Archive for the ‘website’Category

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.

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22

04 2010


by practicehacker
posted in DIY, Video, Wired, cool stuff, crowdsourcing, current-events, disruptive technology, technology, tips, website, websites, work, youtube
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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.

Posted via email from practice (redux)

20

04 2010


by practicehacker
posted in Wired, Wisdom of Crowds, crowdsourcing, current-events, disruptive technology, startup, website, websites
1 Comment

ABA Tech Show 2010 in Pictures

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28

03 2010


by practicehacker
posted in ABA, ABA Jounral, Amicus, Article, Blogging, Docs, FastCase, LPM Section, Lexis-Nexis, Marketing, Meeting, Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, Mobile device, Office, PCLaw, PDA/SMARTPHONE, PDF, Podcast, Podcasting, SaaS, Sponsor, Telephony & Voice Over IP, Video, Westlaw, Word, Wordpress, blackberry, clio, community, conference, current-events, in house counsel, law, law office, legal marketplace, legal research, litigation, manager, martindale-hubbell connected, media, moblogging, new media, news, old media, practice, practice management, records, review, rocketmatter, social networking, software, technology, the business of law, tips, tools, twitter, unbundling, web 2.0, website, work, youtube
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Litigation Software to the Rescue!

43% of litigators who participated in a recent ABA survey say that they use litigation support software. As for the 57% of you wondering what exactly litigation software is, this is your lucky day. The term litigation support software refers to an entire subgenre of database software for storing, searching, and reviewing discovery and evidentiary material. Way better than manually going through a physical file, that’s for sure! Here’s a helpful chart produced by the ABA of the different litigation software out there. For more information on the respective companies and how their software can facilitate your your litigation practice, take a look at the websites below and decide for yourself (this applies to both the 43% of you already familiar with the systems as well as the 57% of you who may be interested in making the switch):

1. Anacomp CaseLogistix
2. Lexis Nexis Concordance
3. ILS Edge
4. iCONECT
5. ImageDepot
6. IPRO eReview
7. Lexbe
8. MasterFile
9. Nextpoint
10. CT Summation iBlaze

24

02 2010


by practicehacker
posted in ABA, LPM Section, Lexis-Nexis, archiving, conduct, cool stuff, e-discovery, knowledge management, law, law office, legal research, lists, litigation, media, practice management, review, search, software, storage, technology, tools, website, websites, work
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Halo Reach Team (I’m the Skull Guy)

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23

02 2010


by practicehacker
posted in Halo, Microsoft, Video, beta, media, new media, social graph, social media, social media tools, social networking, software, web 2.0, website, websites, xBox, youtube
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Buzz Gets a Search Engine

Now you can refer to a search engine to find the things you didn’t know you cared about on Google Buzz. Welcome to Buzzzy.

Posted via email from practice (redux)

17

02 2010


by practicehacker
posted in apps, collaborative tools, google buzz, knowledge management, realtime, search, social graph, social media, social media tools, social networking, tags, tips, tools, website, websites
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LifeHacker Beats Me to the Punch … Again!

How to do Everything in Google Buzz (Including Turn It Off) by Gina Trappani of LifeHacker fame tells you … well, everything you need to know about Google Buzz.

Dammit Trappani, leave some news for the rest of us to report.

Seriously though, nice job. J

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10

02 2010


by practicehacker
posted in Article, Google, Lifehacker, buzz, current-events, disruptive technology, knowledge management, lifestreaming, practice, practice management, review, social networking, technology, tips, tools, web 2.0, website
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WestlawNext. Where’s the Beef?

Reuters has been claiming that it’s “next gen” product WestlawNext will practically do your research for you, and as you know monopolies like Westlaw are famous for truthfulness so I don’t see why we shouldn’t trust them. Do you?

For instance, check out the above video. I couldn’t help noticing that there is nothing substantive in it, or in any of the company’s other marketing pieces for this product. Not the slightest attempt to tell me why this bill of goods is any better than the last one. Come on Westlaw. How do you look yourself in the eyes every morning? Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice … and I won’t buy your bullshit anymore. How about asking lawyers what they really need for a change instead of selling high-priced hot air? In short, I say #fail.

Posted via web from practice (redux)

31

01 2010


by practicehacker
posted in Blogging, FastCase, Google, Lexis-Nexis, Video, Westlaw, beta, business, disruptive technology, law, legal research, practice, semantic search, technology, tips, tools, website, websites
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