Internet Legal Research Weekly -- January 18, 2009

Welcome to Issue #326 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'll be out of town next weekend, giving a presentation for the Arkansas Bar Association. See you in two weeks!

A Cool Tool for Google Fiends
Do you find yourself using many (if not all) of Google's great tools during the day? What if you could access all of them in one place? That's the goal of GMDesk, an Adobe Air product that breaks all of the great Google tools out of your browser and puts them in a standalone application (If you don't have the Adobe Air platform on your computer, you'll have to download it first). Once you download the free application, you can toggle between the various Google services: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Reader, and Picasa Web Albums. GMDesk works pretty well -- one criticism I have is that you cannot print in most of the applications, like you can from a browser. That may be a dealbreaker for some of you. But if it's not, give this tool a try -- it's pretty nifty.

Unlimited Storage on the 'Net
I always rave about Mozy, the online service I use to back up my critical home computer documents. I get unlimited storage for around $55/year, which is a pretty good price to me. But here's a service that offers unlimited storage, like Mozy, but for free. Livedrive works just like a normal hard drive, but it's online. You can see your files online from any computer -- even from your iPhone. Now, the downside of Livedrive is that, like any hard drive, it doesn't back itself up. Livedrive comes with no automated backup software, like Mozy. But you can use any commercial backup program in conjunction with Livedrive, so this isn't really a serious drawback. Livedrive is free right now, but I bet this doesn't last forever....so sign up now and take advantage while you can.

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

We've been covering Office 2007 tips these past few weeks, and this week we're moving on to Word 2007:

Word 2007 has a "legal blackline" feature that allows you to compare two versions of the same document. Just go to Review, then Compare, and then click Compare again. Specify the original document, then the revised version, and Word will show you the differences.

If you want to remove the personal data (or metadata) from your document, Word 2007 makes it easy. Just click the Office button (top left), then Prepare. Click Document Inspector, and you'll receive a dialog box with the types of data that you can remove. Click inspect, and Word will show you the types of hidden data exist in your document; unfortunately, it won't let you see the actual information itself. Click Remove All next to the types of data you want to delete, and Word gets it done.

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!

This Week at Fios

The next Fios webcast will take place next week, on Tuesday, January 27. Titled "The Sedona Conference Cooperation Proclamation," Mary Mack will moderate a discussion between Richard Braman of the Sedona Conference, Hon. John Carroll of the Cumberland School of Law, and Ken Rashbaum of Fios, as they discuss the legal and ethical case for the idea of cooperation in discovery -- a new idea indeed! To register (it's free), click here.

Legally Relevant – Sites on the Internet

The Victorian Bar
Although I'd wager most of my readers are not members of the Victorian Bar in Australia, some of you may find this site useful if you're looking for information on lawyers in that areas. The site offers what most bar association sites contain, including several directories of barristers -- women, interstate barristers, and a general list. There are at least a dozen directories available. You can also review the good conduct guide, practice rules, and information on complaints about Victorian lawyers.

The U.S. Senate
Sure, this will not be a new site to any of you, but it's a good idea to revisit these types of sites from time to time to see if anything new is going on. Here, you'll find a link to the 2009 Inaugural, with up-to-date information on the ceremonies. In addition to the expected info -- session schedule, hearings, active legislation, and votes -- you'll also find a virtual reference desk, lists and other statistics, as well as a history of the current Senate chamber.

Washington State Digital Archives
Washington is the first state to have an archives dedicated specifically to the preservation of electronic records from state and local agencies. Currently, 79 million records are preserved online, of which 63 million are searchable. The archives contain the usual birth, death, marriage, and divorce records, as well as agreements and contracts, audio recordings, military records, oaths of office, photographs, plats and surveys, and much more. Images are available for many records; for others, you may have to order them by mail.

Irish Patents Office
Need information on an Irish patent? This is one place to start. Like most patent office sites, it has the usual elements: a way to search patent databases and registers, a place to renew your patent or trademark, and separate areas to learn more about patents, trademark, and copyright, and how to apply for them.

Tobacco Free Initiative
This is an initiative of the World Health Organization, to promote research on various aspects of tobacco production and consumption and their impact on health and economics. The site is a treasure trove of information, with links on the various research topics, resources on surveillance and monitoring, capacity building, and communications. You'll also find a substantial number of publications on tobacco control from a worldwide perspective.

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

I found several helpful articles this week:

If you ever find that someone has made false statements about you online, here's what you can do to get them removed.

And LifeHacker offers these Top 10 ways to save money in a recession.

Darn that Auditorium game for taking up an hour of my day! Align the shapes so that the stream of light plays beautiful music -- really cool game.

Well, that’s it for Issue #326 – 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

Now available: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell

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