Wake Up! - Alarm Clock Technology

I guess I do not have a hard time waking up in the morning. Do not get me wrong, I like to sleep in on the weekend as much as the next person. However, if I do not want to get-up, I simply do not set an alarm. That aside, I guess there are people out there who set alarms, but have a hard time (perhaps on some unconscious level) of actually getting-up out of bed when the alarm goes off. If you know someone like this, the following products may be helpful.


Sfera Alarm Clock:

This alarm is an orb that you mount on your ceiling to hover over your head. When the alarm sounds, the sleeper can hit the orb to activate the snooze. However, each time the user hits the snooze button, the cord will retract toward the ceiling and will get higher and higher forcing the person to eventually get-up out of bed to turn off the alarm.

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Hello Google Chrome -- Goodbye IE7

Google is preparing to launch its debut in the internet browser market with an open source browser that is expected to compete with Firefox, Apple Safari, and of course Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (“IE7”). Several years ago I wrote an article that discussed IE7 and some of its promising features. I personally use IE7 at home and at work. I believe it is very good browser and I have no major criticisms of IE7. That being said, I’m getting my bags packed and preparing to go on a trip with Google’s new browser called “Chrome.” I believe that Chrome has a very promising future for the following reasons.

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The Indiana Supreme Court rejects Regulation Rule 2.2

The Indiana Supreme Court has rejected the proposed Rule 2.2 to offer voluntary regulation of paralegals (click here).

Paralegal Appreciation Week

IPA is pleased to announce Paralegal Appreciation Week (April 25 - May 2, 2008).

ABA Techshow 2008 – A Paralegal's Perspective

By: Courtney David Mills
IPA Technology Director, Chair of IPA's Litigation Section, and Litigation Paralegal at Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, P.C.

I can finally put away my thumb drive lanyard, bluetooth earpiece and pocket protector for another year. The 2008 ABA Techshow has concluded : (

For those that have not attended yet, the ABA Techshow is considered the top legal technology conference in the U.S. The conference is 3 days of legal technology emersion and occurs during early spring each year in Chicago, IL. The conference features some of the top legal technology minds in the U.S. and even borrows some expertise from our neighbors to the North. The conference is designed for everyone (i.e., judges, attorneys, paralegals, office administrators, IT professionals, litigation support professionals, etc.). There are 4 sessions per day, with 7 available tracks per session to choose from. The tracks include, "Advanced IT/Security", "Records Management", and "Litigation" (to name a few). This year's confernece featured new tracks on "Going Green" (building sustainable and environmentally friendly legal practices), and "Mac Track" (featuring cool looking computers that do not work with any mainstream computer applications and are prone to crashing unexpectedly, j/k – Mac people are free to send emails to feedback@indianaparalegals.org). Below are some of the highlights from 2008 Techshow.

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IPA AND IKON TO AWARD PACE SCHOLARSHIP IN 2008

IPA and IKON proudly announce that they will award the second annual PACE Scholarship in 2008. Applications for the IPA-IKON PACE Scholarship are currently being accepted. One scholarship will be awarded. The criteria for this scholarship are:

 

1. Candidates must be a voting member of IPA.

 

2. Candidates must be PACE-eligible in meeting education and experience requirements at the time of application.

 

3. Candidates must have exhausted other possibilities for funding costs associated with sitting for PACE, without incurring debt, including employer support, prior to making application for this scholarship.

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Let's Get Chumby

By: Courtney David Mills
IPA Technology Director, Chair of IPA's Litigation Section, and Litigation Paralegal at Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, P.C.

During my browsing for a topic to write about, I came across a review for a “Chumby.” At first, I thought it was some kind of overpriced brick that you could use to decorate your home. However, after watching a short video on the product, the geek in me was seriously impressed. The Chumby is essentially a small linux-based wi-fi enabled miniature computer with a small touch screen and built-in speakers. The following are some features of the Chumby.

Alarm Clock: If nothing else, the Chumby makes a decorative and amusing alarm clock. The alarm feature can be set to wake-up to preset pictures, music, internet radio stations, podcasts, etc. The Chumby is connected to your home internet and can be programmed from any internet ready computer. Users can download different backgrounds and clock settings.

Picture Frame: The Chumby can also be used a nice looking quality digital picture frame. Again, you can either transfer pictures on to the Chumby’s internal memory or utilize a free online picture archiving website (i.e., Flickr, Photobucket, etc.). Users can set the Chumby to randomly display pictures at preset intervals or even show random video clips.

Games: Users can also download free games that utilize the Chumby’s touch screen and motion sensor. The games are referred to as “widgets” and can be previewed and downloaded from a computer and sent to your Chumby via your home network.
Messaging / E-Mail: The Chumby allows users to send other Chumby users (a.k.a. "chums") messages or access their email account (POP3 or Gmail). This is a great feature if you are awaiting an email and do not want to be tied to your home PC. The features also allow you keep track of your social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.) and keep in contact with friends and family.
Misc.: This device has constant internet access through your home internet connection so it can keep track of Ebay auctions that you are bidding on or watching. Users can watch videos or set-up videos to play as a video frame (a great treat for the Harry Potter fans). You can have it set to update with constant sports scores or other news information from most news sites. You can keep up to date on podcasts, blogs, and even stream live internet radio to the Chumby (through the built-in speakers) and also connect your IPod or MP3 player to play music. Weather widgets are also available that act as quick weather forecast (very similar to weatherbug).

The Chumby is an interesting innovative product that is designed for just about anyone. It combines some very useful features ranging from simple (i.e. clock, digital photo frame) to more geeky features that allows users to wake-up to their favorite song and a quick summary of the overnight news. The content (including widgets, games, etc.) are free and are based on open-source code (which is designed for allow programmers to create free and innovative widgets for the device). The price of the product is $179.00 (free shipping). Considering all of the features, this is a bargain.

Websites of the Month:
Chumby.com: This website has all of the information on the product and is the only source for ordering the product. Users can also create a virtual Chumby online. It allows users to test different widgets, games, and see what the Chumby is capable of doing. http://www.chumby.com