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Latest Standard Edition Articles

  • 11 Apr 2023 3:57 PM | Anonymous

    Many years ago, people had the luxury of writing important stuff on stone tablets. However, today's requirements and recommendations are very different. So what’s the recommended method to keep your bits crisp for centuries?

    It’s easy to think of data preservation as something big companies or important people need to worry about, but what if you have information that you’ll need ten years or even fifty years from now? What if you need to preserve information somewhere for someone 100 years or more in the future?

    For various reasons, you might need to hold onto data for a long time. Maybe you have some old documents or records that you’d like to pass down to future generations, or perhaps you need to keep financial records and other necessary paperwork around for legal reasons. Even if you’re trying to preserve your personal memories, like photos or videos, you’ll need to figure out a way to store all that stuff.

    The key to preserving data over the long term is finding a storage format you can trust to last. This could mean using physical storage methods, like high-quality paper or film designed to last a long time, or digital storage options, like cloud storage or external hard drives.

    The Challenges of Storing Digital Data for Decades or Centuries

    If you’re thinking about storing digital data for the long term, there are several challenges you should be aware of.

    First, digital storage media like hard drives and SSDs (solid-state storage devices) can degrade over time and eventually fail. That means you must keep making new copies of long-term data before your storage devices fail.

    Another challenge to consider is file format obsolescence. Some file formats may become outdated or incompatible with newer software as technology advances. That means even if your storage media survives, there may be no drives to read it, and even if there are, the details of the file formats you used to store that data might be lost.

    Why Mechanical Drives Fail (and What You Can Do About It)

    On the other hand, every time you migrate your current data to a newer format to preserve it for a few more years, it might degrade in some way that won’t become apparent until someone tries to access it someday.

    Hackers, malware, and natural disasters can all threaten your stored data, so it’s important to implement strong security measures to protect your information and to store the media in an environment that’s both safe for that media and offers long-term stability.

    Cold Storage vs. Hot Data

    In data storage parlance, “cold” storage refers to how rarely accessed data is stored. This is usually data kept for compliance or other necessary record-keeping irrelevant to day-to-day business.

    Cold storage is usually kept offline, and the media holding the data is stored in a powered-off state or separately from the drives that can read the relevant press. If data is kept in cold storage, this can affect how long it will last.

    “Hot” data is always accessed and is usually stored in media that’s always accessible and powered on. As you might expect, these media wear out through daily use, so archival data and backups aren’t a good fit.

    The Best Long-Term Digital Storage Media

    Archival-grade optical discs, such as M-DISC, are designed specifically for long-term data storage. They use a special type of data layer made of materials that are resistant to degradation over time, including UV light and moisture. Two factors are commonly responsible for “disc rot.” These discs can last for up to 1000 years or more—at least that’s what the various manufacturers claim. Obviously, it’s impossible to actually test this claim, but they can make an educated guess through testing.

    Magnetic tape has been used for decades as reliable long-term data storage. It’s highly durable and can withstand extreme temperatures and humidity. It’s also relatively inexpensive compared to other options.

    Generally, magnetic tape stored in cold storage with stable temperature and humidity conditions can last for up to 30 years or more, while some high-quality magnetic tapes can last for up to 50 years or more.

    However, magnetic tapes need specialized equipment for reading and writing data. That machinery might not last as long as you need it to since a tape drive is a complex mechanical device.

    Mechanical hard drives have been used for decades as primary storage for computers. They’re reliable, fast, and relatively inexpensive.

    That said, they’re not designed for long-term storage, and the average lifespan of a hard drive is as little as 3-5 years. If you choose to use HDDs for long-term storage, you should regularly back up your data and replace the drives every few years.

    SSDs are faster and more reliable than HDDs, but they are more expensive and not designed for long-term storage, and the average lifespan of an SSD is around 5-10 years. If you use SSDs for long-term storage, you should also ensure that you regularly back up your data and replace the drives every few years. If the SSD isn’t powered on periodically, it can still suffer from data loss as electrical charge leaks from its memory cells.

    The last option is cloud storage, which puts the responsibility of keeping your data safe in the hands of a third-party company like Google or Microsoft. These companies have to conform to data storage standards to make sure your data is safe, but it’s not really an option for truly long-term storage because there’s no guarantee the company in question will still be around in ten, twenty, or fifty years.

    So what is the best option for storing data for years and years?  The answer is simple: LOCKSS

    The LOCKSS Program at Stanford University Libraries provides open-source technologies and services for high-confidence, resilient, secure digital preservation.

    The abbreviation is simple: LOCKSS is an acronym for "Lots Of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe."

    Stanford University Libraries provides hardware and software to help you set up, integrate, and manage LOCKSS technologies, to reach your digital preservation goals. See https://www.lockss.org/ for the details. However, private individuals can create their own implementation of the LOCKSS philosophy.

    In short, an individual may create his or her own LOCKSS system simply by copying (making backups) data to multiple storage devices that are located in multiple locations.

    So which is best: floppy disks, optical disks, hard drives, SSDs, or cloud storage?  The answer is: YES. All of those methods.

    In fact, don't select any one method of making backups. Instead, use several different devices and (perhaps most important of all) several diffrent locations and even different computers to store the backups.

    Suggestion: Keep a copy of all information tobe backed up on an external hard disk that plugs into a USB port on a computer at home, another backup on a similar computer at the office or at school, to a CD-ROM disk (or better yet to a Blu-Ray disk) kept at a relative's house, and also to 2 or 3 backup services in the cloud that are locate in different countries on different continents.

    In case you need to retrieve your valuable data, at LEAST ONE of those copies will still be readable in future years.

    Of course, just to be totally safe, you will want to copy those backed up copies to new drives every few years.

    You can never have too many backup copies!


  • 11 Apr 2023 3:18 PM | Anonymous

    Blue eyed people listen up.

    Ever wondered why your eyes are the colour they are? Well wonder no more.

    Every blue eyed person is descended from a single European who lived around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, according to scientists.

    How did they work it out? Originally, all humans had brown eyes in various shades until there was a specific mutation that made the change.

    The mutation is a gene called HERC2 and it switches off OCA2, the gene that determines how much brown pigment we make.

    So that's why eyes become blue. 

    As for being descended from the same person, the evidence for this is because every blue eyed person alive today has this same mutation.

    You can read more in an article by Kate Plummer published in the indy100.com web site at: https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/blue-eyed-people-common-ancestor-2659832759.

  • 11 Apr 2023 8:41 AM | Anonymous

    Historians say the application of modern computer science to the distant past helps draw connections across a broader swath of the historical record than would otherwise be possible, correcting distortions that come from analyzing history one document at a time. But it introduces distortions of its own, including the risk that machine learning will slip bias or outright falsifications into the historical record. All this adds up to a question for historians and others who, it’s often argued, understand the present by examining history: With machines set to play a greater role in the future, how much should we cede to them of the past?

    You can find this interesting article at: https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/04/11/1071104/ai-helping-historians-analyze-past/.

  • 11 Apr 2023 8:33 AM | Anonymous

    NOTE: This is a follow-up to my earlier article at https://eogn.com/page-18080/13159413. The newer article simply adds a few more details.

    The Tennessee Historical Commission has unveiled a new online database of cemeteries in the state.

    The Statewide Cemetery Map and the Tennessee Historic Cemetery Register are now available online in ArcGIS format for public use on the THC’s website. The map has been populated by data from the commission’s cemetery database, which currently contains more than 32,500 cemeteries statewide, a news release notes

    "The public map contains various overlays which will enable the viewer to compare a cemetery’s location topographically, geographically, and even historically as Tennessee county borders have often shifted over the decades," the release says. "THC hopes this map will be a valuable tool for historians, genealogists, developers, landowners, realtors, and state agencies for the purpose of preserving and protecting burial sites."

    The Tennessee Historic Cemetery Register is "intended to provide the public with a way to extensively document historic cemeteries for the purpose of preservation efforts," the release adds.

    You can read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2brb7xxr.

  • 11 Apr 2023 8:22 AM | Anonymous

    The New York State Archives has compiled a list of resources in New York of interest to genealogists. Quoting from the compiled list:

    "Records in the New York State Archives document functions and activities of State government; none of the records were created for the purpose of genealogical research. However, many records in the Archives contain information on individuals. Among these records are indexes to vital records (births, marriages, deaths); records of war service (War of 1812 through World War I); land records (mostly transactions involving the Colony or State of New York); court records (including colonial wills and early nineteenth century civil cases); and records of some correctional and custodial institutions."

    The list may be found at: https://www.archives.nysed.gov/research/featured-topic-genealogy.

  • 10 Apr 2023 10:16 AM | Anonymous

    Archives NZ says it has set up a new team to work on its breach-ridden main search system.

    The high-tech replacement for its main Collections search software went badly wrong last year. The $4 million Swedish system exasperated researchers, lawyers and other users with multiple shutdowns, security breaches, delays and slow searches.

    Chief archivist Anahera Morehu said they were now working with users to test-drive improvements to the system.

    The team's work was "anticipated to deliver significant benefits to users".

    "It will provide a better search experience for users and enable easier access to the information and data in the system, support business process optimisation, and focus on training and change management," she said in a statement.

    Morehu did not give a timeframe for it all to be bedded in or say if extra funding was needed - "the department is currently in discussions around arrangements", she said.

  • 10 Apr 2023 10:07 AM | Anonymous

    Here is a list of all of this week's articles, all of them available here at https://eogn.com:     

    (+) Publish Your Genealogy Book Online

    Smyrl Has Been a Leader in Irish Genealogy for More Than 30 Years

    Tennessee Historical Group Introduces Cemetery Map

    King Charles Backs Research Into Monarchy's Slave Links

    Joe Biden Invited to Galway After Genealogist Uncovers Family Ties to the County

    Incredible Interactive New Website Brings Parts of Edinburgh, Scotland Back to Life

    Library of Congress Launches Transcription Campaign for Rarely Seen Post-Civil War Petition from Black South Carolina Residents Seeking Equal Rights

    Household Dust Harbors Forensic DNA Info

    The 19 US States Where You Can Still Marry Your Cousin

    Vianne Timmons Removed as President of Memorial University in Newfoundland Because of Questions About Her Ancestry

    Qingming Festival 2023

    Find your Infamous Ancestors on TheGenealogist

    Findmypast Announces Newly-Digitized Records for Essex, Montgomeryshire in England

    FamilySearch’s Top 30 Country Record Collection Expansions in 2022

    How to Install Google ChromeOS Flex (ChromeBook) on Any Computer

    Google Just Made a Big Change to How Chromebooks Apps Work


  • 10 Apr 2023 7:40 AM | Anonymous

    NOTE: This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, I have written often about Chromebooks and want to publicize this article on how anyone can add (an almost exact clone of) the Chrome operating system to almost any Windows or Macintosh computer, including to an older computer that maybe is gathering dust in your closet.

    Don't throw away that old laptop just yet.

    Chromebooks are a great alternative to traditional laptops and PCs. Running ChromeOS, they are cheap, powerful devices that provide all the functionality you could ask for. Even better, the best Chromebooks on the market are relatively inexpensive. But you don't need to buy a Chromebook to try out ChromeOS. Google lets you experience the operating system on your old laptop or PC through ChromeOS Flex.

    What is ChromeOS Flex? And how do you install it on your old PC or laptop? Read an article by Rajesh Pandey to find out. The article is in the Android Police web site at: https://www.androidpolice.com/google-chromeos-flex-install-guide/.

    NOTE: Chromebooks (as well as computers with Chromeos Flex software installed) make excellent devices for children, adolescents, senior citizens, and other non-computer-literate adults.  They are easy to use, never get viruses, and automatically install software updates without user actions. I strongly recommend you install Chromeos Flex (it’s easy to install) on an older laptop or desktop computer and then give it to a non-computer-literate person.

    All that is required is 2 simple steps:

    1. Create a bootable ChromeOS Flex USB drive to try ChromeOS Flex prior to installing it.
    2. When you’re ready, install ChromeOS Flex on your PC or Mac to replace your operating system.


    You can learn even more about Chromeos Flex  (even for use on Macintosh and Windows systems) at https://chromeenterprise.google/os/chromeosflex/.

  • 10 Apr 2023 7:28 AM | Anonymous

    Interactive website brings Leith as it was in 1892 back to life using historic street map data interlaced with old photographs, newspaper clippings, post office directory listings and people's own memories.

    Using historic street maps, vintage photos, newspaper clippings, post office directory data, and people's own memories, Old Leith Rediscovered allows locals to explore Edinburgh's famous port as it was at the end of the 19th century.

    The interactive site features a zoomable version of Charles Goad's 1892 Fire Insurance Plan of Leith, which captured the streets and structures of the old Leith in extraordinary detail, giving information on everything from the names of businesses, what they did there and the construction materials used in individual buildings. 

    The Goad map is overlaid on a current map of the city of Edinburgh so that you can see how the 1892 Leith compares with the modern-day version.

    Premises noted on the map are brought back to life with the inclusion of clickable points of interest that display historic photographs, news reports and information relevant to the time in question.

    Users can also select by building type, and have the ability to highlight old Leith's many pubs, banks and restaurants at the click of a button.

    You can read more in an article by David McLean published in the EdinburghLive web site at: https://tinyurl.com/3b7pszzu.

  • 7 Apr 2023 5:56 PM | Anonymous

    The following is a Plus Edition article, written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

    Publishing genealogy books has always been an expensive undertaking. Most genealogy books are self-published by the authors. That is, each author pays all the printing costs and then tries to recover his or her expenses by selling individual copies of the book. Publishing expenses typically run several thousand dollars, even tens of thousands if you wish to publish a lot of books. Then the author has to learn new business skills in order to warehouse and advertise the books, take orders, pack them, ship them, and keep track of all the finances. 

    Of course, no genealogy book is ever really “finished.” Corrections and newly discovered information should be added, but that is difficult to do with printed volumes. I would also suggest that collaborative efforts are not well served by traditional printed books; many who buy the books could add supplemental information about extended relatives if there was a mechanism for doing so.

    Of course, in this day and age we all know that books can be published online or on CD-ROM. In fact, the trend is obviously in that direction. Major genealogy book publishers are now publishing more and more CD-ROM disks or posting new books online. An author also can simply write the book in a word processor, as always, and then have the result converted by various software packages into HTML pages that are ready for uploading to a web server. Such information can be corrected easily, and newly-discovered information can be added at any time. The economics are simple: the printing cost of hundred of books is the equivalent of paying web server hosting fees for thousands of months. An online site makes your “book” available to millions around the globe, unlike printed books. 

    Some web servers will even host your book free of charge although they will surround it with their paid advertising. Whatever web hosting service you select, the information in your online “book” is available to and easily searched by many more people than will ever see a printed genealogy book.

    In the past few years, numerous genealogy books have been published in just this manner: the entire document is written in a word processor and is then uploaded and published on the web server as a static document. That is, the author creates the electronic version of a printed book. Others on the web can read it. However, I will suggest that there is even better technology available today. You can use this new technology to publish a book about your ancestors, the tax lists of your county, or the muster roll of a Civil War regiment. 

    Unlike printed books and static web pages, you can allow others to easily contribute still more information to the publication that you create. In effect, your work becomes a living, breathing publication with a life of its own. Over time, it can be refined time and time again, providing an even better service to all future readers. The technology I am about to describe is inexpensive and easy to use, even for non-technical authors.

    The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: 

    https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/13160673.

    If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077

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