Timeline Program Frustration

Oh, if only there was a timeline program that incorporated linked files to the dates on the timeline and have a "pack-and-go" setting to move everything from the server to the trial laptop.  I would purchase it yesterday.  I use TimeLine Xpress.  Problem is that the last update was in 2004.  Further problem, it does not integrate with its other software (i.e. Trial Director).  Still further, the linking of exhibits is extremely cumbersome.  Still further, it does not function well with the touch screen.

Yet, I still use it.  Why?  Well, it is the only timeline program that allows for integration with .pdf files for easy retrieval and usage.  Without creating an artwork based powerpoint timeline, this appears to be the only viable option.  I have contacted InData Corp. and requested that they update the program.  However, it appears that they are not concerned with it and have stated that an update is not on its way any time soon.

Why sell a subpar product?   Why is there no other program available that can provide a simple click and reference button?  Why should this be so complicated?

Why do I use two Monitors on my desktop?

Extended screens for trial and presentations are easy to understand.  Yet, some people can't understand their benefit when placed on a desk.  In my mind, the simple answer is convenience.  I'm a digital litigator.  In other words, I rarely have a physical file in my office.  Everything is scanned.  Therefore, I can review the documents, photos, MRIs, etc.. on the right screen and make notations on the left.  I can bill time on the right screen while answering e-mails on the left.  I can research the law on the right while writing the brief on the left.

Best of all, I can practice my litigation programs without setting up the in-court display.  I can practice on trial director/power point and see what the jury will see versus what my litigation screen will show. Now, this provides yet another great possibility.  The practice and record method of presentation.  With the dual screens, you can operate Camtasia or a video-screen-capture program and record the product.  This is great when you know what it is you want to show to the jury.  The video then can be embedded into power point as a video.  Using trial director in this form allows for precision in front of a jury.  There is no risk of clicking the wrong this or having the wrong document called out.  The video of your demonstration is set.  This works ONLY when the information is in a set order.  The benefit of trial director and trial presentation software is its fluidity.  Its ability to change on a moments notice.  But, when you know that something is going to move forward in a slide-by-slide style.  Then its perfect.

Now, I prefer the second monitor to also be a touchscreen.  This allows for a more accurate practice field, since I use a touch screen display in the courtroom.  Also, this will allow me to sign the digital documents and save a couple trees.

Another interesting use of the dual screens, plus the recording of the presentation preview of trial director, is the ability to make videos of the screen and add them into a settlement DVD.

If you don't believe me... Check out an article written in 2006... Yes, 2006.  By the New York Times.http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/20/technology/20basics.html?ei=5090&en=6fc17b9bf54ea2ef&ex=1303185600&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1312291144-qcDzegpNrP4UfYBsdVoOhw

Remember the internet in '90s and early '00s... You can still visit it.

Lets take a trip back in time.  The Wayback Machine is your time machine of the web.  It has been archiving websites since 1996.  It was given an upgrade in 2001 to over 10 billion pages.  Then it was given another face lift in 2011.  The archive collaborates with the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. The Internet Archive's mission is to create an Internet library for researchers, historians, and scholars.   The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, they provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.


But what it delivers is something even more.  It is a time stamp of admissions from corporations, businesses, and individuals.  It allows you to find that which has been lost.  It is a window to the past.  


Plus, its parent archiving site the Internet Archive provides even more goodies: Music, Videos, Texts, and old software programs.