The Net-Happenings mailing list is a continuous stream of announcements of new Internet goodies, from websites to software to electronic journals. If you want to be notified of new resources as they appear on the net or changes or updates, it's a fast, easy, and free.

Net-Happenings is a moderated list, so "the signal-to-noise ratio is high," as they say, meaning basically that there's more meat than fat. Each message is only a few lines long, but the Subject lines are so descriptive that I can scan the list of messages quickly without opening them unless I spot something of interest.

To subscribe to this service, send mail to listserv@lists.internic.net, and leaving the subject blank type the following in the body of the message:

subscribe net-happenings

You will receive a confirmation response by return e-mail, with instructions on how to set the digest options and other personal settings.

Since my e-mail software has a sophisticated filters feature, I have set it up to redirect many of the non-relevant messages to the trash instead of the inbox, such as those aimed at the schools, labelled `K12'.

You could, if you wanted, set your system to deflect all messages except those containing the words `Canada' or `law,' effectively customizing the service to your taste.

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Meta-search engines are the software systems that don't keep their own databases. Instead, they rummage through the data of other sources, like Yahoo!, Webcrawler and Lycos, and present them as a single page of unified search results. There are several available, although my favourite is SavvySearch .

A newer, basic meta-search engine is Highway 61, at http://www.highway61.com/. It lets you set a parameter called `patience level,' whereby you dictate to the search engine how long you are willing to sit and wait for a response. I usually set this parameter at `Time is a relative thing...', which I assume places me mid-way between a Type A and a Type B personality.

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Still looking up Postal Codes the long way? Or not at all? They're only a few clicks away.

http://www.westminster.ca/cdnlook.htm

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Are you ready to take the next step with your beloved morning newspaper? The Globe and Mail offers news by e-mail, delivered earlier than the web version, and right to your desk. Point your browser to http://www.globeandmail.ca/ for details.

The cost is currently $50 per month, but my bet says that the cost will come down in short order. Electronic news is far cheaper to provide than the paper version, which takes a lot of people power to print and deliver to homes, stores and boxes across the country.

At the moment, then, those who pay for the electronic version are subsidizing the readers of the print version. That may be a necessary evil of the transition stage, but it also means that a competitor electronic news service that doesn't have to keep up a co-ordinate print version can provide the same news at a much better price.

The distinction between the e-mail version and the web version will become moot once a system of micropayments is successfully implemented on the Internet. When that happens, you'll have a prepaid account with the Globe to work from. When you click on a news story on the web, one-tenth of a cent will be deducted from your account, making a true pay-as-you-go news service.

Who says a nickel can't buy anything anymore?

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The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia was recently honoured by ACLEA, the association of organizations across Canada and the United States that provide continuing legal education within their respective provinces and states.

The CLE Society of BC received the award for Best Use of Technology, one of only four different awards given annually. The winning feature was their website, which you'll find at http://www.cle.bc.ca.

Intended as a starting point on the world wide web for BC lawyers, it hones in on the local scene and provides links useful to both novice and advanced users. Several knowledgeable lawyers, including Vancouver-based Drew Jackson, ensure that the site is regularly updated and relevant. It should be bookmarked by every B.C. lawyer and Notary.

Congratulations.

Lewis S. Eisen has just released the 3rd Edition of The Canadian Lawyer's Internet Guide through The Amicus Legal Publishing Company. He can be contacted at leisen@pfx.on.ca, or http://www.magma.ca/~leisen/.

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