Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Law School Course Selection Advice Updated

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Michael Froomkin

I’ve just updated my page on law school course selection advice. In addition to minor updates, I added a section on what not to take.

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Brexit Follies

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Michael Froomkin

I dedicate this video to the British MPs who today, once again, voted against every single possible option for Brexit.

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‘Smart Referer’ Firefox Extension Blocks Google Two-Factor Authentication

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Michael Froomkin

The other day I echoed recommendations on Hardening Firefox that I got from an article by Keith Axline. Since then, however, I’ve learned two things.

First, Axline has changed his recommendations from HTTPS Everywhere to Smart HTTPS for the reasons given in this thread.

Second, I discovered that when I had Smart Referer on, I wasn’t able to use Google two-factor authentication.  Instead,  when google asked me to authenticate via my phone, I got timeouts instantly.

Disabling the Smart Referer extension temporarily (which is easy as it creates a button on the toolbar) allowed me to log in, and things seem to work fine if I re-enable Smart Referer immediately after I log in to my Gmail.  But that may be more annoyance than most people want, especially given that Google two factor authentication is more annoyance than most people want.

Posted in Software, Sufficiently Advanced Technology | 1 Comment

We Robot 2019 – Read the Papers, Register for the Conference

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Michael Froomkin

Full text of the papers to be presented at We Robot 2019 are now available on our Program page. If you are attending We Robot you should read the papers before the conference.

We Robot doesn’t work like ordinary conferences: other than on panels, most authors do not present their papers. Rather, we assume everyone has done their homework, and go straight to the response by our expert discussants. What’s more, the discussants only speak for a short time, and then we open it up to your questions and comments. his makes for a much more interesting and engaging events, and takes advantage of the terrific people who come to We Robot – but it does mean that if you haven’t read the papers, you won’t be ready to take full part.

If you want to attend We Robot, please don’t forget to register.

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Let’s Hope They’re Not On the Move

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Michael Froomkin

‘Thousands’ of poisonous Bufo toads are ‘besieging’ Palm Beach gardens, a neighborhood a bit over two hours drive north of me. CBS 5 has the details (warning: audio pops up immediately).

Bufo toads secrete a ‘milky substance’ from their heads that is highly toxic to people — and especially likely to get into your pets. (No word yet if these are the type whose poison has psychoactive properties. I just imagine spring breakers rubbing toads on their bodies and getting run over…)

We’ve had floods, tornadoes, now frogs. Biblical plagues anyone?

Posted in Miami | Comments Off on Let’s Hope They’re Not On the Move

Thoughts on the Upcoming 2019 Coral Gables Elections

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Michael Froomkin

On April 9 Coral Gables will have an election for Mayor and for one of the Commission seats. Coral Gables uses a City Manager system, so the Mayor is only a bit more than first-among-equals, with a substantial ceremonial role. Oddly, Commissioners get a four-year term, but the Mayor only gets a two-year term.

Coral Gables Mayor

The Mayoral race pits incumbent Raul Valdes-Fauli against challenger and former Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick. Slesnick lost by 187 votes the last time they went head-to-head.

I think this is a pretty easy call.

Continue reading →

Posted in Coral Gables | 4 Comments