Too Long for Tweets: Archive

Economy Today

In the past two years the market has risen 92% (http://goo.gl/uWY2p) and unemployment is unchanged (http://goo.gl/DNpm0). I agree this is not enough, but hell-in-a-hand-basket our country is not. (compare to the 80’s: http://goo.gl/TWiTO, http://goo.gl/yR0Pq at the same relative time)

Mar 8th

1 tag

Facebook Alternative

I am concerned about Facebook. Their practices toward their users, developers and the internet in general are anti-web….and yet they are the most popular web site in the world. Oddly, most people don’t think (or care) how anti-web,-user,-developer,-internet Facebook as (is) been and that has made the matter that much worse. If anyone is interested, I can list out why I know all of...

Mar 6th

1 tag

Facebook's Limited Reach

Facebook is influential. 500+ million users world-wide is no small number. Of the over 100 million users in the US, it is reported that 70% check Facebook at least once a day. Those are numbers that cannot be ignored. But I wonder how much of a reach Facebook really has. Facebook has a closed-by-default ecosystem….at least culturally (not necessarily technically). Most people only allow...

Feb 20th

2 tags

Google Chrome OS and eDiscovery

Background Google Chrome OS is an operating system and computer that does one thing and one thing only: runs the Google Chrome web browser. You cannot save photos to it. You cannot run Microsoft Word on it. There is no way to archive an email. Yes, Google Chrome OS is only good for working “in the cloud.” ….and that is probably a good thing. Working in the Cloud I have long...

Feb 5th

2 notes

Interesting Idea - Designer Badly Needed

So I have an interesting idea that uses some fun technologies: CouchBD Google Visualizations GeoCoding CouchApp concepts Javascript NodeJS I was testing the use of CouchDB with large datasets (millions of rows) and thought of this idea for a web app. It is really simple (you vote whether you are happy or sad), but the data slicing that results is kind of fun - especially with large...

Jan 31st

1 tag

Commodity eDiscovery Pricing - Wrong Debate!

I hear a lot of people discuss whether eDiscovery technology is becoming a commodity…with the implecation that pricing should follow. Heck, even I have been one of the those people. The real question, however, is not whether eDiscovery is becoming a commodity (and here’s a spoiler: it is not - 10% will always be bespoke and very custom, thus blowing the whole thing), but rather if...

Jan 27th

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Thoughts on Google Chrome OS - 2010

Last Year I wrote about Google Chrome OS over a year ago. At that time, Chrome OS was in a very early alpha development release. If you knew a developer, like Hexxeh, who was nice enough to build Chrome OS and provided a good USB boot image, then you could test it out. I was geeky enough to do just that, and I gave Chrome OS high marks for potential. Reprise Earlier this month, Google...

Dec 28th

Google Refine (aka, Litigation Support Swiss Army...

Google released Google Refine yesterday. It is a web-based (although locally installed) toolkit to manipulate text files. Any text file. Its intent is to solve the problem of ingesting and massaging large government datasets, but I can see Google Refine as being a huge help in Litigation Support. Most people don’t really think about it, but Litigation Support is still all about the...

Nov 11th

1 tag

QR Instant Authentication #2

You probably saw my previous post about using QR codes as part of an authentication scheme. I call it “Instant Authentication.” The idea is fairly simple: scan a QR code from a login screen with your smartphone and then use your smartphone as an authentication device. Once authorized, Instant Authentication “unlocks” the original login screen by using some websocket...

Oct 26th

1 tag

Instant Authentication - QR codes for Two-Factor...

The Interest QR codes seem like they should be so useful. Two dimensional bar codes for the masses, QR codes can store lots of data in a small space. For example, they can represent URLs, vCards, package contents, etc. But to date, QR codes have been used as nothing more than ad tracking services and URL hyperlinks, thus relegating their popularity to the realm of the :CueCat in the...

Oct 17th

Homemade Deodorant →

Not the sort of thing I would normally post about, but I just have to share. I found this “recipe” for homemade deodorant a few months ago and I decided to give it a try. I have always avoided deodorant with aluminum in it, and when I heard that homemade deodorant only has three ingredients I figured it would be fun and kitschy. Anyway, let me just tell you that this makes the BEST...

Oct 3rd

Federal Wiretap Gets a Turbo Boost? Dumb, dumb,... →

Say goodbye to innovation and cloud-based infrastructures if these ideas become legislation.

Sep 27th

1 tag

Programming Interests - Javascript and CouchDB

Many of you know that I constantly dabble in programming languages and database platforms. Java, C#, Ruby, Python, Javascript, Go, Erlang mixed in with a little MySQL, MSSQL, CouchDB, MongoDB and BigTable. For me, the ideal combo has been Javascript (via NodeJS and the browser) and CouchDB. To the extent anyone cares, let me explain why. Javascript turns out to be a very powerful language....

Sep 20th

1 tag

iPad is Changing Employee Network Usage

There is no question that the iPhone has been revolutionary. It has given consumers the power to hold the internet in their hands like no product that has come before. ”Regular” people started to check their email through out the day. They checked the World Cup scores as the games were being played. They began to listen to streaming music from Pandora, RDIO and Spotify as their...

Sep 15th

Link: Real food is very different from McDonalds →

I ate a big, honk’in burrito recently at Chipotle. I told a friend, “Well, at least it is kind of good for you.” He was shocked and said with all the sour cream and cheese it was hardly “good for” me. Fair enough. BUT, Chipotle is made from real food. Real chicken, real cheese, real black beans. Just read this article and be happy that Chipotle is available...

Aug 29th

NASA's Climate Probe Data →

Is there something about NASA’s data that is controversial? Last I checked, NASA takes getting their facts straight rather seriously.

Aug 28th

1 tag

TV/Radio Surpassed by Podcasts (well, for me)

No Surprise I stopped reading my local newspaper in physical format a while ago. A physical paper did not add any benefit to me and the lack of searching was certainly a drawback, so I just dumped the actual paper. And while I still read the web version from time-to-time, I actually get most of my news from newsfeeds from over 200 sources via a newsfeed reader (I use Google Reader). The...

Aug 22nd

1 tag

CouchDB NIST Database

I have been using CouchDB for just a little over two years. Some of my initial findings still hold true today. It is fast, flexible and “of the web.” It sounds kitschy, but do some reading, learn more about it and I am pretty sure you will be impressed. One of the best features in CouchDB is the ability to both host data and an application within the same CouchDB database. Throw...

Aug 8th

1 tag

Newsfeeds are Dead - Long Live Newsfeeds

I have been using newsfeed readers religiously for the past 8 years. Before Google Reader hit the scene, I used the basic feeds capabilities in Firefox (or whatever it was called back then) and loved it. Since that time newsfeed standards (RSS, RSS 0.92, RSS 2.0 and ATOM) have ebbed and flowed, but the real benefit has always been the same: Newsfeeds are an efficient and effective way to read...

Aug 2nd

1 tag

Simple Write Blocker

The Problem If you have electronic evidence (thumb drive, USB hard drive, etc), the last thing you want to do is alter the evidence, right? If you remove files, add files or alter files then the evidence would no longer be terribly accurate. The Solution To prevent altering data, you should connect electronic evidence to your computer using a write blocker. This is typically a piece of...

Jul 13th

Jun 20th

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A Diversity of Vendors - Making your eDiscovery...

Many law firms and corporations rely on outside vendors to handle some or all of their eDiscovery tasks. And while I have my own opinion has to which is the best option, regardless it makes sense to design you vendor ecosystem to work for you in the most efficient manner. Here is my strategy that works well in just about every situation: symbiotic relationship: photo by: nattu Select 2-3...

Jun 9th

1 tag

eDiscovery Costs - Easier Invoices Needed

When I was in charge of eDiscovery technology at an AM100 firm, we typically received vendor invoices that detailed every charge. Photo: uberculture Sound familiar: Forensic image mounting Data extraction Data processing Password cracking Tech Time OCR etc I was always confused why vendors never offered an all inclusive pricing model. Is OCR so complicated that vendors cannot figure...

Jun 7th

1 note

1 tag

Storing eDiscovery Data

Ever added up all that eDiscovery data you are storing on your network? Most firms follow a very “organic” approach to eDiscovery management, so you may not realize how it all adds up. In case you have not gone through the mental math, here is the rule of thumb: eDiscovery requires x6 the storage capacity of the original data Photo: Paul Hammnond That means in the life of...

May 26th

1 tag

eDiscovery and Computer Costs

Many small to mid-sized law firms see eDiscovery technology as a vague and expensive - but “necessary” cost - of practicing law. A pain to set up, but nothing a copy of Concordance and IPRO cannot solve. And while those tools work well, many firms do not think about the true cost of managing your own eDiscovery technology. Here are some examples of costs you need to prepare for to...

May 24th

1 tag

Farewell to Cable TV

Like many Americans, I dumped my landline phone a long time ago. I went to Vonage’s VoIP service in 2006, cut my phone bill in half and never really considered the issue since. Of course, I found other ways to spend my money. iPhone and its monthly voice/data charge? <check> FIOS super high speed Internet access? <check> FIOS’s 8,000 channel TV service?...

May 6th

Why the iPad is Important

I have had my iPad for over a week now. Here are thoughts that I have: Convenient Fast Easy Fun Sufficient Natural When is the last time you heard someone refer to technology in that way?

Apr 12th

1 tag

SSD and eSATA - Industry Standard?

Previous Findings As I wrote in a previous post, you can save a surprising amount of time copying data from CD/DVDs by first creating an ISO image. In my testing, it was three times faster! That is a real time savings and saving time - especially in litigation support - is saving money. It made me think about other ways to save time - even building upon the time savings found by using the ISO...

Feb 7th

1 tag

Commodities and the EDRM

Yesterday In eDiscovery’s short history, most technical feats have been too complex or too dependent on ever-changing variables for a turnkey solution to be possible. How to extract all the metadata? How to handle NSF files? How to deal with family groups, attachments and embedded documents in those attachments? Every problem required custom programming, new workflows and all the extra...

Feb 1st

1 tag

Physical Media Tracking Database

Here’s a fun project I think I will embark on: A physical media tracking database that uses CouchDB, QR codes and Google Chart APIs. In litigation support we often have a need to track physical media. One of the issues is finding the right solution to this problem. How do you track a CD/DVD, attribute it to a client/matter number, identify its contents and allow the media to be identified...

Jan 24th

CouchDB - The Future of Application Development

Over a year ago I ran across CouchDB - a NOSQL database that runs over HTTP and programmable via REST. I was intrigued by its power and flexibility at the time, but here are a few things I didn’t realize: CouchDB can support queries across millions of rows in less than a second. In fact, I have queried 16 million rows faster than I could time it by hand CouchDB can both store your data...

Jan 11th

Tips for Speed - Copying Data from CDs

The Frustration Have you ever wondered why it takes forever to copy a CD worth of files up to the network? In litigation support, this task happens every day. But why is it so slow? There are lots of factors, but some include: Anti-virus is checking each file for viruses There is a large I/O overhead for reading thousands of individual files There is a large I/O overhead for writing...

Dec 30th

1 tag

Google Chrome OS

Google announced Google Chrome OS last week. Chrome OS is an ultra stripped down operating system that only runs one application: Google Chrome. The OS is fast, secure and easy to use - but then again, it only performs one major function. Some people have already criticized Chrome OS as being too stripped down and providing not all of the features people really need in a personal computer....

Nov 23rd

1 tag

Evaluating Google Wave (or any new technology)

Now that Google has opened the Wave to 100,000 interested people, I have seen a lot more reviews of the nascent project on blogs and Twitter. Some people like it, others shrug their shoulders. This got me thinking: Should we evaluate new technology based on what it is - or what it could be? What it is Today Google Wave, today, is a very impressive party trick - but not a whole lot of there,...

Oct 19th

Google Chrome - Download, use, enjoy

Being a former web developer, I enjoy all things new browser. I’ve used Firefox, Konqueror, Safari, Camino, Opera and all the IEs. But far and away, my favorite browser is: Chrome Please - download, use and enjoy Why do I like Chrome so much? It is fast. Really fast. The interface is clean It supports HTML5 features It will soon support extensions (similar to Firefox) The only...

Oct 10th

1 tag

Cloud Computing: Are We Ready for In-House IT?

With the recent Gmail “failure” there has been lots of talk about whether we are really ready for Cloud Computing. Is 99.9% availability good enough? An interesting question. But that made me think of a much more practical question, “Are we ready for in-house IT?” Can your company handle: Regular, planned outages for monthly maintenance? Irregular, unplanned outages...

Sep 3rd

1 tag

Cloud Computing - Don't Call It a Come Back

Rise of the Cloud While “Cloud Computing” is getting a *tremendous* amount of hype, it is no understatement to say it is changing computing as we know it. The power we all gain from GMail, Twitter, Flickr, Hulu, etc at an unbelievable price point has been a real game changer. Throw in Azure, EC2 and App Engine and you can kiss the 90’s model goodbye. But some say...

Sep 1st

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Google Docs Offline - Powerful. Consequences?

You have heard of Google Docs, the online office suite from Google, but you may not have heard that you can take it offline. That’s right, with a little browser plugin, called Google Gears, you can make your Google Docs available offline in your browser. Need to work on an article at 30,000 feet? Use Google Docs offline. Need to edit your resume while luxuriating on the beach? Use...

Aug 17th

Database Queries the CouchDB Way →

(via mandel)

Aug 17th

2 tags

Google Wave - A Challenge for E-Discovery

What’s New Google Wave is a brand new online communication system that may seriously change the world of email, IM and Blogs forever. It is so new that it has not yet been released, but developers have received early access. It includes real-time messaging (down to each keystroke), collaborative content creation and the ability to communicate with anyone or any company that runs a Wave...

Jun 17th

1 tag

Google Apps - Making the Cloud Simple

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I strongly believe in the cloud and what it will do for small and medium businesses. Google has been a thought-leader in cloud computing (in SaaS and PaaS) and has taken consistent steps to make cloud computing a reality. This week Google has moved even closer to making the cloud a viable solution for real businesses. Here’s...

Jun 12th

1 tag

Progress Does Not Stand Still

The Way it Has Been In “the old days,” it was common to show up to work and expect nothing more than a Windows PC with email and a good productivity suite. That meant Outlook and Microsoft Office - nothing more, nothing less. With these basic tools you could keep up with colleagues and attend to customers. It was all about generating work product and receiving work product - one...

Jun 3rd

1 tag

Stability of the Cloud

There have been a number of high profile “outages” in the Cloud recently. Google was offline for almost two hours last week for about 14% of its users (millions of individuals), GoGrid was nearly shut down a month ago due to a widespread DDOS attack on its services and Amazon’s EC2 has had intermittent problems with connecting to its virtual, rented computers in its Elastic...

May 17th

1 tag

What is Cloud Computing?

Many of my colleagues ask me about Cloud Computing and the number one question is, “What is it?” Most people who follow Cloud news have heard this all before, but here’s the short of it: Cloud Computing means one or more of the following: Software as a Service (SaaS) Any software you “rent” and access online You have been using this for years: Gmail, Quickbase,...

Apr 23rd

1 tag

GWT + GAE: an Impressive Combo

I have been digging into the one-two punch of Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and Google App Engine (GAE). Both are part of Google’s Platform as a Service cloud offering that is becoming quite solid and mature. GWT has been around for a couple of years, but only now do I appreciate what it really offers: structured programming tools for web applications. OO, widget-based, debugging, etc. ...

Apr 20th

1 tag

Cloud Computing: Security Through Obscurity

A useful side benefit of Cloud Computing is “security through obscurity.” Not in the flawed, shared-secret sense of the phrase, but rather because of the cloud’s transient nature. Infrastructure run in the cloud does not need to be turned on 24/7. In fact, you are motivated to turn off resources in the cloud since you are charged by the hour. In the cloud, you should not have...

Mar 29th

1 tag

Leveraging the Cloud

I finished a personal project I have been working on nights and weekends. It is a multi-client, C#, computing grid that performs a simple, yet computationally intensive process across computers in the Cloud. The system uses Windows 2003 servers, SQL and shared file access that is all hosted in Amazon’s EC2 server farm. The amazing thing is how well it all works. The Windows 2003 servers...

Feb 25th

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World Class Thought Leaders on Video

The annual Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference just came to a close, but it is still worth checking out. For those of you who may not know about TED (like me as of just two days ago), it is a conference intended to bring thought-leaders from different industries together in order to shape new ideas. I watched some of the conference sessions that are available online and I was...

Feb 12th

1 tag

Deflation and the Law Firm Billable Hour

Interesting video from the Wired GC focusing on why the historical billable hour model will not survive current deflationary pressures in its current form: http://www.wiredgc.com/2009/02/01/deflation-and-the-billable-hour-wired-gc-tv/ The moral of the story: cut costs and improve value. The way some firms decide to cut costs should be of great concern, however, since it may not be understood...

Feb 9th