Author: Vince Kimball

Don't Fear the [Grim] Reaper.  Grimmys or Grammys “It’s going to take a lot to keep this year’s Grammys from looking like the Grimmys. The good news for viewers is the blockbuster lineup for Sunday night’s Madison Square Garden show. The bad news for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the… Continue reading Don't Fear the [Grim] Reaper

Want to keep up on Microsoft? Visit the “Watching Microsoft Like a Hawk” aggregator. I do.  [The Scobleizer Weblog]

Great Review of CaseMap 4 – by Dennis Kennedy is available here.  A Windows only program, but it is outstanding and worth at least trying out for 30 days.  I downloaded the free trial version a couple of years ago and used it to chronologize the facts in a TRO matter that was going to… Continue reading available here

Law firms that tout their techno-wizardry – I have had the opportunity recently to check out a few law firm websites and marketing brochures.  What fascinates me most is are the firms that engage in mindless bloviating about their technological prowess.  One law firm cites (as proof of its commitment to use of technology) the fact… Continue reading

Law firms that tout their techno-wizardry – I have had the opportunity recently to check out a few law firm websites and marketing brochures.  What fascinates me most is are the firms that engage in mindless bloviating about their technological prowess.  One law firm cites (as proof of its commitment to use of technology) the fact that “PCs are on the desk of every lawyer, paralegal, secretary, and staff person.” One wonders if, “on some attorneys' desks” the PC functions as an art object rather than a productivity tool.

Another firm, whose website hasn't been updated since it was first created, makes much ado over the fact that the firm has HP printers and uses Word 97.

What's interesting about these public displays of techno-affection is not that they are so pathetically out-of-step with a true vision of what technology can do in a law firm.  It's that the firms are obviously touting their prowess as a marketing ploy, which is fine if the commitment to use technology is real.   The not-so-subtle message they seek to convey is that they are on the cutting edge of efficiency and state-of-the-art lawyering.  In short, they are saying “we are diligent and know how to use technology to help you with your case.”  Yeah, except when it comes to that very difficult and convoluted task called 'updating your website.'  [Ernie the Attorney

Deep thoughts on Court Websites – Howard Bashman has a great article at Law.com on what makes for a good court website.  He prefers that the opinions be available in PDF format, but applauds the US 1st Circuit and the US 10th Circuit for making opinions available in both PDF and HTML format. He chastises the… Continue reading great article at Law.com

Selling Information Architecture The Right Way. In A User-Centered Approach to Selling Information Architecture, over at Digital-Web, Jeff Lash gives a great article on not only the selling of IA, but in effect putting the goals and needs of the client first. [ia/ – information architecture news]

10 things you need to know about XDocs. Jean Paoli, the architect of Microsoft Office's XML capabilities, recently spent several hours showing me Microsoft's newest Office family member, InfoPath (formerly XDocs, originally NetDocs). Here are 10 things you should know about this revolutionary piece of software. [Full story at InfoWorld.com.] … [Jon's Radio]

Are you an Amazon Associate?. I'd noticed that my Amazon Associate fees this quarter were much lower than average. Then I notices that I wasn't getting any referral fees for some items readers emailed to say they'd purchased. Jason dig some digging and discovered that Amazon's URLs have changed. Apparently only one style of URL… Continue reading Are you an Amazon Associate?

Useit.Com: Investor Relations Website Design. While companies must provide IR information to attract and retain investors, they must also be realistic about the types of content and features that users need most. Simplicity and a coherent story about the company are better than drowning users in incomprehensible data. [Tomalak's Realm]

IBM: Challenges in mapping organizational knowledge (pdf). Quote: “The term knowledge management (KM) conjures up a number of images: a customer service representative accessing a database of frequently asked questions; a team of consultants collaborating on a new salary study; or a facilitator capturing the lessons learned from a major marketing initiative. Many firms have… Continue reading IBM: Challenges in mapping organizational knowledge (pdf)