SHOW NOTES Episode 24 

Published August 26, 2007

The National Archives and Records Administration has taken the leap and raised their record reproduction fees.  The new fees don't become effective until October 1, 2007, so youâve go a window of opportunity to order records at the old lower prices. 

Presidential Archives Uncovered.

KodakGallery  - Create a Family History Calendar.  Consider highlighting an ancestor each month.  It would make a wonderful holiday gift.  Save 25% off calendars with coupon code SCHOOLCAL at Kodak Gallery

My NEW book Genealogy Gems: Ultimate Research Strategies from Season One of the Genealogy Gems Podcast will be out VERY soon,.  It will include step by step details from everything covered in Episodes 1 through 20.   Check the website often for the official publish date. 

Correction:  The title of the book I mentioned in Episode 19 called Papa's Way is incorrect.  The title of the book by Thyra Ferre Bjorn is Papa's Wife.

Here's another Swedish Book recommendation that I received from Anna-karin Shander who lives in Sweden and is host of Anna-Karin's Genealogical Podcast.  The book is called The Emigrants - The Emigrant Novels Book 1 by Wilhelm Moberg.  ordered my copy.  With Fall coming, doesnât it sound wonderful to curl up on the couch with some hot coffee and a novel called "The Emigrants"?  The Emigrants by Wilhelm Moberg

GEMS:  A Tour of Genealogy Gems TV 

In Episode 24 I take you on a tour of the new videos on the Genealogy Gems TV webpage.  Click on the VIDEOS button or on the Genealogy Gems TV icon in the top right corner of the home page to check out all the new videos.   

Comedies
Our Summer Vacation
Family Tree Part One & Two- Starring Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly
A Son's Tale
Fast Talking High Trousers
Ask A Ninja - What is Podcasting?

Documentaries
A Nurse In Training Part One & Two

Research
Library Genealogy Tour - Arlington Heights Memorial Library
Tracing Your Roots

Silent Movies
Harold Lloyd  Safety Last & Documentary: The Third Genius
Mary Pickford:  Daddy Long Legs, PollyAnna and Mary and Cat
Douglas Fairbanks:  The Thief of Bagdad and Zorro
 
COMING SOON!  International
Videos from Germany, England and Sweden.

Attention Podcast Listeners:  Take a picture of yourself listening on your computer or listening to the podcast on your ipod and email it to me at genealogygemspodcast@gmail.com.  You can make it funny, make it serious, you can hold up a sign saying that you're listening to the show or what you think of it.  Whatever you want to do is fine with me.  Include your name and let me know in the email if it's ok to use or not.  You may find your photo on the upcoming Listeners page where I can show off my awesome audience. 

Published August 19, 2007

Episode 23 SHOW NOTES

The Mailbox:

According to alert listener Richard Yehle, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests can receive acknowledgement letters from the US Dept. of Homeland Security / US Citizen and Immigration Services in just two weeks.  Richard's requests were placed on a speedier "simple track."  This means that response time has been drastically cut from the six months it took me to receive answers about 5 years ago.  This is good news for genealogists!  Better yet, you now have the option of requesting a CD with pdf file, instead of paper files, if the number of pages is over 15.  We"re all waiting with bated breath to hear back from Richard when he receives the final results from his request for his great grandfather's records. 

GEM:  Follow up - Using Your Video iPod As A Genealogy Tool 

Proactive listener Donna wrote this week to ask what the best format and resolution was for saving pictures to be viewed on the Video iPod. 

For photos to be viewed on a television screen, save them as JPEG files at 300 dpi resolution.      

For photos strictly viewed on your iPod, resize them to reduce their ipod storage requirements.  Here's how: 

To Reduce Image Size: 

1. Copy and paste the photos into your IPOD IMAGES folder (see Episode 22 re: folder) 
2. In Windows XP, click MY COMPUTER icon on your desktop 
3. Go to your IPOD IMAGES FOLDER 
4. Click a photo that you want to downsize so that itâs highlighted. (To highlight all the images click on the first image, hold down the SHIFT key and then click the last image in the folder.)   
5. Look to the blue side bar on the left under FILE AND FOLDER TASKS and click on EMAIL THIS FILE which will open up a little window called SEND PICTURES VIA E-MAIL 
6. Make sure the MAKE ALL MY PICTURES SMALLER button is selected 
7. Click OK 
8. An email message will open with all the photos you selected attached, but at reduced sizes.  
9. Double Click on the first image to open & view it in the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer 
10. At the bottom of the window click the COPY TO icon. 
11. Keep the original file name and click SAVE 
12. It will ask you if you want to replace the original.  Click OK 
13. Follow that procedure with each photo.  

I was able to reduce my original 1.24 MB photo to just 141 KB.  This saves LOTS of room on your iPod! 

Supply Checklist

1. Video iPod
2. MicroMemo Digital Recorder for Video iPod
3. A/V Cable for viewing iPod through your TV

Photo Slideshow Troubleshooting Checklist 

1. When plugging A/V cable the  into your TV make sure each jack is firmly plugged in.  
2. To begin slideshow, be sure to press the center iPod ENTER button TWICE when selecting the first image.   
3. Make sure the TV Out feature under Photo Slideshow settings is set to ON. 
4. Make sure your digital TV tuner is set to the appropriate input for the signal coming from the jacks that your iPod is plugged into. 

GEM: Home Movie Hint 

Please permit me to share a suggestion you may find useful...  I recently took a number of old movie reels (from the 1940s) out to be transferred to DVD, as I'd long intended to do.

As much fun and as enlightening as these reels were to watch, I realized an unexpected bonus:  the scenes in these reels helped me identify my great grandmother and her sister in a photo I had sitting by.  Of course, I recognized my great grandmother and I suspected the other was her sister but these movies put that photograph in a context that allowed me to make that identification.  The clothing was the same and the  background matched so I was able to put names and approximate dates on these pictures!  The fuller context of the movie allowed me to identify the names, place and time for the photograph.

I hurried down to the store with the rest of the movie reels.  I will remember that often photos are taken at the same events as movies were taken and that a single picture is merely a moment in time but movies can provide larger context.

Thank you for your podcast and sharing your ideas.  I look forward to them."  Pat Dalpiaz 

Regarding Brick Walls: 

If you're ready to give up you're probably closer than you think.  Or as they said in Galaxy Quest:  "Never Give Up, Never Surrender!"

Published August 12, 2007

THE MAILBOX
"I also wanted to share a couple of photographs with you, she says.  During your third episode, you talked about creative ways to display your family history treasures, and I wanted to share with you something absolutely wonderful my aunt did for me.

When my grandmother had to downsize and move into an assisted living facility, my aunt stumbled upon a beautiful silk baby dress and a pair of leather button-up baby shoes that had belonged to my grandmother.  She had these framed for me along with a photograph of my grandmother on her 1st birthday wearing them!  She gave the finished product to me because she knew how much I am fascinated by our family's history.  Sincerely,  Diana Larson?

  
Eleanor Mae Lees - 1st birthday

Email from Barbara Murphy, NY:
"On this weeks episode #21 you were talking about writing your memories. I received a book from my daughter last Christmas that does just what you are talking about.  It is "A Mother's Legacy; Your life story in your own words.  I think it is terrific because there was no way I was going to write anything anytime.  This book is a month by month calendar book.  Each month has questions to write about"

Anna-Karin's Swedish Genealogical Podcast

Use the time while you"re downloading podcasts to make a few entries into a memory book!  That's a gem of an idea!

GEM:  Turn Your Video iPodInto A Family History Tool 

MicroMemo High-Fidelity Digital Audio Recorder for the Video iPod by XtremeMac

The Micro memo snaps easily into the connector at the base of the video ipod.  It has a flexible microphone and built in speaker. When you plug it into your ipod it automatically puts your ipod in Voice Memo mode with the option to start recording.

How To Record

1. From Voice Memo mode Select RECORD
2. When you're done you just select STOP AND SAVE

How To Download Recordings to Your Computer

1. Plug iPod into your computer
2. Open up iTunes (it will detect that you have new recorded voice memos on your iPod, and will ask you if you would like to download them into iTunes.)
3. Click OK

How Two Use Two Desktop Microphones For An Interview

1. UnPlug the MicroMemo microphone from the MicroMemo unit
2. Plug in a Microphone & Headphone Splitter;
3. Plug two computer desktop microphones into the splitter

How To Record With An External Microphone Or Other Source In Stereo

1. UnPlug the MicroMemo microphone from the MicroMemo unit
2. Flip the switch above the microphone jack on the Micro Memo to LINE. 
3. Plug in your stereo microphone or cable from other source into MicroMemo
4. Record as usual

How To Load Images Onto Your Video iPod:

1. Create a IPOD IMAGES file folder on your computer
2. Scan or copy photos and documents and save them to the file
3. Plug your iPod into your computer
4. Open up iTunes.
5. From the gray menu tabs Click PHOTOS
6. Click the SYNC PHOTOS FROM box
7. Click the gray box to choose a folder from your hard drive.  (This will open a window called BROWSE FOR FOLDER.  Navigate your way to your IPOD IMAGES folder.)
8. Click on the IPOD IMAGES folder (the folder icon will open but you won't see image files)
9. Click the OK button.
10. Click the ALL PHOTO button
11. Click the INCLUDE FULL RESOLUTION BUTTON.
12. Click the gray APPLY at the bottom right corner of the screen.

ITunes has now copied all of the photos from that folder onto your iPod.  You'll see that happening in the box at the top of the Itunes screen.

How To View Your Images On Your iPod

1. Eject your iPod from iTunes.  The main menu will appear on iPod video screen.
2. Select PHOTOS from iPod menu
3. Select PHOTO LIBRARY to view thumbnail images
4. Scroll to the image you want to view and select it

How To View Your iPod Photos And Videos On Your Television

1. You will need:  A/V Cable for the video iPod
2. Plug one end of the cable into the headphone jack of your iPod
3. Plug the three plugs into the corresponding yellow, white & red jacks on your TV.
4. Turn on your ipod
5. From menu select VIDEOS
6. Select VIDEO SETTINGS
7. Select TV OUT and set it to âONâ?
8. Click the MENU button and go back and select the video you want to watch
9. Press play
10. You will probably need to change your TV tuner to an AV input

How To Create A Photo Slideshows In Your iPod

1. Start at PHOTOS menu
2. Select Slideshow Settings. 
3. Set the time per slide (I suggest 5 seconds)
4. Select MUSIC. Select a music Playlist, or Random. 
5. Set the REPEAT and SHUFFLE PHOTOS settings to OFF.
6. Select TRANSITIONS  (I like Dissolve)
7. Navigate your way back to the PHOTOS page
8. Select the folder of photos you want to play as your slide show.
9. When you see the list of thumbnails and the yellow box is around the first image youâre ready to go so hit play. 

So now you can gather the family around the television set and share your photos, and videos in big, living color with your Video iPod

I hope if you do purchase any of the items I mentioned today, you'll do it through the links on my website.  The links simply tell the vendor who referred you.  The price is the same and your personal information goes ONLY to the vendor.  By purchasing through my website link, you help support this podcast and defer the production costs.  So we all win.

Your iPod is fun AND hard working.  Happy listening AND viewing!!

SHOW NOTES  

Published August 5, 2007

Genealogy Reviews Online blog: Genealogy Gems - You've Got to Check this One Out. 

Lisa's Movie Pick:  Full of Life (1957).  It's a really heartwarming movie about immigrants and their American born children that you can watch comfortably with your kids and your grandkids.  

The novel by John Fante is still available:  Full of Life by John Fante

Turner Classic Movies  

GEM:  Freedom of Information Act Follow Up

Email from Richard Hrazanek:  "I loved the tip about requesting your ancestor's immigration file through the Freedom of Information Act. Do you know if you can do the same thing with a person's military record."

FOIA can assist you in obtaining military records.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Website article: How to use the Freedom of Information Act.  

Rod Powers of About.com does a great job outlining how to obtain military records 

The National Archives website article: Access to Military Records by the General Public, including genealogists who are not next-of-kin

Timothy E. Blaise's website devoted to the 4th Infantry Division 224th Infantry Regiment Company "D" which his uncle served in.  Timothy outlines his experience with obtaining military records.  

GEM:  Thanks for the Memories

Get a piece of paper or pull up a word document.  Close your eyes for a second, and visualize a favorite memory from your childhood.  In my case I started with a favorite place, my maternal grandma's house.  But perhaps yours is the back alley where you and your friends played baseball, or your great uncle's garage where he showed you how to work on cars.  Whatever is meaningful to you. Now, open your eyes, and write your thoughts one at a time.  Just free flow it. They don't have to be complete sentences. 

Later you can try your hand at writing more of your actual experiences or memories of a person.  Again, it doesn't have to be a novel or sound really professional.  It's just the memories from you heart.

Tie together this gem with episode 20's Sweet Memories gem where we made a family history chocolate bar label for a candy bar that could be tucked in a Christmas Stocking as a gift.  Replace the Ingredient's list on the back label with a text box that includes these free flowing memories about the photo that appears on the front label.