Grammar Girl to the Rescue

If you would like to improve your writing, but you can't bear the thought of learning all those rules of grammar, Grammar Girl can help. Grammar Girl is really Mignon Fogarty, a professional writer whose podcasts help make learning about grammar fun.

The podcast's home is Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, where you can download or listen to the Grammar Girl podcast episodes, read a transcript of an episode, and subscribe to the podcast. You can also record a question for Grammar Girl.

Grammar Girl has an audio book, Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing, coming out on CD next month. You can download the book now at iTunes or audible.com.

QDnow also has other Quick and Dirty Tips for Doing Things Better, including Mr. Manners' Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Polite Life, Legal Lad's Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Lawful Life, and Money Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life.

Thanks to Prof. Schmitz for the tip.

The ABA now has iPod-compatible CLE programs

This is great! About a month ago, I finished writing an article on Podcasts and Podcasting for Law Librarians, which will appear in the August issue of Law Library Journal. I mentioned that not many CLE providers were making their programs available in MP3 formats, which can be played on portable audio devices. Today I discovered that the ABA offers several portable CLE options.

ABA-CLE programs are available:

• on an iPod nano or video iPod preloaded with programming in selected practice areas;
• as audio or video downloads in MP3 and MP4 format;
• and as part of the monthly ABA-CLE Podcast series.

The ABA-CLE Podcasts series programs are complimentary. Program materials can also be downloaded for all types of programs.

Listening to Podcasts

I have been listening to quite a few podcasts recently, and I have written about some of them here. One of the reasons that I listen to podcasts is to learn something that I might not otherwise have time to learn. I can listen to a podcast while I am doing something else, such as walking, driving, or working around the house.

Although you can listen to podcasts on your computer, I find that I have to get out of my office and away from my computer, or I will start checking my email or filing papers and get distracted by something that requires more than superficial verbal attention. Most of the podcasts that I listen to are somehow related to law librarianship, which is a wonderfully broad field. Besides podcasts by and about law librarians, there are podcasts about the practice of law, legal issues, news and current awareness, continuing education, legal research, government information, management, and career development.

For a list of podcasts to get you started, see Podcasts and Podcasting for Law Librarians, a column I wrote for the September issue of Law Library Journal.

Berkman Center for Internet & Society Podcasts

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School "is a research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development." As part of its mission, the Berkman Center hosts lectures and discussions by professors, scholars, attorneys, activists, and other experts on a wide range of topics relating its mission.

The Berkman Center makes audio and video recordings of these lectures and discussions available for free at MediaBerkman. Recent podcasts have included:

• “Napster's Second Life? Regulatory Dynamics of Virtual Worlds” with Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government
• “Does Participatory Culture Lead to Participatory Democracy?” with David Weinberger, Research Fellow, Berkman Center
• “Copyright and Access to Knowledge” with Mary Wong, Professor of Law, Franklin Pierce Law Center
• “Opening Up to Open Access: What Can Other Disciplines Learn from the Sciences?” with Gavin Yamey, Senior Editor, PLoS [Public Library of Science] Medicine

The recordings are usually a little over an hour, but you can download the audio to your MP3 player and listen while you take a walk, ride a stationary bike, or just relax. So download a podcast and learn something interesting while you take a break.

Podcasting the Law in Plain English

Nolo is a publisher of law books, legal forms, and legal software for nonlawyers. Although the books are written in plain language, they are thorough enough for a lawyer or law student to use to get a quick overview of an unfamiliar legal topic. The law library has many Nolo books in its self-help collection, which you can borrow with your law library card.

Nolo also provides free information through “Your Legal Companion” pages and Nolo Podcasts, covering a variety of topics in the areas of Business & Human Resources; Patents, Copyright & Art, Wills & Estate Planning; Property & Money; Family Law & Immigration; and Rights & Disputes. Nolo also makes transcripts of its podcasts available.

In the podcasts, authors of Nolo books answer common questions in their areas of expertise. Recent podcasts have included:

• Divorce Court: A Judge's Guide
• What Are Some Common Mistakes Made When Disciplining Employees?
• Blogs, Websites & Podcasts: When Do You Need Permission?
• Can You Prepare Your Own Will?
• Tax Credits: The Easy Way to Save Money
• Do Dads Get a Fair Shake in Divorce?
• When Can You 'Stand Your Ground'?

ABA Litigation Podcast

The American Bar Association's Section of Litigation has a podcast of "practical tips, tactics, and interviews with today's leading trial attorneys." Each biweekly episode is less than ten minutes long—a very easy way to pick up some practical tips.

Download episodes of the Litigation Podcast: Tips & Tactics for the Practicing Trial Lawyer or subscribe via iTunes or a newsreader or podcatcher. For example:

• Settle When the Time Is Right
• Going Solo and the New E-Discovery Rules
• How to Tell a Judge He Screwed Up
• What They Didn't Tell You in Law School
• Quick and Dirty Research

Audio Research Guide on Practice Aids

We have added an audio research guide on practice aids to the SIU Law Library website. Listen to Introduction to Practice Aids. Duration of audio: ~10.5 minutes. Outline with links and Transcript of the recording.

Break the Procrastination Habit

Do you procrastinate? Would you like to stop? Check out “Avoiding Procrastination,” a recent podcast episode of David Maister's Career Development series. This 15-minute audio recording is full of suggestions for controlling procrastination—a challenge for many professionals—and getting things done. As Prof. Maister explains, “A completed assignment that is adequate is better than the ‘best thing you've ever done’ that exists only in your head.” You can download this podcast and listen to it on your MP3 player or on your computer.

I discovered DavidMaister.com recently while writing an article about podcasts. David Maister is an author, speaker, consultant, and former Harvard Business School professor. His podcast is designed as a Business Masterclass. Each masterclass is a series of short podcast episodes dealing with various professional business topics. The series currently available on the site include Career Development; Strategy in Professional Businesses; Managing Professionals: Attitudes, Skills and Behaviors; and Marketing Professional Services. The site also has a blog, called “Passion, People and Principles,” and other materials for business professionals.

Related items:

• Procrastination and Time Management
• Why Do We Procrastinate?

Podcasts Now Available on Supreme Court Blog

The venerable SCOTUSblog, which focuses exclusively on the doings of the Supreme Court of the United States, has just introduced a new feature: podcasts. According to the Aug. 25, 2006 post announcing the podcasts, "Every week or two, we will record and post a 5-7 minute segment on a topic that seems amenable to a recording. A principal use of podcasts will be to have guests appear on the blog." In the initial effort, contributor Tom Goldstein gives an "overview of the factors that the Justices consider in granting cert."

To access the podcasts, Goldstein indicates that: "You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes from this link, or, if you have other podcasting or RSS software, you can subscribe to our feed directly here. Alternatively, the premiere episode is available for download as a stand-alone mp3 here."

SOURCE: Robert Ambrogi's Lawsites