Is Full-Time Telecommuting a Good or Bad Thing?

For the longest time, many workers complained about commuting to work. On top of a long work day at the office, they also had to lose time while being stuck in traffic or commuting by other means. Between work and commuting, there was hardly any time in the day to do anything of personal benefit.

But then this situation started to change. With the growth of the Internet and the ability to communicate electronically from practically any geographic location, no longer was it necessary for workers to be tied down to their desks at their companies’ offices.

To make life easier for their employees, some enlightened companies began to offer some flexibility. Workers periodically, sometimes even a day or two per week, could telecommute from home. Thus, the number days they would need to commute into the office would be cut down to a fair extent.

Now, however, we are entering into a new paradigm. Companies are closing down offices and are requiring some employees to work remotely full-time. This is not necessarily being done simply for the non-commuting advantage of the workers. Instead, given the fact that employees truly can do almost all of their work tasks remotely, employers want to shed the overhead of maintaining offices, for great company cost-savings.

Does this play out well for full-time, remote employees? Continue reading “Is Full-Time Telecommuting a Good or Bad Thing?”

Drones: The Next Big Thing!

There have been several technological paradigm shifts over the past few decades. First, there was the personal computer. Next came the Internet and worldwide technological/communications access across the globe. And now, we have drones.

So what is a drone? It’s commonly defined as an unmanned aerial aircraft. But drones really are much more.

Of course, drones started with military applications. They have been used for espionage, delivery of materials, and for military attacks.

After that, the use of drones initially bypassed commercial applications and were used for personal endeavors. It has been very common, for example, for people to use drones to film events and places from up above.
Continue reading “Drones: The Next Big Thing!”

Online Holiday Shopping Is Here to Stay

Once upon a time, holiday shopping meant schlepping from one store to another, braving traffic and crowds, with the hope of finding the perfect gifts for our families and friends. Countless hours and hassles later, we finally collected our stash of presents.

But with the advent of Amazon and other online shopping sites more than 10 years ago came the prospect of buying holiday gifts right from home.

At first, there was trepidation. Was it safe to shop online? Was it OK to share credit card information on the Internet? Would ordered gifts actually arrive? Could they be returned when appropriate? Continue reading “Online Holiday Shopping Is Here to Stay”

Happy TechGiving!

With modern air travel, it is possible to visit family members and dear friends who live in other parts of the country for Thanksgiving. Indeed, Thanksgiving week is the busiest time of year for airlines and airports.

It is not uncommon for people to think twice about Thanksgiving travel, given the crowds and commotion. And now, much of the country is socked in with blizzards, massive snows, and temperatures well below freezing. These conditions make travel even more daunting, if not impossible in some circumstances. Continue reading “Happy TechGiving!”

Veterans Day: One WWII Vet Lives Long and Goes Tech

Today is Veterans Day. We have much to be thankful for in terms of the valuable service dedicated to our country by our veterans. I want to take the opportunity in this blog to talk about one amazing veteran in particular.

Phil Economon just celebrated his 97th birthday. He still is going strong, working out in the gym, driving his car, and living independently in the house that he has owned for years. Phil is a dear friend and a mentor to me. On numerous occasions Phil has provided indispensable wisdom, counsel and advice to me, and to other people who know and count on Phil. Indeed, when in doubt, we always go by this mantra: “Do what Phil would do.” Continue reading “Veterans Day: One WWII Vet Lives Long and Goes Tech”

Cyberwarfare Is Here; Is the U.S. Prepared?

Practically every aspect of life now takes place in cyberspace in addition to in the traditional world we know. While at first blush that generally may sound like a good thing, warfare now also takes place online as part of real conflicts, and not just in the realm of computer games.

U.S. Strategy; Sectors at Risk

As The Wall Street Journal has reported, U.S. military planning considers cyberattacks to constitute acts of war, just like traditional acts of war. Accordingly, cyberwarfare currently is part of U.S. military strategy, not only as part of cyber defense, but also as a platform for attacks. And prominent American lawmakers have been warning that the threat of a major attack on U.S. telecommunications and computer networks is greatly on the rise.

U.S. intelligence officials even have indicated that cyberwarfare, for the first time, is considered a larger threat than Al Qaeda and standard acts of terrorism. This is not altogether surprising, given that President Barack Obama has declared America’s digital infrastructure to be a strategic national asset.

A number of critical sectors of the U.S. economy are at risk from cyberwarfare. These sectors include banking and finance, transportation, manufacturing, medical, education, and government — all of which are dependent on computers and online communications and information for their daily operations.

Continue reading “Cyberwarfare Is Here; Is the U.S. Prepared?”

All I Want for Tech Christmas…

Here we are, Christmas Eve. Family is home for the holidays. Festive lights shine bright. Ornaments are on the tree. And soon, stockings will be stuffed and presents will arrive.

What do I want this year? Well, assuming I have been nice and not naughty, I of course want to spend time with loved ones and I wish for health, happiness and peace.

And when it comes to tech, I want a world in which governments can prevent terrorism while not over monitoring citizens by too aggressive and zealous surveillance.

Continue reading “All I Want for Tech Christmas…”

Happy LegalTechGiving

It is that time of year again. Soon, we will have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams, and pumpkin pie on our plates, if we are fortunate. But more importantly, it is a time to reflect with gratitude on those aspects of our lives for which we are thankful.

Things to Be Thankful For

Of course, toward the top of the list, assuming we have such luck, we should be thankful for our health, family, friends, loved ones, home, and work.

We also can be grateful for the fact that we live in a country that strives to be governed by the rule of law. We do not sanction the resolution of disputes by violence and armed conflict. Instead, we allow parties through their lawyers to present their cases for decisions of law by judges and findings of facts by juries.

Continue reading “Happy LegalTechGiving”

The Low-Tech U.S. Supreme Court

Gone are the days of non-electronic, hard-copy communications, right? Not so fast! According to The Associated Press, the Justices of the United States Supreme Court are still very low-tech — almost to the point of being no-tech.

When communicating with each other about pending cases under consideration, the Justices tend to send each other formal memoranda printed on ivory paper. This was revealed by Justice Elena Kagan during an interview by Ted Widmer, a Brown University historian and librarian.

Continue reading “The Low-Tech U.S. Supreme Court”

Vacation Should Mean Vacation In The Tech Era

We live in the always-on age. Around the clock we can log in and communicate electronically in many ways.

While this often is advantageous and convenient in the working world, this dynamic can create challenges and even risks when it comes to vacations.

‘Vacation’ Means Taking a Break

We are rewarded with vacation for a reason. It gives us the opportunity to take a break from the workplace, relax, and rejuvenate ourselves with down time and leisure activities.

Continue reading “Vacation Should Mean Vacation In The Tech Era”

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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