Hi! Just a quick note to let you know that I'm off once again to sunny South Carolina to spend some "girl-time" with my daughter. Since my laptop is a gigantic dinosaur and the modem has become extinct, I may not be posting for the next 10 days.
After last night’s storms, this letter to Fred’s Langa List is quite timely and is also more complete that the one I posted last week 24 July 2003.
“Many readers sent in emails like this one, from Doug V.:
Fred, Keep up the good work on your newsletter. I have my PCs plugged into a UPS. But when there are thunderstorms in the area I will shutdown my systems and unplug them, as you suggest in your article . One thing I tell those that I help is that when there is a thunderstorm in the area unplug the PC AND the phone line from the PC. I have seen many a modem 'well done' by lightning but still able to talk to the PC and unable to find a dial tone. You only briefly covered that when talking about a UPS / Surge arrestor that can also protect the phone or LAN.
You are correct in stating that a surge arrestor will not even slow down a direct (or near) strike and that the only sure way to protect one's PC is to unplug it. Just don't forget to the phone line from your modem (Dialup or DSL) or your coax cable from your Cable Modem. ---Doug
Thanks, Doug, and all who wrote in. Yes, "unplug" doesn't just mean the power cord: It applies to anything that connects your PC to the outside electrical environment, including telephone wires, cable modem connections, and the like. A good surge arrestor will have phone/modem and cable connectors on it, so you can provide routine protection against spikes and surges for these potential entry points, along with the normal power line protection. But when severe storms are in the area, the safest thing is to unplug 'em all!”
Source: The LangaList, Standard Edition, 28 July 2003
© 2003 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC.
Subscribe (it's free!): Create and send a new email to:
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“Federal Register Tutorial
Tom Mighell writes: "You can't ask for a better title: "The Federal Register: What It Is and How To Use It." This site is provided by the National Archives, and features a brief but very helpful explanation on how to search the Federal Register. Here you'll learn about the FR's historical background, the Daily FR, the Code of Federal Regulations, online research, public participation, and more. You can even attend a workshop, held in D.C. or other cities around the country. If you like, you can download the entire tutorial in PDF format.”
Source: Tom Mighell’s Internet Legal Research Weekly, 27 July 2003
Subscribe: send an e-mail to tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net, or visit Inter Alia and sign up there!
AlltheWeb Search Queries
Fast AlltheWeb Q-card, and AllTheWeb Query prefixes: "AlltheWeb supports a number of simple Query Prefixes that allow you to access some basic site functions by simply prefixing your query term(s) with a supported prefix."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
25 July 2003
Copyright ©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC
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Northwestern University created "Oyez,Oyez, Oyez" after the announcement made by the Court's Marshall as the Justices file into the chamber:
"The Honorable, the Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of
the Supreme Court of the United States. Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! All
persons having business before the Honorable, the Supreme Court
of the United States, are admonished to draw near and give their
attention, for the Court is now sitting. God save the United
States and this Honorable Court"
You can find the Oyez site online at:
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpage
What makes Oyez so cool is that the folks at Northwestern have done a
TREMENDOUS job of keeping the site updated. In fact, the site now
contains more than TWO THOUSAND hours of Supreme Court audio,
including every audio the Court has recorded since 1995.
Of course, with more than 2,000 hours of audio recordings awaiting you,
figuring out where to start might seem a bit daunting. Might I
suggest you check out Oyez "Top Cases" page at:
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/portlet/topCases/
This page contains links to Oyez's 20 most popular cases (Miranda v.
Arizona, Roe v. Wade, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, et al.)
You can also browse the cases by subject area at: http://www.oyez.org/oyez/portlet/directory/
Each case has its own Web page that tells you the facts of the case,
the questions presented, and the conclusion of the Court. To hear a
case's oral arguments, click on the audio link on the left side of
that case's page and then click on the blue speaker icon (which looks
an awful lot like a blue iPod). This opens your RealOne player and
you're off to the races.
Oyez also offers a virtual tour of the Supreme Court at:
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/tour/
The tour uses QuickTime VR, so you'll need Apple's Quicktime player to
see the images. You can download the player for free for both PCs and
Macs at:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Remember how the original Hitchhiker's Guide had information about
every Justice? Well, that information has also been ported to Oyez.
You can find it at:
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/portlet/justices/
Oh, and when I say "every Justice," I mean *EVERY* justice from James
Wilson and John Jay to Stephen Bryer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Neat, huh?
If you ever wanted to learn more about the U.S. Supreme Court, you owe
it to yourself to check out Oyez.org."
Source: TOURBUS Volume 9, Number 1 -- 25 July 2003
Copyright 1995-2003, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved
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Because "web spoofing" continues to grow as a serious problem. …the Federal Trade Commission announced the relaunch of GetNetWise, a site designed to provide consumers with the information they need to protect themselves and their families on the Internet.
Source: Tom Mighell’s Internet Legal Research Weekly, 27 July 2003
Subscribe: send an e-mail to tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net, or visit Inter Alia and sign up there!
Why An Important Part of the California Recall Process Is Unconstitutional, According to U.S. Supreme Court Precedent
By VIKRAM DAVID AMAR AND ALAN BROWNSTEIN
Friday, Jul. 25, 2003
From Findlaw Writ: “U.C. Hastings law professor Vikram Amar and U.C. Davis law professor Alan Brownstein discuss the important constitutional issues that have arisen in the controversy over the California recall process. Amar and
Brownstein contend that one constitutional argument that has been made
is probably in error, but that another is correct, and may well require
invalidation of part of the recall scheme.”
Source: FindLaw's WRIT - Legal Commentary, 21 – 25 July 2003, Issue #156
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc.
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Also from Findlaw's Writ comes RICK HASEN's article The California Gubernatorial Recall Debate and the Courts: Why Litigation Has Begun (and Likely Will Continue)
From Writ: “Loyola law professor Richard Hasen explains why the California election to determine whether to recall Governor Gray Davis is already litigious -- and likely to continue to be. Hasen explains the ongoing lawsuits and potential future lawsuits, and points out some of the defects of election law in California and elsewhere."
Source: FindLaw'sWRIT - Legal Commentary, 21 – 25 July 2003, Issue #156
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc.
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From Kent Olson, University of Virginia Law Library:
"Legal Research in a Nutshell Links provides convenient access to all of the more than three hundred URLs mentioned in the book (Legal Research in a Nutshell, 8th ed., 2003), including appendices. Sites are arranged thematically by chapter and page number, and the list will be updated on a regular basis."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici, 24 July 2003
©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC.
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Your clients could use a reminder of this important problem.
"Not me, but the FBI is warning that online identity theft (nicknamed "phishing") is on the rise."
"With the recent outbreak of scam e-mails purportedly coming from reputable websites, it's important to remember that these sites (eBay, Best Buy, PayPal, for example) are never going to ask you for your personal information through an e-mail. Never click through in an e-mail to a site where you're asked to give up your personal information -- you cannot be sure where that link is taking you."
Source: Tom Mighell at inter-alia 25 July 2003
(via Daily Whirl)
As the friend that forwarded this splendid order to me observed, "I love sarcastic judges." E-filing makes it easy to tell if your opponent filed just a little late, but, as the order makes clear, you might want to overlook such discoveries (or at least lose the bolded italics before filing your motion to strike).
Source: soho attorney, 11 July 2003
(Via Daily Whirl)
From TVC Alert: “The National Library of Medicine introduces COSMO, an automated Q and A service. Hoping to reduce the number of questions it receives daily via email, the library developed this expert system, which answers questions about the library as well as basic health issues.
I asked COSMO, "What is nephritis?" It responded with a link to the kidney diseases section of MEDLINEplus. I also asked, "How should I treat a concussion?" It responded with the MEDLINEplus page on head and brain injuries. Not bad.” (Submitted by Pete Weiss.)
Authors Note: I asked about a condition that benched my running addiction for the next 6 MONTHS - nada, nothing!
Source: TVC Alert, 25 July 2003
COPYRIGHT: 1996 - 2003 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
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Genie Tyburski writes: “This article provides some interesting statistics about blogs. For example, "Blogcount estimates that there are roughly 2.4 million to 2.9 million active Weblogs as of June 2003." That amounts to "roughly 2 percent of the online community," according to Jupiter Research. But Jupiter also "estimates that only 4 percent of the online community read them."
Author’s note: I’m glad that you are one of the elite 4%! And while you are at the site, check out the language count. #'s 2, 3, & 4 will surprise you! Especially #4!
Source: TVC Alert, 25 July 2003
COPYRIGHT: 1996 - 2003 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
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Genie writes about American Antitrust Institute: "This advocacy group Web site offers much to interest those conducting research in antitrust law. Find a primer on criminal antitrust, which covers the origin of the law, the rationale behind criminal liability, sanctions and amnesty and important cases as well as several tables showing incarceration statistics and fines incurred by corporations. The site also offers antitrust news and an extensive research guide for finding antitrust information sources on the Web. The guide provides information about antitrust cases or topics reported in the news, primers on antitrust law and policy, antitrust statutes and regulations, court decisions and more."
And of HSRscan: "The law firm, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius offers a database of FTC Hart-Scott-Rodino interpretative letters and related documents. Researchers must register to access the database, but the firm does not appear to charge for the service. In addition to the database, HSRscan provides an overview of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, information about compliance penalties, linked citations to federal regulations and related documents and more."
Source: TVC Alert, 25 July 2003
COPYRIGHT: 1996 - 2003 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
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Just powering down your PC won’t save it from a serious power surge!
From Fred Langa: “A lightning bolt can travel several miles/kilometers through empty air, so there's no way that the tiny gap inside an electrical switch---a space of just a few millimeters or fractions of an inch--- will somehow stop the surge. In fact, a lightning strike will blast through an "off" switch almost as if the switch wasn't there at all. Physically unplugging the PC is the only 100% sure method to protect against the worst kinds of electrical problems."
"An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or a good surge arrestor can help protect against routine electrical problems, and even lightning strikes IF (unlike Frank's case) the strikes aren't too close and IF they don't actually hit the wiring: The surge arrestor shunts the excess power directly to the ground instead of letting it blast through your PC. But even high-quality surge arrestors may fail with very close lightning strikes, or direct hits to the power lines even if the strike is some distance away."
"UPSes and/or good surge protectors are still worth having because most electrical problems that can damage a PC are not from direct (or nearly so) lightning strikes. Good protective devices *can* help against most routine power problems. But note: I'm not referring to those cheesy $8 power strips, even if they call themselves "surge arrestors" or "protectors" or some such. Those glorified extension cords are next to worthless for surge protection. A real surge protector costs at least a few tens of bucks; and may include a small battery to let you ride out a brief brownout or blackout. Some of the better uninterruptible power supplies can also protect your modem and LAN connections, and even automatically perform a safe, proper system shutdown of your PC in the event of an extended outage. Some also come with built-in insurance policies that will pay to replace your equipment, should it be damaged while protected by the UPS/surge arrestor. (The policies usually don't cover data loss, though: You still need to make images/backups on your own. Also: Note that "inside the box" backup methods such as RAID arrays or second hard drives will likely be toasted by a major surge, along with everything else inside the PC, leaving you with no useable backup at all. The safest backups are those that you can store away from your PC, so that anything bad that happens inside the box can't also affect your backups." See http://www.langa.com/backups/backups.htm
Source: The LangaList, Standard Edition, 2003-07-24
Copyright (c) 2003 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC.
AllTheWeb Indexing Excel Spreadsheets and Powepoint Slides
From Gary Price: “It appears that AllTheWeb is now providing access to Excel and Powerpoint material. You can limit to these formats by using filetype:excel and filetype:powerpoint. ATW already provides access to Adobe Acrobat, MS Word, and Macromedia Flash material.”
Source: ResourceShelf 24 July 2003
Joy London writes: "Dave Pollard (of How to Save the World) shares his Knowledge Game —"a tool you can use to educate yourself, or a group of business colleagues, about intellectual capital, innovation and knowledge management, and their importance for modern organizations. It's played as a game, with two to eight teams who compete against each other. Each team acts as the Board of Directors of a fictitious consulting firm, and the objective is to make investment decisions that provide the best ROI. Those decisions require choosing between investing in traditional physical and financial assets, and among six forms of intellectual capital: human, structural, customer, social, risk and innovation."
Source: excited utterances, 19 July 2003
(Via Daily Whirl)
Joy London writes: "Check out "New Tools Can Enhance Legal Writing" in the June issue of the New York State Bar Journal (online subscription required). Thomas G. Collins and Karin Marlett write about the use of graphics to enhance legal writing. Lots of references to Edward Tufte's works."
"I particulary like the Bill Gates quote: "[The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition ... is to do an outstanding job with information.] How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose."
Source: excited utterances, 16 July 2003
Sabrina Pacifici's e-newsletter cites - "From Internet.com: "Sen. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.) said Wednesday he will seek to amend the current spam bill (pending before the Senate to include requiring the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create a Do Not Spam list comparable to the FTC's popular Do Not Call registry."
· The downside of the Do Not Call registry - from the New York Times, Con Artists See Gold in Do-Not-Call Registry states: "Web sites or phone solicitors that claim they can or will register a consumer's name or phone number on a national list — especially those who charge a fee — are a scam," the agency said, adding that no one from the federal government tries to confirm personal information once a person signs up."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
July 23, 2003
Copyright ©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC.
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Joel Zand, in the e-newsletter The Practice Paper:"FBI and Federal Trade Commission [have] tips for consumers [and businesses] to avoid Internet scams that use bogus e-mail and Web sites to get personal information."
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
23 July 2003, Issue # 143
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc.
Newsletter Subscription Center
From the e-newssletter: "Spurred by an article appearing in the June 2003 issue of GP Solo, lawyers discuss their professional responsibility in conducting research on the Internet. Is the standard of care with respect to legal research changing? Do lawyers who charge clients for book research, when the same could be accomplished online in a shorter period of time, risk charging excessive fees?
ALSO, Computer Research and the Standard of Care Inter Alia, 23 July 2003
Keep Up or Face Peril GP Solo, June 2003
A Lawyer's Judgment Will Never Be Automated GP Solo, June 2003
Source: TVC Alert The Virtual Chase 23 July 2003
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(c) Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Ballard Spahr Andrews &
Ingersoll, LLP
About That Defensiveness ...
Research by Altman Weil concludes: "[L]awyers tend to be very thin-skinned, which means they will not naturally seek out feedback and may in fact be quite defensive when it is offered." [via excited utterances 15 July 2003]
"Not exactly a major surprise, but this is probably one reason lawyers don't tend to take readily to knowledge management projects."
Source: net.law.blog 20 July 2003
© Copyright 2003 Jerry Lawson.
Joy London (of excited utterances) adds: "Dr. Larry Richard, a principal of Altman Weil, encourages the use of the Myers-Briggs and the Caliper Profile.
Source: excited utterances 15 July 2003
The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process has been a staple subscription of mine for a long time. Delightfully enough, Gary O'Connor and Stephanie Tai have co-authored an article in the current issue about Legal And Appellate Weblogs: What They Are, Why You Should Read Them, And Why You Should Consider Starting Your Own. Note too that Stephanie has started The Blawg Review, reviewing law journal and academic articles.
Source: Denise Howell’s blog 22 July 2003
From the article by Bruce L. Dorner: “It's the little things that make the most difference. Just ask your spouse. The same holds true for computers. Knowing the little tweaks and adjustments that improve your relationship with the mechanical beast can go a long way to a better relationship.”
His suggestion in brief:
** Keep A Notebook Nearby
** Upgrade From Windows 95, 98.
** Change The Settings
** Download TweakUI
** Use The Right Mouse Button
Source: Law Practice Today
© The American Bar Association.
New on LLRX.com for July 21, 2003:
**Selecting Web Sites for "Beyond Google" Resource Discovery
"Rita Vine, librarian and co-founder of Workingfaster.com provides a guide to
tracking, evaluating, selecting and monitoring changes in search tools."
**Knowledge is Power: KM Remains Vital to Firm Success
"Nina Platt reviews why the efficient management of a law firm's continously
expanding holdings of legal documents and work product will require the
implementation of strategic knowledge management tools."
**Update to A Guide to the U.S. Federal Legal System: Web-Based Publicly
"Gretchen Feltes' valuable guide has been enhanced with the addition of
numerous new sites from government and academic sources."
**Federal District Court Dockets - Case Summary Information and Case
Management Identifiers
"A reader asked about definitions for the many abbreviations found in federal
docket sheets. Aaron Butler covers case summary, participant information
and the chronological listing of events in the case."
**Internet Roundtable #36 - What Are Blogs and Why Is Everyone So Excited
About Them?
"Jerry Lawson, Brenda Howard, Dennis Kennedy, Ernest Svenson and Tom Mighell discuss the business advantages of implementing weblogs, along with books and online resources to help get you started, as well as how to choose
blogging software that best suits your specific requirements."
**Notes from the Technology Trenches: XML/PDF Forms, Online CLE and More on
Search Engines
"Cindy Carlson reviews websites and blogs that focus on search engine news
for researchers, the upcoming "intelligent electronic documents" format from
Adobe, as well as resources and services for online CLE (pros and cons)."
**Burney's Legal Tech Reviews: Adobe 6.0 and USB "Upgradeable" Flash Drives
"Brett Burney takes the recently released professional version of Adobe 6.0
through its paces, with a focus on the product's enhanced e-paper features,
in addition to providing a thorough review of two USB flash memory devices
which are an increasingly popular alternative to the nearly obsolete floppy
drives."
**After Hours: The Fancy Food Show, NYC
"The versatile Kathy Biehl has a new column about food, a topic second only
in importance to legal research! In her first installment, she introduces
us to a gamut of goodies available online, some decadent and some decidedly
good for you."
**Wisdom From the Grammar Goddess: Is None Singular or Plural?
"Welcome to a new column by Diane Sandford, who will "take a look at common
questions of grammar that arise during the work day and share the answers
with you."
**Trends and Developments in Legal Research
"Ellen Quinn spoke with six law librarians she identifies as "trendsetters"
in world of legal research and publishing on the web and in print, about hot
button issues and technologies to watch in the near future."
Source: LLRX Update e-newsletter, 21 July 2003
(c) Copyright 1996-2003, Law Library Resource Xchange LLC
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Microsoft Office 2003 to Feature Link to LexisNexis
From the LexisNexis press release: "LexisNexis will provide a legal research option on Microsoft’s new Research Task Pane featured in Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2003, and Microsoft Office Access 2003." (thanks Donna).
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
21 July 2003
Copyright ©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC.
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The Best Article Your Lawyer Probably Won't Be Reading
From Larry Bodine's Law Marketing Blog - "Larry posts about a videotape documenting a focus group in which business clients of lawyers were asked a variety of question about their law firms. Larry delivers the quotes, which will give you a good overview of the current ways many law firms treat their clients."
"This type of information is enormously valuable, but I can guarantee you that the vast majority of lawyers will studiously ignore it and continue to treat their clients in exactly the ways their clients do not want to be treated."
"Welcome to the Great Lawyer / Client Disconnect of 2003. It ain't right and this sorry state of affairs is one of the reasons I left the big firm world to go solo and am also focusing on the subject of client-driven technology."
"Here's my favorite of the quotes: "We're actually looking for something more profound - lawyers who don't sell us hours. Companies want to buy expertise, responsiveness and assurance. I don't care how long it takes the firm to do the work. At our company we're asking for something more profound."
Why do I like this quote? Because it is pretty darn close to what I really want to do in my new law practice."
Source: DennisKennedy.blog 21 July 2003
“Spoofing Email Gets More Sophisticated”
Brand-spoofing e-mail is latest spam scam by Shelley Emling Cox News Service
From the article: “That e-mail may look like it's from a well-known company. But as more people have discovered in recent months, it could be an attempt to defraud you.SurfControl, a leading Web and e-mail filtering company, issued a warning recently against "brand-spoofing spam," which masquerades as e-mail from a major corporation to pry financial and identity information from recipients.According to SurfControl, major companies that have been "brand spoofed" include UPS, PayPal, Best Buy, Bank of America and First Union Bank."With only a very slim chance of getting caught, this sort of spam scam is growing and showing how spam is becoming the organized crime of the Internet," said Susan Getgood, a senior vice president at SurfControl. "Companies must be just as organized to defeat it."
Also SEE, Instruct on the Basics of Determining the Origin of Email The Virtual Chase, 9 Oct 2001
Source: TVC Alert The Virtual Chase 21 July 2003
COPYRIGHT: 1996 - 2003 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLPTVC Alert
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Online Divorce Services Spark Debate
The National Law Journal
From the e-newsletter: “You might think a couple wanting a quick divorce would first stop at a lawyer's office -- or maybe two lawyers' offices, one for each. Not necessarily. Their first stop may be the computer for a $249 dot-com divorce. While pioneers of the service claim that it's an affordable alternative to exorbitant legal fees, attorneys warn that divorce is a complicated process that requires legal counsel.”
Source: Today’s Legal News 22 July 2003
Copyright 2003 ALM Properties, Inc.
An Easier Way to The Web for Small Business
From the blog: "Yahoo has launched a new Web site publisher to make it easier for small businesses to establish an online presence. Of course, many of those businesses could be better off with web logs, right?
Source: Net.Law.Blog, 21 July 2003
© Copyright 2003 Jerry Lawson.
From the Seattle Times: "U.S. Department of Labor officials have created two new Web sites aimed at helping small employers learn how to comply with federal law.
· The FirstStep Employment Law Advisor - helps employers determine which laws apply to their business and provides information on how to comply.
The Employment Law Guide describes laws so employers can develop wage, benefit, safety, health and nondiscrimination policies. That guide is available in both English and Spanish at http://www.dol.gov/asp/programs/guide.htm or mailed for free by calling the Labor Department at 866-487-2365.
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
21 July 2003
Copyright ©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC.
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Foreign Law
From Access to Law to World Legal Information Institute (LII), this Virtual Chase page is a treasure trove of foreign law!
Sites that TVC Alert highlighted include:
Export.gov: “Several U.S. agencies partner to provide information about exports and trade practices. Find a guide to the basics of exporting, trade leads, information about trade shows, a market research database and more. The market research database provides search access to several types of reports, including the Country Commercial Guides. The type of information covered includes country and industry reports, agricultural market research, country information, trade agreements and reports on specific regions like Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.”
and
World Legal Information Institute (LII): “A global legal research facility comprised of several organizations, World LII offers numerous databases containing legal documents and information from several countries. The site consists of three parts: Databases, Catalogs and Websearch. Databases provides a single search interface for several Legal Information Institutes, including Australasian, British and Irish, Canadian, Hong Kong, Pacific Islands, Wits University School of Law and Cornell. The databases provide access to case law, treaties, legislation and other legal information. Catalogs offers links to law-related Web sites for all countries. Websearch makes many of the sites appearing in the catalog searchable.”
Source: TVC Alert 22 July 2003 The Virtual Chase
COPYRIGHT: 1996 - 2003 Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
TVC Alert Subscribe
"Going solo or running a small firm? You have a lot of decisions to make about partnerships, team dynamics, money management and growing your practice. In this month's Solos & Small Firms special feature, American Lawyer Media's law.com offers strategies and advice for getting started -- and making a success of what you've got going so far."
Source: Today’s Legal News – 21 July 2003
Copyright 2003 ALM Properties, Inc.
I ran across a great link at Inter-alia which led me to Ohio Traffic Information Scroll dow to Other Government Travel Information Links for:
· Ohio Turnpike Information including Daily Lane Closures and Construction Updates (The link wouldn't work today, hopefully you'll have better luck!)
· Summit County Information including Road Closures
· State Route 8 Update News Letter which also contains up-to-date information on our own I- 77 fiasco!!
· Live I-77 Webcams
· Columbus Road Construction Information ("Paving the Way")
Source: Inter-alia 21 July 2003
“Kroll Ontrack is a company that specializes in locating, managing, and reviewing electronic evidence. One of the nifty free services offered by the company is a monthly newsletter on E-Discovery. Each newsletter has summaries of cases dealing with electronic discovery, as well as practical information for incorporating electronic discovery into your case strategy.”
Source: Internet Legal Research Weekly, Issue #118, 20 July 2003
Subscribe: send an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net, or visit Inter Alia
Tom Mighell writes about Yahoo's People Finder
”No, I'm not talking about Yahoo! People Search -- a SearchDay article this week featured the advanced public records search offered by Yahoo! (which is on the same page as the simple search). Actually, the search is powered by USSearch.com, a public records search company. The services provided by USSearch sound pretty good, but also pretty pricey. For example, USSearch's Basic People Search ($9.95) gets you a name and relevant phone number(s), while for $39.95 you also get a listing of the person's past addresses, possible aliases, and whether the person is deceased. More information is available for $59.95 and $99.95. I use Accurint for much of my background searching, and a fairly comprehensive search (for which USSearch charges $39.95) costs me around $6.00. I can even get some of the information only available in USSearch's high-dollar reports, for that same $6.00 price. At that price, why would I want to pay six to ten times that amount for the same stuff? …”
Source: Internet Legal Research Weekly, Issue #118, 20 July 2003
Subscribe: send an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net, or visit Inter Alia
The New York Racist Float Case: How the First Amendment Does -- and Does Not -- Protect Racist Cops and Firemen
From WRIT: "Rutgers law professor Sherry Colb weighs in on a controversial recent decision by New York federal judge John Sprizzo. The case arose when two New York City firefighters, and one police officer, were terminated because, while off duty, they had ridden on a racist float during the Broad Channel, Queens Labor Day Parade. Colb argues that Judge Sprizzo erred by directing their reinstatement on First Amendment grounds."
Source: FindLaw's WRIT Legal Commentary
July 14 - 18, 2003, Issue #155
Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Kevin writes: “…I found the following website which spells out basic security principles in a easy-to-understand manner. It's from CERT, the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute. Great Security Solution!
Fred replies: “What an awesome resource, Kevin! Detailed info, well-organized
worksheets and checklists--- great stuff! Thanks!”
Source: The LangaList, Standard Edition, 2003-07-21
Copyright (c) 2003 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC.
Subscribe: Create and send a new email to: subscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net
Courts Warm Up to Pet Owners' Suits
The National Law Journal
07-21-2003
”After Adam Riff's 8-year-old died from complications during a tooth extraction, Riff sued the doctor for the untimely death. That may seem unremarkable, except that the deceased was a Shetland Sheepdog. While companion-animal suits alleging emotional distress aren't a new concept, trial courts nationwide are becoming more reluctant to dismiss them and state legislatures are furthering the trend by reforming animal protection laws.”
Read full text Subscription Required
Source: Source: Today’s Legal News – 21 July 2003
Copyright 2003 ALM Properties, Inc.
Airline Plans to Use Digital Video to Monitor Passengers
According to an article in today's Wired: "Southeast Airlines said it plans to install digital video cameras throughout the cabins of its planes to record the faces and activities of its passengers at all times, as a precaution against terrorism and other safety threats. In addition, the charter airline, based in Largo, Florida, will store the digitized video for up to 10 years. And it may use face recognition software to match faces to names and personal records, the airline said."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
18 July 2003
Copyright ©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC.
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White House E-Mail System Becomes Less User-Friendly: "Those who want to send a message to the president must now navigate as many as nine Web pages and fill out a form that asks if they support White House policy."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
18 July 2003
Copyright ©2002, 2003 BeSpacific LLC.
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For a new blog with potential, check out Trial Practice, a blog "dedicated to trial advocacy with some appellate advocacy thrown in -- real, mock, and moot."
Source: Internet Legal Research Weekly, 20 July 2003
Subscribe: send an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net, or visit Inter Alia and sign up there!
Wi-Fi Wafts to the RV Parks, Beaches
From USA Today: "As big players such as McDonald's bring wireless Internet to the masses, smaller companies are taking Wi-Fi technology to quirky spots.Take the Truck Pride Travel Center in Chicopee, Mass., where truckers check e-mail from their rigs. Or the Club One gym in Pittsburgh, where fitness buffs log on after workouts. All they need is a laptop set up for Wi-Fi (most new laptops are) and a credit card to pay fees of about $5 an hour."
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
16 July 2003, Issue # 142
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Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc.
The Devil's In The Details
FindLaw's Modern Practice, with Andrew Zangrilli, Esq.
From the article: "Because electronic court filing solutions perform such a critical function, extra care must be taken when defining relationships with electronic filing service providers (EFSPs)."
Source:THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
16 July 2003, Issue # 142
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Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc.
How Do Potential Clients Think?
1. Understanding of the Legal Process
2. Urgency
3. Skepticism
4. Personal Relevance
5. Quantifiable Needs
6. Qualitative Needs
7. Internet Experience
8. Alternatives
9. Preferred Method of Contact
10. The Tip of the Iceberg
Source: THE PRACTICE PAPER, Edited by Joel R. Zand, Esq.
A FindLaw Resource for Solo Attorneys and Small Law Firms
16 July 2003, Issue # 142
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Copyright (c) 2003 FindLaw, Inc.
Even Shredded Documents Are Not Beyond Reconstructing
Picking Up the Pieces:
· "People perceive it (the paper shredder) as an almost perfect device," said Jack Brassil, a researcher for Hewlett-Packard who has worked on making shredded documents traceable. If people put a document through a shredder, "they assume that it's fundamentally unrecoverable," he said. "And that's clearly not true."
· For more detailed documentation, see Jack Brassil's paper, Tracing the Source of a Shredded Document.
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
17 July 2003
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Sabrina points us to "Social Security Numbers: Ensuring the Integrity of the SSN", by Barbara D. Bovbjerg, director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before the Subcommittee on Social Security, House Committee on Ways and Means. GAO-03-941T, July 10. Highlights.
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
17 July 2003
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Sabrina quotes from FCW.com: "The State Department is developing a passport that contains biometric technology to authenticate the identities of U.S. citizens who travel abroad."
· Also see, Vendors boost biometrics for homeland. "In a trusted traveler program, such as one proposed as part of the Transportation Security Administration's Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS) II, a passenger could opt for a background check and receive an identification card. The card would include a fingerprint and a picture, which would be confirmed at the airport by fingerprint and facial scanners."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
17 July 2003
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Three Things You Don't Want to Know About Your Personal Information: "Online merchants are frantically sucking up every scrap of information they can get about consumers, but consumers know next to nothing about what happens to that information."
· Also see New Annenberg Report Examines Americans' Understanding of Online Privacy.
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
17 July 2003
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Special Report: Women GCs (Free registration required)
From the article: "At present, women constitute 13 percent of the general counsel at Fortune 500 companies. Is that a sign of progress -- or a sign that progress isn't happening fast enough? Corporate Counsel takes a look at why the numbers aren't any higher, provides a list of who's who, and profiles one female GC whose influence over her company isn't limited to litigation and licensing."
See Related Chart “Women GCs: Running in Place" (Must be accessed from the artcile)
Source: Today’s Legal News, 17 July 2003
This legal newswire is brought to you by American Lawyer Media's law.com .
Resources on Electronic Discovery
From Ken Withers, a Research Associate at the Federal Judicial Center, links to a series of presentations and papers on electronic discovery.
· Selected Case Law and Further Reading
· Electronic Discovery: What You Need to Know, Association of the Bar of New York City, 29 May 2003 (PowerPoint slides and text)
· The Sedona Principles, Best Practices, Recommendations and Principles for Addressing Electronic Document Production, (53 pages, pdf), March 2003.
· Observations on "The Sedona Principles," April 2003.
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
16 July 2003
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Gary Price writes: "This is a faq that a post on an Internet Archive discussion board that Igor Ranitovic from the IA helps answer.
1) A Wayback Machine database update is scheduled for the next few weeks. The new index will include data as recent as April, 2003.
2) After the next update the IA team is constructing a system (hopefully available in 3-6 months) that, "will always (ideally) keep our index up to date."
Source: ResourceShelf E-Mail Reminder
Week 122, July 17, 2003
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What's a Moblog?
From the article: “On July 5, a few dozen mobile bloggers -- Web publishers who post photos, video and text to the Web from cell phones and other mobile devices -- gathered in Tokyo for the First International Moblogging Conference. The event was particularly resonant for author Howard Rheingold, who predicted in his book "Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution" that advances in technology would soon give everyone the tools they need to publish independent reports of news events as they are happening directly to the Web and other platforms.”
Source: The ResourceShelf , 11 July 2003
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"Information Visualization"
"Grokking the infoviz"
From the article: "Now, another kind of software that lets users converse with the data is going mainstream. It consists of programs that help you to visualise large amounts of information. They have made their way into the enterprise software used by large corporations. Interactive charts are showing up on websites. And earlier this year, Groxis, a start-up based in Sausalito, California, released Grokker, an innovative graphical tool that it also sells to consumers for $99. Will “infoviz”, as geeks call the technology, become a killer application, rather as spreadsheets did? As the term implies, information visualisation is all about making data visible—or, more precisely, the patterns that are hidden in the data. Graphic aids such as charts have done this for ages, says Ben Shneiderman of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland (and co-editor of “Readings in Information Visualisation”, the sacred text of the field). What is new, he and his colleagues explain in the book, “is that the evolution of computers is making possible a medium for graphics with dramatically improved rendering, real-time interactivity and cost.”
See Also: Check Out the SmartMoney Market Map
See Also: A Brief Review of a Few Consumer Oriented InfoViz Tool (via Informatics)
Source: The ResourceShelf, 16 July 2003
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It's free!!!
Sabrina writes: That "Wired has an article from July 15 that spotlights the innovative work of the Oyez Project. See their June 17 announcement, The Oyez Project Releases Inaugural Set of Supreme Court MP3 Files.
· From the Wired article: "The Supreme Court has recorded nearly all of its oral arguments since 1955, and Jerry Goldman, professor of political science at Northwestern University, who runs the Oyez project, hopes to archive all of them. So far, the Oyez project has converted 2,000 hours of oral arguments into digital form. A complete catalog will cover 4,000 more hours, he estimates."
Source: beSpacific - Accurate, focused law and technology news by Sabrina I. Pacifici
16 July 2003
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Carolyn Elefant writes: "Thanks to this post at David Giacalone's ethicalEsq, we learned about this article from the Seattle Post Lawyers With Heart - It Could Be A Rule (July 14, 2003). The article reports on the Washington Bar Association's proposed recommendation that attorneys voluntarily perform 30 hours of pro bono annually and notes that Seattle solo William Broberg needs no such enouragement, having already logged 100 hours of pro bono this year. And Broberg also admits to waiving or reducing his $215 hourly rate in nearly a third of his cases. Lawyer like Broberg confirm what we reported earlier in this post here: that in many instances, solos and small firms handle a disproportionately number of pro bono matters than large firm colleagues and these efforts often go unrecognized."
Source: MyShingle ()
15 July 2003