The Connected Lawyer

I have a Zits calendar on my desk. For those of you not familiar with Zits, it’s a comic about a teenage boy. Really, it’s much funnier than it sounds. Anyway, yesterday’s comic from my calendar was too good not to share.

Does anyone else love the fact that the Supreme Court released two tax cases on April 15?

Normally I don’t just link to other things. However, you need to check out the latest post from Lowering the Bar. The post discusses a recent ballot proposal in San Francisco to turn Alcatraz into a Global Peace Center. This post is too good to be missed.

Recently TSA has started a blog. On balance I think this is a good thing. Anything that allows TSA to communicate more directly can only benefit all of us. Plus, it looks like the blog and its comments have lead directly to TSA taking action to limit inconsistent application of its rules.

Nevertheless, the blog provides a great opportunity to poke a little fun at TSA. In this vein, I am particularly fond of a post from Steve Johnson, the Chicago Tribune’s Internet Critic. In his post, Steve provides the Rules of the TSA Blog. These include things such as:

1. Commenters must arrive at the blog 45 minutes before attempting to post a comment.

3. Comments that are longer than three paragraphs are subject to confiscation. For more on the handling of comments, see our post, “Why 1-Quart Zip-Loc Bags are Much More Secure than 1-Gallon Zip-Loc Bags.”

9. The rule about no lithium batteries in checked bags is not TSA’s rule. To complain about that, please visit the FAA’s blog. Oh, that’s right. The FAA doesn’t have a blog. Which agency do you like better now?

My favorite zinger, though, deals with the TSA’s blog title, Evolution of Security:

4. The use of the term “evolution” in the blog’s title does not constitute endorsement by the TSA or this administration of the concept of evolution, generally. TSA believes it may well be possible that airport security is the result of Intelligent Design.

Check out Steve’s entire post to see what else he has to say about the TSA’s new blog.

I have two fun things I want to point out today. One is “scary-fun” and the other is “cute-fun,” but it’s probably only that if you have small children.

First, the scary-fun.

From Wellington Grey comes a  great little slide show demonstrating some of the more inane aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The subtitle to the slide show is “An Example of Anglogue Circumvention and Idiocy.”

Anyway, check it out to see a clever analogy that demonstrates some of the idiocy of the DMCA.

The next item comes from the Cafe Press store of Redhead Esq. Clearly playing off the great children’s book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Redhead Esq offers a selection of items, from bibs to tote bags, telling the story of ten little monkeys who call a lawyer instead of a doctor:

10 little monkeys jumpin’ on the bed

One fell off and bumped his head

Mama called the lawyer and the lawyer said

Have the monkeys sign a release and indemnification agreement holding you harmless from any injury or damage which may occur should they continue to jump on the bed.

Now that is a bedtime story.

A few days ago, Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune published his list of 50 Things he has learned in his 50 years.

Some of my favorites:

2. Promptness shows respect.

3. You can’t avoid offending people from time to time. When you don’t mean it, apologize. When you do mean it, accept the consequences.

6. The most valuable thing to have is a good reputation, and it’s neither hard nor expensive to acquire one: Be fair. Be honest. Be trustworthy. Be generous. Respect others.

8. Don’t be bothered when people don’t share your tastes in music, sports, literature, food and fashion. Be glad. You’d never get tickets to anything otherwise.

14. It’s not “political correctness” that dictates that we try not to insult others’ beliefs and identities. It’s common decency.

35. Candor is overrated. It’s hard to unsay what you’ve said in anger and almost impossible to take back what you’ve written.

49. Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are.

 His entire list is worth reading. I encourage you to check it out.

Happy New Year!

May Your New Year Be Happy and Prosperous!

Merry Christmas to You!

If you are reading this on December 25, step away from your computer and go spend some time with a friend or loved one.

43 Folders, a great place to find tips on getting your life organized or implementing a GTD process, provides some practical fashion tips.

The post provides 3 great tips.

1. When trying anything new, always ask yourself “Is this going to make me more or less likely to get laid?”
2. Everyone looks good in boots.
3. When you find the perfect bag, buy it.

I agree strongly with tip #3. As the poster explains:

Dudes and dudettes, do you know the perfect bag when you see it? The answer will be different for everyone, but it usually involves the perfect marriage of beauty and practicality.

. . .

And if that perfect bag ends up costing a king’s ransom, it doesn’t matter in the least. You can afford it. It is, after all, perfect. And how often does one find perfection in one’s life?

Check out the entire post to see all three tips explained.

I rarely win anything. However, I recently won a free book from Money Girl. I am mentioned in her episode Dollars and Anti-Dollars.

I won a book called The ABCs of Gold Investing. I wonder if investing in gold is more fun than practicing law?