It’s not yet full–featured: it only allows backup from Google Buzz, [...]]]> Worried about the amount of information you have stored in Google services? Fear not. Just launched today is Google Takeout — which allows you to take a local backup of (so far, some of) the information stored in several of the Google services.

It’s not yet full–featured: it only allows backup from Google Buzz, Contact and Circles, Picasa Web Albums and from your Google profile. But the Data Liberation Front promise to add the ability to back up other Google services over time.

This is their blog post announcing the service. Remember: backup early, backup often.

The distinction was an unexpected pleasure as I thought I was only in 2:1 territory — I didn’t think I had quite the grade average necessary [...]]]> That was unexpected! I got notification yesterday that I’d been awarded a distinction on the Open University law course I did last winter: W223: Company law and practice.

The distinction was an unexpected pleasure as I thought I was only in 2:1 territory — I didn’t think I had quite the grade average necessary across the marked assignments — the Open University generally requires that your classification for a course will be the lower of your achievement in the final exam / end–of–course assignment, and of the average of your marked assignments throughout the course — though I knew I was only a percentage point or two short.

So, lessons learned from this course:

• Don’t overly concern yourself if you think you’re one or two percentage points short. Don’t use it as an excuse to drop your standards.
• Take time on end–of–course assignments. Everything you need, factually, is there. What can get you the bonus marks is a matter of looking a little further — research the current state of the law and academic comment about the questions at hand. Incorporate these into your answer, and cite every assertion you make.
• Make sure your bibliography and references are full and accurate: include every paper you read and found to be relevant, even if you didn’t use it. You never know when something has unconsciously slipped through.
• And finally, again, take time. Whilst making sure you can submit on time, use the last day for a re-read. Out loud. It’s amazing how many little grammatical slips you can find that way.

I enjoyed this course, and didn’t find it a slog at any point. But have to admit I’m very happy with the result.

Very useful if you want to work out what grades you need — therefore also what averages you’ll need to [...]]]> I have just found this and though it worth a mention and link: Cleveret’s Open University Degree Class Calculator. It seems to do all the hard work correctly, including calculating the quality assurance scores.

Very useful if you want to work out what grades you need — therefore also what averages you’ll need to achieve in your course work over the course of the year. Accurately knowing the target you need to hit is pretty much essential, I think.

I have written 932 words for one of the questions, and I am around 250 from finishing. I’m also [...]]]> I’m back on the marked assignments again — I’m around a week ahead of schedule, which is good. Like the last one, this one too is one of tight word–counts: 800 for each of two questions.

I have written 932 words for one of the questions, and I am around 250 from finishing. I’m also finding it the easiest question I’ve attempted in ages.

Normally, when answering assignment questions, I spend more time worrying about the structure and the editing than getting the content down on paper. Working out what I need to say from what I want to say is a process that can drive me into paralysis. This time, I’m just not caring. Separating the writing phase and the editing phase turns out to allow me to write the answer I want to, then edit it into the answer that’s actually needed for submission to my tutor.

This isn’t a technique that will necessarily work well in exam conditions, however the technique of writing an answer plan first is similar, if in reverse. But I am going to continue to use it for the rest of my assignments, to see if it is a method to get around the paralysis I often feel when writing — what my friend Simon Pride described as my “inner censor”. I hope it does.

BAILII is a database of [...]]]> My road toward the law has been long and not direct — but one web site in particular kept my interest when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Given my science background and near–obsessive need for information, you may not be surprised that the site is BAILII.

BAILII is a database of case law. It contains recent decisions for the full range of courts and tribunals across the UK, historic decisions, and decisions from other jurisdictions. It is free to access, and the best way in the UK for the lay person to access case law, giving the ability to inform themselves about things like legal matters in the press, but more importantly giving the ability to research and arm themselves in situations where there can be little other help — a dispute with a public body, or an employer, for example.

Running BAILII is naturally not free. While a number of firms have made commitments to funding, more is required to guarantee the continuing survival of what, to me, is an essential service. Frankly, I think it should be a publicly–funded service, but that is not likely in this day and age.

If, like me, you believe this service should continue, please consider donating to BAILII. It is a charity, donations are managed via the Charities Aid Foundation, and are gift-aidable (please do that if you can, it means an extra 25% to them).

The offences’ sentencing guidelines call for up for [...]]]> A man who killed two British tourists in Florida will not go to jail — even though he fled the scene and lied to the police. Ryan LeVin paid an undisclosed amount to the widows of those he killed, and will serve two years house arrest.

The offences’ sentencing guidelines call for up for 45 years’ imprisonment.

His lawyer was the Judge’s deputy campaign treasurer.

For all people complain about the UK justice system, I’m glad that it’s pretty much as it is.

Good stuff: very useful full-page graphs of the constituent parts of a claim for Judicial Review. In the main — a good structure; leading through in stages from a general overview of the [...]]]> My goodness, this unit has had some work done to it recently, and it shows, both in good and bad ways.

Good stuff: very useful full-page graphs of the constituent parts of a claim for Judicial Review. In the main — a good structure; leading through in stages from a general overview of the nature and constitutional basis for review, through availability, claims and remedies, unavailability, and grounds of challenge. In the main, the units were well laid-out and pretty clear.

Bad stuff: Ouch! It’s clearly a work in progress. There are changes in emphasis between sections, and some parts (seven pages on the Exclusivity Rule) seem to be given greater prominence than appears to be necessary. Worse though — there are hanging sentences in places. It has clearly been a rush job, getting it ready for this year, and that has led to mistakes.

In saying that, it was an interesting unit to study. Judicial Review is a matter that is not well-understood by many people, not helped by the press. And the unit gave a good broad understanding of what it is, why it is necessary and how it works.

The assignment for the unit was particularly interesting. As well as covering assimilation and understanding of what had been studied, it imposed an incredibly strict word count; no doubt in order to teach conciseness. Three questions: 600, 600 and 1000. I submitted at 598, 598 and 1000 — and I had written approximately one and a half times that, and edited it down. Perhaps it was a little too strict — if I had around fifty words more in each section, I wouldn’t have needed to spend an hour and a half rewording individual sentences — to the point of changing tense to save three words — to get under word count. There is a fine line between learning the lesson being taught, and wasting time as the lesson is enforced. This perhaps stepped past that line.

That’s the end of the civil part of the course. Now we move onto the criminal law. Halfway through the course already? Time is flying!