Technology
Marriott Says It Only Wants to Block Personal Wi-Fi in Conference, Meeting Spaces
January 3, 2015
Hotel chain Marriott International tried to stem the flow of complaints about its personal Wi-Fi blocking plan Tuesday, saying that it doesn’t want to limit guests’ ability to get online in their rooms but would like to block networks in its conference or meeting spaces. The company issued a statement Tuesday trying to clarify its request to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to block Wi-Fi devices on its property. In October, the agency fined Marriott $600,000 for using...
January 3, 2015
Hotel chain Marriott International tried to stem the flow of complaints about its personal Wi-Fi blocking plan Tuesday, saying that it doesn’t want to limit guests’ ability to get online in their rooms but would like to block networks in its conference or meeting spaces. The company issued a statement Tuesday trying to clarify its request to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to block Wi-Fi devices on its property. In October, the agency fined Marriott $600,000 for using...
Go With the Crowd, as Long as the Right People are in It
January 3, 2015
Given the popularity of social media and the ease at which huge numbers of people can be contacted easily, there’s more news about the “wisdom of the crowd.” It’s thought that with enough people thinking about or working on something, the better the outcome. That’s not necessarily the case and something you need to watch out for if a group of people are making decisions for your client. You may be able to get involved and help your client head in the right direction. This notion of group...
January 3, 2015
Given the popularity of social media and the ease at which huge numbers of people can be contacted easily, there’s more news about the “wisdom of the crowd.” It’s thought that with enough people thinking about or working on something, the better the outcome. That’s not necessarily the case and something you need to watch out for if a group of people are making decisions for your client. You may be able to get involved and help your client head in the right direction. This notion of group...
Computer Whiz Raises $33,000 to Pay Legal Expenses in Fight with United Airlines
January 2, 2015
Atari Zaman, 22, a computer expert, developed a website called Skiplagged. Under this website, Zaman searched for cost effective airfares and especially a type of cheap airfare called Hidden City, which was not liked by the airlines. In December 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a lawsuit making an attempt to shut down his website. In the lawsuit, United Airlines and Orbitz called Zaman's website as 'unfair competition' and said that Skiplagged promoted 'strictly prohibited travels'. They...
January 2, 2015
Atari Zaman, 22, a computer expert, developed a website called Skiplagged. Under this website, Zaman searched for cost effective airfares and especially a type of cheap airfare called Hidden City, which was not liked by the airlines. In December 2014, United Airlines and Orbitz filed a lawsuit making an attempt to shut down his website. In the lawsuit, United Airlines and Orbitz called Zaman's website as 'unfair competition' and said that Skiplagged promoted 'strictly prohibited travels'. They...
China Uses “Great Firewall” to Block Gmail
January 2, 2015
“Data from Google shows traffic to Gmail dropping to zero from Chinese servers” which is part of China’s strategy “to block Google, wherever it is, in hopes of causing users enough frustration that they migrate to services like Baidu, a Chinese company that has a popular search engine here, that adhere to party rules” as reported in the New York Times. Apparently Gmail was blocked beginning on Friday December 26, 2014 “and has ignited anger and frustration among many Internet users...
January 2, 2015
“Data from Google shows traffic to Gmail dropping to zero from Chinese servers” which is part of China’s strategy “to block Google, wherever it is, in hopes of causing users enough frustration that they migrate to services like Baidu, a Chinese company that has a popular search engine here, that adhere to party rules” as reported in the New York Times. Apparently Gmail was blocked beginning on Friday December 26, 2014 “and has ignited anger and frustration among many Internet users...
2014 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary [and Technology]
December 31, 2014
On November 10, 1893, the Washington Post identified an emerging technology that was reshaping American society: Pneumatics! The miracle of compressed air had led to the creation of new contraptions, including pneumatic tube systems that relied on air compressors to transport cylindrical containers hundreds of feet within buildings. Pneumatic tube systems had found favor in banks and department stores, enabling clerks to transmit documents rapidly from one office to another. Noting this and other...
December 31, 2014
On November 10, 1893, the Washington Post identified an emerging technology that was reshaping American society: Pneumatics! The miracle of compressed air had led to the creation of new contraptions, including pneumatic tube systems that relied on air compressors to transport cylindrical containers hundreds of feet within buildings. Pneumatic tube systems had found favor in banks and department stores, enabling clerks to transmit documents rapidly from one office to another. Noting this and other...
The 10 Most Important Legal Technology Developments of 2014
December 31, 2014
Last year, I posted my picks for the 10 most important legal technology developments of 2013. In many ways, this year’s big legal tech stories were continuations of last year’s. Last year, for example, I wrote about the cloud having come into its own, about competence in legal technology becoming a necessity, about mobile becoming the driving force in tech development, about practice management becoming mainstream, and about technology helping to fill the access-to-justice shortfall. All of these...
December 31, 2014
Last year, I posted my picks for the 10 most important legal technology developments of 2013. In many ways, this year’s big legal tech stories were continuations of last year’s. Last year, for example, I wrote about the cloud having come into its own, about competence in legal technology becoming a necessity, about mobile becoming the driving force in tech development, about practice management becoming mainstream, and about technology helping to fill the access-to-justice shortfall. All of these...
TripAdvisor Fined $610,000 for Failing to Prevent Astroturfing
December 28, 2014
Of course not all bad reviews are astroturfing since people can post bad reviews if they do not like a hotel. However to make astroturfing more complicated, now some hotels have started fining people who post bad reviews after their stays. The BBC reported that the UK Broadway Hotel “fined” a couple £100 who described the hotel as a “rotten, stinking hovel” on TripAdvisor after a one night stay, but the hotel later said it “will refund the money.” The UK hotel created the “policy...
December 28, 2014
Of course not all bad reviews are astroturfing since people can post bad reviews if they do not like a hotel. However to make astroturfing more complicated, now some hotels have started fining people who post bad reviews after their stays. The BBC reported that the UK Broadway Hotel “fined” a couple £100 who described the hotel as a “rotten, stinking hovel” on TripAdvisor after a one night stay, but the hotel later said it “will refund the money.” The UK hotel created the “policy...
ILTA Survey Reveals Extensive Attorney iPad and iPhone Use
December 27, 2014
iPad Use The survey revealed that 90% of law firms have attorneys using iPads, 44% of law firms have attorneys using an Android tablet, 42% have attorneys using a Microsoft Surface tablet, 17% have attorneys using a Windows tablet (other than Microsoft Surface), 5% have attorneys using a BlackBerry Playbook, and 8% report that none of their attorneys use a tablet. As for the 90% of law firms that report iPad use at their firm, that represents a slight increase; it was 89% in 2013, 88% in 2012,...
December 27, 2014
iPad Use The survey revealed that 90% of law firms have attorneys using iPads, 44% of law firms have attorneys using an Android tablet, 42% have attorneys using a Microsoft Surface tablet, 17% have attorneys using a Windows tablet (other than Microsoft Surface), 5% have attorneys using a BlackBerry Playbook, and 8% report that none of their attorneys use a tablet. As for the 90% of law firms that report iPad use at their firm, that represents a slight increase; it was 89% in 2013, 88% in 2012,...
World’s Fastest Internet Comes To… Minneapolis
December 26, 2014
Minneapolis is to get what’s being billed as the world’s fastest broadband connection, a whopping 10 gigabits per second. The service is available to around 30,000 homes and businesses in the city and is provided by US Internet. It already provides a gigabit service but has now flipped the switch to increase that ten-fold. Although available to consumers, it’s probably mainly going to be taken up by businesses as it costs $399 a month. That’s great value on a per-megabit basis (the...
December 26, 2014
Minneapolis is to get what’s being billed as the world’s fastest broadband connection, a whopping 10 gigabits per second. The service is available to around 30,000 homes and businesses in the city and is provided by US Internet. It already provides a gigabit service but has now flipped the switch to increase that ten-fold. Although available to consumers, it’s probably mainly going to be taken up by businesses as it costs $399 a month. That’s great value on a per-megabit basis (the...
2015 Could Be the Year of the Hospital Hack
December 26, 2014
Carl Leonard, principal security analyst for Websense, says hackers are breaking into the computer networks of health-care facilities with increasing frequency and taking valuable personal information that is often secured improperly. In August, Websense researchers reported that over the previous 10 months they had observed a 600 percent increase in attacks on hospitals (See “Hackers Are Homing In on Hospitals”). Leonard’s group now predicts that in 2015 the health-care industry will see a “substantial...
December 26, 2014
Carl Leonard, principal security analyst for Websense, says hackers are breaking into the computer networks of health-care facilities with increasing frequency and taking valuable personal information that is often secured improperly. In August, Websense researchers reported that over the previous 10 months they had observed a 600 percent increase in attacks on hospitals (See “Hackers Are Homing In on Hospitals”). Leonard’s group now predicts that in 2015 the health-care industry will see a “substantial...
