Dumpling in a Hanky

Kindle 2.0

Gadget Lab muses on what would improve the next version of the Kindle, as the original version’s been out for a year.

Have to say, it’s never struck me as the most attractive of toys: definitely looks like it’s escaped from a 1960 “visualisation” of the future…

The dwindle of Kindle?

Looking at the report here from The Register, it looks like the Kindle (and other e-readers) might not be selling as well as the hype may have previously suggested.

I dunno if that makes the Luddite in me happy, or the techie geek in me sad…regardless, I’d like to at least have a shot of one to see what I’m missing 😀

Law and printing in Scotland – an exhibition

I was asked to email this out to members of the SLLG last week, and thought it was interesting enough to share:

The Advocates Library’s exhibition highlighting the link between the Scottish printing trade and the practice of law in Scotland will be on show in Parliament Hall, Edinburgh, from 11 August until 27 September 2008, Monday to Friday, 9am until 4.30pm.

With the kind permission of the Lord President, the exhibition will be open to the public and will form part of the Scottish Courts programme of events in Parliament House for Doors Open Day, 27^th September 2008.

Examples from the library’s unique 18^th century collections of printed Session Papers will be displayed in addition to other items from the Library’s extensive collections. Session Papers are documents used in the presentation of cases in the Court of Session, Scotland’s supreme civil court. The papers often include non-legal documentary exhibits such as drawings, plans and maps. As such, the papers give a valuable insight into the social, economic, political and legal history of Scotland, during the period of the Scottish Enlightenment, many of the notable figures of which were advocates, like James Boswell and Walter Scott.

Early collections of Scottish Acts and laws from the time of the first Scottish parliament illustrate the importance of printing to the practice of law.

The Advocates Library, inaugurated in 1689, had the right of legal deposit until the formation of the National Library of Scotland in 1925. At that time, the Faculty of Advocates donated its non-legal collections to the nation. This long history and their close connection with the courts meant that advocates and the Advocates Library provided much work for the printing industry. The exhibition highlights the closeness of this link, telling the story of Thomas Ruddiman who was Keeper of the Advocates Library and a printer.

Any parties of over 20 people wishing to view the exhibition should arrange their visit in advance with Andrea Longson, Senior Librarian, Tel. 0131 260 5637, email andrea.longson AT advocates.org.uk.

There’s a lack of UK blawgers?

Well, apparently, according to the recent Times article.

The only problem is, Alex Wade doesn’t seem to have bothered actually doing any proper research. They’ve decided that only staff at law firms are likely to blog, or have any knowledge of the law, thereby ruling out advocates / barristers, academic law professionals, support staff / librarians, students…. There are lots of law blogs out there, by all sorts of people working in the law, all it takes to find them is a few minutes!

I randomly selected one of the blawgs listed in the article, and a quick look at some of Geeklawyers blawgroll lists the following:

And link-hopping from these can find you even more UK blawgs, and the blawgs of anonymous law students and those in pupillage…so why didn’t the Times journalist actually spend the time to do that? Also, as discussed here, some of the blogs linked to aren’t even current. And the final, splendid point – the fact that almost none of the links work, as there have been spaces inserted into them…go proof readers! Or, should that be ‘link-checkers’?