Author Archives: Ben Stevens

Blogging Software: MarsEdit

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I believe that MarsEdit is the premier weblog editing software for Macs. Picture_1_1 Before beginning to use this program over a year ago, I did a good bit of research into all the available options and concluded that it best fit my needs.

One of the main things that I like about MarsEdit is that it resides on your harddrive, not online. This gives you the ability to draft and edit posts at your convenience, whether you are online or not. The other key features that appealed to me (then and now) are:

  • Ease of use — both novice and advanced users can use it without a steep learning curve.
  • Importing — easy importing of information from web browers and/or newsreaders to use in your posts.
  • Uploading — files and images can be easily uploaded to your blog.
  • Preview — ability to see in real time what your post will look like on your blog.
  • Other — assign one or mulitple categories and sends pings with each new post.

MarsEdit runs on Intel and PowerPC Macs, and a single license costs $24.95. The developer offers a fully functioning 30 day demo, and I urge you to check it out if you’re interested in blogging software.

Built-In PDF Options

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Mac OS X (Tiger) contains many useful PDF functions as a core component of its operating system. On the print menu in every program is a PDF drop down menu that gives you options to save, fax, and/or email any document in PDF format. This option is available with word processing documents, photos, and web pages (full or partial). Pdf_print_close_2 Here is a screenshot which shows the PDF drop down menu and the various options it offers:

I use the “Mail PDF” function all the time, as it makes it extremely easy to email a copy of any documents to my clients. One nice feature is that when you select that option, Mail automatically opens with the PDF inserted, saving time and energy. Also, the PDF that is created is sort of a “temporary” type file, in that it can be emailed and used by the recipient, but you do not have to save it anywhere. Clients love being able to receive updated information so frequently, and I love being able to do so so quickly.

Summarize Text Automatically With “Summary Service”

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Wouldn’t it be nice to have a lengthy section of text automatically summarize itself for you? Mac OS X (Tiger) has this capacity built right in, called “Summary Service” — although for some reason, it receives little fanfare.

This function is found under the “Services” menu, and it is therefore available in most programs. Summary Service allows you to automatically summarize any selected text in most software programs. It works in all Apple products (Pages, Keynote, Safari), most web browsers, but not Word.

Better yet, you have the ability to adjust the length of the summary on the fly to make it as long or short as you want. You also have the option of displaying the summaries in either paragraph or sentence mode, which can be particularly useful with longer summaries.

I have found this feature to be particularly helpful for summarizing affidavits, online appellate decisions, and even medical research. While not perfect, it does a surprisingly good job of including the most important content in its summarization.

The Mac Lawyer Now Online

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After several weeks in development, I am pleased to begin publishing this new blog, The Mac Lawyer. While there are many excellent legal technology blogs online, none are specifically devoted to using Macs in the law office. I hope that this blog will become a useful resource for its readers, and I look forward to bringing it to you. If you have any comments, tips, suggestions, etc. that you would like me to address in future posts, please don’t hestiate to contact me. Thanks.