Why I use UberConference (and FreeConferenceCall.com)

I've tried a couple free conference-call services. Here's why I like UberConference:

• The host can share her computer screen with participants who log in by computer.
• I don’t have to schedule a call. If I do, I can get reminders, notifications when others join, etc.
• Registered users don’t have to enter a code to join calls.
• Participants can call in or use the audio equipment on their computers.
• Participants can log in to see who’s talking at any point during the call.
• Participants who use the online login (no registration needed) can edit others’ phone number to show their names.
• It can connect with LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media to show profile pictures and some other shared information.
• It sends a summary of the call, with a list of participants and how long each talked, after the call. Settings can also be set to send the summary to participants.
• Host can record the call.
• Host can pick hold music!

Capitalize "Government"?

A colleague recently asked me about whether government should be capitalized for an article targeted to a legally literate audience in a sentence like this: “The Government argued that failure to protect wolves would negatively affect economic activity.” We often see Government and similar terms capitalized in articles describing litigation. But why? Is it correct usage?

Base your Outlook rules on message headers for fewer rules

I use a lot of rules in Outlook to categorize messages I receive. Some rules are based on the sender's address, others based on words in the sender description, and others based on words in the subject. When I want messages based on all three to be marked the same category, I’ve been using three different rules. But I just discovered that “with specific words in the message header” is a broader category that includes a whole lot of information, including all those criteria I was using to organize mail. I was looking for a way to include messages sent “on behalf of” someone, mainly to catch messages sent on behalf of the same entity but using a different mass-mail e-mail address with each message. 

Make selected file path a hyperlink

Office programs convert URLs into hyperlinks very easily, like with a space after the address. But they don't do this if the address is to a file path. I send file paths to colleagues in e-mails, Word documents, and Excel files frequently, so I wanted to make it easy to convert the text of a file path into a hyperlink to the file or folder. The quickest built-in way to do this is select the file path and use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + C, Ctrl + K, Ctrl +V, Enter. But now I've created a macro, so it's a click (or a single keyboard shortcut, if you like) away.

Get your Table of Authorities to sort things right

When gathering all the statutory codes and other enumerated authorities marked for a table of authorities, Microsoft Word sorts these character by character. That means, for instance, that 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is listed before 42 U.S.C. § 2. The computer sorts all the 1s in that first numerical group together first, then all the 2s, and so on. Only after it reaches the end of the list does it move on to the next digit (e.g., the 9 in 1983). Fortunately, there’s an easy fix to this. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to implement with Microsoft Word’s built-in features. But a very simple macro will take care of that.

Judge Altice elevated to Indiana Court of Appeals: How is his replacement selected?

Governor Pence will appoint his replacement. There is more than a month to name his successor before Judge Altice will likely take the bench at the Court of Appeals.

Applications will be requested here: https://secure.in.gov/gov/2330.htm Here’s the governing law:

Use a duplicate contact to simplify changing Outlook forwarding rules in transitions

I use Outlook's rules to keep my e-mail nice and tidy. I also use them to make sure my assistant keeps updated on the goings on. Or I used to, anyway. And now I do again. And I figured out how to simplify updating those rules to make sure the next time I change assistants. I set up a duplicate contact, tell rules to send it to that contact, and change the e-mail address listed for that contact whenever the person changes. All the rules sending messages to that contact (now with a different address) will automatically change.