The Chesapeake Project Legal Information Archive has just published its 3rd annual study of link rot (see link in the top right of the home page under “Additional Resources”).

Link rot describes “a URL that no longer provides direct access to files matching the content originally harvested from the URL and currently preserved in the Chesapeake Project’s digital archive (…) In some instances, a 404 or ‘not found’ message indicates link rot at a URL; in others, the URL may direct to a site hosted by the original publishing organization or entity, but the specific resource has been removed or . . . [more]

There’s an interesting article in the latest issue of Forbes Magazine on the Worst Words to Say at Work. For quick reference, those words are: “try”, “whatever”, “maybe” and “I don’t know”, “I’ll get back to you”, “If”, “yes, but…”, “I guess”, and “we’ll see…”.

It’s an interesting list. But I have to say, there’s a time and place for everything – including weak language. Far too often, and especially in the legal profession, command and control personalities leave a wake of unproductive business operations behind them. Workplaces that are so scared to cause waves, the ability of employees . . . [more]

I have my fingers and toes crossed that an Apple Store in Michigan can hook me up with a shiny new iPad tomorrow. I am flying through Detroit on my way to the CALL/MichALL 2010 Conference in Windsor. An iPad is an early birthday present since an e-reader has been on my must have list for a while. Now that I can acquire an e-reader on steroids, I can’t wait any longer. Canadians have to wait for the iPad release, and since I can’t reserve over the phone, or online without a US mailing address, I just have to make . . . [more]

The Supreme Court of India yesterday delivered a lengthy judgment in the case of Smt. Selvi & Ors. v. State of Karnataka Criminal Appeal No. 1267 of 2004, which, in the words of the Chief Justice, involved a:

batch of criminal appeals [relating] to the involuntary administration of certain scientific techniques, namely narcoanalysis, polygraph examination and the Brain Electrical Activation Profile (BEAP) test for the purpose of improving investigation efforts in criminal cases.

The three-judge bench held that “the compulsory administration the impugned techniques violated the ‘right against self-incrimination'” and violated as well “the standard of ‘substantive due process’ . . . [more]

In the wake of much public debate over the anti-hate provisions of human rights legislation, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission applied to the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal the February 2010 Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision, William Whatcott v. Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal.

The new Google search results page finally got propagated as far as my browser mere moments ago.

Google will now use a full two column display (with a third column on the right for ads). Where before options were strung out across the top (“web images blogs” etc), they’re now arrayed at the left in bold colour:

The various filters and facets affecting the results can be displayed in a drop-down list. It doesn’t seem possible to set that list to expanded or collapsed within your preferences, but perhaps I’ve missed something. . . . [more]

Updated versions of Peg Duncan’s amazing Canadian focused e-discovery reading list and case law digests have just been posted, respectively, on the e-discovery page on practicePRO’s website and on the Ontario Bar Association’s site. Both are extremely helpful resources for lawyers that need to deal with electronic discovery related issues.

Cross posted on Avoid a Claim . . . [more]

♬ Everything is not what it seems
When you can get what you want by the simplest of means
Be careful not to mess with the balance of things
Because everything is not what it seems…♬

Lyrics and music by: John R. Adair, Ryan David Elder, Bradley Jay Hamilton, Stephen R. Hampton, recorded by: Selena Gomez.

CBC News on May 4, 2010 in an on-line article entitled: “Bank of Montreal alleges huge mortgage fraud” reported on a potential $30 million mortage/real estate fraud in Alberta.

The article is disturbing, as the size of the fraud and . . . [more]

Readers in the Toronto region might like to note the following events planned by the Women’s Law Association of Ontario:

• Alternative Careers – So you’re a Lawyer, Now What?
  Thursday May 6, 2010
  Advocates Society Education Centre
  1700 – 480 University Ave, Toronto
  5:30 -7:30

  Not sure if your hard-earned law degree gives you what you need? Ready for a career change of just interested in learning about the hidden opportunities in and outside the law? Join us for our 4th annual panel of successful and influential lawyers who have found their role.

• 2010 Annual Awards Dinner
  President’s Award -McCarthy

. . . [more]

The Canadian Privacy Commissioner posted a link to a short test to see how you fare in minimizing the risk of ID theft that is on a website managed by the Australian Privacy Commissioner.

This was created for Privacy Awareness Week, which is an annual promotion by the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) forum which includes the Privacy Commissioners of British Columbia and Canada.

It looks at things such as what’s in your wallet, online shopping, and credit/debit card use.

It’s worth spending the couple of minutes it takes to complete. My challenge to you is to act on at . . . [more]

As many Slaw readers will already know from the extensive coverage this has received, the Ontario Divisional Court released an important ruling in Warman v. Wilkins-Fournier, a case in which Richard Warman is suing a number of persons for defamation. Warman had tried to get the court to compel disclosure from one of the defendants of information that would help identify various other defendants who had posted on anonymously on the internet message board run by the first defendant.

The court overturned a ruling by the trier of the motion to compel disclosure and sent the matter back for . . . [more]

Yesterday the official Twitter blog announced that they would be releasing a feature allowing embedded Tweets, similar to how we embed YouTube videos.

Earlier today the feature went live on a site called Blackbird Pie,

The origin of the script is both self- and user-centered. Mostly, we just think it’s a pain to take screen grabs of tweets. But of course we also think it’s a much better user experience to have @-mentions, hashtags and the account itself all linked and clickable.

I’ve played with a little bit, and there still seems to be some bugs. For example, the . . . [more]