GMail’s Priority Inbox
So … did Google just buy GTriage or what?
Because it’s too much of a coincidence to just be a “coincidence.” Y’know?
Archive for the ‘current-events’Category
eSignature – free, secure online signatures
https://esign.adob.com
E-signatures? Yep – Adobe’s got ‘em. How does this work? Just like you think it works. Sign up for free, sign a document digitally. Enjoy.
What could this technology change for lawyers? Only everything. I plan to start using it immediately for client agreements, contracts, receipts, license agreements, status reports, letters, etc., etc., etc.
I have to admit – just when you think that Adobe has it all wrong … they go and do something intensely right. I stand corrected.
15
05 2010
Pwned! Google just bought your future!
"We Didn't See This One Coming"
While the Precogs could not be reached for comment, according to this story on TheNextWeb Google has acquired Recorded Future – a company that, yes, predicts the future. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
04
05 2010
Law.com Puts the Spotlight on a Bad Apple
May 4, 2010 – Law.com
Scott Rothstein ran what appeared to be a wildly successful law firm but turned out to be a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme. Prosecutors asked District Judge James Cohn to execute a vast forfeiture plan last month seeking ill-gotten gains in the form of cash, real estate, and other goods. Meanwhile, the lawyers for Herbert Stettin, the Trustee overseeing the estate of Rosenfeldt Adler (Rothstein’s law firm) feel the Government’s reach is too broad and that something should be left over for their client to administer. “I know the intersection of federal forfeiture law and federal bankruptcy law is a treacherous one,” said Paul Singerman, the Berger Singerman partner heading the trustee’s legal team. He said forfeiture laws were designed to take race cars away from drug dealers, but “this is not that type of case.” Not so long ago, prosecutors put the bad guys away, and bankruptcy attorneys and receivers recovered money for fraud victims. But the Justice Department has expanded its mission in the past decade, and the federal docket is littered with actions such as U.S. v. One Ancient Egyptian Wooden Sarcophagus or U.S. v. $13.9 million from Wachovia. When asked whether any money will be left, once prosecutors are done with claims from fraud victims, to pay creditors of the firm, Singerman responded, “We absolutely believe there will be.” Right now, however, not a lot of money has been recovered on the bankruptcy end. Singerman told U.S Bankruptcy Judge Raymond B. Ray in April that only about $3 million has been recovered by the trustee. What makes Singerman so optimistic, however, is negotiations with bankruptcy litigation targets, such as Banyon Income Fund, which claims a $775 million investment in Rothstein’s fake settlement financing scheme, and attorneys at the firm who received bonuses or loans. Singerman has told Ray that a settlement with a major player is forthcoming, and Banyon would be a juicy target. Stettin might be looking for any money Banyon received back from the Ponzi scheme, Tew said, but the Fort Lauderdale investment company reportedly lost $300 million and positioned itself as the leading creditor. << Read the Full Story >>
04
05 2010
Google Street View Now Highlights Local Businesses
Google Street View currently only highlights top listings for the immediate area; but the company plans to extend this coverage. Google also plans to incorporate transit locations into this feature.
Bonus Tip: Street View in 3D
Earlier this month, we noticed that Google still offered the 3D version of Street View it announced on April Fool’s day. To see this, just right-click on any Street View image and select “3D mode on.” Google is clearly working hard on highlighting local businesses across its properties. Google Maps already shows the names of local businesses once you zoom in close enough and last week, Google announced Google Places, a new version of its Local Business Center, which allows local retailers and restaurants to claim and update their own listings. In addition, Google is also taking pictures of the in and outside of local businesses around the U.S.
26
04 2010
iFixit – welcome to the era of DIY repairs
I would put iFixit right up there with Fancy Hands (see prior post) as a platform for showing off the possibilities of crowd-sourcing. It demonstrates what people can do when the Web creates a frictionless environment for cooperation: namely, prices drop, costs trend towards zero, and the resulting burst of activity creates an entirely new horizon. Simply awesome.
You’re probably familiar with iFixit. We link to their teardowns and home fixing guides all the time on CrunchGear; they mostly focus on Apple, and their light and informative tone is a welcome addition to such a dry topic as hardware disassembly. Well, they’ve decided that merely providing help for Apple users isn’t enough, and are today launching a “global repair community” with the aim being user-level repairs of any device.
Such a project is well-timed; the relationship between user and manufacturer is becoming more one-sided. It doesn’t trouble you that the devices we use every day are so poorly documented, or constructed in such obscure ways, that one has to be an Apple-qualified technician or Dell customer service person to fix a simple problem? I’ve actually had a long post gestating on this very topic, and now iFixit has gone and eaten my lunch.
Read the rest of this entry»
Related articles by Zemanta
- iFixit attempts to usher in a new age of user-repaired devices (crunchgear.com)
- iFixit On Gizmodo’s iPhone Teardown: “It’s Very Close To Production” (cultofmac.com)
- Learn to Fix Gadgets and Contribute Tips at the New iFixit [Gadgets] (lifehacker.com)
- iFixit Launches Global Repair Community – Never Throw Out a Gadget Again! (treehugger.com)
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22
04 2010
Fancy Hands
Recently I exchanged e-mails with Ted Roden, principal of Fancy Hands. I read about the company on Read/Write/Web and was drawn to the idea right away. Fancy Hands basically acts as a virtual valet and more; carrying out instructions, making things happen, remembering things, following up, etc. Don’t ask who, or where things happen. Just ask for it to be done, and it is. This is exactly what I liked about the vendors at this year’s ABA Tech Show, most of whom were all about practicality (and it couldn’t come at a better time).
Besides, Fancy Hands is a terrific example of crowdsourcing – an idea that, for one reason for another, never caught on but should have. Why? Because it was really this article in the June 2006 edition of Wired that got me interested in Web 2.0 back in 2006. This was quite a feat considering that the dot.com boondoggle had cost me everything I had, as well as my credibility. But the idea of having thousands of anonymous but earnest participants cooperate in making things happen was too interesting to pass up. What’s more, the Internet seemed like the perfect medium for its rise.
Of course crowdsourcing never did become a force to be reconned with in the new, new, new economy, and today it remains the proud domain of handy-crafters and artisans from around the world (Etsy anyone)? But I still think that Fancy Hands represents the next step in the development of the Internet – from the force “out there” to the network that makes things happen “here.” I like that.
20
04 2010
Just Got Invited to Google Mobile Ads
I’m a big believer in mobile: the mobile Web, mobile ads, etc. Mobile means activity and action: somebody doing something useful. It means commerce.
So I’m very gratified that my law firm has been selected to participate in the Google Mobile Ad beta trial.
If your business uses mobile ads, let me know or comment under this post. We should share experiences.
The mobile ads deployed by Google will reference my current listing on Google Local - now known as Google Places:
