Futurelawyer

Google Shuts Down Trips App?

[Update: Dead, RIP] Google is preparing to shut down the Trips app [APK Teardown]. Google has shut down the Trips app. What app, you say? I never heard of that app, you say? Exactly. A vast majority of us use Google Maps, and the fact that Maps has been getting more and more functionality should have been a clue. Most of us don't even use the features in the Maps app. We want to get from Point A to Point B, and we don't do a lot of trip planning these days. Remember the AAA Triptiks? I used to be the designated Triptiks reader on long drives, and, even then, I was more interested in the time remaining to destination. Anybody use Trips?

#WhyILiveInFlorida - I Don't Need A Website To Find A Park - I Live In A Park

The Coolest Urban Parks in the World | The Discoverer. It is ironic that many people, millions of them, want to live in a concrete jungle of skyscrapers, and paved streets and sidewalks, along with millions of other people, all of whom seem to be walking on the sidewalks and driving on the streets at the same time. Then, they spend their time and money looking for parks in the middle of the urban landscape. They even have websites that tell them how to find a small patch of green in the middle of the concrete. Some of us are happy living in a place that is a large park, dotted with buildings that are not skyscrapers. If I want a park, I just go out the front door and walk four blocks to Bird Lake. Jeez.

#WhyIAmASolo - Practicing Law On The Road

Creating an RV Desk out of an RV Dinette. I am looking forward to my new law office on the road. I can imagine looking out at a Montana sunset, or a Louisiana bayou, or a Grand Canyon sunrise from my RV home, while I realize my dream of having the ability to access the Internet, create documents, communicate with anyone in the world, and just generally be footloose and fancy free. No need to pay for high priced hotels in tourist destinations. No need to scramble for desk space in a tiny hotel room Why not bring the office with you? Here is my first RV improvement project that I have planned. This guy gets it. See you out on the road.

Google Maps Goes Public

Google Maps is receiving major public transportation improvements | Android Central. Not everyone has the benefit of living in an area where automobile transportation is the best way to get around. In sleepy St. Petersburg, I can get in my car and, ten minutes later, be at the office without so much as stopping at one or two traffic lights and in light traffic. However, big city dwellers often are dependent on public transportation, like buses, and it is difficult to navigate those busy options. Now, Google Maps is being updated to provide real time traffic info for buses and crowdedness. The app is being updated today, and includes nearly 200 major cities. The updates will make travel a lot easier as well. If you can't move to Florida, get Google Maps.

Travel Hub For The Road Warrior

Amazon.com: Intpw 11-in-1 USB C Hub, 4K USB C to HDMI Adapter, 3 SD/MicroSD Card Reader, 5 USB 3.0/2.0 Ports with 87W PD Charging Port for MacBook Pro 2018, Chromebook, XPS, Nintendo Switch and More(Silver): Computers & Accessories. One of the most annoying problems with traveling is the charging and connection of the many little peripherals that we need to carry with us. Hotel desks usually have only a couple of outlets for AC, and who wants to carry a bunch of power adapters anyway? So, what to do if I need to connect to HDMI on the room TV, and charge my smartphone, smartwatch, smartglasses, and whatnot? Why, bring a USB hub, of course. Modern USB-C ports can power a bunch of peripherals, and this compact little device is what I will be carrying. It even has SD slots in various sizes for additional storage. What's in your go bag?

#TBT - Kissing Frogs

In 2014, on my delayed honeymoon cruise with SWMBO, I was alone sometimes while she shopped. I spent my time with Senor Frog and tall glasses of beer.

#SundayFun - Practicing Law From An RV

Note: This was posted six years ago. I think I need a new RV. :-)

"Sunday Morning Fun. I am always looking for ways to show my readers the benefits of new technology. So, when I got my RV back after having the engine rebuilt (long story), I parked it in front of the house this weekend to work on it. It cost $98 to fill the gas tank (I think gas was $1.50 a gallon when I had it last), and $150 to update the Registration; but I am willing to go the extra mile for my readers. Photo One shows the ancient beast sitting in my front yard. It occurred to me that the old road warrior still had some life in her. Nobody in my family will set foot in it, since they are afraid it will break down again. Oh, they of little faith. But, it occurred to me that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I had dreams of solitary weekends in the great outdoors, with a comfortable bed and air conditioning waiting for me at night, and listening to the birds and the animals all night long, and fishing or swimming all day. But, I digress. How could I survive without Internet access? How could I show my readers what it is like to be in the wild? Then, I discovered the old 32 inch LCD TV I had left in the coach. Eureka! As you know, I just bought a small, light Chromebook last week, and the Acer model C7 has an HDMI out port. So, just for fun, I plugged the Chromebook into the TV, and found that my front yard has access to my home DSL router. Internet! This post is being written on the RV desk, while I am in the front yard communing with nature through the RV window. Photo Two shows what it looks like to camp out in the FutureLawyer universe.
Hey! I could park this thing in the Courthouse parking lot, and practice law out of it? This reminds me of the Seventies TV series, Petrocelli. If you are too young to remember it, look it up. Or, when we thought a great adventure was camping out in the back yard! Oh, youth. Oh, happy days. I think I feel a solo road trip coming on."

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 - All Day Battery - Really

Samsung Galaxy Note 9: How good is the battery life, and how fast does it charge? | Android Central. A day at DisneyWorld is a real test of phone battery life. I even got into the habit of carrying extra batteries in the days when we could remove the backs of phones. After that, I purchased about every external battery pack made and carried one while doing the parks. The Note 9, however, is the first phone that lasts from the minute I get up in the morning until 11 at night when a Disney day is done. I use it all day for checking Disney reservations, looking up wait times with the Disney app, making and receiving phone calls, and just generally using it all the time. Just one more reason to use a Note 9 as a daily driver. It is a perfect traveler's phone, and you shouldn't leave home without it.

Why I Live And Practice Law In St. Petersburg, Florida

Head to St. Petersburg Florida Now - Southern Living. Once a place where the elderly sat on green benches downtown, and there was nothing open after 6 P.M., my town has become a foodie destination, and an exciting home for artists, musicians, and other creatives. It is vibrant, and still not taken over by big city chaos, traffic and crime. My office is a short 5 minute drive from some of the best restaurants in the U.S., and, as this article says: "we already have a walkable downtown; front-porch neighborhoods; funky old buildings; and access to the arts, parks, and recreation." Add to that some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and year round sunshine. Add the Chihuly Museum, the Dali Museum, and Sunken Gardens, a botanical paradise, and the city becomes the only place in the Continental U.S. that checks all the boxes for a great living experience. Okay, I am biased, as I have lived here for 50 years; but, come visit and see for yourself.

Mid-Nineties - Mitsubishi 3000 GT - Best Sports Car Ever

This little video is a great way to introduce my 1995 3000 GT, in which I have put a new engine, and totally restored everything from the muffler to the paint. Will it ever be worth the money I have in it? No. But money isn't the only way to happiness, is it?  Check out one of the coolest cars ever produced. Too bad Mitsubishi doesn't make sports cars anymore.