Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

Here’s the answer to the previous puzzle-post with the following Latin-looking verse:
O Sibili, Si ergo
Fortibuses in ero
O Nobili, Themis trux
Cevats inem, Causen dux
This is, of course, not real Latin but a little verse that you can sound out in English.  If you read it out loud, slowly and carefully, you can hear that the verse [...]

Read Full Post »

Is it Latin?

Here’s a little puzzle to start your day with. The poem below looks like an old Latin inscription. But is it? Or does it say something else? Any guesses?
O Sibili, Si ergo
Fortibuses in ero
O Nobili, Themis trux
Cevats inem, Causen dux
Thanks to my Dad, John Sexton, for having showed me this as [...]

Read Full Post »

One of the most useful software features that has shown up on most web sites these days is something called “look-ahead” technology.
Here’s the idea.  Let’s say you go to the Google web site and you’re looking for a way to hunt down relatives.  You begin typing “find my relatives” into the search box.  But as [...]

Read Full Post »

Ok, this post isn’t technically related to family history.  But this is something that’s driven me nuts for years—trying to remember the difference between metaphors, similes and analogies.  I end up referring to something as a metaphor when it’s probably an analogy, or use a simile and call it an analogy.  Maybe if I write [...]

Read Full Post »

Words are powerful.  A well chosen word can serve to make an entire line of reasoning clear to someone that you’re communicating with.  They can also be incredibly evocative.  A single word can connect the listener with long forgotten memories or tap into deep emotions.
As I listened to Barack Obama’s inauguration speech, I found myself [...]

Read Full Post »

Here’s a modest proposal for Ancestry.com on a little trick that they could use to get new subscribers.  (With all apologies to Johnathan Swift and only a slightly intentional reference to eating your young).
I recently got a short e-mail from a cousin who was interested in starting to do some research into one of her [...]

Read Full Post »

99 Things Meme

These memes are a little addicting.  In this case, no one tagged me.  I just liked this meme, so I wrote it up for myself.  (And I’m lazy, not tagging anyone else).  So if the mood strikes and you blog, go ahead and pass this one on.  And then post a comment here, linking to [...]

Read Full Post »

Short Form or Long Form?

This will be another unusual post for me—merely a ramble of sorts.  I generally think quite a bit, prior to writing a new blog entry and I try to create something of real value.  This generally means that I write pretty long posts.  It also means that I spend a huge amount of time either [...]

Read Full Post »

Eight Random Things About Me

I’ve been tagged by Randy Seaver of the Genea-Musings blog, asking me to carry on a meme where I share some facts about myself.  Here are the rules:

Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
At the end [...]

Read Full Post »

Here’s the genealogical equivalent to the age-old “boxers or briefs” question—when it comes to family history, does your passion lie with finding ancestors, or finding descendants?  Both pursuits have their own unique rewards and particular challenges.
Many people get hooked on family history as they try to flesh out a chart of their direct ancestors.  As [...]

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »