Free App Helps You Keep in Touch, Even With Limited Cell Service

26 Oct 2022 5:38 PM | Anonymous

As a recent survivor of Hurricane Ian that plowed through Florida, and also as a long-time user of the Zello app (for several years now), I paid close attention to an article by Charity Blanton published in the WPSD web site:

Millions of people in the path of Hurricane Ian are still without power.

With many cell towers down or inoperable, it's extremely difficult for the people who need help and the people who want to help to communicate.

Cellular companies are rolling in temporary portable cellular towers to provide at least some connection to the internet, but these towers often cannot meet the demand of customers. Rescue departments and volunteers have turned to a smartphone app as a solution.

Zello is sort of like a walkie-talkie app, allowing users to send audio and text messages to one another even in areas with limited cell service. Many rescue agencies use Zello to communicate with each other. Volunteers use Zello too — Cajun Navy Relief is using it right now to help in Florida.

Cajun Navy formed years ago during Hurricane Irma and began using the Zello app as its sole communication tool. The community currently has volunteers reviewing requests for help and mobilizing volunteers across the country. It's pretty amazing to listen to their Zello channel as people from Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and other states far away from Florida log on to review requests or tickets from victims of Hurricane Ian.

The article goes on for a bit longer at: https://tinyurl.com/ykepym6t.

I strongly agree and recommend Zello. I recommend you install it on your cell phone. You may never need it. Then again, maybe you will. The app is free for iPhones and Android devices.

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U.S. National Archives Tops 200 Million Digitized Pages in Online Catalog

26 Oct 2022 5:27 PM | Anonymous

The following announcement was written by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration:

COLLEGE PARK, October 26, 2022 — The National Archives Catalog now contains more than 200 million digitized pages.

The Office of Innovation collaborated with offices across the National Archives, as well as external partners like Ancestry and FamilySearch, to reach this milestone in August.

Technical upgrades that improved how the agency uploads images have been critical to meeting this milestone and staying on track for the ultimate goal: 500 million digitized pages in the Catalog by September 2026.

The 205,039,338 digitized pages reflect records digitized by the agency and its partners, and the pages can be found in more than 28 million archival descriptions in the Catalog.

“In the context of the past couple of years, digital access means so much to archives and to our customers,” said Digital Engagement Director Jill Reilly. “It has been really meaningful for us to accelerate our ability to get the content the National Archives and the partners have been generating and open that up to everybody via the Catalog.”

Some recently uploaded highlights include photographs of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, U.S. Marshal Criminal Bookings for 1961–1978, and Utility Patent Drawings.

The latest additions are regularly updated on What’s New in the Catalog on the National Archives website.

The National Archives is in the process of modernizing the Catalog. Check out a sneak preview of the beta version and provide feedback.

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Do Slave Schedules Accurately Report Owners?

26 Oct 2022 5:18 PM | Anonymous

This is a follow-up to my earlier article, Making Black America: Through the Grapevine, that I published last week at https://www.eogn.com/page-18080/12962630:

That article describes Making Black America: Through the Grapevine, a four-part television series from executive producer, host and writer Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., which premiered on October 4th on PBS stations nationwide.

In last night's broadcast, Henry Louis Gates showed Slave Schedules. Ironically National Genealogical Society just published Tony Burroughs' latest study of Slave Schedules, "Do Slave Schedules Accurately Report Owners?" in the latest issue of the NGS Quarterly.

Tony's article obviously covers much of the same information but then goes into a more detailed and more in-depth description of Slave Schedules. Tony's article begins with:

"Before the Civil War the majority of African Americans in the United States were enslaved - the property of their enslavers. When tracing an enslaved ancestor it is essential to identify the former owner. Many researchers use a surname taken from an 1850 or 1860 federal census slave schedule to help identify their African American ancestor of that surname. However, slave schedules may not correctly distinguish owners from employers. Other genealogical records better identify the owner of an enslaved African American ancestor."

Tony's article then goes on to provide numerous hints on how to identify the correct surname.

If you are researching Slave Schedules, make sure you check Tony's article in the NGS Quarterly..

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Here's Why You're Afraid Of The Dark (Blame Your Ancestors)

26 Oct 2022 4:14 PM | Anonymous

I found an interesting article written by Jillian Wilson and published in the Yahoo! News web site (at https://tinyurl.com/ncv6uzzb):

Are you afraid of the dark? You are not alone with that very normal and natural fear.

Between horror movies and ghost stories, the dark is often associated with scary things. And for many people, that association can lead to actual fear of the dark — especially in kids.

There is a real reason behind this very common fear, and it goes way beyond the ghost stories and scary movies you’ve heard and seen (although they are part of it, too).

Here, experts share why many adults and children are afraid of the dark.

Being afraid of the dark is known as a “prepared fear.”

“I would see a fear of the dark as what we call a prepared fear,” said Martin Antony, professor of psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and author of “The Anti-Anxiety Program.” “What that means is we’re prepared or predisposed to develop fears of some things more than others.”

These prepared fears stem from what would have been dangerous to our prehistoric ancestors — things like heights, spiders, snakes and the dark.

“We were probably built throughout evolution, through natural selection, to develop this fear, and the dark would be one of those situations that we’re predisposed to fear more easily,” Antony added.

If there are predators in the dark, you probably can’t see them, and this is as true today as it was for our ancestors thousands of years ago.

The full story is much longer. You can read the entire article at: https://tinyurl.com/ncv6uzzb.

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AGRA Announces Major Rebrand

26 Oct 2022 8:41 AM | Anonymous

The following announcement was written by the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA):

Following a long-term development plan, the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) has unveiled its new branding, to reflect its position within the industry and prospects for the future.

Founded in 1968 as a membership organisation to represent the best of independent professional genealogists and historical researchers, AGRA’s logo had been in use for over fifty years, and one of the outcomes of the development plan was recognition of the need to create a new look to better reflect the dynamic organisation that AGRA has become.

In consultation with its membership, AGRA’s council and marketing committee selected Rochester based design company, The Branding Fox, to bring about the new identity. Focusing on a contemporary style the new design demonstrates how members make connections throughout the research community, also reflecting the many diverse approaches to genealogical research such as the ever-changing technical demands of genetic genealogy or reflecting other specialisms such as House Histories.

The new brand, which has also been rolled out across the AGRA website (www.agra.org.uk), is just part of the current marketing strategy that AGRA has developed to reflect its vibrancy, activeness and growth for the future. By significantly rebranding, AGRA and its membership are looking forward to continuing to promote the core values of providing clients with genealogical excellence and research of the highest standards.

Commenting on the rebrand and outlook for the future, AGRA Chair, Gill Thomas, said:

‘AGRA has been representing independent professional genealogists for over 50 years. Although our membership works with records from the past, we are a vibrant forward-looking organisation and the time has come for our logo to reflect this. We are at the centre of the genealogical community, making connections and our members continue to offer excellence in research.’

The rebrand comes after a successful year of development which has seen Dr Sophie Kay become the first recipient of the annual Dr John Burt Bursary, Joe Saunders and Alexander Briggs appointed as Social Media Ocer and Communications Ocer respectively and the creation of Associate representation on AGRA Council with Richard Holt being voted into the role in June.

With AGRA membership at an all-time high, it is anticipated that the re-brand will be the first of several initiatives, whilst retaining the core AGRA strengths valued both by its membership and their clients.

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Google Is Giving Workspace Individual Subscribers a Big Storage Bump

26 Oct 2022 8:33 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, thousands of genealogists are taking my advice and storing backup copies of their valuable files "off site" in the cloud. This article is about a new announcement about a major increase in free cloud storage:

Since launching Google Workspace Individual last year, we’ve seen customers from around the world grow their businesses, connect with their customers in more meaningful ways, collaborate with partners, get organized and look more professional. Business owners have told us the familiarity of our tools helps them get more done. And today, we’re offering even more features for Workspace Individual users. We’re announcing an increase to storage capacity and advances in email personalization for all customers. We’re also expanding our regional availability to bring Google Workspace Individual to even more business owners around the world.

Grow your business - and the number of files you can store

Soon every Google Workspace Individual account will come with 1 TB of secure cloud storage. You don’t have to lift a finger to get the upgraded storage: Every account will be automatically upgraded from their existing 15 GB of storage to 1 TB as we roll this out.

As you grow your business, it’s only natural that you’ll have more docs, data and digital assets to manage and store, and Google Drive allows you to do so securely from any device. You can store over 100 file types in Drive, including PDFs, CAD files and images, and you can easily collaborate on and edit Microsoft Office files without converting them. Plus, Drive comes with built-in protections against malware, spam and ransomware so you don’t need to worry about accidentally opening the door to malware just by opening a doc.

A laptop and mobile device showing a variety of file types in Google Drive.

Store over 100 file types in Google Drive

There are a number of other new additions and upgrades. You can read the entire announcement at: https://tinyurl.com/yc28h4f4.

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Not Everything Online is Free

25 Oct 2022 7:29 PM | Anonymous

Warning: This article contains personal opinions.

In the early days of the Internet, everything was free. That is, all information posted online was available to everyone free of charge. Of course, in those days there wasn't much information available that would have warranted a fee or a paid subscription. The brief information we found in those days was generally worth just about what we paid for it: nothing.

As the years went by and technology improved, many commercial companies found methods of providing more and more information online. The investment required to provide this information quickly escalated: paid authors, web servers, high speed Internet connectivity, disk farms, and more, and they all cost money. Those who have made the investments necessary to provide highly relevant information expect to be reimbursed for their expenses. Most also expect to make a modest profit in the same manner that newspapers and magazines have done for more than a century. The world of Internet publishing is no different from that of traditional publishing: the expenses are real, and bills must be paid.

I am amazed that some folks still believe “everything on the Internet should be free.” Those who believe this are ignoring basic facts of business life. The problem is compounded when the discussion turns to the publishing of public domain information, such as birth records, marriage information, death records, pension application files, and more.

Recent comments posted to message boards, blogs, and elsewhere decry the “loss” of public domain information. Some misguided individuals even seem to believe that, if a commercial company publishes information from the public domain and then posts their own copyright on the web pages, the information somehow ceases to be public domain. Such assumptions are false and misguided.

In fact, information that was free in the past remains free today and will always be free. In the United States, this is dictated by Federal law. This has always been true, and will always be true unless Congress changes the laws. Until then, public domain information will remain free to all of us.

Thanks to this Federal law, we have always been able to look at public domain information free of charge. All we ever had to do was to travel to the location where the information is available, be it in Washington, D.C. or some other archive. The information is free although we might have to pay a modest fee for photocopying. If we don't want to pay a photocopying fee, we always have the option of transcribing it by hand. That free access is not changed by the simple act of some web site placing the information online. By Federal law, that information will continue to be available free of charge to anyone and everyone who wishes to travel to the location where the information resides. There is absolutely no change to this free access.

What IS changing is that we now have more methods of obtaining that information. While we can continue to access it at no charge in the old-fashioned way, we now have new avenues – specifically, online. Companies that seek out this free information and then invest a few hundred thousand dollars in scanners, servers, data centers, high speed (and expensive) connections to the Internet backbones, programmers, support personnel, and all the other expenses are allowed to charge a fee for that access. However, the old-fashioned, in-person free access remains exactly the same as before: free.

Let me draw an analogy: water is free. If I want water, I can go to the local river or lake with a bucket and get all I want at no charge. Another option is for me to place a barrel in my yard to capture rainwater. I have always been able to obtain free water, and I can still do so today, should I wish to do so. However, if I elect to use a more convenient method, the local water company spends money laying pipes under the street and across my lawn to my house. The local water company then pays a lot of money maintaining those pipes, pumps. building reservoirs or water towers (or both), buying and installing replacement pipes as needed, and similar expenses. I then have to pay a fee for that higher level of service. The same is true here: the information remains free, but we expect to pay a fee for the expensive "pipes" that deliver that information to our homes for our convenience.

For me and for most other Americans, it is cheaper to pay for online access than it is to take a trip to Washington, D.C. or to Salt Lake City or to some other library or repository as I used to do. Using one of the new online services actually REDUCES my expenses. I am very thankful that commercial services make the information available for a modest fee so that I no longer have to pay exorbitant travel expenses. (Have you priced automobile gasoline or airline tickets lately?)

I am stunned that some people apparently still expect a company to spend money gathering free records, spend money scanning it, spend money building data centers, spend money buying servers and disk farms, spend money on high-speed Internet connectivity, spend money for programmers, spend money on customer support personnel, and spend money on advertising to let you know that the information is available, and then expect that same company to make the information available free of charge!

One simple fact remains: those who spend money making information available to all of us are allowed to recover their expenses plus a reasonable profit. Those who wish to not pay for these “pipes” are free to obtain their information in the same manner that we have been obtaining it for decades. If you don’t care for the new option, simply use the old method. You are free to choose whatever you want, but please don’t complain about new, more convenient options that many of us appreciate.

Passkeys Are Finally Here

25 Oct 2022 7:15 PM | Anonymous

From Slashdot.org:

Generically, passkeys refer to various schemes for storing authenticating information in hardware, a concept that has existed for more than a decade. What's different now is that Microsoft, Apple, Google, and a consortium of other companies have unified around a single passkey standard shepherded by the FIDO Alliance. Not only are passkeys easier for most people to use than passwords; they are also completely resistant to credential phishing, credential stuffing, and similar account takeover attacks.

On Monday, PayPal said US-based users would soon have the option of logging in using FIDO-based passkeys, joining Kayak, eBay, Best Buy, CardPointers, and WordPress as online services that will offer the password alternative. In recent months, Microsoft, Apple, and Google have all updated their operating systems and apps to enable passkeys. Passkey support is still spotty. Passkeys stored on iOS or macOS will work on Windows, for instance, but the reverse isn't yet available. In the coming months, all of that should be ironed out, though.

Passkeys work almost identically to the FIDO authenticators that allow us to use our phones, laptops, computers, and Yubico or Feitian security keys for multi-factor authentication. Just like the FIDO authenticators stored on these MFA devices, passkeys are invisible and integrate with Face ID, Windows Hello, or other biometric readers offered by device makers. There's no way to retrieve the cryptographic secrets stored in the authenticators short of physically dismantling the device or subjecting it to a jailbreak or rooting attack. Even if an adversary was able to extract the cryptographic secret, they still would have to supply the fingerprint, facial scan, or -- in the absence of biometric capabilities -- the PIN that's associated with the token. What's more, hardware tokens use FIDO's Cross-Device Authentication flow, or CTAP, which relies on Bluetooth Low Energy to verify the authenticating device is in close physical proximity to the device trying to log in.

"Users no longer need to enroll each device for each service, which has long been the case for FIDO (and for any public key cryptography)," said Andrew Shikiar, FIDO's executive director and chief marketing officer. "By enabling the private key to be securely synced across an OS cloud, the user needs to only enroll once for a service, and then is essentially pre-enrolled for that service on all of their other devices. This brings better usability for the end-user and -- very significantly -- allows the service provider to start retiring passwords as a means of account recovery and re-enrollment."

In other words: "Passkeys just trade WebAuthn cryptographic keys with the website directly," says Ars Review Editor Ron Amadeo. "There's no need for a human to tell a password manager to generate, store, and recall a secret -- that will all happen automatically, with way better secrets than what the old text box supported, and with uniqueness enforced."

If you're eager to give passkeys a try, you can use this demo site created by security company Hanko.

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Introducing Democracy’s Library

25 Oct 2022 9:35 AM | Anonymous

The following announcement was written by folks at the Internet Archive:

Introducing Democracy’s Library

Democracies need an educated citizenry to thrive. In the 21^st century, that means easy access to reliable information online for all.

To meet that need, the Internet Archive is building Democracy’s Library—a free, open, online compendium of government research and publications from around the world.

“Governments have created an abundance of information and put it in the public domain, but it turns out the public can’t easily access it,” said Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle, who is spearheading the effort to collect materials for the digital library.

By having a wealth of public documents curated and searchable through a single interface, citizens will be able to leverage useful research, learn about the workings of their government, hold officials accountable, and be more informed voters.

Too often, the best information on the internet is locked behind paywalls, said Kahle, who has helped create the world’s largest digital library.

“It’s time to turn that scarcity model upside down and build an internet based on abundance,” Kahle said. There is a need for equitable access to objective, historical information to balance the onslaught of misinformation online.

Libraries have long played a vital role in collecting and preserving materials that can educate the public. This mission continues, but the collections need to include digital items to meet the needs of patrons of the internet generation today.

Over the next decade, the Internet Archive is committing to work with libraries, universities, and agencies everywhere to bring the government’s historical information online. It is inviting citizens, libraries, colleges, companies, and the Wikipedians of the world to unlock good information and weave it back into the Internet.

Democracy’s Library will be celebrated at the October 19 event, Building Democracy’s Library, in San Francisco and online.

Watch the livestream of Building Democracy’s Library:

The project is part of Kahle’s vision to build a better Internet—one that keeps the public interest above private profit. It is based on an abundance model, in which data can be uncovered, unlocked and reused in new and different ways.

“We know there’s an information flood, but it’s not necessarily all that good,” Kahle said. “It turns out the information on the Internet is not very deep. If you know a subject well, you find that the best information is buried or not even online.”

Democracy’s Library is a move to make governments’ massive investment in research and publications open to all.

Kahle added: “Democracy’s Library is a stepping stone toward citizens who are more empowered and more engaged.“

The first steps of Democracy’s Library are available online at https://archive.org/details/democracys-library.

Make Obituary Searches Easier with Obit Magnet

24 Oct 2022 4:37 PM | Anonymous

Tara Calishain is the author of hundreds of "Search Gizmos." Here is her announcement of her latest free offering:

The amount of genealogy content on the Internet is amazing, but it’s a bit hard to search on the open Web. Especially if you’re doing something like looking up obituary notices and your relatives have common names.

I can’t give your relatives new names, but I can make a tool that narrows down the scope of your results and makes finding obituaries easier. So I did. It’s called Obit Magnet and you can find it at https://searchgizmos.com/obit-magnet/ .