When To NOT use a Google Search Engine

via LifeHacker.com

When Not to Google: Searches You’re Better Off Making Somewhere Else by Kevin Purdy

Recently, there was a fantastic post by Kevin Purdy on Lifehacker.com about the variety of search engines available online apart from the go-to Google. Purdy’s article provides great examples of searches conducted in Google and the alternative search engines, as well as providing background information on the individual search engines.

The search engines highlighted in the article are:

• DuckDuckGo – which does not track your searches “We don’t track you!” is highlighted on their website.
• Blekko – Blekko narrows the search and the results are usually ad-free. (non sponsored links)
• Wolfram Alpha – For Data and statistics, and general questions that you wanted answered in numerical form. The example given in the article is “how likely is the average United Airlines flight was on time versus Southwest Airlines?” Rather than returning a document with “United v. Southwest” in the title, you can pull results for statistical data.
• Bing – Microsoft’s search engine

Google Search Tips & Tricks

Whether you are using Google to research a paper, define a word, or locate the best new restaurant in your town, these tricks are some of the most valuable ways to make sure that your Google results page is filled with accurate and relevant links, helping shorten your search time.

“ ” for an exact phrase

Use quotation marks around the phrase you are searching. Search results will bring back websites that use that exact phrase.

~  for similar words

Use the ~ symbol to search for a word and its synonyms. A search for ~car, will bring results for car, auto, van, etc.

… for a numerical range

Use the … to search for a range between numbers. A search for Bill Clinton 1992…2000 will bring results on Bill Clinton during his presidency.

Define:

Use Google as a dictionary to define a word or phrase.

1 + 1

Use Google for quick math solutions. You can also conduct convert units of measure in the Google Search box.

These same tools can be used on most academic databases, particularly Westlaw Databases. Use in conjunction with the Advanced Search settings for an even more refined search with the highest number of accurate results.

Congress on Facebook

Did you know that you can follow Congress on your Facebook feed? Click on the “Like” button to learn about different resources, and updates on various congressional members.

The mission of the Facebook page, as written on the Info page:

This page is run by Facebook and will highlight innovative uses of Facebook by members of Congress, list members’ pages and communicate news and information about Facebook and Congress.

Federal Taxpayer Receipt

Whether you owed taxes to the federal government, or received something back, don’t you wonder just where all that money goes once its taken out of your paycheck?

The government has released a website called Your 2010 Federal Taxpayer Receipt. Plug in numbers for Social Security tax, Medicare Tax and Income Tax, select an income level, then see the breakdown of where every dollar is spent.

Even without entering any data into the select fields, you can still see the breakdown by percentage for each category. 26/3% goes towards the National Defense while 1.2% go to Space, Science and Technology programs.

This website was created in part because of President Obama’s State of the Union Speech. According to the website:

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised that this year, for the first time ever, American taxpayers would be able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent. Just enter a few pieces of information about your taxes, and the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care

JD Match

Fresh out of law school and looking for a job? JD Match, although still in its infant stages is a new online service looking to match law students with law firms that might want to hire them. The site was created by law-firm consultant and blogger of Adam Smith, Esq., Bruce MacEwan.

According to the Wall Street Journal Law Blog:

It’ll work like this: law students will pay $99 per recruiting season to sign up. From there, they’ll upload their information, including a resume, etc., and will then rank the law firms they’d like to work for. On the other end, the firms will rank students who’ve signed up.

Then comes “match day.” Using a “proprietary algorithm,” the service will match the firms and students based on their own preferences. Matches will be run three times during the recruiting period: in August, September and again in October.

Already, the service has landed one large firm: K&L Gates. The firm will use JD Match to help recruit summer associate positions this fall.

Once matched with a law firm, there is no obligation to work with that firm and students will still have face to face interviews. The overall hiring process will not change dramatically, but this will introduce law school graduates to new law firms they might not be aware of.

Like us!

Lincoln Law School of San Jose has just launched its first Facebook page.

Click on the Like button to receive news and updates on the school through your Facebook feed.

Unique Case Names

Via the Moritz Legal Information Blog.

The February 2011 issue of the Texas Bar Journal contains a rather entertaining article reviewing some of the more unique and unusual case titles in US law. Some of my personal favorites include: Plough v. Fields,  Batman v. Commissioner,  and United States v. Approximately 64,695 Pounds of Shark Fins.

The author provides citations for curious readers for all cases named in the article.

FBI’s Vault

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has recently announced the opening of The Vault.

The Vault is our new electronic reading room, containing more than 2,000 documents that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office.

Included here are more than 25 new files that have been released to the public but never added to this website; dozens of records previously posted on our site but removed as requests diminished; and files from our previous electronic reading room.

You can search the A-Z Index, or search by categories.

The list includes notables names from Al Capone to Joe DiMaggio and more. The site is free for use, and includes PDF documents that open on viewing screen on the website. The handwritten and typed documents can be difficult to read.

Although the site may prove more fun for Pop Culture trivia, check out their Supreme Court category for information on Thurgood Marshall, Hugo Black and Abe Fortas.

US Supreme Court App for Iphone

The OyezProject along with Chicago-Kent College of Law are set to launch a new Iphone app with up-to-date  information and media about the current U.S. Supreme Court cases and opinions. OyezToday is free and available through the App Store.You can watch a preview on iTunes.

iPad and Android phone versions will soon follow.