What equipment for geneaology do YOU have?

[Gjest]

Well me and my sister went to my Moms home town two hrs
away. My Mom is deceased for ten years now and only abt
three people left alive that knew her as a young girl
up there.

My questions are as follows: What equipment have you
found worthy of owning for gemology research. I
initially tried just jotting down notes in a paper
notebook while talking to people up there but couldn't
keep up. Also.... just taking pictures of cemeteries
and gravestones didn't seem easy either.

I'm thinking that a small digital camcorder and GPS
unit is better equipment. Yes?

With a digital camcorder I can film thing and record
myself talking abt what I'm looking at and what the
significance of it is. Much better than taking notes in
a paper notebook. The GPS could help me locate the
trip.

Then if I wanted to transcribe the video and audio when
I get back home I could.

Bottom line.... do you find a digital camcorder to be
the bets way to easily record interviews with people
and locating homes and places? Much better than
snapshots and paper notebook?

If yes.... any advice on what digital camcorder to buy?
Is a mini DV abt the best method since you can get
tapes cheap and have long capacity?

[Basketweaver]

When I go for interviews, I take along a small tape recorder
and ask permission if I can tape our conversation. That
normally works well except when I get so engrossed in
their story and don't notice that one side of the tape is filled
and I've missed a 1/2 of their story. When I get home I can
transcribe the interview, rewinding and replaying as necessary.

I'm involved in a project to shoot headstone in all the cemeteries
in a couple of counties in Ohio for the Internet. When shooting headstones,
I use a digital camera. One I like to use is a Sony Mavica which takes
floppy discs. I take a whole box of discs alone and I shot and shot.
I can get 23 or 24 photos on each disc. When one disc is full, I just
pop another in. The Mavica, being a 2 megapixal camera, doesn't take
the best quality photos but it serves the purpose quite well. Sometimes,
I do a little tweaking in Paint Shop Pro if the inscription doesn't show up
well enough in the original.

To see the sort of photo you can get with the Mavica, so to
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com ... icajah.jpg

Hope this helps,
Pam


<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Well me and my sister went to my Moms home town two hrs
away. My Mom is deceased for ten years now and only abt
three people left alive that knew her as a young girl
up there.

My questions are as follows: What equipment have you
found worthy of owning for gemology research. I
initially tried just jotting down notes in a paper
notebook while talking to people up there but couldn't
keep up. Also.... just taking pictures of cemeteries
and gravestones didn't seem easy either.

I'm thinking that a small digital camcorder and GPS
unit is better equipment. Yes?

With a digital camcorder I can film thing and record
myself talking abt what I'm looking at and what the
significance of it is. Much better than taking notes in
a paper notebook. The GPS could help me locate the
trip.

Then if I wanted to transcribe the video and audio when
I get back home I could.

Bottom line.... do you find a digital camcorder to be
the bets way to easily record interviews with people
and locating homes and places? Much better than
snapshots and paper notebook?

If yes.... any advice on what digital camcorder to buy?
Is a mini DV abt the best method since you can get
tapes cheap and have long capacity?

[Hugh Watkins]

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

Hugh W

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Well me and my sister went to my Moms home town two hrs
away. My Mom is deceased for ten years now and only abt
three people left alive that knew her as a young girl
up there.

My questions are as follows: What equipment have you
found worthy of owning for gemology research. I
initially tried just jotting down notes in a paper
notebook while talking to people up there but couldn't
keep up. Also.... just taking pictures of cemeteries
and gravestones didn't seem easy either.

I'm thinking that a small digital camcorder and GPS
unit is better equipment. Yes?

With a digital camcorder I can film thing and record
myself talking abt what I'm looking at and what the
significance of it is. Much better than taking notes in
a paper notebook. The GPS could help me locate the
trip.

Then if I wanted to transcribe the video and audio when
I get back home I could.

Bottom line.... do you find a digital camcorder to be
the bets way to easily record interviews with people
and locating homes and places? Much better than
snapshots and paper notebook?

If yes.... any advice on what digital camcorder to buy?
Is a mini DV abt the best method since you can get
tapes cheap and have long capacity?

[Dave Hinz]

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 20:56:49 -0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]> wrote:

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

Hugh W

Bad day, Hugh?

[singhals]

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 20:56:49 -0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]> wrote:

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

Hugh W


Bad day, Hugh?

Well, maybe, but I confess I've been thinking myself he sounds like
someone (a) writing an article on the sly or (b) someone asking
questions for the sake of asking questions.

I think he's overdone the wide-eyed innocence, but maybe I'm just an ol'
cynic?

Cheryl

[Robert Melson]

In article <[email protected]>,
singhals <[email protected]> writes:

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 20:56:49 -0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]> wrote:

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

Hugh W


Bad day, Hugh?



Well, maybe, but I confess I've been thinking myself he sounds like
someone (a) writing an article on the sly or (b) someone asking
questions for the sake of asking questions.

I think he's overdone the wide-eyed innocence, but maybe I'm just an ol'
cynic?

Cheryl

I was inclined at first to cut the OP a lot of slack, having been there myself
not all _that_ long ago. However, it begins to look as if he/she/it has
settled on this means of conducting his research: as soon as one shopping
list topic is exhausted, on to the next, relying on the good nature and public
spirit of the denizens of the group instead of looking on his/her own. Dunno
about y'all, but I was/am perfectly willing to answer reasonable questions and
follow-ups when there's some sign that the questioner has done some work on
his/her own. Looking back over the OP's postings on various topics, I'm not
so sure that has been the case - YMMV, of course, but I'm inclined to agree
with Hugh and Cheryl.

Bob Melson
(y'know, the _other_ Bob, the swell ol' one)

--
Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas
-----
"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." Thomas Reed
-----

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 17:54:47 -0400, singhals <[email protected]>
wrote:

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 20:56:49 -0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]> wrote:

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

Hugh W


Bad day, Hugh?



Well, maybe, but I confess I've been thinking myself he sounds like
someone (a) writing an article on the sly or (b) someone asking
questions for the sake of asking questions.

I think he's overdone the wide-eyed innocence, but maybe I'm just an ol'
cynic?

Cheryl

Well, he's asking the same sort of questions in alt.satellite.gps
since Dave suggested taking along GPSR.
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

[Gjest]

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 20:56:49 -0000, "Hugh Watkins"
<[email protected]> wrote:

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

SNAFU eh Hugh?

--
cerberus

[Dave Hinz]

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 17:16:48 -0500, Charlie Hoffpauir <[email protected]> wrote:

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 17:54:47 -0400, singhals <[email protected]
wrote:

Dave Hinz wrote:

Bad day, Hugh?

Well, maybe, but I confess I've been thinking myself he sounds like
someone (a) writing an article on the sly or (b) someone asking
questions for the sake of asking questions.

Well, he's asking the same sort of questions in alt.satellite.gps
since Dave suggested taking along GPSR.

Could just be in need of learning from this article. Let's see what
happens:

"How to ask questions the smart way" by Eric S. Raymond and Rick Moen
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


Seriously, "me", you're making some mistakes that make people question
your ... sincerity. Read through the article. He's a bit harsh at
times but he's right on overall.

Dave Hinz

[Robert Melson]

In article <[email protected]>,
Dave Hinz <[email protected]> writes:

Could just be in need of learning from this article. Let's see what
happens:

"How to ask questions the smart way" by Eric S. Raymond and Rick Moen
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


Seriously, "me", you're making some mistakes that make people question
your ... sincerity. Read through the article. He's a bit harsh at
times but he's right on overall.

Dave Hinz

Dave,

Excellent article. Thanks for the pointer. It should be required reading for
anybody posting to a newsgroup or on-line forum of any sort.

Bob Melson

Apropos a different topic, I'd be interested in your observations regarding
my phpGedView setup, now you've visited. RGM


--
Robert G. Melson | Rio Grande MicroSolutions | El Paso, Texas
-----
"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." Thomas Reed
-----

[Steve Hayes]

On Mon, 08 Aug 2005 17:54:47 -0400, singhals <[email protected]> wrote:

Dave Hinz wrote:

On Mon, 8 Aug 2005 20:56:49 -0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]> wrote:

You sound like a teenager writng A
SCHOOL ESSAY
B'ØÅ£ F OFF AND DO SOME WORK

Hugh W


Bad day, Hugh?



Well, maybe, but I confess I've been thinking myself he sounds like
someone (a) writing an article on the sly or (b) someone asking
questions for the sake of asking questions.

I think he's overdone the wide-eyed innocence, but maybe I'm just an ol'
cynic?

Does it matter?

It's quite an interesting topic --- why not discuss it?

I would say basic equipment is pencil and paper.

Computer if you can afford it (preferably laptop, so you can take it on
research trips).

Digital camera (for taking pictures of relllies, gravestones, ancestral homes
and the like)

Tape recorder for interviews.


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

[Lesley Robertson]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

I'm thinking that a small digital camcorder and GPS
unit is better equipment. Yes?

Whatever electronic gizmos you use, also use a pencil and paper. Batteries

run flat, computers crash. technology changes, but hardcopy notes will be
useable by your grandchildren.
Oh, and some folk clam up when interviewed on a simple tape recorder, so be
prepared for trouble if you want them to be natural on camera.
Lesley Robertson

[Lesley Robertson]

"Steve Hayes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

Digital camera (for taking pictures of relllies, gravestones, ancestral
homes
and the like)

And BIG memory cards. This summer I spent a couple of days recording a

burial ground with pencil and paper anddigital camera - ended up having to
empty the half-GB memory card in the camera into my laptop every evening
(mind you, that's also a good idea as the laptop stayerd in the hotel and
the camera came out in the car and was more likely to be stolen.
Lesley Robertson
..