BYU has this online service called Relative Finder, it uses data from FamilySearch.org. Our ward created a (password-proctected) group account and I was at least 5th cousins with several dozen people.

I get to qualify from pioneer stock, but it took befriending Mormons who grew up in other states to see how skewed my point of view was.

What needs to happen is to remove the identification that is available with license plates. Yes, they should identify a vehicle registration so that can be checked for status, and only for that. But the ability to identify a person from that registration should only be available to very limited set of authorities.…

That said, testing in still illegal in some countries (like Germany, a biggie missing from the databases)

If I recall correctly, these types of DNA tests provide information going back about a thousand years only, so much of the changes you mention are well before that. To go farther back, there are tests for men only that follow the strictly paternal line and for anyone that can follow mitochondrial DNA (maternal line).

So weirdly I don’t think I’ve ever had the flu (I know!). Flu shots also were not a thing for my family growing up. Basically it wasn’t until thirtysomething that I started doing it anyway to prevent passing anything along, now every year.

I love movies and briefly entertained the notion of doing something related as a job. I was also naive and didn’t have much experience, but without a major yet I did get all the way to a meeting in the film studies department with a tour. I ended up going in a history direction (still took two more film history…

I’ve heard her speak and her book that uses the now-famous line is really an excellent narrative of women in history. I also think this is why I like genealogy so much. I almost enjoy the challenge of finding the stories behind boring record forms and headstones.

Yeah I used to love Portland as a gentler version of Seattle, but visiting this last summer and really spending time downtown instead of my relative’s suburban places was a bit of a letdown. I’ll still visit the PNW for any reason, but with some adjustments.

Oh I forgot about the Klondike in another post, it’s great! I was amused at how existing just one door meant you were leaving the “park.” Great exhibits about an interesting part of history.

I had a graduate residency at the University of Washington so I visited 7 times in 3 years—not really a resident but more than a one-time tourist. As much as the class schedule allowed, I think I tried everything. First, I explored the UW campus which is beautiful and compact. The old gothic architecture is sublime,…

Quite fun! Visiting a few years ago I ended up in a hotel along its route (I could have waved to passengers from my window). At least once I walked to the one end and took it into downtown, just because. I also rather liked the park there by the Space Needle. It was a summer and the kids were loving the water fountain…

Very confusing to misunderstand that effect. On my opening day shwoing people outright cheered.

I spent so long hoping Hobbs was going to be okay!

So all of the archivists are laughing a bit now, because they know you can never save everything. All the government, corporate, and other archives come from a careful selection of what to save—I’ve heard somewhere around 5% of all the stuff only. Sometimes the selection is very direct, sometimes it results from…

Yes, no worry (well in that sense). The National Archives actually has the responsibility of archiving records from the government. Under the Presidential Records Act especially, all such erm, correspondence will be saved. I believe from both the official account and his personal account while in office. If you’re a…

Um, microfiche is on cards, microfilm is on rolls.

One of the most frustrating things about shopping in various plus size brands is that it is assumed I am also short. I’m not really that tall, but just a few inches above average and everything is short on me. I’m embarrassed how many years I wore too short (even flared!) pants in any size before someone told me about…

I caught “33" randomly without any prior context to Battlestar and was riveted.

Captions for every single minute too! I even learned a new word: “apposite.”