INTERNET LEGAL RESEARCH WEEKLY
December 20, 2009
Tom Mighell

Welcome to Issue #352 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 going to take a little time off during the holidays, so this will be the last issue you'll receive in 2009. If you like what you're reading here, please send it along to a friend and ask them to subscribe - thanks, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

And away we go.....

News Update -- from the Inter Alia Weblog

ABA's Blawg 100: Vote!
Well, I guess the Inter Alia Nation isn't as strong as I thought it was - hardly ANY of you voted for me in the ABA Blawg 100. So I'll make one last plea - I've been nominated for one of the best legal technology blogs by the ABA Journal. All I need is your vote - just head over to the ABA Blawg 100 and cast your vote for Inter Alia!

Blawgs of the Week
Here are a few of the great law-related blogs featured on Inter Alia this past week:

Today's blog has a name that does not automatically make you think "law blog" - HumanRacehorses features "a look at the legal aspects of the employment relationship - slightly irreverent but hopefully frequently helpful." It's authored by Harold Goldner, a Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania employment lawyer with more than 30 years of trial experience.

The (primarily) California firm of Barger & Wolen publishes the Life, Health & Disability Insurance Blog, which covers both ERISA and non-ERISA issues with a special emphasis on California law and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. It's edited by Robert McKennon, with posts authored by other B&W attorneys.

Help Desk

If you're a Vista user, you'll notice that to turn off the computer you have to go to the small arrow on the Start Menu and select Shut Down. The big button to the left of it looks like a Power or Shut Down button, but NO - it's only to put the computer in Standby. However, there's an easy way to change that button's command so that it will shut down your computer when you click it. Here's how:

  • Click the Windows button, type Power into the Start Search box, and double click on Power Options to start that program.
  • Click the Change plan settings link below the power plan you're using.
  • Click the Changed Advanced power settings link.
  • Click the boxed-plus left of Power buttons and lid to open it.
  • Click the boxed-plus left of Start menu power button to open it.
  • Click the word Sleep and change it to Shut Down.
  • Click OK and close Power Options. That's it!
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!
Updates from Twitter

Here are the articles and resources I found interesting on Twitter this week:

Legally Relevant – Sites on the Internet

Xyggy
This interestingly named site is a new search tool, with the fundamental idea that search should be item-based, not just text-based. What are items, you ask? They include documents, web pages, images, music, products, sounds, patents, books, legal cases, resumes, and more. Xyggy offers three different types of search: Xyggy Patents, which covers U.S. granted patents from 1976 onwards; Xyggy Articles, with 20 years of New York Times (1987-2007), and Xyggy Legal (Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal up through Fed.3d 491). For the legal search, just start typing in the name of a case, and it will instantly provide a list of similar or related cases. The interface is a bit odd, and the materials may not be complete, but it *is* just a beta site right now.

Tennessee.gov
Next up in my tour of state web portals is Tennessee, and it looks like we're back to basic, non-Web 2.0 sites. I think it is so important for a state web portal to prominently feature its Online Services, and the only online services visible from the home page is for drivers. There is an RSS feed for latest news headlines, but other than that, this is just a rather ordinary state web portal.

Hotel/Motel Fire Safe List
This page is interesting, because it seems to be only for "U.S. Federal Government travelers required to stay in properties listed on the Hotel-Motel National Master List when on official travel." So only federal employees are entitled to know which hotels are fire safe? I say we ALL use this list, in the event we need to check on the fire safety precautions taken by hotels, motels, and even apartments and bed & breakfasts. Just fill in the relevant information, and you'll get a listing of hotels/motels in the area (or you can search for a specific property). The database looks like it is updated on a regular basis.

VitalRec
VitalRec is one of the first sites I ever mentioned in this newsletter when I first started publishing 9 years ago, and the site still looks just like it did 9 years ago. But don't be fooled - the information provided here is still terrific. In one place, you can get information on how to obtain vital records (birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses and divorce decrees) from every state, territory and county of the United States. You can do searches for free, but of course you'll be subject to the fees of the particular state or governmental entity if you want to actually order records. Still, this is a great jumping-off point for this type of information.

DeepDyve ($$)
DeepDyve is a new site, and it's a little like Netflix for research articles. Users can search across 30 million articles from thousands of authoritative science journals and magazines. You can read open access articles for free, or rent the "premium" articles for just 99 cents. A pay-as-you go account allows you to rent an article for one day; a Silver account costs $9.99/month and gives you 20 free rentals a month you can keep for 7 days, and a Gold ($19.99/month) account provides unlimited rentals. This is an interesting concept, and definitely a great way to get access to scholarly articles without paying outrageous publisher prices.

Finally, some fun and useful sites to help start off your week:

Are you having trouble finding that perfect gift for that techie family member or friend? Check out Measy; it makes selecting a smartphone (or camera, or tv, or netbook)really easy. If your geek prefers to live online, try these 10 Great Digital Gifts for Social Media Lovers.

Destroy the Wall is a "physics" type of game - you need to strategically hit the wall with your ball to make sure a certain number of blocks are still standing.

Well, that’s it for Issue #352 – 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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Questions? New websites? Just want to talk? Send me an e-mail at tom(at)inter-alia(dot)net.