Author Archives

    Bryan Sims

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    Amazon Kindle 3

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    About a year and a half ago, my wife purchased an Amazon Kindle for me. I loved this device and it was always in my computer bag. There have been several occasions while traveling that I was happy that I could simply add another book to my device and not have to worry about carrying extra books or finding a store that had a book I wanted to read.

    For example, last Thanksgiving my wife and I traveled to visit our parents (we live several hundred miles from where we grew up). While there, I spent a significant period of time in bed, sick. I read four books during this time. When I finished one, I simply logged on to the Amazon Store, bought another, and continued reading. One of the surprising aspects of this was that the cell service where I was is pretty bad, however, my Kindle had no trouble at all logging on and downloading my books.

    The import is that I have had a Kindle for quite a while and I love it. Recently, Amazon released their third generation Kindle. Knowing how much I liked my Kindle, my wife bought a Kindle 3 for herself. She had hers for about two days before I ordered one of my own. In fact, everyone in our family seems to enjoy using our Kindles.

    Reading a Kindle

    My Daughter Reading Her Mother's Kindle

    I have now had my Kindle 3 for about a month. I believe it is an improvement over the Kindle 2. In addition to the things I liked about my Kindle 2, let me count the ways I like the Kindle 3.

    • The pages turn more quickly. This may not seem to be a big thing. However, I can see a difference between the two devices.
    • The screen contrast is better. I thought the Kindle 2 was easy to read. The Kindle 3 is better.
    • The Kindle 3 is smaller. It’s not a lot smaller, but it is smaller and the difference is noticeable.
    • I like 5-way navigator without the joystick. I think it’s easier to use.
    • I can get a lighted cover for the Kindle 3.

    The lighted cover may not seem like a big deal, but I thought it was wonderful. In fact, it’s what really convinced me to get the Kindle 3. One of the drawbacks to using e-ink is that the screen is not backlit. This means that you have to have ambient light to read the Kindle. I have clip on book light that I used with the Kindle 2. The problem was that the light never seemed to be where I was when I needed it.

    The new cover solves this problem. The light is built in to the cover and runs off the Kindle battery power. Further, it is situated to properly light the screen. I love this and use it almost every night before going to sleep.

    I don’t want to imply that the Kindle 3 is perfect. I still think that it needs a touch screen. Everyone I have ever handed the device to tries to control it by touching the screen. That’s simply how our devices work today. Also, they have removed the number row from the keyboard. I do not like this decision. I rarely type anything on the keyboard. However, when I do, it almost always includes numbers. I don’t like having to go into the symbol chart to enter numbers.

    If you like reading, you should try the Kindle out. You will likely be surprised how much you enjoy reading on it.

    For another view of the Kindle 3 check out this post from Michael Hyatt.

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    Nitro PDF Reader

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    I make no secret about the fact that I am a big fan of Adobe Acrobat. I use it every day and consider it an integral part of my paperless practice. That being said, I recognize the Acrobat has a some flaws that I don’t like and that it is not inexpensive. Although, I will also note that, although no inexpensive, Adobe Acrobat is not really expensive when compared to specialized legal (or other industry) software.

    Nevertheless, there are other options available. One of my favorites is from Nitro. In addition to their full-featured Nitro PDF Professional OCR (which retails for $119.99), Nitro has also released a free version of their software, Nitro PDF Reader, that does much more than just read PDFs.

    In addition to just viewing PDF files, you can use Nitro PDF Reader to create PDF files, add notes to PDFs, type on PDFs, complete and save forms, and create and apply signatures. For a full list of what Nitro PDF Reader can do, click here.

    There are a lot of things to like about Nitro’s PDF products. However, you can hardly go wrong trying their free reader and see how it works for you. If your use of PDFs is limited to viewing, creating, and filling in a few forms, then y0u may be able to meet your needs without spending a cent.

    http://www.nitroreader.com
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    My Review of Pensoft Payroll 2010

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    Recently Technolawyer published my review of Pensoft Payroll 2010. You can download a copy of my review from my Files page or download it directly here.

    The software allows you to mange your payroll easily and efficiently. In my review, I have the software a score of 4.5 out of 5. In my conclusion, I said:

    Pensoft Payroll 2010 makes administering payroll easy, even for those of us without an accounting background. I am pleased
    with the product and will likely continue to use it.

    If you are looking for a payroll solution, you should certainly check out what Pensoft has to offer.

    Disclaimer

    Please note that I received a free copy of the program.

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    A Plug for Google Scholar

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    After court today, I visited the law library in the courthouse. Given that I do most of my research online, I don’t spend much time in the law library. However, today, I wanted to take a look at a treatise. I then decided that the library would be a good place for me to work on the response brief I was drafting.

    I had my laptop with me, so I went to work.

    As I was writing, I discovered that I needed a case to support a particular position. Because the library has wi-fi, I was able to log on to my WestlawNext Account and search for what I needed. During the search, I came across a case from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. I wanted to see if the case was useful, but I knew that it was outside of my plan.

    Not wanting to give up, I decided to see if Google Scholar had the case. I put the inf0rmation into Google and in a few seconds I was reading the case (and realizing that it was of no use to me). The thing I love about the process was that pulling the case up was no more difficult than typing its name into my Google Search bar.

    So, if you are looking for a case that it outside your subscription plan, give Google Scholar a try.

    Now, for the embarrassing part of the story. It was only after I was done and leaving the library that I realized I could have just pulled the reporter from shelf. I was in a law library for heaven’s sake. However, the though of pulling the physical book never even crossed my mind.

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    Email Importance

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    I, like most other people I know, preform email triage. When I review the message in my inbox, I know which ones I need to respond to immediately and those that can wait. One of the things I have learned is that if I send an email regarding something that must occur by a particular time, I put, in the text of the email, the deadline that I need to hear back form the person as well as an explanation as to the deadline if necessary.

    I don’t think my behavior is unusual. In fact, it seems in line with most of the people I deal with.

    However, I have some clients who, every time they send me an email, they mark it as highest priority. This drives me nuts. Let’s be honest, not every email they send me is actually of highest priority. Further, I am not sure what they hope to accomplish by doing this. Turning the priority flag on certainly does not cause me to address the email any faster. Further, unless it is accompanied by some explanation in the email (which it never is) the fact that it is flagged as high priority really doesn’t tell my anything.

    The other day the following comic showed up on my desk calendar. I think it perfectly encapsulates how I feel about this issue.

    Dilbert.com

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    Register for the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference

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    Don’t forget to register for the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference. It is in Springfield again, although not at the same hotel as last year. This time the conference will be at the Hilton. I have attended every ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference and I think it has gotten better every year.

    Register by August 27, 2010 to receive the early bird discount. After that, the registration price increases.

    You can download the complete schedule here.

    I will be speaking at two sessions. One titled Your Secret Weapon in the War Against Paper: Adobe Acrobat and PDF. The second is titled Your Bottom Line: What You Need to Know about IOLTA and Firm Accounting, Time and Billing.

    In addition we will also have the following presentations on the Tech Track:

    • Email Bankruptcy: How to Deal with Email Overload
    • Integrating Technology into the Modern Law Office to Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness Without Spending a Bundle
    • Practicing in the Cloud: Pros and Cons of Software as a Service (SaaS), Online Document Repository and Virtual Law Practice
    • Document Management for the Law Office: Buy It or Build It?
    • The Ethics and Security of Cloud Computing
    • Trial Tech: Taking the Mystery out of Litigation Support Software and Trial Technology Without Breaking the Bank
    • The Barbarians are at the Gate: Securing Your Technology and Your Network
    • Mac in the Law Office: Running a Mac in a Windows World
    • I Have the Power: Using Advanced Legal Features in MS Word

    In addition to these programs, the Substantive and the Effective and Ethical Practices Tracks have a variety of excellent programming as well.

    You can register for the program here.

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    Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls with Redaction

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    I recently noted that I had co-authored an article on metadata. The second part of that article has now been published by the State Bar of Wisconsin. This portion focuses on redaction. You can find links to both parts of the article here. I wantto give a big thanks to my co-author Nerino Petro for making sure that this article got published.

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    I Co-Authored an Article on Metadata

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    The State Bar of Wisconsin recently published an article on metadata that I co-authored with Wisconsin Practice Management Advisor Nerino Petro. Nerino and I have spoken on this topic before on a couple of occasions. This is a topic that far too many attorneys remain in the dark about.

    If you are not sure what metadata is or how to manage it, I encourage you to go read the article.

    You can find it here.

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    My Review of Chrometa

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    Last week Technolawyer published my review of Chrometa. You can download a copy of my review from my Files page or download it directly here.

    If you are not familiar with Chrometa, it is a utility that keeps track of active windows that you are working in and how much time you spend in each window. This is a great resource for those of us who bill by the hour. I loved this program and recommend it to anyone who has to keep track of their time. The conclusion of my article says:

    If your practice involves hourly billing at all, you will benefit from Chrometa. In short, Chrometa works well, increases your revenue, and includes helpful and friendly support from its creators. I have no doubt that Chrometa will pay for itself in the first week that you own it, if not the first day.

    Disclaimer

    Please note that I received a free copy of the program.