NowRelevant.com

There is a new search engine out there that promises to find "everything about your subject for the past two weeks." NowRelevant.com offers a super-simple search interface, and a listing of new, original, and unspammed internet material from exactly 14 days back from the time of your search. The default for results is five days, extendable by the searcher. This is not a search meant to find authoritative results or even the most popular general summary of a topic, such as a Wikipedia article, but only the most recent original internet material on your subject.

Of course, relevancy depends upon what the searcher views as relevant. While NowRelevant.com may be ideal for marketers looking for topics and words with the heaviest current internet traffic, it could also be a quick way to see a wide variety of views on a current "hot topic" in the news media, or helpful postings about something time-sensitive in its relevancy, like "new law students" at this time of the year. Much more about NowRelevant.com, including a comparison with Google's new advanced search limit-by-date feature, can be found in an article by Avi Rappoport, published this week at Information Today.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

24/7

So much for cat naps!! I will now be prowling the Library - along with some of you all night long. In other words, the Library has heard your requests and you can now access the Library 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

You must have your Hofstra ID to enter the 24/7 access door once the main doors are locked for the night. Also, in order to best ensure everyone's safety, you will be asked to leave at closing time and then you can swipe back in , should you wish to remain.

And if you do see me with my eyes closed - I am NOT NAPPING!!! I am meditating on Life, the Universe and Everything.

Have a great weekend - and make sure to go home and get some sleep!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Sports Law: Laws Governing Agents Seldom Enforced

Or so claims this article, which states that there appears to be little enforcement of laws designed to keep agents out of collegiate athletics. The article makes timely reading as the sports seasons begin to overlap in earnest.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

McKinney's Practice Commentaries

We previously blogged about the ease of using the McKinney's Practice Commentary for criminal law research, however there are valuable Practice Commentaries throughout the entire set of McKinney's statutes. If you are researching New York law and you know where a relevant statute should be in McKinney's, you often just have to open up that volume of statutes to find a very helpful Practice Commentary that explains, in English, how the statutes in that volume are interpreted.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Library of Congress Acquires Twitter Archive

"Every public tweet, ever, since Twitter’s inception in March 2006, will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress." Click here to read more about the Library of Congress' acquisition of Twitter's archive.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Tumblr: the next big thing?

Tumblr has been called a cross between twitter and Facebook. You can share anything and customize everything. If you haven't come across it yet, this New York Time's article provides an overview of what it is and how it is being used.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Fashion Law Makes its Debut

The emerging legal field of fashion law will soon have its own academic institute. Fordham University School of Law will officially launch on September 8 its unique Fashion Law Institute, "the world's first fashion law center." The Institute was established to provide legal assistance to designers and to train lawyers for the fashion industry, with its special issues in intellectual property law, business and finance. The Fashion Law Institute will be directed by Professor Susan Scafidi , who taught the first course in fashion law in the United States. The new law center benefits from partial funding and support from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and its president, Diane von Furstenberg.

Those wanting to stay current with issues and developments in fashion law should also check out Professor Scafidi's blog, Counterfeit Chic.

WELCOME CLASS OF 2013!!!

WELCOME to all the new first year students!! I am Ernster, your virtual feline guide to what's happening in the Library, and around the web. I prowl the Library and the web to bring you news in the Library and for great recommendations for web sites to visit.

AND . . . to all students - please post your comments. Let me know what you like, what you what like to see changed and any ideas you have for the Library. Like my furry brethren, I am curious and what to know what you think.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Giant Penguins Once Roamed The Peruvian Desert

Yes, you read correctly: Giant penguins. Before beginning the rigors of first-year orientation, or the return to classes for upper-year students (and before our posts resume with more consistently serious and law-related subjects), take a break and read all about the prehistoric penguins here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Cultivating good habits

Actually, I want to send you to a blog post titled "Uprooting Noxious Habits in the Workplace". It is talking about a work environment but the 5 habits discussed occur in other settings including law school. The 5 habits listed in this post are:

• The "but" shutdown
• Speaking when angry
• Failing to give proper recognition
• Not listening
• An excessive need to be "me"

This list was drawn from Marshall Goldsmith's book "What Got You Here Won't Get You There". Go look at the "20 Bad Habits" and explore some of the other resources. Lawyers are professionals and it doesn't hurt to read and study what an expert executive coach can teach us.

Thanks to Slaw.ca for the article and the references.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat