CALI 2004

University of Washington

June 19, 2004

As the CALI conference draws to a close I feel compelled to comment on the University of Washington. The Law School at UW has been the host. As a member of a family with a long-standing history at Washington State University I may have arrived with an unduly negative preconception of the school. However, everything I have seen and experienced has shown that the school is among the best of conference hosts around. It is quite remarkable how attentive the caterers are with nary a need unmet. The quality of the food as well is very good.

Wireless access in the hallways at first proved somewhat spotty but by changing the wireless setup in the powerbook to use 'g' instead of 'b' or 'g'.

Web Cameras in Simulation

June 19, 2004

Need to explore using web cameras with thin clients - do a web-cam record/upload via a Linux thin client with a USB camera.

Technology Standards for Law Schools

June 19, 2004

Discussion of the proposed changes to the ABA standards for law schools.

Should technology be a part of the professional responsibility course.

Need to educate students about the proper use of technology in the practice.

Should law IT standards mirror standard 602 for law libraries?

Software training for students?

What should the relationship between campus IT and Law School IT be?

Does the campus provided email meet any standards set by the ABA re: practice of law and standards for practicing attorneys.

need to bring in some Microsoft Office classes.

OpenExpert.org Expert System for Legal Clinics

June 18, 2004

Presentation question about the OpenExpert.org expert system. Expert systems in legal clinics can help with preservation of knowledge in a place where turnover is high by design, helps train new students, help new students find solutions more quickly and finally system can be made publicly available via the web.

Does an expert system replace students? No. Expert systems are good but they have limits and are much more effective when utilized by a trained person. They also don't solve all types of problems or in areas where there are subjective evaluations. It is best at areas of clearly defined law with lots of options (tax law, child support etc.).

Sailesh Chutani: Your Life as a Movie

June 18, 2004

What if everything you see, smell, hear, say and touch was recorded. Microsoft Research was founded in 1991 and has more than 700 people in more than 55 areas. Microsoft Research works very closely with many universities worldwide.

SenseCam - a small black box that captures images based on sensors that trigger the taking of pictures. Target is to have a device the size of a fifty-cent piece that captures data. The price point for this is fairly reasonable. Built from off the shelf components.

Storage needs are increasing. In todays storage terms the cost of storage for a lifetime is $10m today. In 10 years the cost of 10 peta bits of storage will likely be less than $10K for a lifetime of images. Moore's Law suggests that by 2019 a $1000 computer will match the computational power of the human brain.

Clay Shirky

June 17, 2004

Notes from the opening address at CALI. The comments in italics are mine.

Clay Shirky: Data is the new book. The change is a slow process. Things get broken for a long time and stay broken for a long time. When the printing press was invented the old systems broke for a long time before we figured out how to use it.

The library as canary - users are opting out and libraries have to deal with that.

First reaction: STOP! There is a threat of de-coherence. Often we try first to bring users back to the old model. Change is driven by a market model - 10% change can be enough to change the way we do business. The classic mode of dealing with this is driven by the impacted institution. "Eat More Lard" - A message from the lard council.

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