INTERNET LEGAL
RESEARCH WEEKLY
March 21, 2004
Tom
Mighell
Welcome to Issue #149 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!
No newsletter next week, and maybe the week after that. I'll be out of town at ABA Techshow this week, and then I'll be trying to fix the mailing list. I have been having problems with the mailing list software for a few weeks now, and I need to explore other solutions. So until I have it resolved, you may not see another issue. I'll be back as soon as I can!
And away we go…..
Paying for all those new features
Since its break with Google a few weeks ago, Yahoo! has launched some really great features. At least one person is noticing that these new changes also bring a heavier reliance on advertising. Does it affect the relevancy of search results?RocketInfo gets into the RSS Business
News search and aggregation service RocketInfo recognizes that RSS is an important development in how news headlines are presented, having unveiled its free web-based RSS newsreader. It looks like an interesting product.Onfolio -- a new way to organize your research
If I don't mention Onfolio this week, I will apparently be the only one who doesn't, because it certainly is getting a lot of buzz. The product, which saves your surfing activity for future reference, appears to be very similar to another program I use, NetSnippets -- I'm going to have to give it a test drive. If you're still on the fence, read Chris Sherman's review.AltaVista, AllTheWeb: RIP?
An article over at Pandia suggests that since Yahoo! now owns both AltaVista and AllTheWeb, it will allow both of them to die a quiet death. However, Chris Sherman reports over at the Virtual Chase that the reports of their death are greatly exaggerated.Speaking of Yahoo....
It seems they unveil a new feature just about every day now, doesn't it? This time it's called Smart View, and it's an enhancement to Yahoo! Maps. Just plug in an address, and you'll have the opportunity to find restaurants, shopping, community services, and more in the surrounding area. Very cool. Chris Sherman has the scoop.Google local -- ready for prime time
Not to be outdone by Yahoo, Google unveiled Google Local this week, to help you find businesses and other items in your area. A search for "bowling alley dallas texas" gave me a listing of about seven bowling alleys in the area. You can also expand your search to within 45 miles of the original location. You don't even have to go to the Google Local page to get local results. Just use the regular Google interface, and your first result will be "Local Results for your search." Check out Chris Sherman's review of the new service.Find scoop on international businesses
If you're looking for a new way to look for information from public companies, check out The Scannery, which covers 12,000 companies including the S&P 500, Euro 400, and the Global 1000. Gary Price has a review over at SearchDay.What? There's more than Google?
Yep, it's true. In Beyond Google PC World lists a number of great specialized data resources that can focus your research faster than a Google search.Meet my computer, HAL
A number of technology companies are starting to push the idea of "presence," which is described as the notion that computing systems will know where their users are and help others make smarter choices about how to get in touch. Yikes -- no privacy issues there, nosiree.Don't take these words for granite
yourDictionary.com has a list of the 100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English -- you will find yourself nodding in agreement with many of the entries. Speaking of commonly mispronounced words, and for all of you that I am about to meet at ABA Techshow, my last name (Mighell) is pronounced just like the unit of distance (Mile), not like you would expect (Mig-Hell). Hopefully this will minimize the number of blank stares I'm likely to get when I introduce myself.......Blawgs of the Week
More and more lawyers are coming out with their own weblogs, on new and interesting topics. The law students at the former En Banc have begun again, as it were, with De Novo, which will feature a continuing series of symposia on various legal issues. Mass Legal Services has not one, but two new weblogs: first is the Legal Aid University Weblog, which will make distance learning materials for lawyers available online. The MassLegal Website Blog has been blogging since October 2003, providing thoughts and ideas about legal aid technology. Nanosem IP is truly a focused blawg -- it's dedicated to advances and patent related issues in nanotechnology and semiconductor-based technology. The blawg belongs to patent attorney Benjamin M. Halpern. If you're ever tempted to relocate your law practice to the U.S. Virgin Islands, talk to Iris, whose Welcome to Paradox blog details law and life in the tropical paradise.
A New Viewpoint on Searching the Web
Check out the new Viewpoint Toolbar, which has some interesting features:
When you print Web pages, you have probably noticed that the pages come with the URL and the date printed at the bottom of each page. Want to change what you see at the bottom of the page? Here's how to do it in Internet Explorer:
- Select File, then Page Setup.
- Look at the Headers and Footers Section. You'll see a lot ofgobbledygook -- these are codes that tell the printer what to print. Here are what some of them mean:
Window Title: &w URL: &u Short Date: &d Long Date: &D Time: &t 24-hour format: &T Current Page #: &p Total Number of Pages: &P - You can put the codes together, so that multiple pieces of information appear on the page. Mix and match to see which ones you like.
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
Library of Congress Research Tools
I always love a good set of tools. These research tools help you to navigate the Libary of Congress' vast holdings. Here you'll find links to the Library's Online Catalogs, Specialized Bibliographies, Legislative Information, and Full-Text Resources. A nice reference page to have around.Minimum Wages Laws in the U.S.
I also like sites that provide information on a certain topic for each state. And you really can't go wrong with anything on the Department of Labor website. Just click on a state, and you'll find the minimum wage rule for that state. Okay, so it's just a single page with very basic information...but it's useful nonetheless.National Crime Prevention Council
Ah, McGruff, the Crime Dog. I didn't know he was still around. But he's still the mascot for the NCPC, which provides lots of information on crime prevention. Most of the site deals with the business of the NCPC: seminars, publications, advertising, and such. The most useful page is found via the link in the upper right of the home page, "Topics in Crime Prevention." There you'll find even more links to publications on topics such as Children, Corrections, Safety, Societal Threats, Communities, and much more. AND you can get a McGruff bobblehead doll here, too.On the Docket
Maintained by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, On the Docket aims to provide continually updated coverage of cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. The page consists of a chronological list of Supreme Court action, with the most recent at the top of the page. You can also check out the archives for Supreme Court sessions back to 1998-1999. The layout's a little sloppy, but the resources are great.SelfHelpSupport.org
The mission of this site is to support practitioners in the courts, community, and legal profession through the dissemination of relevant information on self-help and legal aid programs. Access the library of over 500 publications gathered from pro se programs across the country, and join a listserv to receive regular updates on the topic. To access many of the areas you have to join, which appears to be free of charge.
Finally, some fun and interesting sites for you this week:
Calling Tech Support is never fun, and it's definitely not fun to pay $25-$35 per incident for support. So give PCPinpoint a try -- for $49.95/year you can receive unlimited online tech support.
Are you writing the next great novel, but can't think up names for your characters? Just head over to the Random Name Generator and find a few names, like Terri Rives, Jonathan Klink, and Winford Lillyblade.
Have you ever found yourself on a cell phone call wanting to give the impression you were someplace other than where you really were? SounderCover wants to help. Just download the software and you can pretend you're near heavy machinery, caught in a thunderstorm, or that your other phone is ringing.
Well, that’s it for Issue #149 – 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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