INTERNET LEGAL RESEARCH WEEKLY
February 2, 2003
Tom MighellWelcome to Issue #99 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 visit Inter Alia and fill out the subscription form -- it's free!
And away we go…..
News Update
Intentia's claim falls flat
Remember when Swedish company Intentia filed suit against Reuters for obtaining an earnings report from the Intentia website from a page considered to be private? Well, the prosecutor in that case has decided not to initiate proceedings against Reuters, because Intentia did nothing to protect the information or otherwise indicate its confidential nature.A trio of Net marketing articles
Law.com sent out a flurry of articles this on marketing your legal practice on the Internet. First up is "Web Sites Can Net Attorneys More Clients," which appears to be directed at those few lawyers who haven't figured out that an Internet presence is crucial to a firm's marketing efforts. Once you get your website, "Firm Sites Must Click" shows you some tweaks that will have your website bringing clients in the door. Finally, "It Ain't Just the Website" discusses other important electronic marketing tools like newsletters and Internet seminars.Pay up to get quality medical information
I speak often about the fact that there are thousands of so-called "medical" websites on the Internet, and not much in the way of quality control. A new article from the New York Times describes new services that, for a fee ranging from $150 to $500, will find quality medical information for you. Hmmm.Good news for online court records?
In a case that could affect the future of placing court records online, the Santa Clara County, California Superior Court has agreed to hand over a copy of its electronic case management database to the San Jose Mercury News.It's not a new country....but it COULD be
Last week I mentioned all the hard work done on "invoking the LazyBlawg" -- read the links below to refresh yourself on the concept. A week later, and already the Blawgistan News is up and ready for your browsing. So far it has recent postings from 20 blawgs -- very cool.I'm a fan -- are you?
In SearchDay this week, Gary reported on PublicRadioFan, a site I have been using for some time. I am a public radio junkie, and PublicRadioFan indulges my every need. When you log on, you'll see a listing of what's playing on public radio stations around the world, right now. You can listen to all of these stations on your PC. You can even customize a search to find shows by geographical location, music vs. non-music shows, and even to suit your audio format of choice (RealPlayer, Windows Media, Quicktime, etc.). A terrific resource.Watch out for Xupiter
There's a new toolbar making its way around the Internet -- it's called Xupiter, it virtually takes over your computer, and it's very difficult to completely delete from your computer. Many who found it on their PC stated they had no idea it had even been installed.Public Records on the Internet
In Wednesday's SearchDay, Chris Sherman discusses Search Systems, which is probably the best site on the Internet for finding public records, both fee and fee. It contains links to over 11,000 free public records sites, as well as links to pay sites. If this site isn't part of your Favorites folder, it should be.2002 Search Engine Awards announced
Search Engine Watch presents the winners in its 2002 Search Engine Watch Awards. As expected, the monopolist Google (see below) was the big winner.The Google-opoly among us
Dahlia Lithwick of Slate Magazine discusses how Google has become a monopoly in the Internet search world.
Find the Search Engine of your Dreams
The Internet grows at an amazing rate each day. It's no surprise, then, that literally hundreds of search engines have popped up in the past few years, each convinced it has what it takes to become your search tool of choice. And although I am an unabashed cheerleader for Google, I'll also admit that Google doesn't always find what I need. That's why it's important to have a number of search tools on hand. How to find the search engine of your dreams? This week we'll take a look at a few resources that can help you end your search for a tool that will help begin your search -- so to speak.
We must start with the big boys of search engine resource sites -- Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Showdown. Search Engine Watch provides lots of information on search engines -- web searching tips, reviews, ratings, and tests, search engine resources, and most importantly a listing of search engines, categorized by type. Search Engine Watch is also the home of SearchDay, a terrific daily report on the world of Internet search news, and many other great resources. Even more resources are available to paying subscribers. Search Engine Showdown also provides listings of the different types of search engines, as well as a description of the features offered by each search tool. You can also find statistical information including analyses of the size, freshness, and inconsistencies of various search engines. Both of these tremendous sites should be permanent residents in your Favorites folder.
Most of the remaining sites in this article are known as "Search Engine Directories," which provide links to literally hundreds (or in some case thousands) of specialized search engines. A site that attempts to review some of these directories is the Guide to Specialized Search Engines, which provides useful reviews of each site mentioned. One such site is FinderSeeker, which bills itself as "the search engine for search engines." Just select the type of search engine you're looking for and then choose a country, and FinderSeeker will tell you if there's a search engine for the topic in that country. A similar page is offered by Search Engine Colossus, but instead of a pull-down menu, you'll get a listing of links to 232 countries (as well as specific categories) that have search engines. Search Engine Guide offers listings of thousands of speciality search engines, and also over 3,000 links on search engine news, articles, tips, and the industry itself.
Another site describing itself as "your search engine resource" is SearchEngines.com. There's a large listing of search engines in four topics: General Search, World Search, Topical Search, and Reference Topics. You can also find helpful information on how to search the Web, and if you have your own website you can learn how to achieve higher rankings in various search engines. Finally, I want to mention Search Engine Dictionary; it's not a directory, but it is a great resource for anyone wanting to know more about search engines. Learn how manual submission differs from mass submission, and what happens when FUD spreads. An interesting site.
If you only have time to visit a few sites, make sure you concentrate on Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Showdown -- they are definitely the premier sites on search engines.
Have a search engine resource you want to share? Drop me a line and I'll mention it in an upcoming issue!
Help Desk
Time for Mouse Tips, Part III. This week, the scroll wheel. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you might find that scrolling requires too many spins to be useful, or that it scrolls too far with each turn. To fix this, pull up Mouse Properties (in your Control Panel) and click the Wheel tab if you have one (mine is actually under the Buttons tab -- others may be under the settings tab). Enter a number from 1 to 99 to set the number of lines each turn of the wheel will scroll. Click Apply or OK.
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
SpanishDICT
If someone just called your girlfriend "vistoso" and you're not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, SpanishDICT can help. This Spanish language dictionary has over 56,508 words, including 10,369 audio pronunciations. The site translates from English to Spanish and vice versa. There's also a "word of the day," plus some very basic links on learning spanish.Finding Court Opinions on the Web
I always like sites that provide lists of links on a particular subject. This site was adapted from Bob Ambrogi's book "The Best (and Worst) Legal Sites on the Web," and it's a nice collection of links to finding State and Federal court opinions. Especially helpful is the description of the scope of each link, so you know how far back the opinions in each database extend. My only criticism would be that someone needs to update the site -- there are a number of broken or outdated links here.Venue Resource
This site has a lot of potential, especially for those of you who are planning to hold an event in an unfamiliar area. Venue Resource is a directory of meeting, seminar, conference, retreat, reunion, and event locations. Just select the area of the world (yes, the world) where you want to hold your event, then give more particulars: the type of venue, whether there's a religious affiliation, and whether it will be all men, all women, or coed. Venue Resource checks banquet halls, bed and breakfasts, camps, conference centers, hotels, resorts, retreats, and universities in the area requested. An interesting resource.Drug Free Workplace
This is another of those U.S. government sites that has so many resources I can't do justice to it in this brief paragraph. There's a pull-down menu with hot topics like flight attendants coping with trauma, specimen collection handbook, hair testing program, prevention registry, and much more. You can also review online video briefings, resources and tools on drug testing in the workplace, a calendar of events, and some great links on workplace prevention research. If you are advising your clients on implementing a drug testing program, this is a great place to keep up with the latest developments.Electronic Resources for International Law
The American Society of International Law prevents this terrific set of links and articles on international law. The Quick Links is very user-friendly, and offers pages of links on Commercial Arbitration, Human Rights, International Criminal Law, International Economic Law, International Organizations, Private International Law, Treaties, and the United Nations. You can use the Quick Links, but I would instead recommend that you instead use the Resource Guide for each topic -- they are fully annotated and contain a lot of useful information.
Finally, a bunch of fun sites to end the week:
Dave Barry has a blog! I wonder why more humorists don't post online
iFilm has its recap of Super Bowl commercials. This site was a mess when I saw it -- many of the links don't work at all, and those that do have an annoying 15- second movie trailer at the beginning of each commercial. If you can get through to them, check out Monkey Dive and Instant Replay.
With its weapons report concluding that Iraq is not in compliance with its resolutions, the United Nations can finally turn to the real terror threat: it has ordered Willy Wonka to submit to chocolate factory inspections.
Check out Fast Food Facts, where you can find the nutritional content from some of your favorite fast food items, from places like Taco Bell, McDonald's, Subway, Wendy's, and more.
While we're on the subject of junk food, learn more about the "great pop vs. soda controversy," which plots on a map the regional variations of use of the terms "pop," "soda," and even "coke."
And if you've had it with the spam you receive, why not Torture a Spammer?
Well, that’s it for Issue #99– 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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