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Master Your Disaster - Online Backup
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:12:42 -0600
My new column in the ABA Journal, Mastering Your Disaster, is out and, even though it was written a couple of months ago, it seems especially timely in these Gustavian days.
The topic is online storage and backup and the role it can and should play in your disaster recovery and other planning. I consider some practical approaches for using online storage, its benefits and limitations, and some of the services now available.
The money quote:
Should online storage be part of your backup and disaster recovery plan? The short answer is yes, but only as one part of a layered backup strategy and only if you do your due diligence on the online storage provider.
I welcome your comments on the column.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Check out the companion website for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com.
Technorati tags: legal technology online storage online backup collaboration tools disaster recovery aba journal
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Gone Biking
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:05:02 -0600
Ah, back to the blog after spending time at the excellent ILTA '08 conference and the holiday weekend.
I got in quite a bit of seat time on my bike over the weekend (120 miles), with a 50-mile ride this morning.
Here's a picture of the technology I use for cycling:
The bike was conceived, selected and created for me by cyclist extraordinaire, old school bike designer (yes, it has a lugged frame), and high school classmate, Howard Smith. When it comes to technology, it's one of my favorites.
I'll be getting back to legal technology observations and reflections on ILTA shortly.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell.
Technorati tags: cycling
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See You at ILTA?
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:03:03 -0600
I've been working on the finishing touches for the slides Tom Mighell and I will be using for our presentations at the ILTA conference next week and noticing that I'm getting excited about going to the ILTA conference - one of the biggest and best legal technology conferences every year. If you're interested in legal technology and haven't yet been to ILTA, you simply have to find a way to attend it at some point - like this year.
Tom and I are pleased to get the chance to do presentations on two topics related to our new book. Here are the details:
Communications and Collaboration Tools Track
Collaboration Tools and Technologies for Lawyers 8/26/2008
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Collaboration technologies and tools are the most important current developments in legal technology and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. During this session, the speakers discuss collaboration technologies for law firms, review tools and explore alternative platforms.
Information Management Track
Legal Aspects of Collaboration Tools (Blogs, Wikis, MashUps, IM, Text Messages, Social Networks and More) 8/27/2008
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Collaboration technologies help promote information sharing, efficiency, cost reduction and can provide competitive advantages. How does the legal environment deal with the information overload and the security of confidential information escaping the realm of the organization? What aspects of legal information need to be considered to help determine how collaboration tools should be utilized in the legal world (and when they should not)? What policies must be in place to protect the shared information?
Please note that the two sessions will be quite different in focus and you can happily attend both sessions without much overlap in material. We're also working on a way to give away a copy of our book at each session.
I can already tell that I'll have my usual hectic schedule at ILTA, but, as always, would be more than happy to get the chance to meet and visit with readers of this blog at the conference. Please feel free to tap me on the shoulder and say hello. Or email me to let me know you'll be there.
For everyone attending the conference, I highly recommend the new ILTA blog, ILTA08Conference's Weblog, which already has some great practical information and should be a great way to keep up with what's happening at the conference.
I'll try to post a time or two from ILTA, but I'm notoriously a bad liveblogger at events.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. See the companion site for the book.
Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 book ilta
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LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com Goes Live
Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:37:17 -0600
With a big thank you to our friend Kevin O'Keefe and LexBlog, Tom Mighell and I are pleased to announce that the companion blogsite for our book, LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com, is now live.
I recommend that you check out the initial welcoming post to see what's in store at the site. We're excited about how the blogsite and the companion wiki will extend and update our book.
If you are attending the ILTA conference next week, please be aware that Tom and I will be speaking at two sessions on the topic of our book on August 26 and 27. Hope to see you there and maybe even try to put together some kind of blogger meetup.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Visit the companion blogsite for the book at LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com
Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 book
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See Tom Mighell's Presentation on Collaboration Tools at ABA Annual Meeting
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:29:02 -0600
Readers of this blog who will be in New York City on Friday (August 8), either for the American Bar Association's Annual Meeting or otherwise, will definitely want to attend Tom Mighell's presentation, Working Together, Wherever You Are: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools (Friday, August 8, 2008, 2 :00 p.m. ? 3:30 p.m., Conference Room D, Executive Conference Center, Sheraton New York).
The presentation is based on our book. I'll not be able to be there, but Tom will do an excellent job, and we're trying to see if I can participate briefly during a demo of one of the online collaboration tools.
From the program description:
Lawyers and firms are increasingly seeking new ways to collaborate with colleagues, clients, opposing counsel, and others. This program will focus on the practical ways every lawyer can use existing and new tools to work better and smarter with others. [This session] will emphasize how to select and use various collaboration tools and technologies. This session is equally useful for both "techies" and "non-techies."
We're also hoping to unveil the new book companion site (LawyersGuidetoCollaboration.com) at the session.
This will be a great opportunity to explore some of the ideas in our book and see some of the tools we like in action. It's one session from a series by the ABA's Law Practice Management Section at the Annual Meeting and learn more about the benefits of membership in the LPM Section.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here Now available on Amazon, too.
Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration tools technology presentation tom mighell
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My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 4 - Purchase and Out-of-the-Box Experience
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:11:59 -0600
Here's the next installment in my multi-part series on my decision to buy an iPod Touch as my new laptop computer. The focus of this part is on my actual experience making the purchase and my first day with the iPod Touch.
As I mentioned, I had essentially made my decision to buy an iPod Touch as my new laptop computer as I drove home from the Missouri Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference and then cemented my decision after talking in great detail with an employee at my local Apple Store.
However, I didn't buy the iPod Touch right then - for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is that I'm just not that spontaneous. I wanted to spend a little time thinking about it. I was also running way late for the family Father's Day party and my daughter was telling me that we had to get going. Also, my salesperson told me that it made sense to wait until July 11 because the new operating system software would be out and I'd save the ten dollars on the updated software by buying later. More on that later.
I also decided that my salesperson had spent so much time with me that I really needed to buy the iPod Touch at the Apple Store and not look for a discounted price, say, at Amazon. And that would let me walk out of the store with instant gratification.
So, my plan became to buy the iPod Touch on July 12 (Saturday morning). I was a little surprised that I didn't shake in my resolve in the least, but I was thinking about the whole "Best is the enemy of the good" concept.
The apparent fiasco of the July 11 launch of the iPhone did give me some pause. When I went onto the website for my Apple Store to check the store hours, I saw that I could actually set up an appointment. That seemed like a good idea.
It was easy enough to set up an appointment and I get an email confirmation. So, I was all set. I also updated my iTunes.
Saturday morning, however, I got an email from the store confirming a different time for my appointment and suggesting that there would be no guarantee that I'd get my appointment.
Undeterred, I printed out my appointment confirmation from the night before and headed out to the store. One thing I'll always remember from that morning was that when I parked at the mall, I saw for the first time an instance of someone parking in a way that effectively took four (not just two) parking places (making them a candidate for this probably NSFW site).
I strolled through the mall and saw a line off a hundred or so people outside the Apple Store. I took my appointment confirmation to the head of the line and security let me right in, after I assured them that I wasn't there to buy an iPhone.
The purchase experience could not have been better, and the (new to me) salesperson told me that I was smart to have bought my iPod Touch after the 11th because I'd save the $10 on the software update. Apparently, the system would associate my serial number with the purchase date and I would be charged.
The Out of the Box Experience.
As with my other Apple experiences, I have to say that the boxing of the product was a thing of beauty. My only complaint, as always, is the assumption that no one really needs any kind of manual to get started - we all must be able to intuit what to do. I recommend buying a book or planning to find out some basic information on the web before getting started.
After determining that I had found the way to turn it on, but that it needed to be charged first, I started charging it and went off to the bookstore with my daughter where I picked up a new book on iPods and iTunes, with a chapter on the iPod Touch.
Later, I decided to start by updating the software, which, of course, the iTunes store charged me $10 for. I "reported a problem" with the charge, but noticed that it showed up on my credit card bill. Oh, well, at least I can whine about that in a blog post a lot of people will read.
I will note, as have others, this update takes a very long time. Unfortunately, it also failed about 2/3 of the way through it. I wrote down the error message, said a little prayer, and started the install again. It took another very long time, but successfully completed.
I got the iPod Touch synched and loaded, and started exploring it. I was very impressed. Connecting it to my home network was a piece of cake, and I was on the Internet. I posted on Twitter and Facebook, checked my email, and read newsfeeds in Google Reader. I checked out my website, viewed some videos and listened to some music.
At the end of day one, I was (1) very glad and relieved to be done with the setup and update process, and (2) convinced that the iPod Touch could actually do what I thought it could do for me.
Coming in Part 5 - observations about my experience to-date.
I've also noted a number of other people writing about iPhones and iPod Touches as alternatives to laptop computers:
Can you travel without a computer, and just take an iPhone?
Can the iPhone or iPod Touch Replace Your Laptop?
Forget the iPhone--The iPod Touch is Good Enough
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here Now available on Amazon, too.
Technorati tags: legal technology ipod touch platform laptop computer cloud computing usability
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My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 3 - Analyzing Needs and Usage
Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:21:18 -0600
Here's the next installment in my multi-part series on my decision to buy an iPod Touch as my new laptop computer. The focus of this part is on how I looked carefully at actual needs and usage patterns to make my decision.
To review quickly and reset the scene:
I came to the conclusion it was time to consider buying a new laptop computer. I had broken the keyboard on my Tablet PC. My trusty Sony Vaio had just completed work on my book, but was five years old. And, this is a very important part of the story, I had a new employer-provided laptop to take care of my work needs.
Although my temptation was to just take advantage of the extremely attractive deals I was seeing on basic Windows Vista laptops, two things stopped me. First, the fact that by the time I configured a computer advertised at $600 in the way I wanted, the total was always in excess of $1,500. Second, I really wanted to try to focus on the way I use and I want to use a computer.
I've long had an interest in usability. Coincidentally, I was sitting next to a group of usability experts at work, giving me the chance to learn some practical details about usability and human factors analysis. And, at TECHSHOW, I had gotten the chance to talk about usability in this context with Ariel Jatib of RocketMatter, another usability expert.
So, I spent some time looking about how I actually used computers in non-work settings - home, travel, etc.
As usual, there were a lot of thought experiments and cogitation - the patterns I described in "The Best is the Enemy of the Good" still stay with me.
The key to my decision, however, came during the three days I spent at the Missouri Solo and Small Firm Conference, where I took two laptops with me (it was a car trip, not a plane flight).
I had the usual unusual projector problem - it took the second AV guy who came into the room to notice that there was some kind of translucent (yet clear-looking) lens cover on the projector. Funny, yes, but I now have one more thing to the long checklist I have made up of actual projector issues I have experienced.
I used a backpack to carry around a laptop. I used the wifi to check email, RSS feeds, web sites and to do some Twitter posts. I searched for available electric outlets and the usual stuff.
I talked a bit with Ross Kodner about laptops. I later announced to Ross that, after observing how I used my laptop, that I felt that the MacBook Air was the way I was going.
The more I thought about it, the more the Air made sense to me - except for the price, which felt a little steep, and the small hard drive. That, and the fact that any laptop made wearing a backpack around at conferences a necessity.
When I got back to St. Louis, I had to go to the Apple store to replace the power cord for my MacBook Pro, which had, incredibly, turned into a melted, frayed, non-working mess. Looking on the Internet, you'll see quite a bit written about this problem. I saw some posts that said some Apple stores will replace the cord for free. My store happily let me buy a new cord at full price.
When they asked me if they could help me with anything else. I asked them to show me a few things about the MacBook Air. The more I saw and the more I asked, the less the Air felt like a fit.
I then asked, "Would you show me a few things about the iPod Touch?" In the back of my mind, I had the feeling that everything I did for three days at the conference with my laptop could have been done with an iPod Touch (and without a backpack on my back).
About 45 minutes later, I had the answers to all of my questions, including whether an iPod Touch would work as an eBook reader for me.
I didn't make the purchase on the spot, for reasons I'll discuss in part 4.
In the meantime, I thoroughly recommend Ernest "Ernie the Attorney" Svenson's post on his recent experience using an iPhone on a trip while leaving his laptop at home. I saw lots of parallels to my own thinking.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here Now available on Amazon, too.
Technorati tags: legal technology ipod touch platform laptop computer cloud computing usability
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Collaboration Tech: Around the Corner or Around the World
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:37:02 -0600
This month's issue of the ABA's Law Practice Magazine is out and it has an international theme. Lots of good articles, but I especially wanted to highlight an article called "Collaborative Technologies: Working with Others Around the Corner or Around the World," by Tom Mighell and me.
We based the article on some of the main themes of our new book on collaboration tools and technologies. This article is designed as an short introduction to the topic of collaboration tools. The sidebar addresses the all-important issue of collaboration culture and sets out some tips for handling cultural issues in your collaboration efforts.
The money quote:
Today it?s relatively simple for any lawyer, regardless of firm size or budget, to collaborate with clients, colleagues, co-counsel, experts or even opposing counsel in nearly any corner of the world. The difference? The rise of the Internet as a communications tool.
I also like this quote, which illustrates one of our aha insights while we wrote the book - the notion of co-evolution:
The ways that people work together shift over time, which can affect your culture of collaboration. More important, the introduction of collaboration technologies can also change the culture of collaboration. If handled properly, the tools and the culture will co-evolve.
Check out the article to get an idea of why I think that collaboration is the most important topic in technology today.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Follow me on Twitter: @denniskennedy.com
The new book: The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here. Now available on Amazon.
Technorati tags: legal technology collaboration collaboration tools Law2.0 collaborative technology coevolution
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Talking 3G and other Wireless Acronyms
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:54:09 -0600
I'll get back to my blog series, "My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch," tomorrow, but wanted to point you to my latest technology column in the ABA Journal, which has an iPhone theme.
My editor, Reg Davis, had been suggesting a column that explained some of today's telcom and wireless acronyms. I liked the idea, although I was not quite as enthused about the topic as he was, in part because telcom acronyms are a world of their own.
However, when the new iPhone launched with all the hoopla over 3G access, I realized that I didn't have a very good idea about what "3G" really. The timing seemed right for the topic.
So, I took a stab about putting together a short primer to help people try to understand the arcane, daunting and confusing world of wireless acronyms, and the differences between services and generations of wireless standards, both voice and data.
The column, called "Learning 3G-Speak," takes you on a tour through the sometimes wacky world of wireless standards. Once you get the idea that 3G refers to third, it follows what 2G and 4G must refer to, but what the story about 2.5G and even 2.75.
The column should help you understand whether you really can take advantage of higher data speeds or not and aid in navigating the wireless world. Learning to speak the language will be a benefit in this area.
Let me know what you think of the article.
Follow me on Twitter: @denniskennedy
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here.
Technorati tags: legal technology 3G aba journal iphone wireless standards
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My New Laptop Computer is an iPod Touch - Part 2 - Framing the Question(s)
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:12:36 -0600
I suspect that it won't surprise most readers that I have more than one computer. It might not even surprise readers how many computers I have and use regularly. I also tend to keep and use computers a long time.
So, deciding it's time for a new computer is a big deal for me. And it always strikes me as a way to come up with material for a new article or blog post.
In early 2008, a visitor to my house might find me using either my HP Tablet PC or my trusty old Sony Vaio notebook (depending on what I was doing), my wife on a desktop computer running Windows Vista, and my daughter using my MacBook Pro. There's another desktop computer that runs the main printer in the house and largely functions as backup storage.
Things changed in two key ways this spring. First, I broke the keyboard on my Tablet PC ( a long story), limiting some of its usefulness, to say the least. A replacement keyboard would be surprisingly expensive. Second, a new employer-provided (locked-down) laptop computer entered the mix.
I've found that the big issue with older computers is not necessarily performance, but lack of storage. Small hard drives fill up quickly and you need to clean them out and defrag on a regular basis or they get very, very full and you take a big performance hit. Keyboards start to get worn (or break) and the displays aren't nearly as good as they are today.
So, I found myself in a situation where I was actually thinking about adding another new computer to the mix.
Let's review the cast of characters.
HP Tablet PC TC1100 - I understand why many think that this might have been the best of all the Tablet PCs. I've thoroughly enjoyed using this computer. It really irritated me when I broke the (portable) keyboard, but this computer was showing its age. It also posed two difficult issues. First, its small hard drive constantly filled up and performance was becoming an issue, even after adding RAM. Second, and what had become a big problem, this computer had too many problems with projectors. It's never good to have projector issues when you are speaking about technology. A number of hotel AV guys told me that Tablets and projectors were not a good mix. It reached a point where I did not have confidence that I could take the Tablet to a presentation. That was too bad because it's a great computer for traveling.
Sony Vaio 505. I think this computer, on which I'm writing the post, is my favorite computer ever. I love writing on it. In fact, I brought it back into service to write Tom Mighell's and my book. On the other hand, it's five years old. That's 50 in computer years. Again, hard drive room has become an issue, it's a little heavy and bulky, and it runs hot. The keyboard is now either worn or has a nice patina, depending on your perspective.
MacBook Pro. Great computer and beloved by teenagers. For me, the 17" screen is too big and this computer runs very hot. Homework needs generally outweigh my ability to use this one, except for some specialty tasks - like audio and video. I'm a big fan of the MacBook Pro, but would have preferred the smaller model.
As I've gotten older, I've gotten more set in my ways in what I like and dislike about computers and also gotten a better sense of how I actually use computers.
Also, and you might find this a surprising admission from me, I don't like to buy new technology just to have new stuff. I realize that might cost me my legal technologist club ID card.
So, I found myself at a point when I had good reasons to buy something new, and some plausible reasons to stay the course. After all, I really like the computers I have.
The perfect recipe for running an experiment that could turn into an article or a series of blog posts.
I decided to take a hard look at how I use computers, how I want to use computers, what might best fit my actual needs, and ways to simplify. And that will be the story in Part 3 of this series, along with how I first began to think of the iPod Touch as a serious option.
Note: A big thank you to Neil Squillante and Sara Skiff at Technolawyer for posting Chapter 17 (on SharePoint as a collaboration platform) from the book as a Technofeature. See the chapter here and take the opportunity to join Technolawyer.
[Originally posted on DennisKennedy.Blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/)]
Now Available! The Lawyer's Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together, by Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell. Join the book's Facebook Group here. The book has recently become available on Amazon.
Technorati tags: legal technology ipod touch platform laptop computer cloud computing
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