PassageExpress.com

Bernie Schwitzgebel · Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:38 pm Post subject: Forum Activity

It is surprising to me that there has been little or no activity at this forum dealing with the pros and cons of Passage Express. I hope that PE is still a viable product with active users.
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Bernie

tdew · Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:37 pm Post subject:

Hi Bernie,

I'm happy to see you!

Everything must be running smoothly for all the members and they are busy making projects from their summer experiences.

What have you been doing with the program lately?

I do scanning for others as part of my business and am just now working on a bunch of old family pictures from an estate. The two "children" can not agree on anything, so I've been hired to duplicate all the pictures and each one will have a copy. I like the idea of each branch of a family having ALL of the pictures, but am sad that it's such a bitter thing in this case. Part of the package will be to make a dvd slide show of all the pictures.

At least the spammers seem to be somewhat under control.
New users are now required to verify that the email address they are submitting is a valid one and also have to be approved. It doesn't seem to be a big problem for legitimate program users. It helps a lot if those who are joining us list one of their interests as Family History or something similar.

Hope we hear from others about what they are up to.
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Terry - volunteer forum monitor

Bernie Schwitzgebel · Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 5:46 pm Post subject:

I seem to be constantly busy creating presentations of old family photographs, family history files, and archiving documents which support my genealogy work. I especially like PE because it is so versatile in allowing me to be creative in my work.

I too am hopeful that users of the software are getting along nicely with it. But it is interesting and fun to hear user comments from time-to-time.
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Bernie

Stephen · Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:12 pm Post subject:

Hello Bernie and Tdew !

Yes, it's been quiet here but it's been quiet in many forums. For myself, the summer is busy in construction and when you put in 70 hours a week on the job, there is little time for anything else. Still, I like to check in on the weekends (especially my Sundays) to see what has been posted.

I have not been able to get the time to fully dedicate any quality effort on the software. This will change by mid November when everything shuts down for the winter !!

Can't wait !!

...Steve
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Tax me... I'm Canadian !

tdew · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:15 am Post subject:

Hi Stephen, Bernie and everyone else,

I've noticed that it's been quiet around the other forums too.

Just wondering, have you all become the "keeper of the photos" in your families? Doesn't it make you feel obligated to get them out and share them with the rest of the family?

Our family seems to have come to a time when everyone is celebrating a big birthday or anniversary, so I've been busy making presentations for the parties. They are big hits and also inspire others to share the pictures they have.

All I need now is a little more time in each day....

Terry
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Terry - volunteer forum monitor

Bernie Schwitzgebel · Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:02 pm Post subject:

Yes, I guess you could say that I am the official "keeper of the photos" for our family. And most other important documents and family history records as well. But I love doing it and am constantly challenged by the new opportunities to document, preserve, and share.

My overlying motivation for the work I do is to preserve all these things for future generations. I cringe when I remember all the shoe boxes full of pictures and documents that went in the trash simply because nobody knew what they were, who they were, or what to do with them.
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Bernie

tdew · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:19 am Post subject:

Bernie,
You'll appreciate this poem. I've had it for quite awhile now, but never get tired of it...

STRANGERS IN THE BOX

Come, look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I've often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still, serene.
I wish I knew the people,
These strangers in the box,
Their names and all their memories
Are lost among my socks.
I wonder what their lives were like,
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I'll never know their ways.
If only someone had taken time
To tell who, what, where, or when,
These faces of my heritage
Would come to life again.
Could this become the fate
Of the pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories
Someday to be passed away?
Make time to save your stories,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours could be
The strangers in the box.

.......© 1997 by Pamela A. Harazim

http://www.perrycountyillinois.net/sub397.htm
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Terry - volunteer forum monitor

Bernie Schwitzgebel · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:49 am Post subject:

WOW !! That just about says it all for me. Thank you for sharing.
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Bernie

Loretta Shupe · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:32 pm Post subject:

Cool poem, Terry. It should wake us all up to the importance of documenting our lives. I think that most of us think our lives are inconsequencial but our posterity won't think so. They'll want to know every little detail, especially about themselves when they were young.

So pictures, letters, journals, and histories have an important place for the future.

Let us live to make our family proud while we're at it!

Loretta

Stephen · Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:03 am Post subject:

Great poem Terry !

That about sums up my passion for photos as well. 50 years from now, someone will, hopefully, be very happy that the initiative was taken 50 years ago, to document the who's who in the box of photos.

I have gone to antique dealers and found thousands of photos that were boxed and no one has any idea of who those people were or what they did in life. Putting a name and history line to a photo is something that we can do today with all of the tech that we now possess. I really wish that I could go to a kiosk or website and find out all about my relatives.

Someday perhaps !

...Steve
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Tax me... I'm Canadian !

tdew · Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 12:52 pm Post subject:

Ah Stephen, but if it were that easy, it wouldn't be so much fun tracking them down.
It is sad to come upon old pictures at garage sales and flea markets. Have you looked at
http://www.deadfred.com
It's sad to see how many pictures get separated from their families.

How do you document your pictures? I make it a practice to use the year and month (if I know it) in the file name, then maybe place or people.

Thank goodness we're not limited to the old dos 8 character names....

Terry
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Terry - volunteer forum monitor