Getting to know UX

Meet my new Genimate, the ASUS 13.3" UX303UB Multi-Touch Notebook.

My faithful laptop purchased over four years ago has given me good service but was getting very slow and starting to do strange things.

I often read horror stories from fellow genies with computers that just crash and die. I decided that I didn't want to be in that situation so I started looking around for a new model before the inevitable happened. I spent hours on the internet deciding what to buy without spending a fortune.

I've had my new toy for two weeks now and am delighted. I cannot believe how quickly it boots up and connects me to the internet (no time to walk away and make a coffee). This baby is fast.

The advertising says that the model I have purchased has:

• 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7-6500U Dual-Core (Not the fastest but fine for me, has decent reviews)
• 12GB of DDR3L RAM (My old computer had 8GB so I wanted more)
• 512GB SSD (Don't need heaps of storage I use external HDDs, wanted the SSD for speed and stability)
• NVIDIA GeForce 940M (2GB) (This means nothing to me)
• 13.3" IPS Glossy Multi-Touch Display (Wasn't too fussed about having a touch screen)
• Quad HD+ 3200 x 1800 Native Resolution (Suppose this is good - it has a clear display)
• SD & MMC Card Reader (Handy for downloading all my photos)
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 (Wi-Fi essential, not fussed abt Bluetooth)
• Built-in 1.2MP Webcam, Mic, & Speakers (Yet to test these, hope they are good enough to use on the road, travelling with lots of peripherals is a pain)
• Windows 10 (64-bit) (Lazy me wantedWindows 10, which I like, reloaded, didn't want bother of upgrading).

 

I was influenced in my decision by the reliability of the ASUS netbooks I have owned since my first eePC in 2007. The price for these specs also seemed competitive.

I wanted something small and light that would travel easily. The screen size is fine for occasional use and I'm using an external monitor at home. I like the feel of the keyboard too. I didn't need an optical drive, I have a couple of old ones on hand.

Tweaking and adding of programs is ongoing. It is not until I set out to do a task that I realise I need to download something extra to complete it. The good news is that my genealogy software, Family Historian, is running like a charm and syncing with my smaller Pink ASUS. I still need to get my desktop set up to suit me, I could do with a bit of guidance here.

I haven't found anything yet that makes me regret my decision to upgrade to this model.

Trove Tuesday - An Apple Tree

One of the first computer labs I managed in the mid eighties was one of Apple 11 computers in the days before I got hooked by the genealogy bug.

I found this article about an early genealogy database software on Trove and am wondering if any of my genimates used this Australian program to maintain their data.

1985 'Genealogy program for Apples.', The Canberra Times(ACT : 1926 - 1995), 30 September, p. 20, viewed 1 September, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128258369

Family History Through the Alphabet – C is for …it's a no brainer really

C has to be for Computer

Where would I be without a computer to support my genealogy habit?

I think that I started researching my ancestry in 1988. Although I was the proud owner of a 286 model computer (with the Intel to 20986 chip) at that time I did not use it for my research rather I kept my data on index cards, my notes in a spiral-bound notebook and, as I do today, my certificates and documents in three-ring binders.

After I took delivery of  of my Osborn 486-25 120mb HDD computer @ $AU3395 with 5 year warranty on April 6, 1992 I gave serious thought to using it for genealogy. Initially I developed a home-grown spreadsheet to record my data and then moved on to using database software. I realised that there must be more people in the world who were trying to do the same thing so I investigated commercially developed genealogy software packages.

IBM 286 Computer

I cannot remember the names the first two genealogy the andpackages I purchased and tried. I puddled along with their use for a few years before finding and purchasing The Master Genealogist for $185 from Gould Genealogy in 1997. I have been using that program now for 15 years. Recently I decided to investigate other software packages and have purchased The Family Historian (for significantly less dollars) which I think I will use as my main application.

It was in the mid nineties that I started working in a school that had a laptop program. This gave me access to a laptop for home use and, as a volunteer for any educational initiative, I was given unlimited free dial-up Internet access.  Once I had that laptop I was became aware of its possibilities; it was not long before I had purchased my own laptop and started using that for genealogy. Since then I have owned a host of laptops including heavy ones, light ones, touchscreen ones, Macs and PCs. Presently I have a laptop, netbook and tablet.

Apple Laptop

Undertaking an internet training course in 1995 got me completely hooked. I organised access for home and email addresses for the family and we joined the information superhighway. Some time before the turn of the century I started using Rootsweb mailing lists to communicate with other genealogists. Somehow I managed to connect via email and Rootsweb with new found cousins who generously shared their data with me but, in the the early days, by snail mail.

Fast forward to today. I use my computers on a daily basis for genealogical pursuits. Social media allows me to communicate and collaborate with cousins and genealogy contacts all around the globe in both synchronous and asynchronous modes. I am able to share ancestor anecdotes and genealogy news via my blogs. The family history that I have chosen to publish on the Internet is not static like a printed family history, it is a dynamic, living family history that I am able to update on a regular basis as new information comes to hand. Although I still make many visits to libraries and archives to look at original documents computers make it possible for me to prepare for these visits by using the online catalogues from these repositories. Similarly digitisation projects have enabled me to carry out research and access copies of original documents from the comfort of my kitchen.

I am flummoxed when I meet family historians who do not own computers or, if they do, do not use their computers for recording or researching their family histories.

A computer is an essential tool for the 21st century genealogist.