Futurelawyer

Main Street Electrical Parade - Magic And Innocence And Everything Nice.

Before the Pandemic, before Disney became woke, before Disney was all about money, when DisneyWorld was new and there was only one park in Orlando, the Magic Kingdom, there was a magical night parade down Main Street that captivated everyone who experienced it. When it was ended in 2016, an enterprising photographer filmed the whole thing. I confess that watching this brought back so many memories that there was a tear in my eye. For a few minutes, all the troubles of the world melted away, and we forgot our tired bodies that had braved the Florida sun all day. The music had been chosen almost by accident, and the engineering skill was legendary. This is the perfect way to start a new week. Enjoy. 

Robotic Tech Can Change Museums And Other Tourism.

Meet Patrice, The Robot Introducing A New World To Homebound Kids. Robots that can be controlled remotely, and which have cameras and microphones, are enabling home bound children to visit museums. One of my favorite museums is the Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. I love the gadgets, and the history, and the opportunity to meet some of the people who have played a role in our history. Once, I spent an hour talking to Sandy Grimes, the author of "Circle of Treason", about the capturing of Aldrich Ames, the most notorious spy in U.S. history. While some in person contact has been prohibited for the past year, using robots to move around freely has increased in classrooms and museums and other places that are removed from access for some people, either through disability, or distance. Think of the possibilities for their use in litigation, as proxies for site visits to dangerous or inaccessible places. Think about lawyers using robots, rather than robotic lawyers. Think about augmenting human abilities by giving legs and mobility to the immobile. So, rather than welcoming a race of robotic future lords, let's use robotic tech for good.

On The Internet, Nobody Knows If You're A Human.

When Bar Associations Innovate, Everybody Wins. Nikki Black and I are fascinated by robots, and are both prepared to be ruled by our coming robot overlords. Okay, it is tongue and cheek; but, this article by Nikki highlights the innovation that is spawning new methods of human contact, and, of interest to us in the legal field, new ways to connect with colleagues and clients.  Using a virtual world with avatars to create connections between lawyers is truly innovative. There have been various attempts over the years to create virtual worlds; but, computers and technology weren't advanced enough. I have even toyed with them using Oculus Quest virtual reality headsets. But, the next question, of course, is whether we can trust and rely on an Avatar dispensing legal advice. Are we speaking to a human using an avatar or an AI machine? Some would say the AI has vastly superior knowledge and a better ability to analyze facts and case law. But, what about the human ability to sense truth in personal contact? I, for one, welcome our coming AI overlords. But, only as an adjunct to legal practice. Make humans better with AI. But, let's not replace ourselves yet.

I May Have Been Wrong About Robot Lawyers.

Okay, maybe I was wrong. Advances in AI and robotics have created a pretty convincing human that can mimic human emotion, and conduct intelligent conversations about just about anything. Is Sofia just a computer generated parlor trick, or could she (yes, I used the pronoun) be a precursor to a future filled with thinking robots that can function within our societal construct? While Sofia herself considers herself to be an adjunct or amplification of humans, and wants to help us become better humans, I can see danger here. Humans can be easily influenced. Could Sofia and her ilk be pre-programmed to harm vulnerable humans? On the other hand, a robot lawyer that could analyze and reason and speak might be more than a match for a human lawyer complicated by human weaknesses. Hmmm...

The Robot Lawyers Aren't Coming - But, Watch Out For The Robot Dogs.

The Robots Aren't Coming To Practice Law. Nikki Black posts about this great article by Ken Crutchfield, and the fact that Robot Lawyers aren't in our future. He highlights all the ways that AI will be helping lawyers do their thing, from legal research to data analytics, and posits that a Robot won't be delivering a closing argument anytime soon. I have expressed this view before, and it gains more credence every day. The Robots we need to fear are the metal monsters that are, and will be, hired to perform security tasks, drive our cars, clean our houses and offices, and defuse enemy bombs. The recent reporting of automated cars going off the road and killing somebody highlight the risks of placing tech into the hands of a robot. If you see a robotic dog coming towards  you, run. Human flesh isn't compatible with metal parts. I, Robot, is science fiction. Robot dog is patrolling the neighborhood. 

AI Robot Learns To Walk - BioHybrids Are Next.

Learn the term "biohybrid". In the future, we will be a planet of humans, animals, and robots; but, some robots will share the traits of biological humans. We are rapidly approaching an AI robot that can learn. This one taught itself to walk. Combine experiential learning with an indestructible metal robot, and the sky's the limit. Let's call the company "SkyNet"?

 

First Extraterrestrial Flight Powered By An Obsolete Qualcomm Mobile Phone Chip.

First Extraterrestrial Flight On Mars. Now, for something completely different. The little ultralight copter in the photograph is hovering above the Martian landscape. It is the first time in our history that a flight has been successfully attempted on another planet. On earth, this little copter would be a routine thing; but, in an atmosphere equal to the height of 3 Mount Everests on earth, and powered by a Qualcomm mobile chip that powered smartphones several generations back, it is a marvel of human engineering. I will be dead before man exploits the resources of other planets; but, you may be sure it will happen.

25 Years Goes Fast.

Twenty Five Years...Time Flies When You're Having Fun.

I was updating the Copyright Notice on the FutureLawyer site this morning, and I realized that I started the site in 1996. That means I have been doing this for 25 years. It has been a daily passion since 2005; but, I haven't missed many days. So Happy Birthday to the FutureLawyer site. I have no idea which day in 2021 will be the actual anniversary. But, let's celebrate every day, okay?

Searching For Life On Mars

The Perseverance Rover's cameras have been shooting photos on the surface of Mars. Imagine what an alien would look like roaming the Earth taking pictures. This time we are the aliens. Mindfulness and meditation teachers tell us to think about how small we are in the grand scheme of things. One way to do it is to look at these images. 

Perseverance Lands On Mars. Now, We Are All Martians.

Perserverance Lands On Mars. Seriously, this story deserves to be on the Front Pages, not some political hacks mucking about in D.C., or some entertainment types making an apology tour. What has happened to our sense of wonder? I grew up in the Fifties and Sixties watching SciFi about little green men from Mars, and ridiculous special effects rockets landing on Mars. Yesterday, human beings put a car on Mars that they can control and drive around. If there are Martians (highly doubtful), they can see and photograph them. The scientific possibilities are mind boggling. Why aren't we all talking about it? Perseverance is the perfect name for this Rover. It took a lot of it. Next stop, manned visits to the Red Planet.