January 16, 2005

Welcome to Issue #178 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!

Are you tired of receiving this newsletter in your Inbox? If you're using a newsreader to read RSS feeds, you can now receive each issue of the ILRW via RSS! Just subscribe to the following feed:

http://www.newslettersbyrss.com/feed/642.xml

If you do decide to switch to the newsletter via RSS, let me know, and I'll unsubscribe you from the list.

Another News search by RSS
Findory is now offering RSS feeds with its news and/or blog searches. Just scroll down to the end of your search results and you'll see the RSS icon. Several news sites have this feature -- what makes Findory different, according to its founder, is that it personalizes the feed based on your preferences. Remember, Findory is the search service that tries to learn about you based upon your the searches you perform. So everything you read through the RSS feed will teach it a little more about you. That might sound scary, but it also has the potential to greatly enhance your search experience.

IE Not Alone in the Flaw Department
One effect of the seemingly unending "critical flaws" found in the Internet Explorer browser has been the steady but sure migration to the Mozilla Firefox product. As Firefox continues to increase its market share, we can expect to see the number of flaws detected similarly increase. And here's the latest; a flaw can expose users to phishing scams. But to be affected by this flaw, you'd have to do quite a bit -- first you'd have to click on a link in an e-mail leading to a fake web site. Then you'd have to click a link to download the malicious software. That's why security experts are assigning this flaw as a "2" out of a possible "5."

*Another* Desktop Search Tool ::Yawn::
Somewhat late to the party, Yahoo is debuting its new Desktop Search Tool today. The software is designed to work as a companion toolbar to Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, or alone by itself on the desktop. See the Yahoo! Search Blog for reasons why you should download it, and check out Chris Sherman's (favorable) review over at SearchDay.

Reclaiming Precious Seconds
If you open PDF as often as I do, you are no doubt tired of the length of time it takes for Adobe Acrobat Reader to start up -- it takes forever? Well, others feel the same, and someone has written a program to speed up your PDF reading. Download the Adobe Reader Speedup -- it's reviewed by Chris Sherman, who likes it. Give it a try.

A Worthy Alternative to SpyBot?
The idea of Microsoft developing software to remove spyware and adware is a little like a candy company selling anti-cavity products, but what the heck. This week it released a beta version of its AntiSpyware utility, based on software created by GIANT Company, recently purchased by Microsoft. Flexbeta pits the new MS product against Ad-Aware and SpyBot, and the results are favorable. It appears the AntiSpyware beta performs pretty well, but the reviewers are quick to say that you should never rely upon one spyware removal product -- always keep two or three around, because they remove spyware with different degrees of success.

Walt Mossberg thinks the new Microsoft AntiSpyware beta has some serious flaws and lapses. He recommends Spy Sweeper as the best anti-spyware utility out there -- I have tried this program and I think it's great. You're going to have to pay for this one, though.

Blawgs of the Week
The blawgs keep rolling in. Here's this week's collection: There's a new blog in Ohio called the Ohio Legal Research Blog. It's being written by those known only as "Ohio Legal Researchers," and they've got some pretty good Ohio stuff up there so far. Yet another blog has arisen in the Law Professor Blogs Network pumpkin patch. This time it's ContractsProf Blog, featuring postings from Frank Snyder of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, and Carol Chomsky from the University of Minnesota Law School. A general counsel working in the Midwestern U.S. has just started up The Wired GC, showing "corporate law from the inside out." The Greatest American Lawyer doesn't describe its author, but rather "a set of standards" the author aspires to, as he makes the journey "from a cushy job at an established law firm and into the brave new world of non-solo practice." Finally, A Connecticut lawyer named Mark is blogging about the law of his state over at Kirby's Reports, named after America's first court reporter. Give it a look, especially if you're a Connecticut lawyer.

ABA TECHSHOW 2005: A Preview

The world's premier legal technology conference is just 2 months away, and I'm starting to get excited. This year, ABA TECHSHOW 2005 will offer over 60 educational programs (with CLE credit available!), in five different tracks every day. The tracks this year include General Practice/Solo, e-Discovery, Applications, Family Law and Technology, Internet, Litigation, Malpractice Prevention, Advanced IT, Tech University, Security, Hot Topics in Tech, and Tools & Tips.

But wait -- there's more! This year ABA TECHSHOW is offering a *sixth* track of roundtable discussions -- informal gatherings with speakers and other experts, on topics that will be addressed at the conference. With titles like "Acrobat and the Paperless Office," "Electronic Discovery in Everyday Cases," "WordPerfect Revival Meeting," "What's New in Scanners, Printers, and Other Devices," and "Meet the Bloggers," you're sure to find something fun and incredibly informative. Also, once again ABA TECHSHOW is bringing back its popular Technology Training Institute, where vendors and legal technology experts provide hands-on demonstrations of their software -- bring your laptop!

Have I mentioned the perks yet? ABA TECHSHOW attendees will be able to take advantage of a "wireless cloud" in all of the meeting rooms, allowing you to access the Internet from anywhere in the conference area. The exhibit hall will be open during the breaks, with dozens of legal technology vendors eager to demonstrate their wares. While you're there, you can use the free USB Thumb Drive (which you'll receive in your registration goodie bag) to download trial versions of vendor software. And at night, you'll be able to attend one of the "dinner bashes" scheduled, so you can get to know your fellow TECHSHOW attendees.

ABA TECHSHOW will take place in Chicago from March 31-April 2. It's a lot of fun, and you're guaranteed to learn a lot of stuff you never knew before. For more information, head over to http://www.techshow.com, or just drop me a line -- I'll be happy to tell you more!

Help Desk

In newer versions of Word, you may notice that if you try to insert an object like a Text Box or AutoShape, a huge "drawing canvas" is dropped in, wreaking havoc with your document. It's annoying and it doesn't need to be there -- here's how to remove it. Select the Tools menu and click Options. Then choose the General Tab, and uncheck the box next to Automatically Create drawing canvas when inserting AutoShapes. Then click OK. Drawing Canvas vanquished!

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!