Legal Research

"Where I Get My Information"

This post was written by Ernie Svenson: "Keeping up with the increasing fountain of information is a challenge for anyone.  It's especially challenging for me because I'm always adding new sources to my existing flow.  If it weren't for Google Reader (a web-based RSS reader) and NetNewsWire (its companion program that syncs to Google Reader), I'd be lost.  But the truth is, I really gravitate towards a few basic sources.  And so, as my New Years resolution to share more information, I thought I'd pass along my really key sources. 

First, let me say that RSS is an amazing technology and I wish more people would make use of it.  In fact, if you want to use an RSS reader and simply want to subscribe to everything I read (you can delete what you don't want) then download this OPML file and import it into your RSS reader.

Everyone laments the downfall (or, at least, serious downgrade) of newspapers.  I don't waste time lamenting things that are inevitable.  Newspapers (or any daily paper-based publication) face the harsh reality that printing every day, coupled with every day physical delivery, is a frighteningly expensive way to deliver information. And, if the reason you're printing every day is to cover 'breaking news,' then you're basically trying to defy gravity. Twitter is fast, free and scaling virally.  So good luck to the newspapers.  I predict that in ten years there will only be 5 national papers, and a smattering of local ones.

What will we do then?  Sad as it may seem to you, you'll be on our own.  You'll have to sift through the mass of information and latch on to the good stuff.  Wouldn't it be cool if you could subscribe to the best online feed for each topic that you were interested in?  You can.  Right now.  The future, my friends, "is here but just not evenly distributed." So, tap into the future now, and let the newspapers arrange their funerals on their own.

So, if I were building my own personal newspaper from online sources here are the feeds I'd subscribe to..."

Find out his picks and get the active links at:

Source: Ernie the Attorney, 1 January 2010

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on January 06, 2010 (boomark / email).