June 2004

Web Cameras in Simulation

June 19, 2004

Need to explore using web cameras with thin clients - do a web-cam record/upload via a Linux thin client with a USB camera.

Technology Standards for Law Schools

June 19, 2004

Discussion of the proposed changes to the ABA standards for law schools.

Should technology be a part of the professional responsibility course.

Need to educate students about the proper use of technology in the practice.

Should law IT standards mirror standard 602 for law libraries?

Software training for students?

What should the relationship between campus IT and Law School IT be?

Does the campus provided email meet any standards set by the ABA re: practice of law and standards for practicing attorneys.

need to bring in some Microsoft Office classes.

OpenExpert.org Expert System for Legal Clinics

June 18, 2004

Presentation question about the OpenExpert.org expert system. Expert systems in legal clinics can help with preservation of knowledge in a place where turnover is high by design, helps train new students, help new students find solutions more quickly and finally system can be made publicly available via the web.

Does an expert system replace students? No. Expert systems are good but they have limits and are much more effective when utilized by a trained person. They also don't solve all types of problems or in areas where there are subjective evaluations. It is best at areas of clearly defined law with lots of options (tax law, child support etc.).

Sailesh Chutani: Your Life as a Movie

June 18, 2004

What if everything you see, smell, hear, say and touch was recorded. Microsoft Research was founded in 1991 and has more than 700 people in more than 55 areas. Microsoft Research works very closely with many universities worldwide.

SenseCam - a small black box that captures images based on sensors that trigger the taking of pictures. Target is to have a device the size of a fifty-cent piece that captures data. The price point for this is fairly reasonable. Built from off the shelf components.

Storage needs are increasing. In todays storage terms the cost of storage for a lifetime is $10m today. In 10 years the cost of 10 peta bits of storage will likely be less than $10K for a lifetime of images. Moore's Law suggests that by 2019 a $1000 computer will match the computational power of the human brain.

Alaska Airlines

June 17, 2004

My flight yesterday on Alaska Airlines prompted some comments. At the airport I noticed I'd forgotten my headphones so I picked up a small set of ear-buds. The purchase turned out to be a good choice since there is no in-air entertainment system on the 737-900 jet I was on. They advertise a DVD/CD/MP3 player for rent if arrangements are made in advance. The jet was clean, new and quite nice. The flight crew left something to be desired. The snippy flight attendant informed me that although she could see that the ear buds were off they had to be taken out of my ears and "stowed" for takeoff. I use my headphones as ear-plugs during takeoff and landing...

Clay Shirky

June 17, 2004

Notes from the opening address at CALI. The comments in italics are mine.

Clay Shirky: Data is the new book. The change is a slow process. Things get broken for a long time and stay broken for a long time. When the printing press was invented the old systems broke for a long time before we figured out how to use it.

The library as canary - users are opting out and libraries have to deal with that.

First reaction: STOP! There is a threat of de-coherence. Often we try first to bring users back to the old model. Change is driven by a market model - 10% change can be enough to change the way we do business. The classic mode of dealing with this is driven by the impacted institution. "Eat More Lard" - A message from the lard council.

MindFortress

June 17, 2004

Mindfortress looks to be an interesting multi-media knowledge base app. I think they have the start of something here. But it is lacking in a key feature. The knowledgebase needs to sync through the web. If I have two machines then I need to ability to seamlessly have them sync but still work while offline.

Seattle, Washington

June 16, 2004

I'm in Seattle for the next few days. The CALI conference is going on at the University of Washington Law School. With all of the recent moves and trips to and fro it is a bit disorienting being back in Seattle for the first time in more than a decade. I have to say, though, that if one were prone to living in the city that Seattle is definitely a place to consider. Actually I think Vancouver Washington and Vancouver B.C. would also be great places to consider. San Francisco (next week's trip) is better known for its hills than Seattle but the two are on par. The sponsors of the conference were kind enough to include an umbrella in the conference materials.

Law LUG

June 16, 2004

K12LTSP.org - LTSP.org 0 unix thin clients. Embry is using it for kiosks.

Swishie - document indexing.

Nevada Powerless

June 14, 2004

I was thinking there wasn't much to write today. But Jeff Beard's story about Dell's Horrific Tech Support reminded me that I'm still waiting for a call back from Nevada Power. Their support supervisor said that I was given bad information and then proceeded to suggest that I was "twisting the facts" when I had pointed out she said "she was not going to circumvent the normal policy to help me." I pointed out this meant she could but was not going to. That folks is what they call twisting the story.

I guess I'll have to file a complaint with the public utilities commission about the abuse at the hands of Nevada Power. If you take Jenina's word for it then a first-level supervisor at their call center is the highest power in the building. Sure sounds like all the call centers I've ever been in. Yup there are plenty of times where there are call-takers and their supervisors and nobody else.... wait that's not true.

Pages