INTERNET LEGAL RESEARCH WEEKLY
October 6, 2002
Tom MighellWelcome to Issue #84 of the Internet Legal Research Weekly, a newsletter that delivers relevant and timely legal research information, and other fun stuff, to your inbox every Sunday. If you like what you read, please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested, and encourage him or her to do the same! To subscribe, all you have to do is send an e-mail to ilrw-subscribe@topica.com. It’s free!
If you didn’t visit Inter Alia, this week, you missed out on 23 (that’s twenty-three, folks) stories you aren’t reading in this issue. Lots of helpful hints for you on the website. What are you waiting for?
And away we go…..
News Update
Wisenut Back in Business
Wisenut, the search engine I reviewed in the January 27 issue of the Internet Legal Research Weekly, has been relaunched by LookSmart, which purchased the search engine earlier this year. The search engine's index had previously gone pretty stale from lack of updates.
Dogpile Also Gets a New Lease on Life
Dogpile, the meta-search tool, has been updated by InfoSpace, to deliver a faster, cleaner, easier-to-use interface.
Tyburski on Trademark Searching
If you have a trademark practice, or know someone who does, this article on Tracking Trademarks from Genie Tyburski's Virtual Chase is definitely worth a read.60 Sites at Your Leisure
This past week I participated in a “60 Sites in 60 Minutes” Presentation with the Colorado Bar Association. Here are the links (and more) to the sites we covered.Keep Your Computer Updated and Safe
A number of security issues came out this week, from Windows security issues to the new BugBear e-mail worm. You should read these articles, but at a minimum make sure to run Windows Update and update your antivirus protection.Google to Charge? Say it Ain’t So!
Google is considering charging for some of its services, including the fabulous newly re-launched Google News.They Call it Flipper, Flipper, Faster than Lightning…..
A few weeks ago, Chris Sherman wrote a great series of articles on meta-search tools (you can find them at Search Engine Watch; look for the September 16, 17, 18, and 19 issues). If you don’t use a meta-search tool as part of your research arsenal, shame on you. But don’t worry, you’re not alone – a survey by InfoSpace found that 86 percent of the people surveyed knew nothing about meta-searching.
Simply put, a meta-search tool takes your query and sends it to multiple search engines simultaneously – so a meta-search “engine” is not really a search engine, but more a backdoor to many search engines. The main advantage of a meta-search tool is speed; it’s just more efficient to do all your searching in one place rather than visit each search engine one by one. Unfortunately, meta-search tools do not allow you to take advantage of the advanced features of particular search engines. For that reason, you’re often limited to simple searches at these sites. Meta-search tools are best for getting a broad overview of the topic you’re researching.
To help you become more acquainted with these valuable research tools, I plan to review a different meta-search site every month or so (I have already reviewed Vivisimo and Surfwax in previous issues). This week, we’ll look at Flipper.
Flipper claims to be the first search destination to provide true “Deep” or “Invisible” Web search capabilities. If you have been receiving this newsletter for a while, you know the Deep Web consists of websites the major search engines don’t (or can’t) visit. The quality of information on the Invisible Web is hundreds of times greater than that of the Visible Web, but tools for accessing this hidden world are only slowly making their way onto the Internet. Flipper professes to be one such tool. In addition to providing information from the Deep Web, Flipper also displays results from other search engines and the Open Directory.
Let’s try a search. Let’s say you heard about the astounding $28 billion verdict against tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris on Friday, and you wanted to learn more about the company. Just type in “Philip Morris” (don’t forget your quotes), and the results page delivers first the Deep Web Results, and then Web Results. Deep Web Results are categorized by site; here, our search retrieved results from Time, CNN, Fortune, the Washington Post, Biography.com, Business 2.0, the New York Times, eBay, World Announce, and the All-Music Guide (huh?). If you want to concentrate on one specific website, you can do that by clicking on the Expand link – it will take you to a page containing links from just that particular Deep Web resource. Also helpful is the Preview function, which allows you to check out in advance what’s on the web page, without first having to go to the website. Just remember to turn off your pop-up ad blocker before you use this feature.
Ultimately, I’m disappointed in Flipper for legal research, because I had very little success searching outside of pop culture topics. A search for “Digital Millennium Copyright Act” turned up three results, and the query “multi-jurisdictional practice” returned one. However, a search for “Bruce Willis” brought up over 174 documents, and “Lord of the Rings” had 223 results.
That being said, Flipper is a pretty interesting technology; one neat feature is the ability to drill down by category once you get your search results. Taking the example from the “Lord of the Rings,” you can further narrow your search by choosing one of the categories, which include Performing Arts, People, Products, News, Books, Games, Software, and Auction Categories. This was a nice way to get to the root of your search.
As a legal research tool, I’m probably not going to recommend Flipper. However, you may have a different result with this meta-search site. I do urge you to check it out for yourself, if only for information on books, movies, celebrities, public figures, and other pop culture references.
Do any of you use Flipper, and want to tell me I’m dead wrong about this review? Drop me an e-mail, and I’ll post your response!
Help Desk
I often provide tips in this space on how to improve your computer’s security. Sometimes, through an over-abundance of caution, many computer users turn their Internet Explorer security settings too high, resulting in problems with various websites. Many multimedia websites cannot function well (or at all) when the security settings are high. For example, I could not figure out why I was unable to get ESPN’s GameDay football screen to load, until I realized it was being blocked by my firewall (as well as my Popup Ad Blocker program).
How to fix this? It really depends on the program you’re using. In Internet Explorer, simply adjust your security settings to the medium level – this should keep out all the really bad stuff. If your firewall program is the culprit, tinker with it until you find the setting that best balances your surfing habits with your security needs.
Do you have a question about searching the Internet or your computer in general? Drop me an e-mail– I’ll post your question (don’t worry, I won’t use your real name) and try to get an answer for you!
Legally Relevant – Sites on the Internet
LawMemo
LawMemo’s mission is to “provide the world's best employment law update service.” LawMemo publishes the Employment Law Memo, and NLRB Law Memo, which are e-mailed to subscribers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays each week. The subscription price for these newsletters is $200 per year, but there are still plenty of good free resources on this site. The home page features the latest in employment law news headlines, with links to the Arbitration Center, pending cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, EEOC and NLRB sites, an employment law firm directory, articles, and much more. LawMemo at one time apparently published the back issues of its newsletter online, but the most recent one is dated March of 2001; I’m guessing that’s the time they decided to start charging for their product.Full-Text Statutes and Legislation
There are many pages like this on the Internet, and I still think mentioning them is valuable. This site simply lists links containing full-text state constitutions, statutes, legislation, session laws, and administrative rules. And it’s updated regularly! A great one-stop shop for state research.Learn About Incorporating a Business
Need to learn the basics about starting a business? This site, provided by Business Filings Incorporated, gives you a good overview about the different types of businesses, Frequently Asked Questions about LLCs, Corporations, and Non-Profits, tables comparing the different types of business entities, detailed state-by-state incorporation info, and even advice on which state to choose.Linktivity ($$)
Linktivity’s business is web communications. The company’s two main products are WebDemo, a Web-based, real-time conference and collaboration software tool, and Web Interactive, a tool that enables support professionals in your firm to control PCs remotely. I would imagine WebDemo would be more interesting to practicing lawyers – if you need a tool that allows you to work with others over the Internet or give online presentations when your clients are far away, Linktivity might be a company to consider.GPO New Titles by Topic
If you ever order publications from the Government Printing Office, this is a terrific service. Just sign up for e-mail alerts in any of nine topics: Business, Defense and Security, Education, Employment, Federal Statistics, Health Care, Military History, Travel and Tourism, and FDLP Electronic Only Titles. You’ll get an e-mail any time a new title is available for purchase. If you can’t wait to receive the publications by mail, there’s even a map of branch offices around the country where you can buy them in person.A lot of fun and useful stuff this week:
First, TypingMaster helps you test your typing skills.
If you are a member of the Taliban (or know someone who is), Taliban Reunited helps you find out what your old terrorist chums and captives are doing now.
Looking for something to completely blow all of your free time? Try Bookworm. Connect letters to form words – just don’t let the library burn down!
If you're wondering how ImClone, Martha Stewart, Enron, Worldcom, Merrill Lynch, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing, Adelphia, and others are connected, just check out this easy-to-read diagram.
And finally, The World’s Funniest Joke. If you haven’t been keeping up with this, LaughLab (a real live scientific project) has been sifting through 40,000 jokes this past year searching for the world’s funniest joke. Here it is – judge for yourself:
A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice, says: "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: "OK, now what?"
Well, that’s it for Issue #84– I hope you liked it! If you did, pass this along to anyone you think might be interested, and encourage him or her to subscribe. Also, feel free to drop me an e-mail any time if you have questions, or if you have websites or other topics you want included in a future issue.
Tom Mighell
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