INTERNET LEGAL
RESEARCH WEEKLY
July 6, 2003
Tom
Mighell
Welcome to Issue #116 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!
I'm still experimenting with the HTML format. In general, the response was very positive, but I did get several complaints that newsletter was displayed in a long, narrow, unattractive column. I think I have fixed it this week. Let me know how it turns out!
In this issue I have a whole lot to say about the week's headlines. So we'll skip the article this week, and pick up on it next week.
And away we go…..
More on the new Google toolbar
SearchDay continues its search toolbar series by reviewing the new features of Google Toolbar V. 2.0.Of surveys and the jungle: how we use search engines
A few weeks ago I commented on the fact that Internet users are woefully behind when it comes to searching skills. Now Consumer Web Watch releases the results of a study discussing how consumers use search engines. Among the findings: that Internet users have little understanding of how search engines work, and that most do not click beyond the first page of search results. I suppose that, while disappointing, neither of these findings are particularly surprising. That is the major negative effect Google has had on our search culture: the results areso accurate, searchers become complacent and assume that the search engine has done the job requested of it on the first page of results. In a somewhat related story, Jakob Nielsen discusses how most Web users behave as "information foragers," like wild beasts in the jungle. Does that make all of us "Informavores?" Based on the survey above, I'm not convinced that all Web searchers are able to think that clearly about their search technique. Then again, Jakob may have a point -- that it's more of an instinct than a conscious effort. In yet another story, Penn State researchers have found that most Web searchers are impatient: they visit only the first three results on a search page, and one in five spends 60 seconds or less on a linked Web page.New metasearch from Pandia
Fans of search guide Pandia Search Central will want to check out its new meta-search tool, Pandia PowerSearch.RSS Legal News Feeds
This is old news (I'm still catching up!), but Genie Tyburski over at Virtual Chase has a page of RSS news feeds for law. There's a link to a helpful article explaining RSS (for those of you who need a refresher), and a great list of sites to add to your newsreader.The week's spam news
What would a week be without more news on that scourge of our inbox? (a good week, that's what!) First, the MIT Technology Review presents a nice overview of the epidemic in Spam Wars. And the BBC provides more information on a troubling trend: spammers are hijacking our computers to send spam. The new spam-fighting technologies are not faring well, either. The new challenge-response method of stopping spam at the gates is proving to be more of a challenge to the visually impaired -- could it be a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act? Finally, have you ever wondered how much spam costs you or your employees in lost productivity? $874 a year. Seems way low to me.Liable for Libel?
Last week, the Ninth Circuit held in Batzel v. Smith that website operators cannot be held liable for republishing the defamatory comments of others. Since then, many weblogs have ventured the bold proposition that this holding suggests bloggers cannot be sued for libel. Wrong. Jack Balkin points out that bloggers can still be held liable for their own defamatory statements, just not for the libelous words of another. So we're not completely off the hook.Proximity Searching in Google
One of my favorite search syntaxes on West is the proximity tool -- to find all cases where "insurance" appeared no more than 10 words away from "subrogation," all I had to do was type "insurance /10 subrogation." Most Internet search engines don't provide for proximity searching, but Elwyn Jenkins has been discussing whether such a thing is possible in Google. Jenkins suggests inserting an asterisk (*) between your search terms for each word between those two terms. For example, type in "internet**weekly" and you should get several instances of "Internet Legal Research Weekly." However, this isn't really a true proximity search -- it's really a "wildcard" search, where the asterisks represent whole words between the two search terms. Further, your search results will not include pages where "weekly" is only one word away from "Internet" -- only two words. Perhaps a better tool to use for proximity searching is the Google API Proximity Search, which allows you to search for terms within up to 3 words of each other. This will bring you results where the second term is only one or two words away. It even allows you to add additional search terms as well as rank your results by proximity. Now, if only it could expand the maximum number of words......!Spy on your government official
With all of this talk about the Terrorism Information Awareness System gathering information about all of us, the folks at the MIT Media Lab thought it was about time we were able to gather information about our leaders. This week the lab unveiled Government Information Awareness, a database compiled by online sources and the general public about the people who lead our government. The database currently has 3,000 individuals. When I visited, it was very slow, perhaps because its server is being bombarded by visitors -- or maybe the site isn't quite ready for prime time. From what I could see, though, it looks like an interesting experiment. I can see the potential for trouble, however, because the site allows anyone to post anything about a government official. The folks at GIA hope that the credible reports "rise to the top," just like they do at Google. The most interesting thing I found during my short visit to the site was that my IP address was prominently displayed at the top of the screen. For a site that purports to give us the ability to spy back on our government, a visible IP address certainly sends the wrong message, especially because users are supposed to be able to post comments anonymously. I'll review the site further in a few months after it has a chance to settle down.Blawgs of the Week
Here are the noteworthy law-related weblogs that came my way this week: First is Sophoristically Speaking, from an Ozarks attorney speaking on life, law and liberty. And for followers of matters on expert witnesses, Peter Nordberg of Daubert on the Web has launched a companion weblog, Blog 702.
To Save or to Open? When you download a file, you're usually asked by Windows whether you want to Save the file or Open it from its current location. Which is best? It depends on the type of file. If it's a file you want to keep on your computer, you'll want to select Save so that it will be saved to your computer for a later time. I use the Save option when downloading software or other files that I have paid for -- that way I don't have to download it again (and potentially pay for it again) if I have to reinstall the program.
When you choose Open, the file is still downloaded to your computer -- it is saved with a temporary name, in an Internet Temporary File. The problem is you don't know the name of the file, because you didn't get a chance to name it -- if you have a lot of Temporary Internet Files, you could spend a long time searching for the file.
Do you have a question about searching the Internet or your computer in general? Drop me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net – 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
DOE Office of Inspector General Early Alert System
Do you have an interest in the work done by the Department of Energy's Office of the Inspector General? I can see a few hands up in the crowd, but not many. This Early Alert System can help you whether you're interested or not -- just provide your e-mail address, and you'll be notified of significant OIG reports, press releases, and publications the moment they are posted on the website. A good way to keep current without having to actually put out any effort.ePsych
Why does this site force my browser window into a smaller size whenever I visit it? It's really annoying, but the ePsych site does look better in the reduced window. It's developed by the psychology department at Mississippi State University, and is designed to teach visitors about psychological processes in an experiential setting. Just choose from one of the available worlds -- the Deliberate Mind, the Biological Mind, the Descriptive Mind, and the Adaptive Mind -- and you'll find all sorts of tests and tasks to complete. You can learn a lot here about the way people process thought.Merlin Industry Links
Merlin Data is collecting an extensive list of web sites and internet resources geared towards the investigative & collections industry. That's all you'll find here -- a list of links. Choose from Search Engines, Free Search Resources, Regional Sources, Private Investigator Associations, Government Links, and more. You can probably find all of these links at other sites, but it certainly is nice to have them all in one place.Karate Law
Those who read this newsletter regularly know that I love websites about specific and unique areas of law. That's why Karate Law excited me so much. Turns out it's the website of David Kaufman, an attorney with significant experience in the field of martial arts. There are a few useful things on this site, such as a glossary of martial arts terms and links to other martial arts websites. For the most part, however, this site exists as part of Mr. Kaufman's law practice marketing efforts.National Intellectual Property Law Institute
NIPLI is a non-profit organization that serves as a research, resource and education center for advanced thinkers in business, industry, government, law, academia and the judiciary. The Institute provides training to individuals and corporations on patents, industrial security, and many other intellectual property issues. There's not much to the website, unfortunately; it's mostly a venue for interested participants to register and then take advantage offline of all that NIPLI has to offer.
Finally, some fun and useful sites for you this week:
If you've ever wondered what it's like to spin records like a real DJ in a club, check out this site.
Headed on a long driving vacation? You'll be glad I pointed you GasBuddy, which lists the locations of the cheapest gas you'll find all along your route.
Well, that’s it for Issue #116 – 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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