Monday, March 20, 2017

Could it happen to courts in the US? 
Nic Andersen reports:
In our country at the moment, you blink once and there is another crisis.  This evening, shocking details have emerged of a very suspicious break-in at the offices of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.  In the early hours of Saturday morning 15 computers were stolen, in South Africa that may sound normal to you, wait till you look closely at the finer details.
The 15 computers are said to contain “sensitive information” on the Constitutional Court judges and officials.  The computers were stolen from the Human Resources area of the office on the 1st floor, journalists on the scene also reported that the thieves ignored easier to access computers on the ground floor, meaning they targeted those computers specifically.
Read more on The South African.


AI is becoming so popular that we should do a seminar on it.  Oh, wait!  The Privacy Foundation is doing a Seminar, on April 28th at the DU Law School!  Stay tuned for details!
Guide to ILTA’s Artificial Intelligence Content
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Mar 19, 2017
Joe Davis, Project Consultant, Prudential Financial, Inc. – “OK, so Watson won “Jeopardy!” back in 2011.  That’s ancient history in technology years.  ILTA provides a wealth of programming about the current state of affairs in Artificial Intelligence that will benefit law firms and corporate legal departments.  In the future, I’m sure we’ll have a bot to curate all this content for us.  In the meantime, below is a sampling of some of ILTA’s best AI-related content from ILTACON, Insight, webinars, white papers and Peer To Peer.”


I find myself asking, “Is this a real thing or a Trump thing?” 
New on LLRX – President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Casts Doubt on Criminal Forensics
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Mar 19, 2017
Via LLRX.com – The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) stated in their report – “Among the more than 2.2 million inmates in U.S. prisons and jails, countless may have been convicted using unreliable or fabricated forensic science.  The U.S. has an abiding and unfulfilled moral obligation to free citizens who were imprisoned by such questionable means.”  Ken Strutin’s article features information about the PCAST Report, its reception by advocates and critics, and related articles, publications and developments concerning the science of innocence.


There was a time when this would have signaled that blockchain was ready “in all ways” for business.  IBM has lost that cachet, but this is still an indication that blockchain is real. 
IBM launches blockchain as a service for the enterprise
IBM has announced the launch of IBM Blockchain, a commercial service aimed at giving enterprise players the option to build their own scalable and secure blockchain networks.
The new service is based on the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Fabric version 1.0, IBM said in a press release.
By utilizing Hyperledger, a cross-industry open-source effort to bring blockchain to businesses, Big Blue says that developers can quickly build and host secure blockchain networks via the IBM Cloud.
In order to enhance security, IBM Blockchain is also underpinned by IBM LinuxONE, a Linux server which is heavily influenced by security.


Resources for my students?
20,000 Worldclass University Lectures Made Illegal, So We Irrevocably Mirrored Them
Today, the University of California at Berkeley has deleted 20,000 college lectures from its YouTube channel.  Berkeley removed the videos because of a lawsuit brought by two students from another university under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We copied all 20,000 and are making them permanently available for free via LBRY.
Is This Legal?
Almost certainly.


Tech for lawyers.  Very interesting slideshow.
ABA TechShow 2017 – 60 tips in 60 minutes
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on Mar 19, 2017
ABA TECHSHOW 2017: 60 tips in 60 minutes – Adam Camras, LegalTalkNetwork; Ivan Hemmans, O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Jack Newton, Clio; Deborah Savadra, Legal Office Guru; Rochelle Washington, DC Bar.


For my students?  (Found this in the lawyer tech slideshow, above.)
WordRake
The secret to writing well is rewriting.  WordRake tightens, tones, and clarifies your writing.  Just click the "rake" button and watch the in-line editor ripple through your document, suggesting edits to remove clutter and improve unclear phrasing, just like a live editor.  Give your first drafts the polish of a second or third draft, quickly and painlessly.

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