Where No Blog Has Gone Before?

Law professor Lawrence Solum: "It is Tuesday afternoon, and I am blogging from the Hearing Room of the Senate Judiciary Committee . . . The Confirmation Wars are on the agenda. For months, I have been blogging about the downward spiral of politicization that has characterized the judicial selection process for the past several years. . . ." [via Howard Bashman] Some excellent stuff over there; spend some time.

Bashmaniacs, Rejoice!

In honor of today's 1-year blogiversary of How Appealing, The Academy has posted its interview with Howard Bashman. The whole thing is characteristically witty and wise—want to know which Ninth Circuit Judge Howard thinks would prevail in the judicial version of Survivor? Sure you do!—but here are a couple of nuggets that particularly caught my eye:

• Howard's blog has palpably enhanced the visibility of his firm's Web site, resulting in hundreds of new subscribers to the email version of his monthly column, and helping make the column's archive one of the site's most frequently visited pages.


• Though Howard receives much email from within the judicial branch, he does not think he has "ever received any email that a court employee should not have sent," i.e., one that would violate the mandates of confidentiality by which such employees are governed.

Both these points seem pertinent to material to be covered at the ClickZ Weblog Business Strategies Conference & Expo. (More interesting speakers: Anil Dash, Michael O'Connor Clarke, Jeff Jarvis and Elizabeth Spiers.)

Patently Worthwhile

My colleague Scott Baker will speak at Stanford on June 9, 2003 as part of FindLaw's Patent Strategies 2003. Your favorite in-house counsel, exec or VC definitely should seize this free opportunity for helpful insights and continuing legal education credit.

Synapse Soup

So good to have a few days to mostly just read. Still processing:

• Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson (home of the Metaverse)


• The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger (avoid if squeamish about the senseless slaughter of Gucci suede pants)


• The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, Alan Deutschman (complete with Dave Winer anecdote; must remember to get his take)


• Linked, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi (still Advilling through all the math; still concerned how many postulates it took to get why Google could rise so quickly)

For wonders more Web based, see Howard Bashman's 20 Questions with the Ninth Circuit's Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld, Geoffrey Nunberg's reminder of how Salisbury steaks were born, Sarah Lane's May 1 Blog Report (don't miss the Arcata Police Log), and (courtesy of my husband and Newsweek): "Have you slept under water lately?:" Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida.

Finally, since you'll probably be taking in The Matrix Reloaded for the third or fourth time when the segment airs, you might also want to set that PVR for May 15, 4:00 p.m. Pacific/7:00 p.m. Eastern, so as not to miss Professor Lessig on The Screen Savers.

If Rice Could Fly

I'm going to be taking a few days R&R to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. By the time I'm back, Katie Stahl will be on the verge of tying the knot herself, and Howard Bashman will be celebrating his first year of blogging the stuffing out of appellate jurisprudence. As added treats, Howard's next 20 Questions installment should be out by then, and The Academy will commemorate Howard's blogiversary by running its 20 Questions with Howard. Got it? Good! See you soon.