Friday 28 February 2014

Adding citations to images


Since starting my family research I've investigated a variety of methods of adding citations to images that I save or have clipped from online sources. A suitable tool must be easy to use and allow me to add citation information that will stay with the image without actually writing over it.
It must also encompass a complete process so that the image is ready to be added to my database without further alteration.

Whilst Awesome Screenshot and Skitch are both great tools, I find Jing, the free program from Tech Smith more suitable for my needs in this instance. Here is a quick screencast of how I use it to save and annotate newspaper cuttings from Trove.



How do you add citations to your images?

Monday 24 February 2014

A new venture

Many seniors who did not have the opportunity of using computers through their working careers now find themselves in need of ongoing support. This week saw the beginning of a new Tech Help session run by volunteers in Noosaville Library. We will be available from 2 pm on the first and third Tuesday of each month to assist with tablets, phones, computers and ereaders. These are bring your own device sessions designed to have users comfortable with the functions they need. Group sessions provide the opportunity to learn from others and hear about ideas for using a wide variety of devices.

I will present a short tutorial of 10 minutes at the beginning of each session simply to raise awareness of how- to-do and shortcuts available on a variety of devices. I will also address search techniques to enhance results.  Presentations will be tailored to group needs as they develop over time. This week we covered some basic keyboard shortcuts, screenshots and screen clipping techniques. 




Use the forward arrow to view the slides above. Each week material covered will be posted here for further reference. I'm looking forward to helping as many people as possible.

Saturday 15 February 2014

An Officer and a Spy

Degradation of Dreyfus (Wikimedia commons image)
Robert Harris has taken the historical Dreyfus affair and written a page turning thriller. Even though one knows the end, his portrayal of the various characters involved in this infamous incident brings history to life the way textbook accounts can rarely match.

The story is told by Georges Picquart one of the officers initially involved in the delivery of information that led to the miscarriage of justice.

His efforts to clear Dreyfus of the spying allegations lay bare the inadequacies of high command of the time. Harris acknowledges that no diary has been found written by Picquart but in allocating the role of narrator to him, we find a conflicted character keen not to compromise his career but forced to choose between the easy path of denial and the path of righteousness.

This was a book I could not put down and I read it in a day, so compelling was the storytelling. I am a Robert Harris afficionado having read 6 of his 8 novels.



Tuesday 11 February 2014

Have you ever?


100 things

This list was copied from Doug .. off the record and now that I'm in my "leisure years" otherwise known as retired from paid work, I thought it would be interesting to check these through. The travel focus is northern hemisphere oriented, but there are still plenty of options for those readers 'downunder' to check off.

The things I've done have been italicised and highlighted. So which of these one hundred things have you done?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

51/100 my total, guess there's plenty more for me to do in these leisure years. This list makes me grateful for all the things I have had the opportunity to do. I won't be 11. bungee jumping or 15. adopting a child but will be reading, sailing, sewing, travelling and much more.
If you use this post, place your score in the comments on Doug's post.

Saturday 8 February 2014

The Aviator's Wife

This is the fictionalised story of Charles Lindbergh's wife Anne Morrow and the important role she played in his achievements. Melanie Benjamin has done an excellent job of portraying the life in the limelight that this couple led, along with its ups and downs.

A vivid rendering of the years between the 1920s and 1960s paints an interesting historical view of the changing role of the educated woman's place in society. Charles Lindbergh is portrayed as a selfish man to whom Anne must acquiesce. Her achievements are given just recognition in this portrayal of their lives. She is acknowledged as the first female glider pilot in the United States but her role in the support of Lindbergh is all consuming often to the detriment of the relationship and her own reputation as a writer.

Having read this title I am now interested to read Gift from the sea (1955) written by Mrs Anne Lindbergh and read her account of life with Charles.

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Death by Genealogy

Death, graves and genealogists
I'll admit it. During the last six months I've become obsessed with genealogy. With the ability to use the wonderful resources of Trove for free and find so many birth and death notices as well as stories of days gone by in Australia, there's a wealth of free material available for the beginning genealogist.

At this stage I'm really only a family historian but with the intention of improving my skills and credentials I headed off to Brisbane on Saturday to attend the Unlock the Past seminar. The major speakers Chris Paton and Thomas MacEntee are worldwide recognised experts in their respective fields and both very entertaining speakers so a good day was had and much new learning taken on board.

Genealogy requires dedicated hours of research and critical analysis of sources, this is excellent brain food for stimulating minds. Sitting in front of computers for hours on end however does not care for one's body and I fear many of the family historians and genealogists in the audience, failed to care for their living bodies the way they care for the dead. Warning: death by obesity may well be the most common cause of death listed on death certificates of so many this century. Future genealogists may be forced to search for the relationship between hobbies, occupations and causes of death.

Let's all get up, get about and do our bodies a favour by eating a balanced diet and engaging in regular exercise. In the meantime, back to those graves.... You can head over to my family stories blog at Earlier Years if you have any interest in this field.

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