Genealogy #70: Genealogy 2.0
Wow! It's amazing what can be done with technology. The Internet opened up all new avenues for finding and sharing genealogy information. Obviously, these are equal contributors to a thorough genealogy search. I was quite surprised to find I could locate celebrities that look like me based on face recognition technology (I have no idea what exactly this means and could not find a thorough definition). The celebrities that came up were not at all what I would expected. I guess we all picture ourselves as looking like the most beautiful, sexy celebrities on the magazine covers today!
Footnote can be used to make some amazing connections. Through posted photos and documents and their tags, people can connect and chat with old family friends. I can see where this would be useful in identifying people in a photo and learning a new chapter in family history. Blanks can be filled in and new research started!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Genealogy #68: Detective Work
I attempted to do some oral history with my mother around her 85th birthday. Not really having a plan of procedure, she just really started talking about various happenings from her childhood as I took notes. I feel compelled to attempt it again with a recorder. She would be a great subject, as she's very talkative (and opinionated).
I had some difficulty determining how to find the oldest grave in the Ponca, Nebraska cemetary. I did not find the help section for Find-A-Grave user friendly (or the site in general). It did look like several of the graves (over 300) went back to the mid-1800's (date of death).
I had some difficulty determining how to find the oldest grave in the Ponca, Nebraska cemetary. I did not find the help section for Find-A-Grave user friendly (or the site in general). It did look like several of the graves (over 300) went back to the mid-1800's (date of death).
Genealogy #69: Database Research - Digging Deep
In searching Ancestry.com, I was able to find census, marriage and military records for my grandfather on my mother's side. I discovered his mother's name and then tried to search for her to see how far back I could go. I was hoping to discover ancestors in Europe. I didn't find Ancestry very helpful for this--there seemed to be very little information about her. So, I attempted a google search and viola! Someone had created a family tree and I was able to trace back several generations--not Europe, but to 1700 U.S.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Genealogy # 67: Genealogy Genesis-Ascending the Tree
Ascending is not the word. It's too encompassing. Genealogy work requires an ongoing alertness to details, a compulsion to probe, CSI style, to uncover often one-word details. It's an exercise that can be given proper time and attention in retirement only. By this time, a good many reliable sources of family information have passed on. Therefore, it's urgent to do the following immediately:
1. Gather all paper documents pertaining to my parents (records, letters, documents, etc.) from family members. For this I would begin with my mother (closest living relative) and fan out to aunts and uncles.
2. Talk with key relatives about family information and begin recording family history. I began this with my mother a couple years ago and have since become lax about it. I remember being impressed with the number of skeltons in the closet and thinking there was enough drama for a fictionalized version of my own family's story. Also, I remember hearing comments from a couple of my more analytical cousins at a family funeral about their eagerness to initiate a genealogy search.
3. All this would reveal names and dates and to keep it all together I would print out a free genealogy chart and begin inserting all the gathered details.
A very time-consuming process, but the minimum that must be done at this stage!
1. Gather all paper documents pertaining to my parents (records, letters, documents, etc.) from family members. For this I would begin with my mother (closest living relative) and fan out to aunts and uncles.
2. Talk with key relatives about family information and begin recording family history. I began this with my mother a couple years ago and have since become lax about it. I remember being impressed with the number of skeltons in the closet and thinking there was enough drama for a fictionalized version of my own family's story. Also, I remember hearing comments from a couple of my more analytical cousins at a family funeral about their eagerness to initiate a genealogy search.
3. All this would reveal names and dates and to keep it all together I would print out a free genealogy chart and begin inserting all the gathered details.
A very time-consuming process, but the minimum that must be done at this stage!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Back to the Future
#38: Console Gaming
One advantage for us "oldies" who were young when the early video games came out was that we had a vision of the future. We may not have realized at the time how massive games would be years down the road. They've become a way of life! It gave us a chance early on to learn eye-hand skills that we could use with our children. The drawback of this is we were all telling ourselves that extended time spent at these games were bad for kids. If only we had let ourselves go at it and play them ourselves extensively--that would have been truly visionary.
The skills I learned were more keyboarding and small motor coordination skills that have come in handy with the nearly all-day use of the computer I perform today.
Wii is the perfect game for library use. It can be played on a big screen and allow multiple users to play at the same time. It promotes activity (incidentally, the antithesis of library use) so I'm all for it. Anything that creates exercise and fun at the same time can't be bad. Also, the games are all non-violent. Unless you get too competitive.
One advantage for us "oldies" who were young when the early video games came out was that we had a vision of the future. We may not have realized at the time how massive games would be years down the road. They've become a way of life! It gave us a chance early on to learn eye-hand skills that we could use with our children. The drawback of this is we were all telling ourselves that extended time spent at these games were bad for kids. If only we had let ourselves go at it and play them ourselves extensively--that would have been truly visionary.
The skills I learned were more keyboarding and small motor coordination skills that have come in handy with the nearly all-day use of the computer I perform today.
Wii is the perfect game for library use. It can be played on a big screen and allow multiple users to play at the same time. It promotes activity (incidentally, the antithesis of library use) so I'm all for it. Anything that creates exercise and fun at the same time can't be bad. Also, the games are all non-violent. Unless you get too competitive.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Fair Game
#37: Get Your Game On at the Library
I was skeptical at first. I failed to see the correlation between gaming and libraries. But after hearing the enthusiasm in young gamers quoted in the articles, I can see the benefits. Clearly it would bring in kids that have never been to a library before. It would allow contact with lower income kids whose parents cannot afford a home game system. I can even visual the logical attraction to books that gaming may instill. Gamers may try graphic novels, which could lead to chapter books. It does require a whole new mindset by librarians and physical restructuring inside the library. This is probably the biggest hurdle to get over. I would definitely agree that games are a natural progression for libraries. Things can't stay the way they've always been with kids, rather than adults, knowing more about technology. Just as games will progress and morph, libraries as a game-station will also evolve.
What a fantastic concept to use video games to train not only students, but also librarians! This may be just what librarians need to lighten them up and break their "dowdy" image. The Carnegie games were not difficult at all. The hardest part was figuring out how to play, since it didn't seem to be well-explained.
I was skeptical at first. I failed to see the correlation between gaming and libraries. But after hearing the enthusiasm in young gamers quoted in the articles, I can see the benefits. Clearly it would bring in kids that have never been to a library before. It would allow contact with lower income kids whose parents cannot afford a home game system. I can even visual the logical attraction to books that gaming may instill. Gamers may try graphic novels, which could lead to chapter books. It does require a whole new mindset by librarians and physical restructuring inside the library. This is probably the biggest hurdle to get over. I would definitely agree that games are a natural progression for libraries. Things can't stay the way they've always been with kids, rather than adults, knowing more about technology. Just as games will progress and morph, libraries as a game-station will also evolve.
What a fantastic concept to use video games to train not only students, but also librarians! This may be just what librarians need to lighten them up and break their "dowdy" image. The Carnegie games were not difficult at all. The hardest part was figuring out how to play, since it didn't seem to be well-explained.
No Survivors
#36: The Wide World of Online Role-playing Games
I made it so far as to successfully fishing and making my first fire. The guides comments were very encouraging. I kept advancing on to advanced levels of fishing and firemaking. Clearly, I am not cut out for this kind of thing. What a great concept, but it will take a great deal of time for me the learn it proficiently. It may be well worth the while, though, to lessen the generation gap I have with my kids. Won't they be surprised when they ask, "What happened at work today?" and I reply "I played Runescape."
I made it so far as to successfully fishing and making my first fire. The guides comments were very encouraging. I kept advancing on to advanced levels of fishing and firemaking. Clearly, I am not cut out for this kind of thing. What a great concept, but it will take a great deal of time for me the learn it proficiently. It may be well worth the while, though, to lessen the generation gap I have with my kids. Won't they be surprised when they ask, "What happened at work today?" and I reply "I played Runescape."
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