NOTE: This article has nothing to do with genealogy. If you are looking for genealogy-related information, I suggest you skip this article. However, if you use Meta.com (previously known as Facebook.com), you might want to know the company is tracking you (which shouldn't surprise anyone as the company has been tracking its users for years) and your data is secretly being used for nefarious purposes. I suggest that all Meta.com (previously known as Facebook.com) users should be aware of the true purpose of the company:

According to an article in the news9live.com web site, Meta is injecting code into external sites visited via Facebook and Instagram. Meta is able to track every single interaction with external websites, including inputs like passwords and addresses, to every single tap.

Invasion of user privacy isn't a new charge for Meta or its products like Facebook and Instagram. An ex-Google engineer has now made damning accusation about the company's practices via a new research. Privacy researcher Felix Krause claims that Meta is stalking users by rewriting scripts of websites visited by users, via its apps or platforms. Krause, who developed a tool acquired by Google, claims that this activity allows the company to track a user, once they click a link on any of its platform. This allegedly lets the company track every single interaction with external websites, including inputs like passwords and addresses, to every single tap.

You can read the full report at: https://bit.ly/3BXMZAz.

I love e-books: books and other publications that are available in electronic format instead of on paper. I have several hundred such books stored on my desktop and laptop computers and many on an Amazon Kindle, including newspapers, books downloaded from Google Books, many blogs, and more. I read the Wall Street Journal every day on an Amazon Kindle. I almost never print anything these days; I prefer to read text on a computer screen or on the Kindle or on a normal computer.

Making the switch from printed documents to an on-screen display of the same information is a significant psychological adjustment. For a while, it felt "funny" to read books, newspapers and newsletters on a computer screen. The adjustment was easier on the Amazon Kindle as its "e-paper" display is much closer to printed paper. Once I became accustomed to reading things on-screen, I found the process to be easier than ever. Searches are usually easier since many digital documents and ebooks allow one to quickly search for any word or phrase. Just try doing that in a book printed on paper! Of course, e-books are also cheaper and eco-friendly; I no longer consume as much paper and laser printer toner as I used to.

I suspect that the economics of publishing books on paper will soon mean the end of paper-based genealogy books, as well as all sorts of other books and newspapers. A printed book costs a lot more to publish than an e-book. Consumers and publishers alike will appreciate the savings available when publishing electronically.

Reading documents on a computer screen is good, but the use of a portable reader with "e-paper" is much better. For instance, use of an Amazon Kindle simplifies the process. Computerworld has a new article that takes a look at the development and the future of e-paper. E-paper is rapidly becoming its own industry.

The article notes some of the current limitations of the technology and looks ahead to a few upcoming ideas. 

You can read "The Future of E-Paper" in Computerworld at https://www.computerworld.com/article/2552045/the-future-of-e-paper.html.

You can read more about the Amazon Kindle at: https://bit.ly/3BYtuYC.

What I Use

I have to admit that I prefer to using my Chromebook to read Kindle formatted ebooks. The Chromebook has a larger screen versus a Kindle e-reader and operates in full color. It is easy to read Kindle ebooks on Windows, Macintosh, Chromebooks, and even in a web browser. To read Kindle ebooks on your present computer, go to the App Store for your computer and search for “Kindle.” That will quickly show the FREE Kindle app designed for your computer. Download and install that app and you now have the (better) equivalent of a Kindle in your present computer.

If you prefer, you can simply find a Kindle ebook of interest in Amazon, then click on “Deliver to” and then select “Cloud reader.” The launch your favorite web browser to read it. No new hardware is required! It is also cheaper (as you do not need to purchase a Kindle).

The following announcement was written by the organizers of the FHF REALLY USEFUL Family History Show:

The premier online family history event operated by family historians for family historians!

The 2022 virtual REALLY USEFUL Family History Show takes place on evening of Friday 11^th and all day on Saturday November. Friday evening will see family history societies available for all comers – no ticket required: come and ask questions of those local experts with founts of knowledge. Show tickets are selling fast and provide full access to all areas including extended time to immerse yourself in the expert presentations plus a raft of practical workshops are being announced over the coming weeks.

Today, the keynote speakers are announced:

Friday 11^th at 7pm Diahan Southard is a leading voice for consumer DNA testing from her position as founder of Your DNA Guide.

Connecting Your DNA Matches

While it is possible to analyse your DNA matches one at a time to determine how you are related, there is much accomplished by first identifying the connections between those on your match list, organising those matches, and then working together to determine how you are related to each other. Learn the tips and tricks to this powerful method of match analysis.

Saturday 12^th at 10.15am Paul Nixon has a keen interest in military history and in particular the British Army and its campaigns between 1850 and 1920.

British Army Detective – Piecing Together the Jigsaw

Making the most of what scant information survives in order to build a fuller picture of service is like a jigsaw. This presentation includes a deep dive into regimental numbers and what these can tell us. This presentation is ideal for beginners and seasoned researchers alike.

Buy your ticket today! www.fhf-reallyuseful.com/full-ticket-for-november-2022-show

Review the last show and watch for details of the upcoming event: www.fhf-reallyuseful.com

Citizen science and advances in DNA sequencing help identify Jane and John Does.

“Lake Stickney John Doe” spent almost a decade underwater before surfacing in June 1994 — a pair of fishermen found him among a patch of lily pads in Snohomish County, Washington.

An autopsy revealed only a few details: He had been shot in the head, likely dumped in the late 1980s and was somewhere between 25 and 35 years old.

Discovering his identity would be an uphill, if not impossible, feat. One-fifth of a nanogram — fewer than 20 human cells worth of DNA, all of it incomplete and contaminated, were recovered from the body. This, compared to a traditional cheek swab which generates between 750 and 1,000 nanograms of clean, complete DNA. The case stayed cold for over 26 years.

This summer, as lakes dry up due to climate-change induced drought, there have been an alarming number of similar John and Jane Does found — their remaining genetic material compromised after being submerged years in lakewater. At Lake Mead, four bodies have been discovered in the reservoir since May, the latest turning up on Aug. 6.

The growing sector of genetic genealogy combines advances in two distinct scientific fields — DNA sequencing and genealogy. Scientists are able to recover trace amounts of DNA to build a genetic profile and then infer familial relationships by searching databases of DNA profiles from people who have paid to have their genetic material sequenced. Though only a decade old, the method has helped solve cases where law enforcement had DNA samples, but nothing to compare them to.

You can read a lot more in an article by Christian Thorsberg published in the Grid.News web site at: https://bit.ly/3phwuaU.

The following is a press release from TheGenealogist:

TheGenealogist has been praised for its innovative tools that allow you to discover exactly where your ancestors lived, using Map Explorer™. This innovative feature has now been added to Gold and Starter level subscriptions.

Home of Joseph Chamberlain (father of the WW2 prime minister) found on the 1891 census in Map Explorer™

Census pins identify properties on Map Explorer™

Image Archive records located on Map Explorer™

From today, a significant number of databases including the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census, plus TheGenealogist’s Image Archive pictures and along with the Domesday Book 1086, are now available with pins on georeferenced maps in Map Explorer™. This makes Starter & Gold Subscriptions powerful resources for researchers to see where their forebears lived, as well as to investigate the neighbourhood and surrounding area. Accessing Map Explorer™ on a mobile allows researchers to walk in the footsteps of ancestors and discover where homes, schools, places of work and other buildings may once have stood but have now disappeared.

This interface will place a pin on the house using historical data to identify its location where possible or if not, the street or parish on an appropriate map of the area connected to the record. As this resource makes use of a number of historical and modern maps matching the same precise coordinates, Starter & Gold subscribers are in a much better position to see where their ancestors had once lived even if the area has now changed.

To find out what’s included in the discounted Starter and Gold subscriptions go to www.thegenealogist.co.uk/PRTGAUG22

To read about using the Census collection, Image Archive and Domesday Book 1086 linked to mapping for an area recently in the news see our article: Mapping the records from a PM’s house to the Conqueror’s Manor

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2022/mapping-the-records-from-a-pms-house-to-the-conquerors-manor-1604/

Microsoft Word is by far the most popular word processor in the world. Although it is outrageously expensive with a price of $99 up to $429 (U.S.) for a version bundled with other office applications, a lot of people would never dream of switching to another product, especially if the other product is FREE.

That attitude always amazes me. I stopped using Microsoft Word about 20 years ago and switched to various free word processors. They varied in quality, as might be expected, but several of them met or even exceeded all my needs. I cannot imagine that I will ever go back to the Microsoft product.

This week I downloaded and installed a new product (at least, it is new to me) called ONLYOFFICE. I have only used it for a few hours, including for writing this article, but so far it has been a perfect replacement not only for Microsoft Office but also for Excel and for PowerPoint. In addition, it incudes a form creator, a PDF reader and converter, an email program, a rather simple but nice customer relationship management (CRM) program for sales management and productivity improvement, project management software for excellent team performance, and a calendar program for organizing and managing all the events in you life.

In short, ONLYOFFICE is a powerful online editor for text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations for the platform you use.

Yes, that's right: platforms (with an "S"). The software is available for Windows, Linux, Macintosh and (sometimes with slightly simpler versions) for Android and Apple iOS systems.

Best of all is the price: ranging from FREE for personal use up to several thousand dollars for use by hundreds of individuals in a corporate office environment. The pricing is a bit complex so I will refer you to the ONLYOFFICE web site at https://www.onlyoffice.com/ for all the details.

So far, I have only used the free versions and doubt if I will ever upgrade to the paid versions.

ONLYOFFICE headquarters are located in Riga, Latvia so all documents created by ONLYOFFICE are fully compliant with the European and North American General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) acts. Along with the main office in Riga, there are offices in London and Dallas. Besides, the company also has a wide community of project contributors all over the world. All software is open source.

Most of the various applications in ONLYOFFICE are available in two versions : one that is installed in the user's computer and a second version that is installed in a central server (such as in the cloud) that can be used simultaneously by dozens or even hundreds of users.

Describing all the features of ONLYOFFICE is a task that is beyond me. My plan for this article is to simply give you a taste of the product's primary features and then refer you to the company's web site at https://www.onlyoffice.com/ for all the details. That web site has thousands of words, images, and videos that describe the various features far better than I can. The same web site even includes a number of online tutorials explaining how to install and use the various software products. After all, describing ALL the features and functionality of this impressive suite of programs would fill dozens of these newsletters.

Am I impressed with ONLYOFFICE? You bet I am.

If you are interested in switching to a more powerful and sometimes FREE suite of office software products, one that has MORE functionality than Microsoft Windows, I suggest you go to https://www.onlyoffice.com/ and start reading. Make sure you have lots of time available; it will require all that time to become familiar with the ins and outs of these products!

The next time you are looking online for some obscure historical fact, make sure you check archive.org. The following is an article from Archive.org's blog:

From 1970 to 2004, Colgate University amassed as many as 1.5 million microfiche cards with documents from the U.S. federal government. 

The small, private liberal arts institution housed the collection in a central location accessible to the former reference service point and the circulation desk in Hamilton, New York. 

“Every single campus tour that goes through the library walks past this collection. Our well meaning student ambassadors would announce ‘Here’s our microfiche that no one uses,’” said Debbie Krahmer, accessible technology & government documents librarian at Colgate. 

Since the popularity of the miniaturized thumbnails of pages waned several years ago, many libraries have struggled with what to do with their microfiche collections, as they contain important information but are difficult to use. 

Krahmer was looking for ways to offload the materials and discovered the Internet Archive would accept microfiche donations for digitization. It was a way to preserve the content, make it easier for the public to access, and avoid putting the microfiche in a landfill.

“These government documents are meant to be available and accessible to the general public. For many there’s still a lot of good information in this collection,” said Courtney L. Young, the university librarian. “While the microfiche has been stored in large metal cabinets on the main level, many of our users do not see them. This project will improve that visibility and accessibility.”

About the donation

In July, the Internet Archive arranged for the twelve cabinets of microfiche, each in excess of 600 pounds, to be loaded onto pallets and shipped to the Internet Archive for preservation and digitization. Materials include Census data, documents from the Department of Education, Congressional testimony, CIA documents, and foreign news translated into English. 

Microfiche cabinets ready for shipping to the Internet Archive for preservation and digitization.

Colgate also gave indexes of the microfiche that will be “game changers” for other government libraries once they are digitized because the volumes are expensive and hard to acquire, Krahmer added. 

Krahmer said the moving process with the Internet Archive was easy and would recommend the option to other librarians.

“This is a lot easier than trying to figure out how to get these materials recycled,” Krahmer said. “In addition to improving discovery and access, this supports the university’s sustainability plan. It’s going to get digitized, be made available online, and preserved. This is win-win no matter how you look at it.”

Public access to government publications

Government documents from microfiche are coming to archive.org based on the combined efforts of the Internet Archive and its Federal Depository Library Program library partners. The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), founded in 1813, provides designated libraries with copies of bills, laws, congressional hearings, regulations, and executive and judicial branch documents and reports to share with the public.

Colgate joins Claremont Colleges, Evergreen State College, University of Alberta, University of California San Francisco, and the University of South Carolina that have contributed over 70 million pages on over one million microfiche cards. Other libraries are welcome to join this project.

The following press release was written by West Virginia University Libraries:

West Virginia University Libraries has been awarded a $39,300 LYRASIS Catalyst Fund grant to support the American Congress Digital Archives Portal, congressarchives.lib.wvu.edu, the first-ever online portal that brings together congressional archives from repositories throughout the United States.

The Portal will provide open access to congressional archives by bringing together these geographically dispersed and civically important sources from multiple institutions using open-source software (OSS) into a single online portal.

“The portal will illuminate the connections across collections, provide opportunities for new scholarship, civics and history education, and make the archives of the ‘People’s Branch’ more equitably available to the people,” Catalyst Fund Program Lead Leigh Grinstead said.

The prototype portal currently aggregates materials from WVU Libraries, the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at The University of Kansas, and the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education. The one-year foundations project was made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The archives of members of Congress document the democratic process, the evolution of Congress as an institution, and narratives related to the country’s social, cultural, and political development. At a time in which America is experiencing deep political divisions, challenges to democratic norms and values, and when many Americans believe democracy is in crisis, the project takes on a new urgency. It has perhaps never been more important for scholars, educators, and the public to have access to the historical records of the people’s branch.

However, practical barriers to using congressional archives mean researchers, students, and the public may struggle to find and use them. Unlike presidential papers, which are centralized in one location with dedicated staff and funding, congressional archives are geographically dispersed among institutions large and small. For researchers, collections may be difficult to use because of limited travel funding and uneven description in and across collections. The pandemic has made these problems worse. 

The American Congress Digital Archives Portal project addresses these challenges and provides easier, more equitable access to congressional archives. Work remains in the project phases ahead to make the Portal an essential resource for scholarship and education.

“We are thrilled that LYRASIS selected our project, and their support will help us reach our goal of having a sizable, open-access digital portal for the nation’s 250^th anniversary in 2026,” Danielle Emerling, project director and associate curator of congressional and political collections at WVU Libraries, said. “Ultimately, we believe this project will expand availability of valuable documentation, lead to new topics of scholarly research, and serve as a resource to advance civic education and knowledge of America’s constitutional democracy.”

Over time, the Portal will make the history of Congress—and its importance in our daily lives today—more discoverable and accessible for everyone. 

The WVU Libraries’ West Virginia and Regional History Center holds the archives of many of West Virginia’s congressional delegations from the founding of the state in 1863 to the present. Resources from several collections are included in the portal.

LYRASIS, one of the nation’s largest non-profit member organizations serving archives, libraries, and museums, awards Catalyst Fund grants annually to foster innovation among members and knowledge communities worldwide. This year, five projects were chosen by the LYRASIS Leaders Circle and $159,408 will be distributed to projects across the United States.

In 1860, roughly 30 years after photography was invented, a series of photos were taken across Europe and India. Many of these were captured by prominent photographers at well-known landmarks and sites. But in other cases, it’s still unclear where, when, and by whom these photographs were taken. How to identify the location of these photographs?

An article by Foeke Postma published in the bellingcat.com web site describes one method that has been used recently to identify the locations.

Postma writes:

"New tools and a wealth of online data make it easier to navigate more than 150 years of evolving landscapes, cities, buildings and street names. Reverse image searches, Google Lens, digitised newspapers, heritage and auctioneering websites, AI colourisation and tools such as Peakvisor can help add valuable information and understanding to historic art collections.

"These tools and methods allowed us to pinpoint the location of several of these photographs. Here’s how we did it — and how you could, too."

Yes, you might be able to use such techniques to identify the locations of old, unlabeled, family photographs.

You can read Foeke Postma's article at: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/2022/08/09/using-new-tech-to-investigate-old-photographs/.

A new genetic study may help those looking for ways to avert some of the troubling side effects of a common medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s is sometimes treated with medication that increases dopamine activity in the brain. In some patients that triggers impulsivity, such as compulsive gambling, shopping, eating, or hyper-sexuality.

Impulse Control Disorder

But in a study published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, researchers have identified genetic variants in Parkinson’s patients at risk for that problem. Using genetic modeling could help identify patients who are more likely to develop impulse control disorder due to prescribed dopaminergic medications.

Using machine learning and statistical techniques, the team was able to create a risk model to identify those at the highest risk.

In the paper, the researchers suggest that this might ultimately be used to make it easier for physicians treating those with Parkinson’s disease to identify those that should be prescribed an alternative to medication that increases dopamine activity, like levodopa.

You can read more in an article in the 23andMe Blog at: https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/impulse-control-disorder/ while the study itself, is available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acn3.51569.