Getting to Know LLTC: Rob Beharriell

Where did you grow up? How did you come to be here?

I was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada (near Northern Michigan).  I lived there until I was fourteen at which point my family moved to London, Ontario.  I spent my initial post-secondary years stumbling around aimlessly not knowing exactly what I wanted to do.  I had always thought about law as a career and began investigating it as a possibility.

I earned my B.A. in English Language and Literature at King’s College University at the University of Western Ontario (what a mouthful…we always just called it King’s for short).  I graduated my undergraduate program in 2006.  I
applied to law schools all over the place in Canada, the U.S., and Australia.  I had visited the NSU campus in 2007 on
spring break and was impressed with the law school here.  As fond of kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, and other Outback “critters” as I am, I decided it would be best to stay closer to home.  My three years here at Nova flew by (seems like just yesterday I was shaking like a leaf in my first doctrinal class – Professor Richmond’s 1^st year Torts class – praying to the
deities not to be called upon).

Where did you work prior to LLTC?

Before starting here I had worked as Professor Eric Young’s research assistant during the winter 2011 semester.
I worked on several interesting research assignments for him during the semester.  Prior to that I had worked in
a restaurant during most of my undergraduate studies, and also at a bank as a customer service representative.

When did you begin working for the LLTC?

I began working for the LLTC on September 26, 2011.

What do you do at LLTC?

I am a reference librarian on some days and on others I assist Mr. Heath Davis, Circulation Manager with some circulation projects.  I also work on special projects for the other librarians like helping to put together library guides for seminar courses.  Last but not least, I do whatever Jessica Nelson tells me to do because she is awesome!

What do you like best about your job? 

The people here at the library are an incredible group of individuals.  There is so much talent and diversity among the staff which makes this a very enjoyable place to work.

Furthermore, the dynamic nature of the job is such that every day here is different.  I am always learning about
new resources and innovative ways to help students, faculty, and patrons with their legal research issues.

Most importantly, I like that everyone here has a good sense of humor.

What are your proudest accomplishments on the job?

I just started, so I have not really had a chance to complete anything substantial just yet.  I brought in
treats to work one day for the staff and people went crazy for them.  I’ll pick that as my proudest moment so far.  And completing this blog too!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Riverdancing!  Just kidding, I enjoy reading, watching TV and movies, and listening to music.  I would eventually like to go skydiving but have had a difficult time finding anyone crazy enough to join me.

Favorite food?

I am a huge foodie!  I love cooking and dining out at nice restaurants. Nothing beats a good steak.  Wrap it in bacon and it’s even better!  If any of you have not been to Texas de Brazil, you need to stop what you are doing right now and go to your nearest one. They come around to your table with swords full of delicious meat and they keep bringing you more and more meat until you start to get the “meat sweats” and pass out (or until you are full, whichever comes first).  It is my favorite restaurant!

Also, I am Paula Deen’s number one fan.

Her cooking is insane!  I don’t eat any of it myself because I do not wish to die of a stroke or heart disease
before I turn forty.  How she is alive herself given her steady diet of butter is enough to baffle the brightest of
minds.  Rather, I enjoy watching her program because it is one of the most ridiculous and hilarious shows on TV.  I have never seen a person use so much butter in their cooking as she does.  I respect the fact that she acknowledges the fact that her cooking is unhealthy though and not meant for daily consumption.

I once saw her make hamburgers which she topped with fried eggs and then placed on top of a sliced Krispy Kreme donut instead of a bun.  I believe the episode was titled something like “Paula’s light lunch” or something equally as crazy.  Another time I saw her make mac & cheese in a casserole dish with tons of cheese, butter, and bacon; cut it into
squares; dredge and bread the squares and then deep fry the individual squares.  Clearly, this woman is a
genius, and way ahead of her time!  If you like Paula and have an appreciation for the absurd, you might want to
visit:  www.pauladeenridingthings.com.  It has brought me hours of laughter over the
years and it is a great place to go if you need some cheering up.

Favorite book?

If I had to pick just one, I would say Don Quixote, by Miguel de
Cervantes.  It has tragedy, comedy,
romance…really just the whole nine yards.
If you like reading about people who are ridiculous verging on brilliant,
then this is the right book for you.  A
quote from the novel:

“Destiny guides our fortunes more
favorably than we could have expected. Look there, Sancho Panza, my friend, and
see those thirty or so wild giants, with whom I intend to do battle and kill
each and all of them, so with their stolen booty we can begin to enrich
ourselves. This is nobel, righteous warfare, for it is wonderfully useful to
God to have such an evil race wiped from the face of the earth.”

“What giants?” Asked Sancho Panza.

“The ones you can see over there,” answered his master, “with
the huge arms, some of which are very nearly two leagues long.”

“Now look, your grace,” said Sancho, “what you see over there
aren’t giants, but windmills, and what seems to be arms are just their sails,
that go around in the wind and turn the millstone.”

“Obviously,” replied Don Quijote, “you don’t know much about
adventures.”

― Miguel
de Cervantes Saavedra, Don
Quixote

Is there any particular
advice you would like to share with students?

Take
advantage of the wealth of resources available to you at the LLTC.  Whether you are a first year who needs help
with an LSV assignment, or an upper year student who needs help with seminar
research, there are many very talented librarians who can help you in the
library.  Also, I am still trying to
figure out what the Rule Against Perpetuities is all about.  If you are worried about it for the bar or for
your final exam, don’t be!

Bring PC experience to mobile devices

With all the new technologic “toys” available to the everyday consumer, most have some combination of a home computer, work computer, laptop, smart phone, or tablet.  There was a time when pcAnywhere was the only software available to take remote control of another computer. The company Splashtop (http://www.splashtop.com/), has developed a similar application for Mac , and it’s now available for Windows systems . It turns your mobile devices into a touch-optimized system to access applications, view files, play music and show videos right from the palm of your hand. The underlying concept is obviously not new—existing VNC and RDP applications have offered similar functionality for years.

The key advantage of Splashtop is performance, using a proprietary protocol to reduce latency and provide a more responsive user experience. The application also has some advanced features that you do not get with VNC, such as the ability to relay audio from the remote computer to the client. Splashtop requires a free app to be run on any computer you wish to access remotely, MAC or PC. The app runs in the background and provides secure access to the system from any mobile app in the Splashtop line. This currently includes iOS, Android, and webOS and can run from $.99 to $9.99 depending on the operating system and any sale promotions.

Like most remote control software, there are two components to Splashtop: the Streamer, which you install on computers you want to control, and the Remote, which you install on your mobile device.  Once Splashtop Remote Desktop is installed, accessing a remote system is as simple as tapping the computer in the list presented and entering the secure PIN number for access. In just a few seconds your mobile device displays the remote system’s desktop as if it was generated locally.

The app employs a number of touch gestures to accomplish various tasks on the remote desktop, including pinch/zoom, scrolling, and drag/drop. Usage hints are displayed each time a system is accessed to clearly demonstrate these gestures. The remote desktop takes over the entire mobile device display, with a small keyboard icon in the lower right of the screen. Tapping this icon opens the onscreen keyboard with special keys added at the top row to control the remote desktop. There is even a Windows key to facilitate entering Windows key commands.

I personally use Splashtop to remote into my work computers to make changes to the websites, access our databases, run reports, or in emergencies fix problems with our servers. It has been a great tool and has saved many trips back to work late at night or on weekends. I also use Splashtop to access the podium PCs to run updates and fix any problems from the comfort of my desk home. Since I can remote into the podium PCs it saves me the time from having to walk into all the classrooms. It has enabled me to multi-task on projects that would normally take up a lot of my time.

Splashtop has also released many other cool programs such as Whiteboard, Xdisplay, CamCam, TouchPad and many more. Splashtop is not the end all answer to remote computing, but it is an inexpensive, easy to use application, that allows users to never really be “disconnected” from home or work. Depending on wireless bandwidth and mobile processing power, Splashtop can be glitchy at times, and is not particularly ideal for playing graphic intensive games remotely. However, if you want to watch a movie on your home PC, do a little work while out of the office, get that file you forgot on your work computer, or even access live video feed from your computer’s webcam this might be the program for you.

Higher Education Charging High Prices For Food On Campus

Much to the surprise of no one who actually eats here on campus, the price of food on campus is apparently much higher than it is in the surrounding community. In his article for his school paper, the Statesman, Bryan Carroll discovered that while rolling through his local Student Activity Center that the prices for regular food items was generally much higher than they would have been off-campus. For instance, he notes how a half-gallon of milk was being sold at a school convenience store for $3.37 where as the exact same product was being offered at a nearby Target for $2.19. Oreo cookies were a whopping $8.27 on-campus versus $2.50 at Target.

Generally, he noticed an average markup of about 42 percent on grocery items.

Arguably, the point could be made that given the basic (and purest) interpretation of supply and demand this is merely a sound decision to take advantage of the reduced competition and great location. And I suppose that you could also mark this as a learning experience for students to become more aware of comparison shopping. I think, though, maybe it’s not so nice to take advantage of sleep-deprived students with exorbitant markups when they are already paying such a premium to attend school and live on campus already.

via The Statesman