H-XM-2003
Christmas Greetings 2003
Our Best Wishes to each of you. As the Seasons Odometer turns over we are reminded of differences
between the past and now – age permits reflection on the Good Old Days compared
with The Golden Years – all things are relative.
Compiling Family History
The first of 2003 was expended before we knew it. While Mary was busy with Art Guild, I worked
on Family Files in preparation for a Bobbitt Family Reunion. I’d discovered better methods for archiving
information -- worth passing this on to others.
Dual mode DVD +/- RW plus CD +/- RW Read/Writers came out
which handle both “Plus” & “Minus” formats – one unit does all. Huge archives can be maintained and passed
to others, readily replicated & stored.
I’d been doing family and 19th BG stories using WORD to make
.DOC files, then used FRONT PAGE software to convert them to .HTM files so they
could be called up by anyone using their email browser software. Most of my photos had been scanned in .TIF
format and inserted in WORD .DOC files.
When these convert to .HTM, the photos are extracted and converted into
.PRN & .JPG formats. The more
recent .JPG format, used for email, consumes much less memory. I discovered I could greatly reduce file
sizes and call up speed by inserting the .JPG files back in the source files in
lieu of .TIF; and stay in WORD to convert formats. The result was a huge savings in file size. 19th BG information that
previously filled 2 CD’s could be stored on 1 and still have room left
over!! I was able to put all the 19th
BG history files (printed in 6 volumes) plus Bobbitt and Landau history (each
filling a standard sized book) on one 700 mg CD! It was not necessary to use DVD’s disks with 4.7 gig capacity. However the DVD’s permit saving home movies
on a disk.
I had hoped to have these ready for the Bobbitt Family
reunion in Oberlin KS the end of May, but didn’t make it – the effort was
continued after the reunion.
Bobbitt Cousin Reunion Oberlin KS
Where the Cousins grew up
Bobbitt Family Composed in 2003 Landau Family
Overflow on Front Porch – Red Plastic Plates salvaged
for next reunion.
Ila’s painting by Margaret given to her son Dick
Barclay
The Cousins gathered in Oberlin KS, where most of us grew
up, for Alumni Banquet and Memorial Day.
We rented the Old Bohemian Hall, now part of the Oberlin Museum, for a
day. The Kump Kids provided
entertainment, singing and playing instruments. I video-taped some of it – using a newly purchased camera -- It
was not swift of me to learn while shooting, but some came out OK.
We gathered at our home in Oberlin -- all the cousins
helped make it a great success. We
decorated family graves the day before and attended the Memorial Day
ceremony. The setting is impressive --
avenues of American Flags. Flags
provided to families for each veteran when they pass on, are cared for and put
out for display by the Legion Club.
Mary did an excellent job of preparing for the
reunion. I added drawers to last years
garage shop work bench – and added a drill press to last years bench saw. A shop makes a house a home.
The back yard garage with work bench under
construction inside
Clippings from video tape from 8mm movie taken 1949 of
Mary & Darrell’s Wedding.
Upon return to CA I bought Pinnacle
8.0 software and used it to capture clips from video tap. The 1949 event was an unusual occasion where
large numbers of family were present, many for the last time. The early 8mm camera and film – poorly shot
into sunlight or in shade – did not turn out well. Mary and I could recognize people – but it’s of little value to
those who didn’t already know the persons.
Amazingly I could recognize their images from body language!
Mary’s Parathyroid Problem – Solved with Surgery
While in KS Mary went to see the Dr and had tests made – as my dad would say, she’d been “off her oats”. The Dr sent her to North Plate for special X-Ray photos – these revealed she had an abnormal parathyroid gland. We didn’t know she had one – turns out she has 7 of them! We learned people have from 1 to 15 parathyroid glands, all dormant except for one. They are detected using X-Ray, following a shot of radioactive material which collects in these glands. Most peoples parathyroid glands are in the neck region, but hers had migrated to below the collar bone, requiring a “chest surgeon”. We lucked out with an excellent Dr who using two 3/8 inch tubular probes was able to enter above the collar bone & go down, seeing through one tube, operating via the other. It took about four weeks for another parathyroid to awaken from hibernation, by the clang of body chemistry change, and do parathyroid duties. Another of mother natures wonders.
Mary misses, I attend 19th BG Reunion in
Portland OR
Lewis & Clark reach the Pacific ocean coming down
this valley, observing falls such as this.
19th BG and Aerospace CD labels.
100 19th BG history CD’s were prepared and
passed out at the reunion. The CD
labels were compiled and printed directly on the CD’s – after applying blank
paper to the plastic.
It was voted to prepare a 19th BG plaque to be
part of a WWII memorial entrance to the new Smithsonian Aircraft Museum at
Dules Airport WDC. The CD’s handed out
at the reunion are being upgraded to go in the Smithsonian Museum Archives, per
their request, for use by researchers.
Expanded View of where We Live
Attributes shown
above were not known ten years ago – high velocity clouds of hydrogen gas, 10
million times the mass of the sun, have been verified – our galaxy is still
growing.
A
year ago when writing a “Make Do” story of being reborn at age 40, where I was
really born, except before Columbus – I encountered a problem, how to cut
wood? Jan 2004 Scientific American
tells how people 9000 years ago in Turkey solved that problem. They used long poles, probably cutting them
to length with fire, to make mud covered dwellings. A village of some 2000 homes showed they made walls and ceilings,
but no doors – they entered from a hole in the top, which also served as a
chimney for an internal fireplace.
Analysis of their bones revealed they learned the hard way -- smoke was
not good for their health.
Mary’s Art Guild News letters and Gold Brush Awards
Dinner
As back office help for Mary’s new letter, I decided to
use “wood filler” and photos in lieu of text.
Boy and Pet plus Wood Craft news letter filler
Thanksgiving at Julia’s
We flew to Oakland for Thanksgiving with Julia and
JR. We were there in the spring right
after they moved into their new Walnut Creek home. It’s in the county amidst populated hills where deer still come
down to browse.
Longhorn is coming, it follows XP
At a vulnerable moment I said Yes,
to re-subscription to MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network), magazine, the first
issue received told of Longhorn. At the
time I was also revisiting Programming Languages: I’d bought VisualC++.NET and
Visual Basic.Net software and books. I
marveled at how much had changed in the last 15 years. Our generation is experiencing a new
phenomenon – the process of evolving a global language; for people to
communicate with machines and each other.
Acronyms become words, where authors often assume the reader knows their
meaning. The do it yourself student is
expected to have master the meaning of: CLS=Common Language Specification;
MFC=Microsoft Foundation Class; ATL=Active Template Library; COM=Component
Object Model; IDE=Integrated Development Environment; OLE=Object Linking &
Embedding; STL=Standard Template Library; GDI=Graphics Device Interface;
MDI=Multiple Document Interface; MDE=Microsoft Development Environment;
SDK=Software Development Kit; Visual Studio.Net = software used to write in
multiple program languages. And it goes
on and on.
As technology improves
communications between Man and Machine has taken on more complex tasks with
greater vocabulary and specific meaning.
Early computers printed a single font, them came pixel graphics with
multiple fonts in multiple colors. To
text was added static and dynamic graphics plus sound. At first on one machine, then linked
machines, and now global internet – where multiple “people” languages translate
into US invented computer languages.
Languages from many origins are becoming standardized and made to cross
communicate.
Just as human languages had multiple
sources, so have computer languages.
Today’s major languages include C#, C++, Java, Basic to which have been
added Script, HTML, XML, etc. Each
fundamental language has “key words” with specific meaning. There has been an evolution, often
technology driven, on how to structure the programming process. Object Oriented Languages permitted making
packages, written in a specific language, which can be transported via network
languages like HTML and XML. Multiple
companies promote their programming tools; while working groups strive to
define standards for all to use. Much
progress has been made.
Each programming language makes use
of Libraries of program routines – like standard hardware parts. VisualC++.Net and Visual Basic.Net have Libraries
written in their codes. Using Visual
Studio.Net programmers can use any of multiple languages to create sub parts
which can be compiled into Projects and Projects into Solutions.
Things, processes & terms are given finite meaning. For example a number must be defined as to
kind as: binary, decimal, integer,
floating point, etc. Similarly things
are specified by class so animal cows are not mixed with fruit apples --
information must have a finite meaning.
Nuts, bolts and screws became standardized – now language terms are
being standardized for Global meaning.
Persons using a computer learned the new meaning of a mouse, those using email know the new meaning of
“what’s your address”? Persons
know what is it to down load or to send a photo in .JPG.
S-ATA 160 gig hard drive above connected with Red
Serial cable and unique power connector
They will soon be learning of S-ATA
(Serial Hard drives in ATA format) and P-ATA (Parallel hard drives in ATA
format). Motherboards are migrating
away from wide parallel cables & connectors to smaller Serial cables &
connectors.
The Longhorn software is migrating
to a new storage method called WinFS -- rather than file people in alphabetical
order – you file football players in one heap and baseball players in
another. This concept comes from how
software programs store and use Library files.
Longhorn will also incorporate “Indigo” the code name for “service
oriented design” a cousin to object oriented design. Longhorn will have a subsystem called “Avalon” which will use
XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language) which will permit tie
VisualC++.NET and VisualBasic.Net programs together.
Computer oriented people do not use the term Ignorance
is Bliss.
But it can be blissful to forget the computers and
enjoy Christmas.
Business News
Wallgreen has experienced an annual
growth rate of about 16%. Target is
adding a pharmacy section. Wall Mart is
setting the pace of grocery business, their use of non-union is behind Safeway
and supporting chains refusal to meet demands of present striking union wanting
100% medical coverage.
Christmas at our House
This year we expect to have Sister
Marjorie Krisman from Houston, Monica & Brian from Huntington Beach and
David & Mary from San Diego at our house for Christmas.
Thanks to each of you for your Christmas cards and
messages
Merry Christmas and good health to you all.