Meet Your Favorite Author Online

Many law students escape from the rigors of law school by curling up with a really good book--just for fun. But who has time for author nights at a local bookstore with the writer of that great thriller, bestselling novel, or fitness guide? Now you can meet your favorite author online, thanks to Meet the Author, linked US and UK websites that offer hundreds of 1 minute video clips of bestselling authors discussing their books. Last month blinkxsTV (see Ernster's post for September 26, 2005) partnered with Meet the Author in a deal that enables blinkxsTV users to take advantage of its voice recognition technology to search through Meet the Author clips word by word, jumping directly to relevant content matching themes or topics, without having to remember titles or authors. New Meet the Author video clips are added every day, making it a great resource for both connecting with writers and choosing the perfect gift book. Recent fiction, thrillers, and crime (including mysteries) are especially well represented.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

State of the States

We have already heard from President Bush about the State of the Union, but how about what's going on in the 50 states?

For those interested in the courts in various States, a great resource is the National Center for State Courts . You can find information ranging from the structure of each State's court system to very detailed statistical analysis of the activity of these courts.

For information regarding the States' legislative branches, go to the National Center of State Legislatures .

And, I would not be thorough without mentioning the executive branches of the States and the National Governors Association .

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Online Dictionary Of Difficult Words

We all know that the law offers no shortage of difficult words, and we keep our law dictionaries handy for the occasions when we encounter them. For quick, online definitions of non-legal difficult words (although a few legal terms of art may appear here, as well), however, try the Online Dictionary of Difficult Words. You may search for a particular word by typing it into the search box, or you may browse the list of words alphabetically. From a capella to zymotic, many difficult, unusual words and their definitions appear here, including my own favorite, ailurophile.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

February

It's a new month. Perhaps you know that July is named (actually, renamed) after Julius Caesar. Did you know though that February was named after Februus, the Etruscan god of purification and the dead. (The Etruscans were pre-Romans, before "rome" became "Rome", though this is a big simplification. But time- and geographical- wise, it's good enough.)

Now, why does the month only have 28 (or 29) days? That's a question for another time.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 – 2005 & The American Presidency Project

This is probably not what you think as the title of this post actually refers to 2 different web sites. Both provide historical information on branches of the U.S. government.

Do you want to know who the Senators and Congressmen from New York were during the Civil War? This source will tell you. The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774-2005 - also known as H. Doc. 108-222 - was compiled and edited under the direction of the U.S. Joint Committee on Printing. This Directory is exactly what it says it is: a list of who was who in Congress from The Continental Congress (1774) through January 3, 2005 (end of the 108th Congress). Brief biographies of all members of Congress are also provided. In addition there is a list of Executive Officers (Cabinet) 1789-2005. Tip, it helps to know the number of the Congress sitting for the time period concerned. Example, the Civil War was 1861-1865 which was the 37th through the 39th Congress.

The American Presidency Project provides Public Papers of the Presidents from Hoover through Clinton. These materials include Executive Orders, Proclamations, press conferences, addresses to Congress, etc. There is a Data Archive that shows popularity over time, vetoes and more. The "Elections" page tallies for each presidential nominee the electoral vote, popular vote and percentages. It is interesting and rather fun to compare the numbers among the Presidents.

Other news today:

Samuel Alito was sworn in as the 110th Supreme Court Justice.
President George W. Bush gave his 5th State of the Union address to Congress and the nation.
It was Alan Greenspan's last day as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Coretta Scott King died.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

HeinOnline - Not just articles

HeinOnline, which can be found on the Law Library's Research Database page, has always been a great place to find both old and fairly new law journal articles in PDF format. But did you know about all the other materials you can now find on HeinOnline? There is a Federal Register Library which also includes the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. You can find a Legislative History Library with selected compiled legislative histories and a Treaties Library which provides a great way to find a full text PDF version of a treaty. There are many other materials that you might also need such as Attorney General opinions, a treasury of classic legal books and a Supreme Court Library.

The only caveat about using this site is that its search function is not the best. It is however a wonderful place to retrieve a document when you already have a citation or to browse for one if you know the year and most of the details.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Using Google as a verb

An interesting example of Google being used as a verb can be found in this Pontiac television commercial. In the spot, which is being being shown regionally in the United States, someone is shown entering the term PONTIAC into the Google search box with the voiceover:

"Don't take our word for it, Google 'Pontiac' to find out!"

This is a great illustration of the power of Google the brand. Are broadcast and search mediums beginning to merge? Stay tuned for more...

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

20 Years On...Challenger, Space and the Law

The media--from the National Geographic Channel to talk radio--will be commemorating today’s sad anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster that led to the deaths of seven astronauts, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. But did you know that all three NASA spaceflight accidents, claiming 17 lives over the last 40 years, took place between January 27 (the Apollo 1 fire in 1967) and February 1 (the loss of the shuttle Columbia in 2003)? This fact, along with Challenger videos, training and liftoff photos, voice recorder transcripts, Congressional hearings, scientific investigation reports, and court decisions from related lawsuits are all available online from web sites dedicated to the history and law of space exploration. NASA’s History Division page on the ill-fated Challenger mission is a great place to start, with links to most of the key information. Spacelawstation.com, “the planet’s space law portal,” provides Challenger-related and other space law cases, a space lawyer directory, and links to space law resources worldwide.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

How to Say it in . . .

With globalization, we will have increasing need for communication in different languages. There are several websites that provide quick translations. My favorite is Babel Fish . Another is Google Language Tools. I can now tell you that "meow" is pretty much the same across your human languages.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Electronic Discovery

Those cutting-edge future litigators among you might find the Discovery Resources Web site to be of interest. Discovery Resources aggregates current information about electronic discovery for the legal community from a variety of different online sources. The site’s aim “is to keep legal professionals informed and provide the best tools available to evaluate the wide range of technological and legal issues associated with electronic discovery.” Resources include articles, news items, links to e-discovery case law, rules and regulations, and practice-based tools.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat