Digital Samurai

OPENOFFICE.ORG 3 – READY FOR ATTORNEYS?

A lot has happened with technology during the past three years. Microsoft failed miserably with Vista, the iPhone was released, and Google continued to dominate the search engine market. In the lifespan of technology, three years is an eternity! And that’s exactly how long it’s been since the last major release of OpenOffice.org.

OpenOffice.org has released the latest version of their productivity suite, version 3.0, with the hope of providing users a clear, free alternative to Microsoft Office. Some of the new features include Mac OS X support, the ability to import, view and edit MS Office 2007/2008 for Mac files, collaboration support for document files, an updated user interface and Windows Vista support. With the addition of Mac OS X and Vista support, OpenOffice can now be installed on almost any system, including flavors of Linux and Solaris. OpenOffice contains components similar to those found in Microsoft Office such as a Writer, Calc, Impress, Base, Draw and Math application.

So, is this software ready to be used in your firm? In a word, no. We don’t recommend using open source software in a business environment. In the words of Ghostbusters, “Who Ya Gonna Call?” for support if you run into an issue? The open source community?

We know how hard it is for attorneys to restrain themselves when they find something FREE but OpenOffice is far better suited for personal use. Home computer – sure. Business computer – nope.

-  John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

SAY IT AIN’T SO – COURTS HAVE DRUNK THE TWITTER KOOL AID?

To our astonishment, we read last week that the first Judicial District of Pennsylvania has adopted the use of Twitter. And it appears that they are enjoying it. They have clearly drunk the Kool Aid.

The first Judicial District of Pennsylvania recently used the Twitter service to communicate with volunteers of the fugitive safe surrender program. The Twitter service was selected by the court as the method to deliver program updates to volunteers because of the cost (read free), and the availability for each follower to best choose how they receive the updates. Users can receive Twitter updates in a variety of methods such as on Twitter’s web site, via SMS (text messages for you neophytes), RSS and e-mail.

Since the safe surrender program wrapped up, the court has continued the use of the Twitter service to provide news and announcement updates to its followers, all of which can also be found on the court’s web site. The court’s use of the service is expected to evolve as updates and feedback are received from its followers. So far, a few dozen people have signed up to follow the court’s updates through Twitter, and it’s believed that the number will increase.

Will the court’s Twitter program become a success? Only if the court uses the service as a secondary means to providing updates, because Twitter cannot yet be trusted as a reliable delivery service. We are perplexed at the rationale for the adoption of this edgy albeit hip new technology. But then, we haven’t drunk the Kool Aid. Don’t expect to see Twitter anytime soon at a courthouse near you.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

KEYBOARD SNIFFING – A NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR “SNIFFERS”

Stop your typing and find yourself a quill pen and inkwell. Your keyboard is no longer secure. Is anything secure anymore? No wonder Bin Laden went low tech to escape capture.

Swiss researchers have developed a way to record keystrokes by spotting the electromagnetic radiation emitted when keys on a keyboard are pressed.  Hold on. Did we say radiation?  Don’t worry, not the bad kind. Reportedly, the researchers were surreptitiously capturing keystrokes using a radio antenna at a distance of up to 20 meters away from the keyboard. They tested a variety of different keyboards with the same success. The attacks even worked on laptop keyboards, not just on PS/2 and USB keyboards. The scary part is that the researchers believe their attack methods can be improved. Promise or threat???

Clearly, this technology could assist criminals in stealing personal and confidential information such as passwords, social security numbers and other information inputted by a user without detection. Gee, do you think they’ll figure that out quickly?

And it’s painful to think of how proprietary data could leak this way. Business espionage would have a field day.

How can you prevent this? Maybe a new wave of “secure keyboards” will hit the market. Maybe the keyboard will be replaced all together by a touch screen, like those on smartphones. Maybe you can crowd your desk with electromagnetic radiation emitting devices, like a stack of monitors, and bask in the glow of radiation, because they can’t get you now.

We’re betting the mortgage that you’ll see keyboard sniffing on CSI shortly.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

THE $154K SPELL CHECK MISTAKE – CAN YOU SPELL M*O*R*O*N?

How often do attorneys neglect to use spell check when drafting documents or before sending e-mails? Far too often. Forgetting to spell check your pleadings can be a very costly mistake.

Brian Puricelli, an attorney working a civil rights suit filed a fee petition with the Court that was filled with typographical and grammatical errors such as “plaintf,” “Philadehia,” “attoreys,” “reasonbale” and “Ubited States” just to name a few. Obviously, he didn’t review his petition before filing it. Any built-in spell check utility would easily catch these mistakes.

Senior U.S. District Judge J. William Ditter Jr. was irate over his “slip-shod submissions” to the Court.  In response to the filings, the Judge slashed Mr. Puricelli’s fees by more than $154k, from his request of $180K in compensation to a mere $26k for his efforts. The Judge stated that the filing misquoted a Federal statute, referred to a U.S. Supreme Court dissenting opinion as a concurring opinion, contained errors in case and statute citations, and incorrectly listed the amount of damages awarded by the jury. Was the Judge too harsh in his penalties? Or was it well past time to take such shoddy lawyering to the woodshed?

Regardless, the message is clear. As a minimum, spell check your work before submitting it to the Court. Don’t make the same careless mistake that Mr. Puricelli did, or you might find your wallet $154K lighter.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com

WINDOWS XP DEADLINE EXTENDED

Redmond has finally listened to the masses. Long live XP! OK, so its death sentence just got postponed – but it’s a first step.

Microsoft has succumbed to pressure from both computer manufacturers and consumers to extend the availability of Windows XP offered on new computer systems.

The sages at Redmond have decided to give Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) another six months, until July 31, 2009, to sell computers running Windows XP Professional with the Vista Downgrade License.  Before the deadline extension, OEMs originally had until January 31, 2009 to offer Windows XP Professional preinstalled on their computer systems. After the new deadline passes, XP will no longer be offered through OEMs. This means that users purchasing new computers after July 31, 2009 will be stuck with the Vista operating system. Maybe. Seems like we’ve heard this tune before.

Will Redmond decided to extend the deadline again until the release of Windows 7? We sure hope so, because we (and most of our colleagues) recommend avoiding Vista at all costs.

Have you done your part to save XP? To sign the “Save XP” petition, visit the web site here.

- John and Mike

(703) 359-0700
digitalsamurai@senseient.com
www.senseient.com