Futurelawyer

We All Need One Of These.

Some people get tattoos. Some people wear high fashion clothes. Some people play dangerous sports. We all have our thing. Some of us want a computer in our brain.

Artificial Intelligence And The Internet May Not Be A Good Combination.

As AI becomes more advanced, and as we move towards a society in which we get all of our news on the Internet, we should probably be worried about the consequences. Pig is.

What Can I Do With PhotoPea?

Without training, I was able to create this meme, using only PhotoPea,  a free tool that is Internet based. With some talent, imagine what you could create.

You Can't Be Too Rich, Too Thin, Or Have Too Much WiFi.

TMobile Sync UP Okay, I may not be rich or thin; but, I have more WiFi to travel with than God needs. I have 3 TMobile phones with 10 Gigabytes a month each of high speed WiFi HotSpot capability. One of them is enough for most weekend trips anywhere, and includes streaming TV, movies, daily browsing and email, etc. Diane also has her phone, which is another 10 GB a month of HotSpot bandwidth. But, it occurred to me that I had a Sync Up device from TMobile in my SUV, which is my daily driver. It has the ability to have a secure WiFi Hotspot running from the car's OBD port. On Board Diagnostics have been around for many years, and is good for keeping track of vehicle location, gas tank, safety warnings, and specific problems with the car's engine. But, I decided that I would move it to Herbie, the VW we tow behind the RV, and, for an additional $25 a month, I now have a permanent HotSpot within 50 feet of the VW, with 30 Gigabytes a month of bandwidth. That is up to 70 Gigabytes of data when I am on the road, and you can now text or email me anywhere, and I can watch the NFL Network anytime. I could watch the SuperBowl 100 times. If you have taken my advice and switched to TMobile, and gotten a Sync Up device.

Google Duo - Rock Solid, Easy To Use, Video Calls.

Google Duo Video Calling. Every Android user should have Duo on their home page. Just click and make video calls that even work with slow Internet. Tell your family and friends to install Duo on their phones, although many of them will have it preinstalled and not know it. Video call the Futurelawyer anytime. Call me, maybe?

#TBT - Efiling Has Eight Year Anniversary In Florida.

This is not an April Fool's joke. Has it been eight years since we became able to file pleadings in any Florida court electronically? EFiling has enabled me to practice law in counties all over the State. In the old days, I would have to travel miles to file in person, or trust the U.S. Mail with days of delay. These days, I get confirmation of a filing in seconds after I click the Submit button. We now can even make court appearances anywhere via Zoom. Florida has been a leader in using the Internet to serve the court system. What innovation awaits us in the future?

April, 2013. "Electronic Filing Is A Workaholic's Dream. As you are, by now, aware, I have been playing around with the Florida Courts' new efiling system today, and have already filed a pleading electronically. I noticed, however, that the efiling system is going to be available 24-7 except for downtime for maintenance. Ouch. Something else to go with my blogging that will push me to work all the time! I can see it now, I will be up at 3 A.M., and, when I am done blogging, I will bring files home, and file stuff all night long. It is a good thing I have balance in my life, even if enforced by She Who Must Be Obeyed. "Honey, when are you coming to bed?" "In a minute, Hon. I just have a couple more pleadings to file."

You Can't Practice Law Remotely Without Being Able To Do Legal Research.

How To Set Up A Mobile Hotspot On Android. I have written a lot about mobile computing and being able to practice law away from a fixed location, like an office. I have been doing it for over thirty years. I started out for fun, as it was a way to use my fascination with computing and gadgets for a practical purpose. When the Internet blossomed, I was always looking for a way to connect on the road; in the early days, with connection to a phone line, and, later, with portable modems. When mobile hotspots became available, I carried them with me, and used them for a shared WiFi connection. Public WiFi, as you know, is notoriously insecure, and anyone with basic knowledge can intercept anything you are sending and receiving over the network. Using a dedicated connection is better, and piping through a VPN is the best. But, these days, you don't need to carry a mobile hotspot. You already have one in your SmartPhone. I have additional Smartphone lines for several uses; one of them I carry as an emergency spare. But, TMobile provides unlimited data on its phones, and I can set one up in the RV, or a hotel room, or pretty much anywhere with cell service, and share that data with my notebook computer. Email, legal research, web browsing, and all of the other things we do with computers, I can now do anywhere. We've come a long way, baby.

Hackers Will Never Know You Are A Liar.

The next time a website or other application asks your mother's maiden name or the name of your first pet, lie. Lying to a computer is very safe; because, the computer is a neutral between you and the hackers. It makes the theft of real personal information useless to hackers. So, the next time a site asks for your mother's maiden name, or your first pet's name, or your first school, lie. It won't know the difference, and hackers will not be able to use your online history to guess. My first pet's name was "Alligator", and I went to the "School of Hard Knocks".

No Google, Mate? I'm Already Having Withdrawal Symptoms.

Australia Media Analysis. Australia has recently proposed a law requiring Google (parent company, Alphabet Inc.) to pay Australian news content providers for news provided by its search engine. At first blush, everyone should be paid for their work. But, Google searches are used by 95% of us to find everything. Yes, it is monopolistic; but,  the only way to beat an addiction is withdrawal. Can you live without Google? Sure, there are many other search engines out there. But, wouldn't they have to pay also? The real issue here is that Google is threatening to take its ball and go home. What will Australians do if Google pulls the plug? Talk about Internet age high stakes. Google addiction is like drug addiction. We will do just about anything, and tolerate anything to get our fix. I hate Google for their power over me; but, I still use it every day. Solutions, anyone?

So, Ms. Lawyer, How Many Emails Are In Your InBox?

7 Steps To Achieving InBox Zero And Staying There. There are zero messages in my InBox as I write this post. It won't stay that way, of course. For many years now, we have all transitioned our law practices into email, and most of us do business there all day every day. Yes, there are other methods of communication with courts, clients, prospective clients, creditors, junk mail companies, and so forth. But, email has taken over as the primary day to day communication tool. So, why is it important to get the InBox down to zero as often as we can? Well, consider that InBox as the chief repository of things that need to be dealt with if you are to survive as a practicing lawyer. Process, organization, competence, all demand that we deal with stuff. But, you say, I can't do everything every email demands right away, as I read it. That is true, but organize the way you handle it. I do it by creating a folder that I call "Pending", into which I move everything that will require action; but, that I can't get to right now. By doing this, you keep the InBox clean, and you have a ToDo list that you can prioritize. When I began law practice, I decided that, to survive, I would need to have at least 5 billable hours a day. I don't necessarily mean that those hours had to generate income that month; but, at least 5 hours had to spent working on a file. Computers and tech helped me to know what I was doing in that regard, and tech made me more efficient in the use of my time. So, if you can't find the discipline to keep that InBox empty, and your tasks organized, how do you expect to do your job properly? Now, make it a practice never to leave the office again, unless that InBox is empty. And, spend enough time to make certain that the Pending folder is manageable.