Edition, that has served as my primary EReader and EInk note taking device for a while. I tried the others, and, when it came down to it, the superior 300 dpi screen of the Scribe makes it the best choice for note taking and reading. Some have touted the superior note taking functions of devices like the Remarkable 2; but I use the Scribe all day, every day, and it has my book collection in my hands all the time. The good news is that I don't have to buy the new version of the Scribe to get Active Canvas (writing on book pages for notes), or the other improvements. The updates will be available for all Kindles on December 4th. I can't wait.

 

Hello Beautiful. Kindle Has A Color Version. Introducing Colorsoft.

Kindle Colorsoft. I love my Kindle Scribe. The 10.3 inch EReader and EInk Notetaker has the best resolution of them all, at 300 dpi. I have my entire book collection on it, and I can read at any time. The screen is beautiful and readable in any light situation. Color EInk, however, has been a muddled mess in the category, and the offerings from other companies look washed out and bland. I am waiting patiently for a Scribe that does color right; and it appears, with the new Colorsoft, that Amazon is on its way. The 8 inch screen is the standard Ereader size, and Amazon has tweaked the color to be better than the rest; although, not yet perfect. I want vibrant color, a 10 inch screen, and my Scribe's note taking ability. I will wait; but I am happy that Amazon is moving forward. If you don't want a note taking device, and just want the best Ereader, the Colorsoft, at $299, is what you should be looking at.

RV Lawyer - You Don't Have To Use Tech To Practice Law.

RV Lawyer - Technology For Remote Practice. When I wrote a book about my decades long search for tech that would enable me to be a lawyer anywhere (for Florida clients only, of course), I wanted to let other lawyers know about the advances in tech that allowed us to be away from a brick and mortar office whenever we wanted. The Pandemic in 2020 created a new interest in the topic; but, I had been a tech hobbyist since the Eighties, when I discovered that the new personal computers could automate document creation tasks that used to require typewriters, office personnel, and a real office. The biggest tech advance, however, has been broadband Internet, and Elon Musk's Starlink, and the new AI engines, have certainly made a big difference. But, looking back on it, it occurred to me that the foolish expense of $150 a month for broadband Internet that I was only going to use several days a month while taking long weekends in the RV, had a far greater utility. The recent hurricanes have made this clear. I lost power at the house, and could be without it for a week. No problem, I came to the office, which has power. Alas, cable is out, and no Internet from Spectrum in Pinellas County for a week. No problem, my RV is parked next to the office, and I have Internet from the Starlink dish. I also have cellular modems from T-Mobile as a backup. But, the Starlink has proven that it is the best way to get Internet in a disaster. Just ask all the crews fighting the damage from the hurricane, or the people getting Internet in more devastated areas. After a hurricane, I recall Mr. Rogers' advice after a disaster: "Look for the helpers". Perhaps we should spend more time looking for the helpers before the disaster. Be safe out there.   

 

You Could Be A Stoic If...

Embrace the suck. This phrase is a staple in the Army, and is an outgrowth of Stoic philosophy. Nietzsche adopted it in his famous "Love your fate" phrase. Accept the good and the bad and concentrate on the present. You'll be glad you did. If you want a plain spoken, common sense approach to living your best life, check out my book, "Stoicism - Philosophy For The Rest Of Us".

Reading Is Fundamental.

Ebooks Don't Have Comments, Do They?

I don't know that I understand this cartoon. My Ebooks don't have a comment section at the end? But, I get it. Books on Paper have a tactile advantage; but, if a critic gets ahold of them, they write their nasty comments in the margins.

WordPerfect, Kofax Power PDF , Kindle Scribe, And Android - Power Foursome.

WordPerfect. I am a member of a minority, a WordPerfect user, and I am proud to say it is still the best and most functional, and easiest to use, of the wordprocessors. Yes, Microsoft has made Word a staple of modern computing; but Word files can be read and used by Wordperfect, and can be sent as Word files back. However, as an Android user, there hasn't been a way to read and deal with WordPerfect files on phones and tablets. There was a reader app long ago, but it needed to be sideloaded as an APK file, and wasn't very functional. Enter my favorite PDF software, Kofax PDF.  I use it every day to create, send, collaborate, efile, and otherwise deal with PDF files. So, my workaround, while a little cumbersome, works great. I merely take my WordPerfect files or pleadings, and publish them to PDF, just as I always do in order to Efile them with the Court system, or send them to clients and others. However, I can transfer them to my Kindle Scribe as PDFs and read them on the Scribe. From the Scribe I can email them to myself, using the Send to Kindle app, and open them on the phone with the Android version of Kofax Power PDF. PDFs sent to the Scribe using Send to Kindle app can be highlighted, edited, and otherwise written on as well. WordPerfect now. WordPerfect forever.

When In Doubt, Throw It Out.

Over The Top. Execupundit writes about cleaning out the piles of paper that tend to congregate and complicate our lives. The "in doubt, throw it out" mantra has many devotees, including the "pick it up, and if it doesn't give you joy, throw it out" crowd. I long ago gave up trying to decide what to keep and what to throw away. I decided to just stop adding to the piles. I started putting books into digital form, so that my piles of books stopped growing as much, and my digital library now fits in a thin, tablet device called an Amazon Kindle Scribe. I have saved legal documents on the computer for 15 years or so; but, still have paper files that I put in boxes and pay huge sums to store. But, I think that I have personally saved thousands of trees from a certain death. Our lives will always be filled with "things" that accumulate over time. I think, however, that spending time deciding what to do with "things" is a waste of valuable life experiences. So, I will concentrate on spending what time I have left, writing poetry, and posts about living a good life, and vegetating in front of a digital box spewing inane stories for public consumption. If you aren't living, you are dead already.

#TBT - 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,
seeing 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 the collectors
cared more about depriving others
of a find,
and keeping 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.