INTERNET LEGAL
RESEARCH WEEKLY
December 14, 2003
Tom
Mighell
Welcome to Issue #137 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…..
The sunny side of the web
Susan Gerhart, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, asks the question, Do Search Engines Suppress Controversy? For more information on this subject, check out her main page. The answer to her question: yes, to some extent search engines do not list controversial sites on search results. The lesson here is to make a change in your search parameters -- as the author puts it, search more carefully for controversy -- "actively seek the 'darker side' when appropriate, by using more search engines, more diverse queries, and a greater number of search results."An Impermanent Library
A recent study finds that 13% of Internet references contained in scientific journals are no longer valid after two years. This phenomenon does not apply merely to scientific journals; website pages are changing, moving, or disappearing all the time. It's a big problem for researchers who want to cite an Internet site. Any solutions? A technology known as DOI (digital object identifier) looks promising, but only for pages that have moved.A meta-search toolbar
Now here's a temptation for me: one of my favorite meta-search tools, Vivisimo, now has a mini-bar and a toolbar. Like many of the other toolbars, it allows you to search the Web from any site on the Internet, and it also has a pop-up blocker.Back on the block
Speaking of meta-search tools -- they went through a hard time during Google's ascendance to the top of the search engine heap. But they have learned their lessons, and they are ready to be useful to you again."Thou Shalt Read This Article
You really need to pay attention to the Ten Commandments of PC Security.An Update
In this week's issue of the Internet Legal Research Weekly, I lamented that the terrific Statistical Resources on the Web site was horribly out of date. Turns out the University of Michigan agrees -- there's a pilot version of a newly-designed site up and running. (Thanks to Genie for the heads up!).That evil spammer could be you
Over the past few months, you may have received a bounced e-mail that says your e-mail to a certain person was rejected -- and you didn't send that e-mail in the first place? In that case, the spam didn't come from your computer -- but from another infected computer that had your e-mail address. Experts now predict that over one-third of all spam comes from hijacked, innocent computers -- if you don't maintain your technological lines of defense, you could find yourself as the next big spammer.Online Holiday Shopping on the rise
It used to be that shoppers would do their research on the Internet, then head out to their local store to make the purchase. But a recent survey indicates that over 40 percent are actually doing their research in stores, and then making their purchase online. Maybe this is due to the big improvement we have seen recently in the major shopping search engines. Don't forget to read the Twelve Tips of Christmas Online Shopping -- some good practices to follow here.Yet another helpful Web resource for holiday shoppers
Those of you who purchased holiday gifts online are no doubt awaiting their delivery by one of the major freight services. Now Google can help you track your package -- just enter your UPS or FedEx tracking number (for FedEx packages, add "fedex" before the number), and the first (and usually only) result you'll get will be a link to track your package! There are also several other "search by number" features, including patent numbers, FAA airplane registration numbers, and FCC equipment IDs.Blawgs of the Week
Time again for the law-related weblogs I happened upon this week: First up is Ingo's Blog, a weblog on knowledge management measures, published by -- you guessed it -- Ingo. The Parablawg is written by Ashley Pinkston, who intends the site to be a research resource for paralegals to explore the ever expanding legal blog, or blawg, cybercommunity. Welcome, Ashley! Finally, he couldn't stay away for long: David Giacalone, who retired his blawg ethicalEsq? a few months ago, is back with ethicalEsq's Haiku Bar & Grill, "serving legal ethics, clients' rights, and haiku moments." Welcome back David -- we missed you!We're now 11 days out from Christmas, and some of you may still be trying to find that perfect gift online. Here are some online shopping tips that were originally published by Consumer Web Watch (I would cite the source more thoroughly, but it came to me in a newsletter and I can't find it on the site):
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
National Women's Health Information Center
A service of the federal government, this site was created to provide free, reliable health information for women everywhere. On the home page, there's a lot goin' on, including information on educational campaigns, health news, FAQs about women's health, spotlight issues, and more. There are special sections on issues such as breastfeeding, heart health, pregnancy, and violence, as well as useful resources including dictionaries, press releases, and hot topics in Congress. You'll even find health articles in chinese and spanish.U.S. Hospital Directory
Part of the HealthCareHiring.com site, this is a pretty simple directory to most (if not all) of the hospitals in the United States. Just click on a state, and you'll get a listing of hospitals, including contact information, the number of beds available, and a link to the hospital's website.ChoiceReviews Online ($$)
This is the Internet version of the print publication Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. The magazine reviews significant current books and electronic resources of interest to those in higher education, and publishes more than 6,500 reviews each year. You'll have to be a subscriber to the magazine to access the online content, or you can register for a free two-month trial. However, by clicking the link "New Site License Edition Now Available," you can get some more information, including tables of contents of the various issues of the magazine, plus other resources.English Dictionaries
This nifty site has links to many of the major online English dictionaries, with a meta-search function that allows you to search all of them at once. Just check the dictionaries you want to search, enter the word, and you'll get results back from each site. Unfortunately, the results open up in separate windows, which is pretty annoying. But if you want to see how the definition of a word differs from site to site, this is a great place to accomplish that all at once.American Institute for Cancer Research
The AICR is a charitable organization that "fosters research on diet and cancer prevention and educates the public about the results." The Institute concentrates on the role of diet and nutrition in the prevention and treatment of cancer. You'll find links to research, publications, information services, as well as special sections for cancer survivors and health professionals.
Here are some fun and useful holiday sites for you this week:
With the holidays comes the never-ending progression of holiday parties. The law firm of Snell & Wilmer offers these tips for Holiday Parties without a Litigation Hangover (PDF File).
If you can get past the annoying popup (that even the Google Toolbar couldn't stop), check out this index of Christmas Carols -- here you'll find the lyrics to many of your favorite seasonal songs.
Check out Amazon's A-List -- each day the site is featuring a new celebrity with gift suggestions and a personal touch. For example, James Patterson writes an essay, Christy Turlington shares her favorite yoga poses, Seal is giving away free music downloads. This is pretty cool.
Check out the 2003 Advent Calendar, featuring a Christmas memory and a useful holiday site each day leading up to the 25th.
It's not too late to join eBay's Secret Santa Gift Exchange. Just create your own list (or join someone else's); then tell eBay what you want in your Wish List. eBay draws names and lets you know the name for whom you should buy a gift.
Well, that’s it for Issue #137 – 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
Subscription Information: If you want to keep on receiving issues of the Internet Legal Research Weekly, send me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net, or visit Inter Alia and sign up there! If you no longer want to receive the newsletter, just click on the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Or, send me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net and I'll remove you from the list.
Archives: Miss an issue? You can read previous issues of the Internet Legal Research Weekly in the Archives.
Questions? New websites? Just want to talk? Send me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net.