Microsoft Announces Next Version of Office Adopts XML

According to Internet News: Microsoft to Adopt XML Formats in Office 12. The next version of the most widely used word processing program on the planet will use XML as a default storage format. Similar to OpenOffice.org, the new approach will "zip" together all of the necessary XML files into one. What this potentially means for Courts is: First, because the electronic file is XML it could potentially be used for achiving. Second, it will likely be possible for case management vendors and others to be able to do more with output documents and reports. Third, database schemas developed with GJXDM may be able to be used directly in Word or Excel (and other Office applications) to more easily tag and identify data for later automatic storage in your case or document management system. And fourth, as the article mentions, it will increase security since it will become close to impossible to embed computer viruses within a document.

PBS TV Program - Red Hook Justice

The advanced Red Hook (New York City) Community Court will be featured on a new PBS television film titled "Red Hook Justice". The Community Court has received technical support from the Center for Court Innovation since inception. The program's website describes the court:

"Unlike traditional courts, community courts focus on bringing citizens and the criminal justice system together in order to solve community problems. By integrating the work of traditionally separate agencies - criminal justice operations, social service providers, public defenders, police and community members - community courts are a product of collaboration."

The program airs at various times on PBS and so please be advised to check the film's website or your local television schedule for viewing in your area.

RFID Technology Tested in Los Angeles Jail

According to "L.A. County Jail to Track Inmates" from RFID News (via Slashdot), the Los Angeles County Jail will be testing RFID technology to track detainees in their facility. (For those of you who don't think they have run into this technology yet, if you have bought or rented a videotape or DVD in the past couple of years you might have noticed a small black "security device" attached to the case. RFID technology is what sets off the scanners located at the exits doors to the store.)

Outlook Calendar Tip

The default block of time for Microsoft Outlook Calendar is 30 minutes. A recent tip from the June 7, 2005 edition of PC Magazine (page 107) shows how to easily change that setting. First, start Outlook Calendar. Next, right-click on the time scale shown on the left side of the calendar display. This allows you to set the default time blocks to as little as five minutes. The setting also changes the default amount of time for appointments. But according to PC Magazine it only works in Day or Work Week view. Not surprising since Microsoft packs a lot of information in the 7-day and monthly view. This might be of some help to you busy judges out there.

Wireless Devices in Federal Courts

"The Third Branch" newsletter issued by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has an interesting article on how their courts are dealing with the increasing problems created by wireless devices. In the article "Wireless Devices in Federal Courts " it's stated that "180 million Americans are wireless subscribers" and that "no one-size-fits-all decision is possible at this time."

Press Announcement - The 1st GJXDM Users' Conference

Bureau of Justice Assistance Announces - The First Annual GLOBAL JXDM Users' Conference

WASHINGTON, DC - The Office of Justice Program's (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) announces the first U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Annual Global Justice Extensible Markup Language (XML) Data Model (GJXDM) Users' Conference. The event will feature critical technical and policy-level sessions and important discussions of exemplary implementations using XML technology designed to reduce crime and fight terrorism. It will be held on June 8-10, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia, and is sponsored in partnership with SEARCH, The National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics, and the GJXDM Training and Technical Assistance Committee (GTTAC).

Careful What You Electronically Redact

Recently, a report issued by the Italian defense department tried to use Adobe Acrobat to "redact" the text that was deemed classified by simply changing the color to be the same as the document background. In "Acrobat user gaffe exposes classified Defense information," posted by Government Computer news, an Italian Blogger discovered the problem shortly after the article was posted. Lesson for courts; make sure that sensitive information is completely eliminated from the document before creating the PDF. This may also require saving the document as text first.

GJXDM Users' Conference Registration is Open

1st Annual Global Justice XML Data Model (Global JXDM) Users' Conference registration is now open at the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs website. The conference is scheduled to be held June 8-10 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Utility Computing On Its Way?

There is an interesting article posted by C|Net called Goodbye Computer, Hello World! that reports on Google as a possible challenge to Microsoft in the near future. Google now offers services such as GMail, Google Maps, and soon their new calendaring software that possibly portend the era of what has been called "utility computing."

Cool Simple Software

I received an e-mail today from a company that makes a little piece of utility software called Snapture that looked really useful. Snapture runs on your PC or Laptop. With a push of a button the software captures what you have highlighted and automatically sends it into your Palm or Pocket PC (of course, one must have their Palm or Pocket PC plugged into it's cradle). This would be great for capturing driving directions, notes, or things to read later.