July 22, 2010
My Legal Rebel Move: Not Renewing My ABA Membership
The ABA (American Bar Association) has a feature they call "Legal Rebels". Well, I am a Legal Rebel, and here's why: I'm leaving the ABA. When my current membership expires, I'm not renewing it.
In a recent post over at My Shingle, Carolyn Elefant talks about the ABA "making a play" for solos and asks if solos should play back. I will preface this post by saying that I have not seen all of the ABA's new efforts, but based on what was outlined in Carolyn's post and the ABAJournal article I'm unimpressed.
Here's the run-down:
- Sponsoring Solosez. Good for Solosez! How does that really help me? Solosez is a mailing list the overhead cannot be that much. And you do not have be an ABA member to participate in Solosez. So, this is worth $X a year??
- GP Solo Magazine. I don't need another ******* magazine. Seriously. Every bar org out there has a magazine. Or six. I flip through them once standing next to the recycling bin, and unless something really seems worth reading, they go straight in. I probably get 6-8 of these types of magazines a month. In the last year, I've given a reprieve to two issues to read an article. In both cases, I regretted it.
- Quarterly Solo e-Mail Newsletter. This is why people increasingly view the ABA as an anachronistic organization. An e-mail newsletter. Seriously???
- Smart Soloing eBook and publication. Yawn. As Carolyn mentions, these types of publications rarely contain information that isn't already available by the boatload on other blogs or on-line resources that are, quite often, free.
- Smart Soloing School. The ABA is so tired and out of ideas, that they have decided to blatantly rip-off one of their own nominated Legal Rebels, Susan Cartier Liebel, who runs Solo Practice University. The ABA claims their "school" is a $1600 value. Well, guess what? SPU costs a fraction of that, and provides excellent, on-going content and community. Why does the ABA need to re-invent the wheel? So they can focus even more on content I don't need from them because it's already being provided by someone else who is doing it well?
- Lobbying. Yes, I appreciate the ABA lobbying on behalf of lawyer advertising, blogging, virtual law office technology, etc. But as far as I can tell, given the disparate state of ethics rules across the country regarding virtual offices, etc. The ABA isn't really doing a bang-up job there, either.
All these things are nice, but honestly, as a practicing solo, let me clue the ABA in on what it is that I really need:
1. Community. I need to be in touch with other solos regularly to share resources, share/get referrals, and commiserate with. I can--and do already--have that nationwide through Solosez, Twitter, etc. I don't need the ABA to do it because they are duplicating effort, and generally, not doing it very well. As for the in-person networking, one or two conferences a year does not make for good networking opportunities. My local bar associations (the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association) provide so much more value in terms of community and networking, that for the ABA to even attempt it is laughable.
2. Insurance. I need insurance: professional liability insurance, health insurance, life insurance. The ABA "value" really falters here. Did I say falter? I meant fail. Epic fail. Titanic fail. At least for my practice areas and geographic location. Considering the membership numbers at the ABA, the ABA should be able to offer me the best deal in all three areas of major insurance. Yet, in all three, the ABA offered me the worst deals. How is that possible? They have the largest membership of any bar association, and they are lawyers--but they couldn't negotiate better discounts than my local bars?! Should I fear for the future of the ABA or the future of my profession!?
3. Legal Research. Have you priced Lexis and Westlaw these days? I pay as I go for them, and rely primarily on Fastcase. Which, by the way, I get for free from the Illinios State Bar Association. And the ISBA membership is still less than ABA Membership.
4. CLE. Again, I can get this from so many other sources, most of the time cheaper and better. Including, again, my local bar associations.
So, while I think there could be value in the ABA for solos, there certainly isn't for me, at least not now. Right now, the only value I get from the ABA comes from Solosez and the TechShow, neither of which require membership to gain access to. For everything else, and I do mean everything, my local bar associations provide a much better return on investment for my membership fees. Of course, living in Chicago, my experience might not be the same for solos who don't have strong local bar associations--I can't speak to that.
But in the opinion of this solo Chicago attorney, take the money you save by not joining the ABA and join a local bar association instead. That's the real "Legal Rebel" way.
Posted by Dave! Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
July 16, 2010
Review: AppMakr
I've been experimenting with iPhone app development lately (and Android development, but that's another story) so when I saw a tweet about AppMakr I thought I would give it a try.
I will preface this review by saying that I do have some coding background (although I wouldn't call myself a "coder") and that I am also already a registered Apple Developer. Keep those in mind when considering my perspective.
First, AppMakr doesn't allow you do develop full-blown applications in the truest sense of what an App is. What it does allow you to do is take RSS feed content and turn that into an application that runs on the iPhone. Why does this matter when you have Safari anyway? Well, it matters for a couple of reasons:
1. By making the content an "app" you eliminate the need to be connected to retrieve the content. So your site's (or rather, your feed's) content is always available.
2. The content is displayed in an "app" which can be skinned, so it will have a look and feel that, while somewhat generic, can still be customized with your logo, colors, etc.
3. You can add advertising (MobAd and others) to your "app" to help "monetize" your content.
Those may be valid reasons to use the service, depending on what you had in mind when you thought, "Hey, I want to build an app!"
The process of creating an app is pretty straightforward. Once you sign up for your AppMakr account, you can create your application for free (more on that later). Basically, all you need is an RSS feed, and you're ready to go. First, you choose an "Application Template" to get started. When I created my app, the only template available was the "RSS Mashup" template, which is pretty limiting, but I suspect more templates may be added later.
After you select the only template available, you enter the URL for your feed, which will provide the content for your app. From there, you can customize your app--choosing your own icon, splash screen, header image, etc. If you have any graphic design skills, I'd recommend designing your own images, the stock ones provided by AppMakr are serviceable, but look stock. You can also change the color scheme, add the advertisements to your app if you are so inclined, and then you're done. It really is pretty simple. I created my first app in about half-an-hour, although I already had some custom icons and logos laying around.
Unfortunately, publishing is not quite so simple. In fairness, this is not entirely AppMakr's fault. You see, applications developed for the iPhone have to be code signed, which means you have to have a public/private key combo, and sign a cert generated by Apple before you can deploy your app--that includes deploying it only on your iPhone for testing.
This is a gigantic pain in the butt.
And I'm a registered developer.
AppMakr goes out of their way to step you through the process, and I think they did a pretty good job. Follow their directions, and it will probably take another 30 min or so to figure out all the correct certs. Keep in mind, I was doing this on a Mac, and as a developer, I'd already done a couple of the steps. Your milage may vary. All along the way, AppMakr pimps the upsell, noting that the process isn't much fun and is complicated, so they'll gladly step you through it for $250. That's pretty pricey, if you ask me, and unless you can't follow directions, a waste of money.
Once you get your app signed, you're ready to deploy. I only deployed mine to my iPhone (I don't think an app of this blog would really be a hot-seller) which is free. It runs well, and looks pretty much the same as it did in the AppMakr simulator. Publishing for the App Store has a couple of other hurdles. First, you have to pay AppMakr. If you have your own Apple Developer account ($99 from Apple), you can publish for free right now because of a promotional special, but the regular AppMakr price to do so is $199. However, if you don't have your own Apple developer account, the price is a whopping $999. Do your own math. Sign up to be an Apple developer. Yikes. $199 might be reasonable, depending on how AppMakr shepherds you through the App Store submission process, but any way you slice it, $999 is too much. If you are of reasonable intelligence or have a teenager at home who can help you, sign up for the Apple dev program, and even at the regular AppMakr price of $199, you're saving $701 off the "we do it" price.
There are some very important caveats:
1. AppMakr doesn't approve your apps. Apple does. (AppMakr does some basic checking before they allow you to submit, but it's still Apple's call.) There is still a chance that your app will be rejected by Apple for some reason. AppMakr offers "hints" along the way to reduce the chance of rejection--I'd follow their advice--but keep in mind, in the end, the decision is Apple's.
2. You don't get a refund if your app is rejected. Think about that one at $999. Or even $199. From what I gathered on the site, it's not full-price to resubmit (I think it's $49 per "change") but still.
3. If you went the Apple Developer route, you can always self-publish your app, which is free. Free.
The bottom line: AppMakr is definitely useful--provided you are looking to make a very specific kind of app, which relies on RSS feed content. It's a straight-forward way to take an existing site/blog and create an app version quickly and easily. The resources are there to do it for not much money, provided you do a little legwork, and if you don't want to be bothered, you can pay AppMakr to do more of the work and still get a decent app. Worth checking out if you have a popular blog/site that you are looking to turn into an app. Otherwise, you might do better finding a developer for hire. You are definitely not going to be building Shazam or Twitter with it.
Posted by Dave! Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
July 12, 2010
When Did People Stop Thinking for a Living?
So, now that I have a little one at home (well, have for a while) I decided I should have some life insurance. Not a lot, but enough so that should something happen to me (god forbid) my wife and baby wouldn't be thrown into complete economic turmoil. Anyway, today, I got an e-mail from the insurance underwriter. It said,
"I am in receipt of your application and there is a question that did not get answered. Just as a reminder to continue the process of your application all requirements must be completed.
To avoid delay in processing your application please answer the following question below:
Is any person to be insured now pregnant?"
I honestly wasn't sure how to respond to that. You see, I am the person to be insured on the application. The only person to be insured. The only person on the application. The application which also asked my sex.
Was it really necessary to ask me that question? The underwriter couldn't have just checked "no" and went on with her day, and not interrupted mine? Okay. Whatever. So I responded:
"Since I'm the person to be insured, I can assure you, I am not pregnant. :)"
I thought that would be the end of it. But no. They wrote back. Telling me, "we cannot leave any questions unanswered." So I had to respond with:
"Is any person to be insured now pregnant? No."
Seriously. When did people stop thinking--or being allowed to think on the job. I could understand needing clarification if the question were ambiguous. Or could have any possible answer. But needing to ask a male applicant for an insurance policy if he could be pregnant??! This is why America is going to hell in a handbasket.
Posted by Dave! Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
June 28, 2010
Blawg Review #270
I was wracking my brain, trying to come up with my theme for this edition of Blawg Review, when it happened. My youth was gone. I know, I'm pushing 40, so it probably left a long time ago, but this was the first time that it really hit hit me.
I was at my local home improvement store, shopping for yard supplies for a landscaping project when The Cure came over speakers. Not just late, sell-out, Friday I'm In Love Cure, either. Old Cure. And that's when I realized that the music of my youth was being co-opted to sell me crap: I was a grown up.*
Yep. I'm no longer in school of any kind. I have a kid. I have a house. The rebellious songs of my youth are now being played on "classic rock" radio. So what better to do for Blawg Review than go retro!
Without further ado, I present to you, in full retro-web-vision, my nostalgic trip down memory lane of Blawg Reviews past, to see "Where are they now?"
Blawg Review #270
*As Ed. pointed out in an e-mail with the statement "Who is The Cure"? My cultural milestones won't be yours. So think: hearing Iggy Pop sell Norwegian cruises. Or Led Zeppelin shleppin' Cadillacs. The Beatles on a Nike commercial. Janis Joplin for Michelin Tires. Or Scott Joplin for Carbolic Smokeballs.
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March 5, 2010
I'm running for Lt. Governor!
Well, since the Democrats in Illinois are taking on-line applications for the open spot on the ballot, I'm not really running for Lt. Governor. But I did submit my on-line application for the ballot spot. Here's what I said in my application:
I hereby pledge that if chosen to run and if elected by the People of Illinois to the office of Lieutenant Governor:
I will resign on my first day of office, which means under the Constitution of Illinois that the office will remain vacant until the next election.
This will provide time for the legislature to organize a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the office.
I will not take a salary for the office of Lt. Governor.
I will not staff the office of the Lt. Governor.
I will not spend a single dollar of the taxpayer's of Illinois hard earned money on an unnecessary elected office.
- The FY2008 cost of the office of Lt. Governor was approximately $2.4Million.
- The FY2009 cost (enacted) was $2.1 Million.
- The recommended FY2010 cost is $1.35 Million.
- Over a term of four years, I will save the citizens of Illinois over $5 Million dollars.
Although the Lt. Governor's duties include chairing several committees, I am quite confident that those committees may be served well by other members who may step up to fill the vacant chairmanship. As for succession, upon my resignation, the Attorney General would succeed the Governor should the Governor be unable/unwilling to serve.
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Yes, I'm doing this to make a point. I think it's a bit odd that the Democratic Party is taking applications for the nomination on-line. I also think the office of Lt. Governor is pretty unnecessary, given the extremely limited duties of the office and what it costs to run a governmental office that does so little.
But I'm also 100% serious.
Posted by Dave! Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
May 25, 2009
Happy Towel Day!
Kevin A. Thompson is hosting Blawg Review this week, on Towel Day.
So mix yourself a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster and check it out... but very carefully.
Posted by Dave! Permalink
March 26, 2009
Some Thoughts on the Kindle 2
We've had a Kindle 2 in the house since they were released--I actually bought one as a Birthday/Christmas/Promotion present for my wife last year, but it never shipped because of the Kindle 2 Launch. Recently, we added another Kindle to the house for my birthday. Here are some thoughts...
Things Amazon Got Right
Whisper Net. Holy crap. One click and in less than a minute, I have a new book. It's awesome. And between the free books and .99 books, I'm not spending a fortune, although, in the end I have a feeling I'm going to end up buying way more from Amazon than I did before.
The Dictionary. The dictionary integration on the Kindle is so much more useful than I ever would have imagined. I use it far more than I thought I would, and now that I do, I can't imagine not having it.
Battery Life. I don't leave the wireless on most of the time. And I haven't recharged the thing since I got it, despite heavy use. Awesome.
Things Amazon Got Almost Right
The Color. I'm not a fan of white gadgets in general, but I could live with that. The real issue here is that the background of the e-ink display is slightly grey, not quite white. If the Kindle were grey or black or even red I wouldn't really notice. But looking at the white of the Kindle next to the "white" of the display, and I realize there are still some improvements to be made in the contrast.
Progress Bar. I love that I can glance down and see how far into a book I've read. What I don't like is that I can't easily see how far until the end of the chapter I'm currently reading. When your wife is nudging you in bed saying, "Turn out the damn light" there's no easy way to say, "I'm only four pages away from the end of this chapter." Some chapter marker hash marks or something like that on the progress bar would be awesome.
Notes/Annotations. I suppose this is really a keyboard gripe, not an annotation gripe, but I would really like to make better use of adding notes to texts. This is especially true of legal PDFs that I convert to the Kindle. Right now, they work, but it's tedious to type of the keyboard and it's just not a smooth process. I suppose I'm pushing the envelop of what the Kindle is and is supposed to do, but hey, if you're going to make that a feature, make it a good feature.
The size. It's really comfortable in my hand, reading in bed at night. I thought that I would want a bigger screen, and I do. But I am really pretty happy with the screen size. If the screen were actually the size of the entire face of the current Kindle and were a touch screen, I think that would be perfect. As is, it is much better than I expected.
Things Amazon Got Wrong
Folders. Seriously, I already have dozens of books on my Kindle, and I'm just warming up. I've been hitting Feedbooks and Many Books and going crazy. Which makes my Table of Contents super long. Yeah, I can search it, but I would really love to have folders for reference, non-fiction, fiction, etc. C'mon, how hard would that be Amazon??! This is the major mistake on the UI, if you ask me.
Memory Card. I know, it will hold 1500 books or whatever. Yeah, 2GB isn't bad, but I don't care. Let me put my own card in it. That's a real no brainer. And since the Kindle 1 had a memory card slot, removing it double sucks. New revisions should add features, not strip away good ones!
The Cover. Yeah, I'd probably buy my own cover anyway, and the $30 cover Amazon sells isn't bad--but it should absolutely be included with the Kindle. Who wants to walk around with something that costs over $350 with no cover?! Selling it separately means that you basically pay $30 more for the Kindle, no matter what. Include a damn cover. And speaking of "covers"... it's cool the way the Kindle exploits e-ink's ability to display a persistent image to rotate the book covers that appear on the Kindle screen when it's powered off. But here's a feature request: let me customize those images. Sure, it's cool to have Lewis Carrol, Edgar Allen Poe, or Mark Twain on the screen even though it's off. But you know what would be even cooler? A pic of my family. That really shouldn't be a hard feature, Amazon.
In the end, I have to say I love the thing. When I was a kid, I was a reader. I used to stay up way past my bedtime, when I was supposed to be asleep, reading with a flashlight. I haven't done that in years. Well, the flashlight is gone, but the Kindle actually has me reading late into the night again. Why? It's hard to say. I still love books--the smell, the feel. But there is something to be said for having a library at your fingertips. For having the ability to look up a word at the touch of a button while never leaving the page you're reading that is compelling. I don't think the Kindle will ever replace books in my life entirely, but I also think I'm going to be using it (or some form of e-reader) for a very long time.
Posted by Dave! Permalink