Randy B. Singer
 * Co-Author of: The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th and 6th editions) * Contributor to countless Macintosh publications and legal publications (the latter with regard to using technology in the law office.) * Webmaster of: The Law Office Software List for the Macintosh Computer * Moderator of: The Mac-Attorney e-mail discussion list. |
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| How did you personally get into using the Macintosh family of computers? |
Many years ago, my then-girlfriend (now my wife) went to New Zealand for a couple of months to do a work project. She left me her new Mac Plus to use while she was gone. She also left me her modem. Since I lived in Berkeley, I called the BMUG (the world's largest Mac user group) BBS, and could read everything everyday, because it was not a toll call. There were a ton of new posts everyday. New users would leave questions, which were answered by some of the leading Mac experts. Soon I was able to answer all of the most common questions. I became hooked on the Mac and purchased my own, along with a membership in BMUG. I soon had questions that not even the experts could answer, so I researched them and wrote articles about it for the BMUG Newsletter. Often I would write four or five articles for each issue of the Newsletter. My articles were noticed by people who worked for commercial publications and they republished them. Soon I was writing regularly for Computer Currents, and not long after than I got the opportunity to become part of The Macintosh Bible's cast of writers. | |
| Status: | I've been called a Mac guru. I've called myself a computer geek. (Anyone who spends so much time using a computer must be one, right?) My wife, friends, and colleagues all have things that they like to call me, too. 8-{) | |
First Mac:
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A Mac Plus, which I accelerated to the screaming speed of 16MHz! Zowee! | |
Current Mac:
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PowerMac 6500/300 Small Business Edition (A tremendous buy that I'm afraid was poorly promoted by Apple and overlooked by the computer buying public.) | |
| When did you get your first modem? | It was a no-name 2400bps job that I got from a local screwdriver shop in, I think, 1986. | |
| Who did you call first? | The BMUG BBS. | |
| Present Occupation: | Attorney at Law (I'm a civil litigator) and a frequent Judge Pro Tem. | |
| Claim to Fame: | I am one of the largest contributing authors to The Macintosh Bible, and I have had a major role in keeping the Macintosh law office market alive via my Web site (my Web site), and the Mac-Attorney e-mail discussion list, of which I am the moderator. Apple abandoned all vertical business markets (that is: medicine, law, real estate, etc.) a bunch of years ago, and any other type of business market around the time that Steve Jobs returned. Hence, the Macintosh is dead or close to dead in any of those vertical markets. But thanks to the support and perseverance of Macintosh-using attorneys, the law office market for the Mac has not only been kept alive, it has prospered. | |
| Dream Job: | Head of business markets for Apple. Or maybe just their legal counsel. |
| Not So Random Thoughts... | |||
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| Was there ever a time in your life that you had to "Think Different?" What was the situation and what did you do? | |||
| How about lugging a Macintosh into my office? That does not sound like "thinking differently" until you realize that I am in one of the most conservative professions in the country, and back when I first did this, not only did attorneys not use Macs, but attorneys didn't even use computers! Using a computer was considered by most old-guard attorneys to be the equivalent of 'typing', which was considered to be beneath most attorneys. It was something that support staff did, not attorneys. I not only used a computer (and one of those Macintosh things that looked like the carton that a basketball came in) but I never even used a secretary after that. | |||
| How has using the Macintosh computer changed your life? | |||
| I know that my desktop-published, laser-printed briefs always got more consideration from judges because they looked more authoritative. In fact, after I became a Judge Pro Tem, and had lunch with a couple of judges, they acknowledged that they couldn't help but give more weight to a brief that was so attractive and easy to read. Later, the ability to do electronic legal research enabled me to win more motions. I could quote legal authority, and more of it, that I would never have had the time to find previously. All in all, practicing law would have been a terrible drudge if I had not had a Macintosh. Having a Mac has always been a huge advantage that I have had over opposing counsel, even if they had the latest WinTel box. |
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| What is the weirdest thing in your office right now? | |||
| Besides the inflatable shark on my shelf? I assume you mean computer equipment? How about my Sharp JX-9460PS laser printer? How many Mac-users have one of those? | |||
| My Passions are: | |||
| Other than computers? Motorcycles. They are the ultimate kinetic art. | |||
| Do you play a musical instrument and/or are you in a band? | |||
| No. However, I put together this great MIDI setup for my wife, who is very musically inclined. She has her own Mac, with a MIDI interface, a Roland JV-90 keyboard (which has a ton of built-in musical instrument samples) and Opcode's Vision synthesizer software. | |||
| When I grow up I want to be: | |||
| Do I have to grow up? I've already been a Medical Anthropologist, a pulmonary researcher, a motorcycle training instructor, a car-stereo salesman, an attorney and a judge. I guess I could go back to school... |
| Just The Facts, Please... | ||||
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| Biographical Tidbits: | I was one of the Apple Legal Fellow (ALF's) when that group still existed. * I used to give lectures to attorneys about using the Mac for law office use at Apple's Market Center's. * I founded user groups for attorneys who use the Mac in Sacramento, and San Francisco. * Countless other silly things that I do to promote the Mac, that make me no money and make my wife testy. |
Education: | AB Anthropology University of California at Berkeley MA Medical Anthropology Case Western Reserve University JD Golden Gate University School of Law |
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| Location at Birth: | Los Angeles, CA | Current Location: | Woodland, CA | |
| Where you've been in between: |
Mostly the San Francisco Bay Area, with a mind-numbing three year stay in Cleveland for graduate school. | Astrological Sign: | No response | |
| Available? | Married, with two beautiful and brilliant young children. Wanna see pictures? | Chat Nick: | No response | |
| Favorite Books: | No response | Favorite Music or Band: | No response | |
| Favorite Food: | No response | Cat or Dog Person: | No response | |
| Randy's Personal Web Site | |
| Randy's Professional Web Sites - Substantive Law on the World Wide Web - Quick links to ALL of the caselaw (opinions), statutes, and codes
available on the Web. The fastest and most comprehensive resource for doing legal research on the Web!
The Law Office Software List for the Macintosh Computer - A comprehensive list of all the available software for law office use on the Macintosh computer, the premier computer for attorneys! Well over 170 products are listed! Attorney's Toolbox - Cyberspace Tools For Attorneys and other Legal Professionals! The American Bar Association - Apple/Macintosh Interest Group The California Law and Government Supersite!- A one-stop resource for California's bountiful Web offerings. |
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| Favorite Web Site: | MacInTouch, Kaleidoscope New Schemes, MacTheKnife |
| "The Macintosh Bible has nothing to do with theology, damn it!" | |
Created Tuesday, August 25, 1998, 7:00 AM; Edited: 12/2/98, 1/30/99