business legal

Legal Research Company – The Basics

May 7, 2012 – 9:24 pm

A good legal research company offers expert legal research, knowledge management support to clients and attorneys in private and corporate practices and at times governmental and nongovernmental practices all round the globe. Bottom line, a good legal research company gives clients exactly what they need, when they need it.

Employees

Any legal research company should know its employees well enough and should have enough man power to cover the different fields of research at any given time. An IT department is a requirement that needs to be considered when thinking research because handling and management of data and having it ready when needed even on short term basis is a crucial part of the research process. So, I would suggest have a few IT professionals who are able to handle sensitive research material. See to it that you also have a good public relations section as this the face that you present to the world in terms of company representation.

Workplace

The workplace should also be in your mind as you think of a good legal research company. Researchers you will find out are free thinkers and people who love turning concepts in and out. Try make the work place for free thinkers but at the same time, not too free to lazy around. Also think of your client. Does your place of work reflect confidence and reliability and assurance? If it doesn’t you need to up your game as soon as possible. Also, you might want to get a lounge exclusively for your clients. Nothing fancy but some place where they can gather their thoughts as they wait on their issues to be addressed.

On Good Research.

For example, any florida legal research group should be good if there were no rules on how the research itself should be carried out. But as we said, researchers work best on a relaxed mind, so, these that I’m about to lay out for you are mere tips but that should act as guidelines to a standard way of representing your company out there to your clients as a company of consistency and good work ethic.

  1. Schedule.

Every researcher in the company needs to have a schedule that he or she sets by himself and have it approved by his supervisor so that the whole research team moves in tandem with client time expectations.

2. The Meat of the Discussion

The first things you should clear of the table when doing research is to get to the obvious information and get it off the way.

  1. The Client

This really is not a conventional tip but when doing research for a legal research company, it’s good that you be able to put yourself in your clients’ shoes so to say. Figure out what these means to them and what their needs are for that particular time.

  1. Information.

Make sure that all the information is scrutinized well before it’s handed over to the client. Have levels in your company. Junior researchers could pass their research to senior researchers and hence forth to make sure everything is factual and accurate.

These tips should just sit well enough to manage and keep a legal research company on top of the rest.

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alternative energy bio

Solar Power – An Odyssey

May 3, 2012 – 10:04 pm

Last summer, I was part of a group of Americans that won a grant to go to Africa for a tech project, thanks to texas solar power. This was my first time to go to this mythical continent, and I didn’t know much about it apart from the stuff that I saw on television – you know: lions, famine and civil war. In my mind, I knew that Africa had so much to offer, and in keep with the concept of humanism, I decided to apply for this grant to see if I could make a change in other people’s lives.

Destination Burkina Faso

We were going to a little-known country in West Africa, and we were going to help a small community get set up in terms of solar power and what it could do for them. These guys had never heard about electricity, not even seen it. In America, we are so used to having all our energy needs met, that we didn’t even think about turning the light switch on and off. In Burkina Faso, only 20 percent of the population had access to electricity, so this sole statistic led me to thinking – how cool would it be to help a community achieve their energy needs by offering them a means by which they can harvest a sustainable energy source.

When we arrived in Kitonga, the small Burkina Faso town, all I could see was red earth and a landscape dotted with acacia trees and shrubbery. The women were hardworking, and the men spent most of their days in drinking dens, which was a disappointing scene. We got to work straight away and the day after our arrival, we set up the solar panels on the town hall roof, and connected it to the town’s sole water pump. We were pumping liters of water in no time, and all the families in the village brought out their buckets and containers so that they could collect the precious commodity.

Every afternoon, we would hold sensitization classes under the village Baobab tree, and we would always attract a large crowd.  We gave out information on the benefits of a solar panel, and the various ways in which electricity could be used to turn the economy of the town around. We also showed them how to make rudimentary solar panels based on some very simple materials that we had carried with us. One in every five families was going to get a solar panel which they would share with their neighbors. It was a priceless feeling that we got when we saw the appreciation in the eyes of the women and children that made the trip worth it. This project showed me how important a solar panel is, and how it can completely turn round the fortunes of a small town in Africa. I gained a renewed respect for women and realized that the world runs on the sweat and commitment of women all over the world. These days, I never take for granted the fact that I can walk into a room and turn on the light, and energy in the form of electricity would always be there.

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business

Virtual Office

May 1, 2012 – 4:32 pm

So, the other day I got to thinking – perhaps I could turn this while internet hobby of mine into a career. I’m kinda tired  of the whole nine to five grind, and I’d love to spend more  time with my family because eventually, that’s what  matters. It was this idea that led me to looking into the idea of a virtual office. How cool would it be if I were to do everything I do at work from the comfort of my own computer? I’m talking about doing away with the typical bricks and mortar setting, and the possibility of me working in my pajamas permanently!

I’ve always thought (although not out loud in case my boss heard me) that  sitting in meeting rooms for hours on end was a bore and unnecessary. There have been lots of time when I’ve spent hours in meetings recapping the previous episodes of Breaking Bad in my head while some guy kept going on and on about a new accounting software that just got installed by the IT department. I think having a virtual office would be cool in the sense that I’d be able to attend office meetings without having to feel like I was caged in like some animal. I work best alone, and a virtual office would give me the opportunity to feel comfortable and absorb all the information I am meant to in a typical office meeting.

 

How about those times you’ve been assigned a work station close to the receptionist, and at the end of each day, you’d go home with the sound of the phone ringing incessantly in your subconscious? With a virtual office, this would be a thing of the past, because you could get a representative to answer the phone virtually in your company name. This also cuts the cost on buying expensive telecommunications equipment and the man-hours wasted in answering the telephone – hours that could be put into good use in other pending office tasks.

Having once worked in the IT department of a large corporation, I understand the unique problem of space needed to store company data. I remember we used to have this huge room on a separate floor that would house the company serves which held sensitive data. One day, there was a city-wide outage and although it lasted only a few minutes, the damage done to the company data was irreparable. With the option of a virtual office, we would have the option of safeguarding our data and protecting it from such eventualities.

 

NYC: American Intl Building and Manhattan Comp...

NYC: American Intl Building and Manhattan Company Building (Photo credit: wallyg)

I think a virtual office is a great idea for individuals or companies that are looking to save on costs, work remotely or conveniently. I believe that some office tasks can be carried out virtually, saving on time and boosting productivity in the long run.

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bio communication

The Text Thing You Do

April 29, 2012 – 1:12 pm

I love to text. When I’m at work, I’m always texting the old lady, and sometimes we get so racy in our SMS’s, that I think if my cell phone company ever intercepted my texts, they would blush some and then probably arrest the both of us! Anyway, I think texting is the next best thing after foot massages, a cold Heineken on a hot summer day by the beach and New York Hummus stands. Yeah I know – my taste in things culinary tends to be a bit eclectic.

I coach the neighborhood baseball team, and hate the fact that I have to keep sending texts to the parents of the kids in my team, and having to wait for replies that may or may not come. I am not a fast texter, so I think the best solution for this kind of situation for me would be to find a bulk SMS gateway  I could sync with my schedule and have my i Phone fire off the texts I’m supposed to be sending at the right time, leaving me to keep the fire burning when between my wife and I.

What I love about texting is the fact I can say everything I ever wanted to say, and some stuff that would have been left in the vestiges of my mind thanks to this technology. For example, my wife is always complaining that I never tell her I love you. If I had a bulk SMS gateway a hlr I could tell her, my mother in law and sisters I love them ten times a day, in different languages if I wanted. Of course at face value it seems disingenuous, but the reality is that women wanna hear these kinds of things every day. I don’t understand it, but I do it because my aim is to keep my wife happy, and a happy wife equals a happy life.mit?

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bio

A Night to Remember

April 25, 2012 – 11:07 pm

My wife loves having candle-light dinner. While I don’t see what the fuss is about, I agree that food served under candlelight is more…savory. Now, wait as I try to explain myself. I recently watched this show on the Discovery channel on the human senses, and it stated that in the absence of one sense, the other human senses become heightened. I guess it then follows that if one were to have dinner in candle-light, then sight as a sense would be diminished, leaving the senses of smell and taste to run wild, thus the result would be delicious food and a great time in all.

The other day, we had torrential rain that turned into flooding, which in turn knocked off the power to our little cul-de-sac. With the wind howling outside, my wife and I calmly helped each other finish dinner and set it on the table. She grabbed the candles and lit a few, and placed them on the table and living room shelves. The kid was fast asleep upstairs ; he had spent the whole day fighting with the neighbor’s kid next door who didn’t wanna ‘share’ her rag doll, for lack of a better word.

As we dag into the roast lamb, I kept thinking how could it would have been if we had power distribution equipment at times like these. I’m not talking about a generator – I’m thinking about something more portable and compact that could be moved around, which would be able to power the whole house or certain sections of the house.

As I savored the delicious meal, I remembered that I had planned on doing some work that night, and that I hadn’t charged my laptop during the day. We always take for granted things that have always been there, and just one day without them can throw us out of balance. I needed a power solution for my work but had no idea where I was gonna get one.

 

Dessert was some great Italian gelato which was washed down with a cup of rich espresso. We then headed to the TV room and cuddled up with the missus on the couch, listening to the howling wind outside and recounting the day’s events. My i Phone had some charge so we listened to local radio via the phone’s loudspeaker. It was the events of this night that made me get me rolec services once and for all.

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bio

An Italian and his Ricotta

April 22, 2012 – 7:21 pm

As you already know by now, I’ve lived in New Jersey all my life. If asked, I could trace my lineage to the time when my grandmother left Sicily for the States. I was born here, and I feel every bit as American as every other Joe or Salazar walking past me at the supermarket aisle.

I had a great childhood – I loved baseball, and still play it up to today. In my free time, I tend to this blog and attend tech conventions all over the country. I guess you could call me a “balanced geek” for lack of a better term.

Growing up as an Italian-American gave me a unique perspective into the workings of other cultures. We Italians are all about tradition, our Ricotta, pasta, and family. We are a tightly-knit community, and believe me when I tell you I know every Italian family in Jersey down to the last one that moved here two weeks ago.

What’s so great about being Italian-American? Well, for one, I love that I can swear and nobody around me flinches. Then there’s that famous rumor about Sicilian men and explosive tempers. I’m here to tell you that it’s as true as the day is long. I’ve been in a couple of bar fights that I’m not particularly proud about, but when it comes to defending my honor and that of my family, I wouldn’t think twice about breaking a few noses here and there.

One thing that I would like to clarify, however, is that not all Italians belong to the Mafia. Heck, I haven’t even come across one member of this feared organization. If you ask me, it’s thanks to shows such as The Sopranos and the Godfather movie that really messed up people’s perceptions when it comes to that aspect. I live an honest life and try to stay out of trouble most times. My wife and kid make sure of that.

I wouldn’t change who I am for a million bucks – the great thing about Italian culture is the passion, sincerity and sense of family that unites the whole community here in Jersey and New York, and in other places in the country. I’ve been to Sicily a couple of times to visit my in-laws and uncles, and I loved it so much that the wife and I are thinking of buying a summer home there. I always say : if you don’t have family, what do you have? To me, that’s the bane of my existence.

Now, please excuse me as I head on down to dinner – my pasta al dente topped with Ricotta cheese and linguine sauce is waiting for me.

Till Next Time!

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Term Wiki – Language Expansion Through Web 2.0 Applications

April 16, 2012 – 4:53 pm

So, I have this friend of mine who lives in The Bronx. She’s a freelance translator and interpreter (yes guys, there’s a difference!) Her name’s Shirley, and we went to the same college. This girl has a knack for language that I can’t wrap my head around. She always gets these part time interpretation contracts with the UN, and it was great to catch up with her last week and talk about life and what she’s been up to.

She told me about this new website called TermWiki which came up a few months ago. It’s a social networking website where people from all over the world come together to contribute to a glossary that contains common words used in their languages. The information is then fed into the sophisticated algorithm system of the site and is arranged and coded as necessary.

I checked it out myself this week, and I must say I was blown away by its size and member participation. It features more than 1300 domains and 70+ languages. Say, if I wanted to say “Thank you” in Swahili, all I would have to do is to scroll to the Swahili section, and I’d have my word, correctly transcribed in phonetic terms.

I no longer have to go on a Google hunt to find out different terms and how to say them in a local language. The site started out with volunteers building the database from scratch, and has grown into a veritable website that could rival Facebook in a few years to come. TermWiki encompasses the aspects of social learning and sharing, and breaks down cultural barriers, one wall at a time.

You can ask a question about a particular societal custom, and there’d be a ready and well-equipped community to give you all the answers you need. It’s also a great place to market yourself if you want to be seen or hired by multinational and local companies. What’s even better about TermWiki is the fact that your content remains you own – everything you upload will be stamped with your username and regarded as belonging to you in terms of copyright conventions.

TermWiki embodies web 2.0 given the fact that it is a community-based site where all content is generated by dedicated users from all over the world. Before the end of each day, I always make sure to log on to the site so I can learn at least three different terms from different languages available on there.

I think the site is a great concept, and is a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mil social media websites that strengthen, rather than break cultural barriers.

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blogging

WordPress – The Ultimate Web 2.0 Platform

April 13, 2012 – 1:15 pm

I’ve been tinkering around the web lately, trying to find out the different platforms for my other blogs. I run two other blogs; one chronicling my baby daughter’s development over the weeks, and yet another one dedicated entirely to baseball scores and teams.

I started out blogging with Blogger, Google’s infamous blogging tool. I loved it so much that I would customize it every season, to reflect the changes in nature. I particularly loved my autumn theme until recently, when Google updated and revamped all its services. This marked the end of my relationship with Blogger and my move to WordPress.

WordPress was daunting at first glance, because there were so many things I had to learn in term of complex html tutorials and the like. Coming from Blogger, which was simple and intuitive, I found it a bit of a dud. However, whenever I checked out my friend’s blog, it always seemed so alive and vibrant, and solid. What I loved about WordPress is the fact that it looked professional, like you paid someone a couple hundred bucks to come up with the site for you. I decided to keep at it and teach myself the basics.

In about a month or so, I had taught myself the basics of WordPress and couldn’t wait to get started. I remember being overwhelmed at the many options that were at my disposal – from plugins, to themes and vibrant user forums.

What I love about WordPress is the fact that if you’re going to use it for your business and want an integrated and accessible platform that can be shared and modified by numerous people across the board, then this is the ultimate web 2.0 platform for you. It’s easily customizable once a foundation has been laid, and the different layers found in a WordPress site give it that authentic website feel.

WordPress is Open source, meaning it virtually costs next to nothing if you want to set up a site for your business without having to worry about a getting a license and the rights involved when using certain templates and themes.

Lastly, I love that WordPress has a powerful anti-spam system which ensures that those pesky comments advertising pharmaceutical drugs don’t line themselves up at the end of every post. With WordPress, the web 2.0 definition takes on a whole different meaning, giving you ultimate power and control over the content that you would like to share with the world.

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Social Media Classroom – Class in Session

April 9, 2012 – 4:42 pm

I love everything that has to do with web 2.0, and the user-centered way in which it functions. In my opinion, information should be manipulated by users who interact with it on a day-to-day basis on the internet. Thanks to the concept of social media and the creative mind of one Howard Rheingold, Social Media Classroom is a modern-day reality.

This Drupal-based web service lets students create a series of blogs, forums, wiki and chats in order to create a vibrant and interactive places where they can share and learn about different aspects of the internet in a classroom setting.

At the heart of it, SMC is not meant to replace classroom interaction but to add to it. Students are introduced to a cohesive environment that gives them the common social media tools they are used to using in sites such as Blogger, Facebook and Twitter. All of these tools are presented on a tab that is easily accessible and which can be personalized to reflect the inherent personality of the user.

The SMC will be available in two versions – an installable version for self-hosting and as a version that is hosted for those who might not have the consummate technological know-how.

The Social Media Classroom is comprised of two components – The Classroom and the Collaboratory. The Classroom is basically a website that contains, among others, curriculum content, and information about the different types of social media sites that are in existence on the web today. The Collaboratory, on the other hand, is the web service aspect of the project which can be accessed by anyone – students or teachers. Here, one can download and install the service, and go on to customize it to suit the needs of the students or teachers.

While I’m all for progressive thought, I think the concept of the Social media Classroom is still rough around the edges, and might not take off in the way it was intended to. This is because of the fact that for projects like these to have a lasting impact on the educational system, there needs to be full integration of the service and backing by stakeholders, not forgetting the education ministry. All in all, the Social Media Classroom is a novel idea that just might take off, albeit with limited success. What do you guys think? Please feel free to comment and let’s have a conversation as to the importance or necessity of social media in education.

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coding

Coding for Dummies

April 7, 2012 – 11:02 pm

I’m sure while watching those spy thriller flicks, you’ve at one time gone like – damn I wish I could do what that nerd guy is doing on the computer! How cool would it be to search up people at lightning fast speed or open the doors to bank vaults at the click of a button? Well, I’m not gonna teach you all of that today, but I’ll make it somewhat easier for you to build a rudimentary website by use of some simple coding tips.

HTML – The mother of all websites

If you want to have a basic understanding of websites and how they work, you’d be better placed to start at having an understanding of how HTML works. Simply put, HTML is a set of tools and coding strings that tell browsers and apps how to render a website. It contains aspects such as colors, fonts, security features such as SSL encryption and the like. HTML is code (excuse the pun!) for Hypertext Markup Language.

The HTML can be found in any page if you check out its source code. For example, if you’re using Mozilla, just click on the top menu and on view, and when you are here, click on “Page Source”. This will open a full page of code. It might seem complicated at first, but if you look closely, you’ll realize that you can figure out what each individual string means, and what goes where, should you decide to edit the page and add something of your own.

However, before making any modifications on this page, confirm with the site administrator to find out the requirements of your systems when it comes to tags.

HTML is a system that relies on foundations and basic rules. For example, in XHTML, coding language is always written in lower case. For example, you’ll write <bold> instead of <BOLD>.

Additionally, if you wanna create a hyperlink on this level, you’ll have to use the hyperlink reference anchor tag, which is basically the letter ” a” which goes at the beginning and end of the code. For example, you can have  <a href=”URL goes here”>Text to be linked goes here</a>. Note the placement of the “a”. This is what I mean by an anchor tag.

Coding is simple but gets more complicated depending on the language and system requirements. Have a look at The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Programming Basics, found on Amazon.com for a basic understanding and application of HTML.

Here’s to your success in your coding endeavors!

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