Changes, changes...

Clocks are set for a change this weekend, and so is the Internet as you know it.

The nonprofit group that controls domain codes for Internet addresses announced yesterday that as of November 16, it will begin a "Fast Track" process for approving web addresses ending in non-Latin characters for the first time since the Internet was created. Rod Beckstom, President and CEO of the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), hailed this development as "an historic move toward the internationalization of the Internet." We should see URLs with country codes in Cyrillic, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, and other scripts by the middle of next year.

Expansion beyond the Roman letters A-Z for characters after the "dot" is expected to dramatically increase the number of Internet users among people worldwide that never use Roman characters, help local businesses, and make the Internet a more valuable resource for millions, including children. For more about this development, see ICANN's video and press release, and today's New York Times article.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Happy Black Cat day!!

Tomorrow is the world's annual celebration of Black Cats (a.k.a "Halloween" to less informed humans). As a virtual black cat (yes virtual cats get to choose their colors), I celebrate not by eating a lot of sticky sweet stuff, but by crawling the web for interesting black cat references. Did you know that some humans used to believe that black cats were originally people turned into cats? Personally, I think humans are just unfortunate transmogrified cats.

Black cats have our place in the law. I found both a serious, detailed discussion of "Cat law" as well as a more light-hearted one in my virtual prowling. There even is an in-depth research guide. And, in case you were wondering, we cats have our own rules for dealing with humans.

However you plan to celebrate Black Cat day, make sure to get some good purring in.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Art of Written Persuasion (V): Improve Your Vocabulary, Improve Your Success

Here is another good reason to read not just the law, but literature, history, etc. Reading is a time honored method of improving vocabulary. This article "The Art of Written Persuasion: Part V - Improve Your Vocabulary, Improve Your Success" is a discussion of what is meant by "good vocabulary" - it is more than big words - and describes how lawyers use vocabulary to persuade.

It is not a long article and is a fine explanation of why lawyers need a good vocabulary.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

GlobaLex: New and Updated Research Guides

Published by the Hauser Global Law School Program at NYU School of Law, GlobaLex is an electronic publication dedicated to international and foreign research. New and updated research guides published by GlobaLex include:

New research guides:

• Law and Legal Research in Zambia by Alfred S. Magagula

Updated research guides:

• A Guide to the Republic of Azerbaijan Law Research by Ramil Iskandarov Avaz
• The Croatian Legal System and Legal Research by Dunja Kuecking, Milivoje Zugi, and Marija Gilbota
• Essential Issues of the Peruvian Legal System by Sergio Endress Gomez and Milagros Bustillos Pinto
• Doing Legal Research in Romania by Dana Neacsu - updated in 2009 by Anamaria Corbesc
  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Split Circuits

To follow up from last Sunday's post on using blawgs for research, I've just discovered Split Circuits, a blawg dedicated to tracking . . . yes, circuit splits. This blog is good fodder for academics, paper-writers, and Supreme Court watchers.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

New Site for Digital Books

We all know about Google Books, but where else can a virtual cat go to curl up with a virtual book? A new site called BookServer helps people (and cats) find information on digital books that are available for free or for a fee.

This service is provided by the Internet Archive - one of the great resources on the Internet - and subject of past and no doubt future postings.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Legal Pitfalls of Outsourcing?

In the current economy, news regarding trends in employment is always relevant. In this regard, the article “Legal Pitfalls of Outsourcing May Outweigh Benefits” might be of interest to those who are wondering about the often-discussed subject of outsourcing legal jobs.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Financial Crisis Update

For breaking news about the current financial crisis, take a look at the CCH Financial Crisis News Center. This frequently updated blog covers legal and regulatory developments related to the financial crisis and are archived by topic and by agency or organization. You can also subscribe to its RSS feed.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Human Rights Watch Report

If you are interested in human rights issues, look at the Human Rights Watch website. Their site provides access to information concerning current human rights issues and includes Human Rights Watch Reports in full text.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Blawgs for Research

The world of legal scholarship has expanded to include more than just law journal articles and treatises. There is now a wealth of legal commentary--much of it good--on law blogs, or "blawgs" as some people call them.

Blawgs can be particularly helpful for students writing research papers related to current or ongoing topics. If you are following a case or a new development in the law, there may be one or more professors or attorneys who specialize in that area of the law blogging about it.

Here are some places to get started looking for blawgs:

Justia's Blawg Search: Justia has a fairly comprehensive directory of blawgs--using this search, you can search that directory for blawg posts containing any keywords,

ABA Journal Blawg Directory: This directory groups blawgs by area of law,

Law Professor Blogs Network: All of the contributors to these subject-specific blawgs are law professors. These are some of the best law blogs around.





Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat