The DAILY genealogy technology newsletter for genealogy
consumers, packed with straight talk - hold the sugar coating - whether
the vendors like it or not!
Forget Ouija boards. If you want to communicate with the dead these
days, all you need is Twitter. You can then communicate with the
deceased's add-on app called LivesOn.
Launching sometime within
the next few weeks, LivesOn uses Twitter bots powered by algorithms
that analyze your online behavior and learn how you speak, so it can
keep on scouring the Internet, favoriting tweets and posting the sort
of links you like, creating a personal digital afterlife. As its
tagline explains: "When your heart stops beating, you'll keep
tweeting."
The following announcement was written by Ancestral Systems, LLC:
Connecting People through Documents
San Antonio, Texas – 23 February, 2013
Clooz 3.2 continues to excite its user base with new and unique features. After a steady stream of free program tweaks and upgrades, the Clooz developers have now provided a unique method to aid in analysis of the data clues contained in the hoard of documents that we all accumulate.
I have written about MacFamilyTree several times. It is one of the most popular genealogy programs for Macintosh. You can find my past articles by starting at http://goo.gl/0NYc0. The program normally sells for $59.99 but is on sale now for half price: $29.99.
You can download the demo at no charge at http://goo.gl/Ssk5J and try the program. If you like it, you can purchase the full edition for $29.99 at the same web ste: http://goo.gl/Ssk5J.
This sale started today and only last until Sunday evening, Feb. 17, at midnight Eastern time.
This might be the world's most expensive flash drive. However, if you already own an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or Android device, you can add extra functionality for no additional cost.
Want to store files on your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet computer? Actually, there's probably a dozen or more programs that will allow you to do that. You can look in the iPhone App Store or the Android App Store to find several in each store. However, a new app from Bump claims to be the easiest of all the competitive apps.
I tested the Bump app and can verify the process is very easy. However, I haven't tested all the competitive programs so I cannot verify any claims of being "the easiest." Instead, I will simply state that Bump is "very easy to use."
Otter Creek Holdings, the new parent company of BillionGraves.com, (see my earlier article here) has displayed new software they've built into a soon-to-be released smartphone application, LegacyTec.
In the past, some companies and a number of cemeteries have promoted the use of QR codes on small "medallions" that are cemented onto the face of the tombstone. Anyone with an Apple or Android smartphone could scan the QR code and immediately see a web page devoted to the life of the person buried there. Tombstone experts have questioned the practice of using any sort of adhesive to attach anything to a tombstone. The new app from Otter Creek Holdings plans to make QR codes obsolete by replacing them with the one thing that never changes: latitude and longitude.
I have published numerous articles about the advantages of cloud computing, something I use myself extensively. The most common question I receive is, "Is it safe?" Indeed, with most services, cloud storage is very safe. However, a new, free program from a German company makes cloud storage very safe everywhere, even on the few services that are not otherwise secure. This should provide a high-security solution to always make cloud computing safe in all circumstances.
Cloudfogger encrypts your data with 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption on your own Windows or Macintosh computer, before it is uploaded to the cloud. Only encrypted data ever gets uploaded to the cloud. This guarantees that Dropbox and other cloud storage services never get access to the content of your files. In addition, you can obtain Cloudfogger file viewer (decryptor) software for Android and Apple smartphones and tablets so that you can read your own files that you retrieve from the cloud.
calibre is a FREE e-book library manager, e-book reader and converter all in one. It’s the ideal companion to your e-book reader. Books can be categorised manually and searched by author, year or genre. It includes library management, format conversion, news feeds to ebook conversion, as well as e-book reader sync features and an integrated e-book viewer. Calibre also makes it easy for users to find DRM (Digital Rights Management)-free e-books. It runs on Windows, Macintosh and Linux. Also, iPhone users can access Calibre via Stanza. I have written about calibre before at http://goo.gl/SbIr3.
Now the producers have released an updated version with several new features as well as bug fixes.
I haven't tested this yet, but it sounds fascinating. Have you ever seen other animals and wondered just how many years have passed since you shared a common ancestor with that chimp, or that bird? Well, wonder no more! A sweet tool exists out there to help you – called Time Tree: The Timescale of Life.
If you go far back enough in the history of humans, eventually we all lead to a single related population. All humans share a common ancestor (our great-great-great-great plus seven thousand more greats grandma) and we can trace our cousins’ and our family lineage to some common relative (like how 1/2 a percent of the world can trace their ancestry back to Genghis Khan). We can trace all of today’s living species to common ancestors that existed millions of years ago in a similar fashion. Time Tree is a tool that summarizes scientific literature to tell you the point in geologic time that a single lineage split into two – say, when the human and chimpanzee lineages split from a shared ancestor.
Julie Cahill Tarr has written an article that will interest any genealogist who owns a Kindle Fire as well as others who own different tablet computers. She focuses on the use of Families and GedFamilies, two nearly-identical apps that sell for $7.99 each and are available for both Apple and Android devices. She mentions that "it was the only thing I used during my week at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah."
It is a brief article but contains links to several other articles that Julie wrote earlier. The combination of all the articles provides a great primer for anyone looking to simplify their record keeping when traveling.
Reunion for iPhone version 2.0.1, a major upgrade, was released today. Version 2.0.1 is a free upgrade for all users of Reunion for iPhone. New users can purchase it on the iPad/iPhone App Store.
Changes in version 2.0.1 include optimized graphics for Retina displays, an improved design that takes advantage of the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5 and the latest iPod Touch, a search for places and the display of a list of people whose records include an event with a place, use your device's camera to take pictures and link them to people in your family file, link pictures from your device's photo library to people in your family file, and pictures of people can be emailed for sharing and printing.
Dropbox is a wildly popular service that automatically makes backup copies of your files and copies them to other computers, such as from your desktop computer to the laptop or from the office computer to your home PC. However, some people are nervous about using Dropbox because it also keeps a copy of your files on Dropbox's servers. Actually, I think that is a good thing but I also know that many people disagree with me; they don't want their personal files stored on anyone else's servers.
Now BitTorrent Inc. has launched BitTorrent Sync, a pre-Alpha service for syncing files between devices. The new service is very much like Dropbox but with one major difference: it doesn't store any files on anyone else's servers. In fact, it doesn't store any files anywhere in the cloud. It only copies files directly from one computer you own to another computer you own (or to a friend's computer that you explicitly allow into your personal "network") without intermediate storage anywhere else. This is accomplished by using peer-to-peer technology: all files are copied directly from one of your computers to another of your computers with no intermediate servers involved.
In the August 8, 2012 newsletter, I described the launch of a new app for Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch called Saving Memories Forever. (See my article at http://goo.gl/UsdwG.) Now the company has released a version for Android devices. The following announcement was written by Saving Memories Forever™:
Now iPhones and Android Devices Can Be Used To Easily Record and Share Family History Through Audio Recordings
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 15, 2013 – Saving Memories Forever™ (SMF), has just launched its new Android app. The application expands upon the previously introduced iPhone app, making interviewing and preserving family stories through audio recordings even easier. The technology helps families build meaningful story archives they can share and manage through the SMF website, http://www.SavingMemoriesForever.com. Both apps are free.
An article on the MyHeritage Blog announces the release of the MyHeritage app version 2.0, a free mobile application packed with several new features. Now you can build and edit your family tree, add more information to it, and take your heritage with you anywhere you go.
The new mobile app is available for iPad, iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets, in 32 languages, and has been optimized for each platform using cutting-edge HTML5 and SVG technologies. The new app is available now free of charge from Apple's App Store or Google Play.
PAWriter is a popular and free genealogy program for Macintosh. Author Howard Metcalfe has released a new update. The program is offered in two versions:
PAWriter version 100 (a universal version) will run under OS 10.4 Tiger through 10.7 Lion but NOT under 10.8 Mountain Lion.
PAWriter version 102 (an Intel version only) will run under OS 10.6.6 Snow Leopard through 10.8 Mountain Lion (for which it is code signed).
You should install version 102 if you have an Intel Mac running at least OS 10.6.6; otherwise install version 100. They are functionally equivalent except for the following enhancements in new version 102:
Did you ever lose something on your hard drive? You exclaim, "I know I saved it SOMEPLACE but now I can't find it!" Indeed, later versions of Windows have the capability to search for files or even strings of data within files anyplace on a hard drive. However, the search software provided by Microsoft is best described as "anemic." Luckily, several third-party vendors provide better products, even some that are available free of charge.
Writing in the MakeUseOf blog, Craig Snyder describes one of the better, free search programs. UltraFileSearch is available in two versions: a Lite version that is available free of charge and a paid version that offers even more functionality. Snyder claims that even the Lite version is much better than Microsoft's product at finding obscure bits on your hard drive.
Writing in the Ancestry.com Blog, Duff Wilson describes a new easy way to view and share your family tree right from your desktop. Ancestry for Windows 8 provides an attractive and innovative way to experience and show off your tree. Editing in the app is not supported yet, so to edit or build your tree, there are launch points that take you to Ancestry.com on the web. Any changes you make to your online tree on Ancestry.com will show up back in the desktop Ancestry application.
Synium Software produces one of the leading genealogy programs for Macintosh and a matching app for Apple iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. Now the company has placed the programs on sale over the holidays with some major discounts. These are the latest versions of the programs.
I downloaded and installed this a few minutes ago. My first reaction is, "It looks good." Best of all is the price: FREE. Note that it does require the RootsMagic desktop family tree software or the FREE RootsMagic Essentials software to create, edit, or add to your genealogy files.
The following announcement was written by RootsMagic:
SPRINGVILLE, Utah. — December 17, 2012 — RootsMagic, Inc. today announced the official release of RootsMagic for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch; a free companion app to RootsMagic, the award-winning desktop genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing your family history easy.
In the November 12, 2012 newsletter, I described a new laptop computer from Acer that sells for $199. The article is available at http://goo.gl/Qw2RW. I had my hands on one of these for a few minutes a few days ago at a BestBuy store. The low-cost laptop looks like the more expensive competitors but does not use Windows or Macintosh or Linux. Instead, it run Google's Chrome operating system.
In comments at the end of the article, one newsletter reader suggested installing Linux on the Acer laptop. Now step-by-step instructions for installing Ubuntu Linux on the $199 Acer C7 laptop can be found in an article by Andrew Cunningham in ars technica at http://goo.gl/T9aMa. Ubuntu Linux software is available free of charge.
Clooz for Windows is a research tool to help you keep track of the scraps of information that you find in your efforts to uncover genealogy data. It is a database for systematically storing all of the clues to your ancestry that you've been collecting over the years. You might think of it as an electronic filing cabinet that assists you with search and retrieval of important facts you've found during the ancestor hunt. Did you already find a particular person in the census records? Clooz can tell you. What records have you already searched? What documents have you already found that mention a particular person? Again, Clooz can help. The value of Clooz becomes most apparent as you begin to gather data on hundreds or even thousands of people; the program easily stores information, sorts and filters the information as needed and then displays only the results that you seek.
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