I've been a B&N Nook user for almost a year now. It is a very nice device for reading novels and other material without color or significant graphics. B&N has provided free downloads of software readers to complement their nook for PCs, Macs, Blackberrys, and iPhones. With these downloads, you can read the purchases you made for you Nook on your computer or smart phone, too.
Well, B&N has now advanced the capability well beyond just reading your nook books on your PC. They've created a new software product just for the PC and Mac that is targeted toward students and faculty who use electronic textbooks. The new NookStudy program is a free download from B&N. Once loaded on your PC or Mac, you have access to your entire library of B&N ebooks. In addition, you can load epub and PDF files into the application from your local file system. B&N ebooks are automatically sync'd with their server, while the locally loaded files are not backed up by B&N.
So, what does NookStudy give you that you didn't already get from the Nook ereader application? It becomes a central notetaking and study tool for anyone who maintains a library of ebooks for research and uses those books for study, research, and reporting. NookStudy provides advanced highlighting tools and annotation tools to the user. It also allows you to copy selections of text from the ebooks for pasting into documents such as term papers and reports. When a snippet is pasted, NookStudy automatically includes a reference for the source book or file - built in sourcing!
How can this be handy for genealogists? Most of us have many ebooks and pdf files collected for our research. As we prepare our research, we often copy material from these documents. NookStudy serves to aid us in our source referencing while we research. It also allows us to organize our materials into logical groups of documents. NookStudy calls these "courses", but they may as well be "families" or "countries". You click and drag your books and files and drop them onto the folders you create to stay organized. You can place books in more than one folder, too.
Check out NookStudy at B&N. You may find it helps you manage your source books and documents on line.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Office2 HD Reviewed
If you want to start taking advantage of the cloud in your genealogy activities, you have to get Office2 HD ($8.00 on iTunes) for your iPad. This low cost product provides a full word processor and spreadsheet with built-in ability to read/write Office 2003 documents. The best part is that Office2 HD can open, edit, and save files to Google Docs, MobileMe, and Dropbox as if they were other drives on your local computer!
One of the difficulties we all have with the iPad is that each application is like an island unto itself. An app may be able to create and edit a document on the iPad, but there is no way to share it with other apps on the iPad. Thus, we are forced to email docs to ourselves and reopen them in other applications. An alternative is to sync your iPad with your desktop computer to gain access to the files from individual applications.
Now, along comes Office2 HD. It still can't get around the local file sharing, but it has the next best thing -- the capability to open cloud storage services as if they were local folders and create, edit, and delete files from these services. Why is this good? Because, using these services from another PC, laptop, Mac, etc., one can open and modify the same files outside the iPad without resorting to email or standing on your head!
You can create documents at the library with your iPad and save them directly to Google Docs or another cloud service and not worry that your day of research could be lost if the iPad is misplaced or hits the floor and shatters. That's the beauty of the cloud.
So, what are you waiting for? Get on the cloud! Open a Google Docs account or a MobileMe or a Dropbox account. Even if you don't have an iPad, the cloud works with your PC or Mac, too.
One of the difficulties we all have with the iPad is that each application is like an island unto itself. An app may be able to create and edit a document on the iPad, but there is no way to share it with other apps on the iPad. Thus, we are forced to email docs to ourselves and reopen them in other applications. An alternative is to sync your iPad with your desktop computer to gain access to the files from individual applications.
Now, along comes Office2 HD. It still can't get around the local file sharing, but it has the next best thing -- the capability to open cloud storage services as if they were local folders and create, edit, and delete files from these services. Why is this good? Because, using these services from another PC, laptop, Mac, etc., one can open and modify the same files outside the iPad without resorting to email or standing on your head!
You can create documents at the library with your iPad and save them directly to Google Docs or another cloud service and not worry that your day of research could be lost if the iPad is misplaced or hits the floor and shatters. That's the beauty of the cloud.
So, what are you waiting for? Get on the cloud! Open a Google Docs account or a MobileMe or a Dropbox account. Even if you don't have an iPad, the cloud works with your PC or Mac, too.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Got your iPad yet?
Just got mine, and wow, this is going to be great for genealogy research. The size of a thin book, the iPad can fit into any carry bag. It's easy to lose it in a pile of books on the table!
Couple it with a small 10 megapixel digital camera with macro and this is probably all you need for research at an archive, library, or town hall.
Believe it or not, but the touch keyboard in landscape mode is very easy to use and effective for taking notes. I've downloaded several apps from the App Store to help with this: Bento, Pages, Dropbox, Evernote, iDisk, Reunion (iPhone version only for now), and Office2 HD. The last app enables you to download, edit, create, and save .doc and .xls files using the cloud services supplied by Google, MobileMe, and Dropbox. In fact, I use Office2 HD as my primary writing tool on the iPad over the Apple Pages app because Pages cannot access the cloud. Pages stores its documents in a local folder accessible only to Pages on the iPad. If you want to use these docs in other places, you have to either email them as attachments or dock the iPad with your computer and sync them to your computer. I'm hoping Apple addresses this serious deficiency in the next release of Pages because the competition, namely Office2 HD, is way ahead of them right now.
Evernote has its own dedicated app for the iPad with limited functionality. You can create new notes and sync them back to all your other devices via WiFi or 3G. Dropbox also keeps your files in sync and allows you to download docs from the cloud to your iPad for local access.
I use Bento to maintain my source documentation and sync it between my iMac, Macbook, iPod Touch, and iPad. As I collect material, I create a source record in Bento for each referenced item. It is a fully searchable database that ensures I have all the proper information needed for creating full source references in my reports.
I've only begun to scratch the surface of what you can do with an iPad for genealogy. Future posts will dig into some of these products and methods.
Couple it with a small 10 megapixel digital camera with macro and this is probably all you need for research at an archive, library, or town hall.
Believe it or not, but the touch keyboard in landscape mode is very easy to use and effective for taking notes. I've downloaded several apps from the App Store to help with this: Bento, Pages, Dropbox, Evernote, iDisk, Reunion (iPhone version only for now), and Office2 HD. The last app enables you to download, edit, create, and save .doc and .xls files using the cloud services supplied by Google, MobileMe, and Dropbox. In fact, I use Office2 HD as my primary writing tool on the iPad over the Apple Pages app because Pages cannot access the cloud. Pages stores its documents in a local folder accessible only to Pages on the iPad. If you want to use these docs in other places, you have to either email them as attachments or dock the iPad with your computer and sync them to your computer. I'm hoping Apple addresses this serious deficiency in the next release of Pages because the competition, namely Office2 HD, is way ahead of them right now.
Evernote has its own dedicated app for the iPad with limited functionality. You can create new notes and sync them back to all your other devices via WiFi or 3G. Dropbox also keeps your files in sync and allows you to download docs from the cloud to your iPad for local access.
I use Bento to maintain my source documentation and sync it between my iMac, Macbook, iPod Touch, and iPad. As I collect material, I create a source record in Bento for each referenced item. It is a fully searchable database that ensures I have all the proper information needed for creating full source references in my reports.
I've only begun to scratch the surface of what you can do with an iPad for genealogy. Future posts will dig into some of these products and methods.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Bento - nice, easy-to-use database for the Mac platform
I've been searching for a relatively simple to maintain and flexible database for my iMac and MacBook to track all of my digital files collecting on my hard drive. These files are organized in folders by record type and number sequentially. The filename includes the sequential number code and descriptive name. I could search using the Mac Finder for information, but I don't have an easy place to maintain the associated information for the records, like the source citation, detailed descriptions of the records, date accessed, surnames included, etc.
I've tried several systems to track this, starting with spreadsheets in Excel, OpenOffice, and iWorks, but spreadsheets don't provide the utility of a real database. I tried Circus Ponies Notebook last year. That is a very nice note-taking utility with some excellent indexing and search features, but it isn't designed for structured data as much as free-form data and clippings. I entered all of my digital records data in Notebook and used it for several months. It was just too cumbersome for maintaining the structured data I needed for each record.
A while ago I tried a Mac database called Bento from FileMaker. Version 1.0 was interesting, but missing some key features. After playing with it for a while, I shelved it and tried other products. Version 2.0 was released and I didn't think it was sufficiently improved to try again. However, FileMaker recently came out with Version 3.0 for Snow Leopard along with a version for the iPod Touch and iPhone that caught my attention. I bought the upgrade and was suitably impressed.
Not only does Bento automatically read and include iPhoto, iCal, and Address book records, but you can use these records in other databases you create. Bento is a relational database with much of the relational functionality hidden from the user. Enough is exposed to make it useful, though. You can create multiple databases (called Libraries in Bento) and relate records between them. I've created a Respository Library, a Source Files Library, and a Research Log Library. My Source Files Library is the master record for each source item (digitzed record, photo, etc.) with a link to the iPhoto item or actual file on the hard drive and a field with the full formatted source citation. The Research Log Library is a line-by-line entry of each search I do and the results. If the result of a search yields an electronic file, I link that Source Files Library record to the Research Log.
I'm trying this process out for a few months to see how it goes. My ultimate goal is to eliminate most of the paper and hard copy logs I keep with everything on my computer and backed up in the cloud somewhere.
By the way, there is an app for the iPod Touch and iPhone that supports two-way synchronization with your Mac-based Bento libraries. That means data you update or enter on the iPhone will be transferred to the sync'd libraries on your Mac whenever you do a (wireless) sync. The only things that don't sync with the iPhone at this time are iPhoto and iCal Bento libraries.
Check out Bento and see what you think.
I've tried several systems to track this, starting with spreadsheets in Excel, OpenOffice, and iWorks, but spreadsheets don't provide the utility of a real database. I tried Circus Ponies Notebook last year. That is a very nice note-taking utility with some excellent indexing and search features, but it isn't designed for structured data as much as free-form data and clippings. I entered all of my digital records data in Notebook and used it for several months. It was just too cumbersome for maintaining the structured data I needed for each record.
A while ago I tried a Mac database called Bento from FileMaker. Version 1.0 was interesting, but missing some key features. After playing with it for a while, I shelved it and tried other products. Version 2.0 was released and I didn't think it was sufficiently improved to try again. However, FileMaker recently came out with Version 3.0 for Snow Leopard along with a version for the iPod Touch and iPhone that caught my attention. I bought the upgrade and was suitably impressed.
Not only does Bento automatically read and include iPhoto, iCal, and Address book records, but you can use these records in other databases you create. Bento is a relational database with much of the relational functionality hidden from the user. Enough is exposed to make it useful, though. You can create multiple databases (called Libraries in Bento) and relate records between them. I've created a Respository Library, a Source Files Library, and a Research Log Library. My Source Files Library is the master record for each source item (digitzed record, photo, etc.) with a link to the iPhoto item or actual file on the hard drive and a field with the full formatted source citation. The Research Log Library is a line-by-line entry of each search I do and the results. If the result of a search yields an electronic file, I link that Source Files Library record to the Research Log.
I'm trying this process out for a few months to see how it goes. My ultimate goal is to eliminate most of the paper and hard copy logs I keep with everything on my computer and backed up in the cloud somewhere.
By the way, there is an app for the iPod Touch and iPhone that supports two-way synchronization with your Mac-based Bento libraries. That means data you update or enter on the iPhone will be transferred to the sync'd libraries on your Mac whenever you do a (wireless) sync. The only things that don't sync with the iPhone at this time are iPhoto and iCal Bento libraries.
Check out Bento and see what you think.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Try out this amazing data capture and organizing tool - Evernote
I've been using Evernote for over six months now. I learned about it while searching for products that would help me synchronize data between my various compute platforms. I have many platforms I want to be able use to gather material when I'm doing my genealogy research. I have an iMac, MacBook, Dell Windows XP laptop, Blackberry Storm, and an iPod Touch. All have their functions for work and play, and I wanted to be able to capture data regardless of which machine I was using.
I found Evernote while searching for products to synchronize multiple platforms. Like DropBox (see my earlier post), Evernote is based in the Internet "Cloud". The Cloud is the latest term used for Web-based services, unlike the typical localized tools we use on our PCs and laptops. With the Cloud, all you need is an Internet connection and a browser, and you can get to your information from anywhere. You don't have to worry about carrying along a CD, USB stick, or memory card with your data and then remembering to sync it back up when you get home. In Cloud computing, your data is securely stored on servers that you can access from anywhere. They are backed up and reliable. Best of all, many of these services are free up to a certain level.
Evernote.com provides downloads for Mac, Windows, iPhone/Touch, and Blackberry. They have two levels of service. The basic level is free and is a great place to start. You can try out the service and do most everything you would need to do with the free service. The Premium service adds functions like indexing of PDF files and a much higher number of monthly uploads. There is no storage limit, just the total data transfer per month.
Imagine being in the library, finding that page in a book you've been needing, not having a copy machine available and only a minute to make some notes. Take out your Blackberry or iPhone, snap a photo of the page and save it to Evernote. The image is automatically copied to the Cloud and synchronized with all your other devices. When you get home, log into your PC or Mac and there it is, the page you needed ready for further analysis.
Give Evernote a try. I recommend it. They keep it current (including the recent Snow Leopard update from Apple).
I found Evernote while searching for products to synchronize multiple platforms. Like DropBox (see my earlier post), Evernote is based in the Internet "Cloud". The Cloud is the latest term used for Web-based services, unlike the typical localized tools we use on our PCs and laptops. With the Cloud, all you need is an Internet connection and a browser, and you can get to your information from anywhere. You don't have to worry about carrying along a CD, USB stick, or memory card with your data and then remembering to sync it back up when you get home. In Cloud computing, your data is securely stored on servers that you can access from anywhere. They are backed up and reliable. Best of all, many of these services are free up to a certain level.
Evernote.com provides downloads for Mac, Windows, iPhone/Touch, and Blackberry. They have two levels of service. The basic level is free and is a great place to start. You can try out the service and do most everything you would need to do with the free service. The Premium service adds functions like indexing of PDF files and a much higher number of monthly uploads. There is no storage limit, just the total data transfer per month.
Imagine being in the library, finding that page in a book you've been needing, not having a copy machine available and only a minute to make some notes. Take out your Blackberry or iPhone, snap a photo of the page and save it to Evernote. The image is automatically copied to the Cloud and synchronized with all your other devices. When you get home, log into your PC or Mac and there it is, the page you needed ready for further analysis.
Give Evernote a try. I recommend it. They keep it current (including the recent Snow Leopard update from Apple).
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Status of my online research tools
I’ve been researching my family history for about eight years. It has been an on again, off again activity — never seems to be enough time to spend on it. I’ve corresponded with many cousins over the years and the one thing I’ve really come to appreciate is the overwhelming amount of information one can collect about one’s family. I’ve used several genealogy database programs on PCs and Macs, but they tend to be rather limited and static in what I could do with the information once in the program. I needed a way to share and collaborate with others researching the same lines without having to go through extraordinary efforts to export and import data.
I also wanted a way to access my research from anywhere, regardless of whether or not I had my MacBook with me or just a PC in a library. I’ve spent a lot of time on the Internet looking at how others have collaborated and shared their research. I realized that I needed several things to achieve my objective:
1) A secure, online database that supported most of the features of my favorite genealogy programs, Reunion and The Master Genealogist, and that was flexible, scalable, and customizable
2) A mechanism for cousins and other researchers to exchange ideas, data, and conclusions and to maintain an ongoing research log to help others researching our family lines
3) A forum for myself where I could post observations of general interest and entertain comments and feedback from cousins and researchers.
The end result is this Web site, riddickhome.net, and a set of low cost or open source tools hosted on my own domain that tie everything together in one place for family, friends, and researchers to come together to share family information and keep in touch with each other.
The domain and web site is hosted by GoDaddy.com on Linux, using MySql, PHP, and Apache Web server.
The genealogy database is The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding (TNG) by Darrin Lithgoe built on MySQL and PHP.
The collaboration forums are maintained using the Simple Machines Forum (SMF), a free application built on MySQL and PHP.
My blog is maintained using WordPress, another free application built on MySQL and PHP.
I’m in the process of learning and integrating a Content Management System (CMS) to provide an overall common look-and-feel for all of these applications. The CMS I am using is a free application called Joomla! and is one of the most popular in use today.
So, you will see a common thread in all of these — readily accessible from any Web browser and from anywhere with Internet access.
As I complete the integration of these tools over the next couple months, I will send out notices to family and friends so that you can check them out and set up free accounts so that you can access and share the information on this site. I will also provide my thoughts about how it has gone, if this approach is workable, and how it might be improved so as to make genealogy research and data collection easier.
- Chris
New free online storage gives you access to data from any computer
I've been using a service called DropBox that gives you free storage online in a virtual cloud and syncs changes to the files you place in it across all of your computers. So, you can have a local copy of important files on every computer you use and a backup copy safely stored and sync'd online.
I use it to keep copies of family files and other items I regularly access when doing research. I never have to worry about carrying a USB stick to copy files to and then copy to my other computers. DropBox does the copying automatically whenever I change or add a file. It will even take care of propagating deleted files once I'm done with them.
BTW, it works on my Windows XP machine and my iMac and MacBook, too!
Try it out at
https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTM4NzQ4NTk
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