Blog Archives
Legal Theory Bookworm: “The Ethics of Influence” by Sunstein
January 29, 2017
The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In recent years, 'Nudge Units' or 'Behavioral Insights Teams' have been created in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other nations. All over the world, public officials are using the behavioral sciences to protect the environment, promote employment and economic growth, reduce poverty, and increase national security. In this book, Cass R. Sunstein,...
January 29, 2017
The Legal Theory Bookworm recommends The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science on SSRN. Here is the abstract: In recent years, 'Nudge Units' or 'Behavioral Insights Teams' have been created in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other nations. All over the world, public officials are using the behavioral sciences to protect the environment, promote employment and economic growth, reduce poverty, and increase national security. In this book, Cass R. Sunstein,...
‘Smart Stores’ Will Have Robots, Interactive Shelves and Mirrors
January 29, 2017
Tomorrow’s retail stores want to take a page from their online rivals by embracing advanced technology – everything from helpful robots to interactive mirrors to shelves embedded with sensors. The goal: Use these real-world store features to lure shoppers back from the internet, and maybe even nudge them to spend more in the process. Amazon’s new experimental grocery store in Seattle, opening in early 2017, will let shoppers buy goods without needing to stop at a checkout line. Sensors...
January 29, 2017
Tomorrow’s retail stores want to take a page from their online rivals by embracing advanced technology – everything from helpful robots to interactive mirrors to shelves embedded with sensors. The goal: Use these real-world store features to lure shoppers back from the internet, and maybe even nudge them to spend more in the process. Amazon’s new experimental grocery store in Seattle, opening in early 2017, will let shoppers buy goods without needing to stop at a checkout line. Sensors...
When the Break-Up of a Marriage Is Also a Breach of Contract
January 29, 2017
I use HGTV a lot in my Contracts class as the foundation of hypotheticals (so much that I'm contributing a chapter to a book detailing how I use it) and so I'm always interested when there is a real-life HGTV contract problem...such as is happening right now with "Flip or Flop." You might not be anxiously following HGTV shows, so let me tell you that the world was recently rocked (well, a small corner of the world) by the revelation that Christina and Tarek, the married couple with two young children...
January 29, 2017
I use HGTV a lot in my Contracts class as the foundation of hypotheticals (so much that I'm contributing a chapter to a book detailing how I use it) and so I'm always interested when there is a real-life HGTV contract problem...such as is happening right now with "Flip or Flop." You might not be anxiously following HGTV shows, so let me tell you that the world was recently rocked (well, a small corner of the world) by the revelation that Christina and Tarek, the married couple with two young children...
Less Human Help Needed by Google Self-Driving Cars in 2016
January 28, 2017
Self-driving cars born at Google are getting better at commanding the wheel. Vehicles tested in California by Waymo, the autonomous car company owned Google parent Alphabet Inc., had a much lower rate of “disengagements” last year, compared with 2015. Disengagements happen when a human tester needs to take control of a self-driving car, either to avoid an accident or respond to technical problems. Waymo Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik shared the data during a speech on Sunday at the North...
January 28, 2017
Self-driving cars born at Google are getting better at commanding the wheel. Vehicles tested in California by Waymo, the autonomous car company owned Google parent Alphabet Inc., had a much lower rate of “disengagements” last year, compared with 2015. Disengagements happen when a human tester needs to take control of a self-driving car, either to avoid an accident or respond to technical problems. Waymo Chief Executive Officer John Krafcik shared the data during a speech on Sunday at the North...
ROSS Artificial Intelligence Outperforms Westlaw and LexisNexis, Study Finds
January 28, 2017
ROSS Intelligence, the artificial intelligence legal research platform, outperforms Westlaw and LexisNexis in finding relevant authorities, in user satisfaction and confidence, and in research efficiency, and is virtually certain to deliver a positive return on investment. These are among the findings of benchmark report being released today by the technology research and advisory company Blue Hill Research pitting ROSS against the two dominant legal research services. The full report will be available...
January 28, 2017
ROSS Intelligence, the artificial intelligence legal research platform, outperforms Westlaw and LexisNexis in finding relevant authorities, in user satisfaction and confidence, and in research efficiency, and is virtually certain to deliver a positive return on investment. These are among the findings of benchmark report being released today by the technology research and advisory company Blue Hill Research pitting ROSS against the two dominant legal research services. The full report will be available...
The Next Step in Nanotechnology
January 28, 2017
Every year the silicon computer chip shrinks in size by half and doubles in power, enabling our devices to become more mobile and accessible. But what happens when our chips can't get any smaller? George Tulevski researches the unseen and untapped world of nanomaterials. His current work: developing chemical processes to compel billions of carbon nanotubes to assemble themselves into the patterns needed to build circuits, much the same way natural organisms build intricate, diverse and elegant structures....
January 28, 2017
Every year the silicon computer chip shrinks in size by half and doubles in power, enabling our devices to become more mobile and accessible. But what happens when our chips can't get any smaller? George Tulevski researches the unseen and untapped world of nanomaterials. His current work: developing chemical processes to compel billions of carbon nanotubes to assemble themselves into the patterns needed to build circuits, much the same way natural organisms build intricate, diverse and elegant structures....
Cold Shower Seems To Have Some Psychological Benefits
January 27, 2017
Exposing your body to cold water has been promoted as a health tonic since at least the Roman period, so it’s about time we gave this a thorough investigation. In a new paper in PLOS One Geert Buijze and his colleagues report on the health and wellbeing effects of the “cool challenge” – a 30-day event in the Netherlands that involved more than 3000 people taking daily showers that ran cold for at least the last 30 seconds each time. On this evidence, cold showers don’t...
January 27, 2017
Exposing your body to cold water has been promoted as a health tonic since at least the Roman period, so it’s about time we gave this a thorough investigation. In a new paper in PLOS One Geert Buijze and his colleagues report on the health and wellbeing effects of the “cool challenge” – a 30-day event in the Netherlands that involved more than 3000 people taking daily showers that ran cold for at least the last 30 seconds each time. On this evidence, cold showers don’t...
Texas Supreme Court Takes Up Arbitration Vacatur Case
January 27, 2017
Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., Inc., 446 S.W.3d 58 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2014, pet. granted). A three member arbitration panel awarded $24.5 million in damages to James Argyle McAllen ("McAllen"), El Rucio Land and Cattle Company, Inc. ("El Rucio"), San Jacinto Land Partnership, Ltd., and McAllen Trust Partnership in a dispute with Forest Oil Corporation ("Forest Oil") (collectively, "the McAllens"). El Rucio moved to confirm the award, and Forest Oil moved to vacate....
January 27, 2017
Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., Inc., 446 S.W.3d 58 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2014, pet. granted). A three member arbitration panel awarded $24.5 million in damages to James Argyle McAllen ("McAllen"), El Rucio Land and Cattle Company, Inc. ("El Rucio"), San Jacinto Land Partnership, Ltd., and McAllen Trust Partnership in a dispute with Forest Oil Corporation ("Forest Oil") (collectively, "the McAllens"). El Rucio moved to confirm the award, and Forest Oil moved to vacate....
Effect of Exclusion of Physician Apologies on Medical Malpractice Liability
January 27, 2017
Benjamin J. McMichael (Vanderbilt University - Owen Graduate School of Management), R. Lawrence Van Horn (Vanderbilt University - Strategy and Business Economics), & W. Kip Viscusi (Vanderbilt University - Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Vanderbilt University - Department of Economics; Vanderbilt University - Owen Graduate School of Management; Vanderbilt University - Strategy and Business Economics) have posted Sorry is Never Enough: The Effect of State Apology Laws...
January 27, 2017
Benjamin J. McMichael (Vanderbilt University - Owen Graduate School of Management), R. Lawrence Van Horn (Vanderbilt University - Strategy and Business Economics), & W. Kip Viscusi (Vanderbilt University - Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Vanderbilt University - Department of Economics; Vanderbilt University - Owen Graduate School of Management; Vanderbilt University - Strategy and Business Economics) have posted Sorry is Never Enough: The Effect of State Apology Laws...
Gearing for Battle: Ancient Warrior Wisdom for Negotiation
January 26, 2017
This article examines the art of negotiation through the lens of three ancient texts from diverse cultures: the Bhagavad Gita from Hinduism, The Art of War from the Chinese culture, and the Torah from Judaism. As these texts come from distinct traditions and from different parts of the world, it might be assumed there exists no common ground between them. Yet, each of these texts is designed to give leaders advice about conflict. In fact, there are allusions in all three texts to avoiding war, being...
January 26, 2017
This article examines the art of negotiation through the lens of three ancient texts from diverse cultures: the Bhagavad Gita from Hinduism, The Art of War from the Chinese culture, and the Torah from Judaism. As these texts come from distinct traditions and from different parts of the world, it might be assumed there exists no common ground between them. Yet, each of these texts is designed to give leaders advice about conflict. In fact, there are allusions in all three texts to avoiding war, being...
