Presentations posted

As promised on the recent cruise I have posted .pdfs of my presentations on the internet. You can find the links to my documents on Google Drive here (that's the UTP Cruise Tab on my top menu bar.

Social Media Panel

I am so cranky with myself.

I didn't think to record the audio from the Social Media Panel I moderated on the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise so  I have no record (apart from my dottery memory) of the responses that were made to the questions I posed.

I couldn't have wished for better panelists than Shauna Hicks, Louis Kessler, Helen Smith and Alona Tester who shared their thoughts and opinions with the disappointingly small audience we had for this session. Because of the panelists' contributions and the differnet format this was one of the best sessions on the cruise program (IMHO). Quite a few who were there asked if can it be repeated in 2014.

L-R Louis, Shauna, Alona, Helen

In the meantime I have realised that the questions I posed would make a good little Geneameme so I will  get around to posting that soon and hope to hear how you would answer the questions.

I don't like big ships but...

...The Voyager of the Seas has provided an excellent venue for a genealogy cruise.

Why? Because the ship has down in its bowels on Deck 2 a Conference Centre. It consists of a large area that can accommodate a couple of hundred people in one room or can be partitioned off to provide several smaller areas.

For the 3rd Unlock the Past Cruise the area was divided into a 150 seat theatre, a smaller room that holds around 50 people and a similar sized room set up as a classroom with tables and chairs  which is wonderful for those who want to take notes on their laptops.

150 seat theatre

Unlike the public areas of the ship that are often crowded and noisy the Conference Centre provided a quiet haven and home where our group could gather. The children who race up and down the corridors on the ship have not discovered the Conference Centre (perhaps because it's a deadend). 

There are of course a few issues with the centre that is due for refurbishment. Some of the chairs are rather stained and some creak a lot. From a speaker's perspective it is frustrating to have to use a hand held microphone that only picks up one's voice if it is held about 3cm from one's mouth. A couple of these have dodgy wiring so, at the beginning of the cruise this was a huge issue. Thankfully someone did some first aid with masking tape. My major issue was that the ancient projectors do not allow for HDMI connections so that I was unable to connect my laptop and had to rely on foreign computers for my presentations. Thankfully fellow cruiser, Neil, was able to press some little boxes into service when we couldn't view presentations on the screen when the screen installed in the classroom failed to make its descent from its home in the ceiling.

Microphone on Voyager of the Seas

Neil's handywork with the screen

My accommodation, a Balcony Cabin on Deck 8, on the cruise was clean, bright and comfortable with a decent bed and nice crisp linen. The bathroom is compact and functional with a shower, loo and vanity. I had not expected luxury on this cruise and I did not find it; I expected Holiday Inn Express standard and that is what I got. This is perfectly adequate for a cruise where the cabin is really only used for sleeping and ablutions.

Bah, humbug to the Royal Caribbean staff who wouldn't let us swap tables with our fellow genealogists at dinner time. Forcing us to sit at the same table every night deprived us of valuable opportunities for networking. Hopefully our agent, Clean Cruising, will be able to negotiate a better arrangement for the 2014 cruise.

So, would I do another genealogy cruise?  YES, YES, YES.  I have already signed up for the next UTP Cruise on Voyager of the Seas on 4 February, 2014. 

There is no way I would select this ship for a holiday cruise as it does not fit my criteria for that purpose but its large size allows it to provide the sort of facilities needed for a genealogy cruise.

I love this cruising concept for a genealogy conference. It is cost-effective, the venue is appropriate, the program has been great, there have been lots of opportunities to talk to like-minded people, the speakers are on tap to engage in further discussion and give advice and there are no distractions from everyday life.

Thanks to Alan Phillips of Unlock the Past for organising this event. It was a blast.

A Canister of Genealogy Speakers

A number of years ago there was a lot of discussion around finding a suitable collective noun for genealogists. Of course consensus was not reached and I cannot remember the suggestions that were made.

For my snap of the Genealogy Speakers on the 3rd unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise taken yesterday I have called the group a Canister because it is a container for air and the speakers have produced quite a bit of the hot variety over the past nine days.

3rd UTP Cruise Speakers

Thanks to Carol Milner for taking this snap.

Great Impromptu Session

After coming away from an impromptu session I organised tonight on the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise I am stoked..

As we had a free evening I asked any genies who were interested in books if they would like to join me for a book "Show and Tell" in the Conference Centre after dinner. I was thrilled that more than 20 people joined me to share details of their favourite genealogy/history books.

What a bunch of passionate people they were with such great stories and fantastic titles to share. I was nearly in a state of permanent goose-pimpledness as the genies gave details of their favourite tomes and some told of the relevance of the titles to their family stories. They have asked that this sort of session be included on future UTP Cruises.

Thank you to all those who joined me and made this such a satisfying and enjoyable session. I will put together a list of the books discussed and share it on this blog once I return home and I can gather together the bibliographic details of the books shared.

I am getting a little weary after giving nine presentations to date (and wiht two more to go) but I wouldn't have missed the cruise - it has been an amazing experience. I am excited that I will be joining the 4th UTP Cruise in February next year with Thomas MacEntee and Chris Pation. How good will that be?

R&R

A pleasant breeze wafted through my balcony door as I spent the morning polishing my final three presentations for the Unlock the Past 3rd History and Genealogy Cruise. As it was another day in port I was able to sleep in and wake naturally rather than answering the call of the alarm app on my tablet (it works!).

Fellow genealogists enjoying quiet time in the library

View from my balcony

I did enjoy my breakfast of smoked salmon in the restaurant - there's nothing like being waited on at brekkie time. For lunch I wanted to put my feet under a table so, as the formal restaurant was closed, I opted for Johnny Rockets, an American hamburger joint on board, where I was waited on and had the accompaniment of singing and dancing waiters.

Dancing waiters at Johnny Rockets

It seems as though there was a bit of interest in my afternoon talk, "Flip-Pal and Picasa" as I was scheduled to talk in the main conference room again. Thanks to those stalwarts who came to hear this talk and contributed to the conversation in the session. The audience was full of Flip-Pal owners while a coouple who weren't members of the Flip_Pal brigade purchased them after the session.

Paul Milner once again educated us after dinner. His topic "Irish Land Records" gave us details of many resources that might hep us in our search for our Irish ancestors. My brain was overflowing with information by the time Paul completed his talk.

Having set sail from Noumea we now have four full days of learning ahead of us - my brain will surely burst.

Earlybirds eager to learn

You need to arrive early to grab a good seat

Touristing takes over

 As we were in port today genealogy education took  back seat to touring in Noumea. For those who are wondering about my non-genealogy activities please see my jillballau blog post: http://ballau.blogspot.com/2013/02/noumea.html.

At 3:50 pm I was set up and ready to present my Gadgets for Genealogy talk but thought I may not have an audience as the room was nearly empty but when 4:00 arrived a healthy group had gathered. As this was a small group of only about 20 I was able to ditch the microphone and prance around the room interacting with my fellow learners. I really enjoyed the collaborative nature of this talk and thank those who chimed in with suggestions and anecdotes.

Visiting US lecturer Paul Milner was again our after dinner speaker. Paul shared "Tips & tools for navigating the English Probate system"; it is a benefit that Paul is such a lively, engaging and knowledgeable speaker as, after a relaxing dinner and full day of tourist activities, many of our group are in danger of nodding off.

Our departure from Noumea has been delayed for 24 hours so we will only be having two lectures again tomorrow.

Our ship moored in Noumea

Tuesday at Sea

The tally of talks I attended today was five, I listened to three and presented two. Additionally I spent a session in the research help zone where I shared some tips on how to access genealogy blogs, gave some tips on research in Western Australia (about which I know little) and organised for Neil Bradley from Western Australia to meet up with the enquirer to give  more informed help.

I sat down the back for Shauna Hicks presentation on Trove as I think I have a good handle on this topic. What I find valuable in these instances is seeing what approach other presenters take when approaching a topic. Shauna emphasised the use and value of tagging in Trove more than I do - something I will consider for the future. As always this talk was well structured and full of great tips.

Shauna Hicks

It was double whammy from Paul Milner today, his morning session " Buried treasures - what's in the English Parish Chest"  reminded me that many of these records are available on microfilm from Familysearch. Before I set off for Salt Lake City next month I must draw up a list of films for Mr Geniaus to search while I am at Rootstech. After dinner Paul presented "English Parish Registers: how to access, use and interpret" was a good followon to the earlier talk.

Paul Milner

I felt more relaxed in my presentations and basked in the positive reinforcement I received after "Google tools for Genealogy" and "Geneagoogling: Effective Google searches". These sessions were great fun; I especially valued the contributions I had from fellow geneabloggers Alona Tester and Linda Elliott.

Keen students ready for my talk

Paul Milner

Louis Kessler has an impresssive family tshirt

Trove Tuesday - Modern Cruise Ship

This week finds me on the high seas on board a modern cruise ship, The Voyager of the Seas, learning about genealogy with over 140 other family history enthusiasts from the Unlock the Past crew .

Wondering what Trove could tell me about cruising on modern ships I entered the search term "modern cruise ship" into the newspapers search there and selected the following items to share.

1927 'BOWLING.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 28 February, p. 5, viewed 7 February, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29664661

As the text from 1927 is a bit fuzzy here is what it says:

LIKE AN HOTEL.                

Fix this text

This photograph shows portion of the writing-room of the Cunard- line s.s. Franconia, which is due at Honart on a world cruise today.

The Franconia is one of the most modern cruising ships in the world, and, is employed almost exclusively

in that service.     

1927 'BOWLING.', The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), 28 February, p. 5, viewed 7 February, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29664661

The Cunard . 20,000-ton R.M.S. Franconia, which with nearly 400 British and American tourists aboard, is due at Hobart

Fix this text

early this, morning ; The Franconia, which is a sister ship to the Carinthia, is chartered to Thomas Cook and Sonearly this morning. The Franconia, which ls a sister ship to the Carinthia, is chartered to Thomas Cook, and Son for

this cruise. 

A few pics from yesterday

I wrote a long blog post about my activities yesterday but was unable to post it. I'll try again later. In the meantime here are a couple of snaps from yesterday.

My star of the day goes to Linda Elliott for her talk on London Cemeteries of the 19th century

Rosemary Kopittke told us all about Gazettes

Some of the gorgeous people waiting for my talk about searching on Google

The more you know...

...the more you realise you don't know.

That is the case for me after the first day of lectures on the Unlock the Past cruise. I have learnt of many new resources and databases and have been reminded of resources that I can revisit.

My day started with the computer technician who, after spending nearly half an hour trying to get my laptop that only has an HDMI connection to talk to the older projectors on the ship that only have VGA connections, said "Your computer is too modern for this ship." We tried two other connectors (belonging to passengers) that should have fixed the issue but that did not work.

In two of my presentations later this week I had intended doing short slideshows followed by live demos of software. As no-one else has the software (or my data) I will have to prepare a series of screenshots to show the potential of the packages. I am glad I found this out four days before these gigs so I have time to revise my talks.

In his first talk on migration Paul Milner referred to Ravenstein's Laws of Migration which I found quite illuminating. He suggested that we look at our ancestors' migration in the light of these 11 laws. Sydney author and genealogist, the lively Carol Baxter, talked to us about tracing your ancestors in NSW while speakers in other rooms covered the other states. Carol reminded us of the various indexes to NSW BDMs and other resources that are available.

I have used government gazettes in my research and they have added meat to the bones of my dry data. Rosemary Kopittke reminded us in her talk of the breadth of information in "Australian government, police and eduction gazettes".

I loved Linda Elliott's talk with the intriguing title "What to do with the body: a Victorian solution". Linda took us on a tour of London's magnificent seven cemeteries that wer established in the mid 19th century. Linda gave us the history of the cemeteries and shared details and shared details of the location of the burial records in a talk illustrated with many photos.

The graveyard shift was mine. I found juggling a hand mike, a remote control and the mousepad on a foreign computer when I presented "In spite of my fumbling I must have been okay as, after the talk, I received invitations to speak at future events. 

Gone Fishin'

As I am setting sail tomorrow on a ship with exhorbitant internet connection fees I may not be able to blog. If I do blog my posts may have to be text based without any pretty pictures.

So that you don't have Geniaus withdrawal I have scheduled a few posts during my absence.

I'll be back with a lot to report from the Unlock the Past History and Genealogy Cruise on 19th February.

Attention all Geneacruisers - Do you have a favourite book?

There isn't much spare time in the program for  the Unlock the Past cruise but......

I am wondering if other geneacruisers might be interested in bringing along a favourite title from their genealibrary. We could perhaps organise an informal get together where we have a "Show and Tell" and share details of our favourite books.

As I don't need to catch an aeroplane I am not worried about luggage weight restrictions so will throw a couple of books in. I'll also have a few eBooks on my new Android tablet.

Will you join me??

Done and Dusted

Filed away in Evernote I had a little note listing my talks for the Unlock the Past History and Genealogy Cruise that leaves Sydney on Sunday.

Before I started doing my Powerpoints I just had that list staring at me. When I made a start I wrote Started  beside the title of the talk, when I was nearly done I wrote Nearly Completed  and when I finished I wrote Completed.  

Tonight I am dancing because I have completed all but one set of slides. I like to have just enough slides to get me through if technology fails and do live demonstations of the tools I am showing. For the cruise, where internet is said to be dodgy and expensive, I have been busy doing screenshots and preparing lots of slides. Thank you Windows Snipping Tool. In addition I have finished a talk I am giving on Friday at Ku-ring-gai Historical Society and one for Hornsby Library post cruise. That's 12 Powerpoints in all.

The slides for a panel presentation will need to be finished off on board as I need to confer with the other panelists Shauna Hicks, Helen Smith and find some other poor unsuspecting person who I hope to co-opt on board.

Here is the Evernote Note of which I am so proud.

GeneaGoogling: Effective Google searches (Basic) Completed 

Google Tools for Genealogy - Completed

Social Media for Genealogists: Where, why and how - Completed

A Genealogists Toybox: Gadgets and Tech toys _ Completed

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner and Picasa Both Completed

Family Historian Software Completed

Android Genealogy Completed

Case study: the story of a clock Completed

Google+ for Genealogy - Completed

GeneaBlogging - Completed

Chair: Social Media Panel - Started

I won't be able to avoid going back and tweaking those presentations until it's time to deliver but it is a wonderful feeling to have them all done and dusted.

Trove Tuesday - Pacific Cruise

Together with around 150 family history enthusiasts I will be setting sail on a Pacific cruise next Sunday when the Unlock the Past cruise leaves Sydney on board the Voyager of the Seas. We will be calling at Noumea and Fiji.

For today's post I turned to Trove to see what I could find out about cruising in the Pacific.

1934 'MOONLIGHT IN THE PACIFIC.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 3 January, p. 14, viewed 4 February, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17037404

1933 'No title.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), 5 January, p. 5, viewed 4 February, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4517829

1906 'MAIDEN CRUISE OF THE SUVA.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 5 July, p. 8, viewed 5 February, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14783871

1937 'CRUISE TO FIJI.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), 18 August, p. 14, viewed 5 February, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11116959

I wonder how our experiences will mirror those of these journeys in the past.

Behold software developer in Sydney

Louis Kessler, the man behind Behold Genealogy software is heading downunder. He will be joining the Unlock the Past 3rd History and Genealogy Cruise from Sydney next Sunday. I look forward to catching up with Louis on the cruise if not before. I have looked at the topics of Louis' seven talks and am keen to hear some of them. You can see a full list of his topics on his blog here.

On a blog post written just a few hours ago Louis had indicated that he will be arriving in Sydney on Tuesday and that he would love to catch up with users of Behold software before the cruise. Head over to his blog to see where to find Louis in Sydney.

What was in the Package?

The postman just left a parcel for me. I was thinking that it might be a book I ordered from the UK but it wasn't.

It was a reminder that, in less than four weeks, I will be heading off on my first Geneacruise, the 3rd Unlock the Past History and Genealogy Cruise. I wonder if any of my fellow cruisers received a similar surprise.

A folder

Contents

Gearing up for a Geneacruise

Geniaus at sea

Although I have been known to take a cruise or two for pleasure I am a novice in the Geneacruising stakes.

I should be preparing my talks for the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogy and History Cruise but instead I am thinking about what I will pack for this learning experience on the megaliner, Voyager of the Seas.

I won't be sunning myself on deck during the day so I won't need a 2 litre container of sunscreen or a cornucopia of sunhats. I imagine that I'll be too tired at night to enjoy the shows and kick my heels up in the nightclub type bars so I can leave the sparkly cocktail type outfits at home. My order for two UTP polo shirts has been placed so I'll need some detergent to wash them and hang them in my shower to dry overnight (I hear you have to pay to use the ship's laundries).

Sensible shoes are essential as this is a seriously big boat and I'll be doing lots of walking from place to place and standing on my feet when I deliver my presentations. The stilettos won't be joining me on this trip.

Mr Geniaus isn't coming along on this journey so I'll be minus a baggage attendant. I need advice on geneacruising fashions that won't weigh my bag down. I would love suggestions from experienced geneacrusiers on what clothes to pack.

I'll be taking my Pacsafe handbag and purse with me in case there are any pickpockets on the high seas or in the ports we visit.

The other issue is, of course, gadgets. I'm taking my laptop, a couple of cameras, my mobile phone, a portable hard drive, a voice recorder, a thumb drive, some blank DVDs and power adaptors for the US outlets on the ship. I might even take pens, pencils and some paper. I'll throw in a bundle of business cards as well.

Is there anything I've missed?

Evernote - The Presenter's Pal

I have previously written how I use both Evernote and Google Docs in an effort to be an organised genealogist. As I add to my repertoire of topics for my speaking engagements I am finding that  Evernote  is the perfect tool for gathering articles, book titles, websites, cartoons and images around the topics I am or may be preparing.

Although I have been using Evernote for this purpose for a while I only realised the value of this practice when I was speaking to Alan Phillips from Unlock the Past last week. We were chatting about the topics for my talks on the 3rd Unlock the Past History & Genealogy Cruise in February next year when Alan said "Are you right to talk about xxx?"  I replied "Yes, since we mooted that topic I have been gathering resources in  Evernote  so, if you need me to speak on it I can put together a presentation."  Similarly when I submitted some proposals for Rootstech 2013 I made a concerted effort to collect resources around those topics.

If you, like me, read lots of articles each day you will find that Evernote provides a great means of organising your stuff for easy retrieval. You will always be prepared when you get an invitation to share your knowledge with others.

Pre and Post Genealogy Cruise Sydney Accommodation

It's great to hear that some people from overseas are joining the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise next February.  I received a message from a genealogy contact " XXXXX has asked me for suggestions re accommodation in Sydney before and after the above cruise. His preference is downtown prior, and maybe near the beach after. As I am more QLD'er than NSW re this thing, if you could offer him some suggestions, I would appreciate it."
Rather than just sharing my ideas with one person I said I would put some thoughts in a blog post that may benefit others.
For someone with an unlimited budget who has never been to Sydney there is one standout option. It is the Park Hyatt on the Harbour Foreshore in Sydney Cove in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge. I stayed there once for a birthday treat and it was awesome, I was able to repose on the bed, sip my Moet, and look across the bay to the Opera House while watching the Sydney ferries coming and going. 

The view I had from my room at The Sydney Park Hyatt

The Sydney CBD is dotted with hotels with most of the major international chains being represented. I have stayed in a dozen or more city hotels and serviced apartments ranging from 3 star to 5 star and they 
have been fine except for a couple. A free city shuttle bus, Route 555,  is available during the day, 7 days a week so wherever one is in the inner city one can avail oneself of free transport. The main areas for hotels are the CBD, Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and Railway Square. There is more chance of getting a view in Darling Harbour or around the Quay but also note that the City Centre is a few blocks uphill from Darling Harbour. I would give the area around Railway Square and Kings Cross a miss. B&Bs can found in inner city suburbs a few kilometres out of the CBD. 

Sydney City (Darling Harbour is bay at bottom left)
From Google Maps

For the budget conscious traveller the Travelodge Sydney Hotel is a 3 star property that I have stayed in. It is down a side street just a couple of hundred metres from Hyde Park. The Travelodges at Wynyard and Phillip Street are also conveniently located. 

The cruise departs before the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival commences on the 12th February and schools resume at the beginning of February so there is no need to book a hotel way in advance. There are many hotel rooms in Sydney.

Tripadvisor has reviews of Sydney Hotels but check where the hotels are on a map before proceeding with a booking so as to avoid the more dodgy areas of the city. At present the number 1 hotel on Tripadvisor is at Potts Point (Kings Cross area)! Lastminute.com, Hotels.com, Wotif.com and similar sites offer great last minute offers. Audrey Collins, on her recent trip to Sydney, snagged a room at the Radisson with a partial view of the Harbour Bridge at a really great rate. 

When the cruise returns to Sydney the Mardi Gras will be in full swing so hotel rooms may be in shorter supply. The problem with Sydney beaches is that many of them, especially the Northern Beaches, don't have good hotels nearby. B&Bs can be found in beachside suburbs but I don't know about these. It depends on how far from the city the visitor wants to be. Coogee is a nice safe little beach (not good for the serious surfer) not too far from the city (8 km) that has a Crowne Plaza and Medina Serviced Apartments. There are plenty of restaurants and the Coogee Bay Hotel Beer Garden is a local institution. Nearby world famous Bondi isn't too well served with accommodation. Manly on the northside has both a surfing beach and a harbourfront beach. Cronulla in Sydney's south (29 km from city) has a beautiful beach and some good accommodation options. 

I haven't really given any clear advice in this post just a few pointers. I would be happy to field questions about Sydney from any other genealogists who are joining the cruise.