So many of you have found that I have not been around as of late. I’m sorry. I think you’ll get over it. So where have I been. Watching SC2. Yep not playing, I am not one of the luck few that get to play such an amazing looking game. But there are enough games that I can play vicarisly through them.

My frist impressions? Amazing. Beyond amazing. It has been worth the ten years of waiting. If you haven’t seen any games, what are you waiting for? Go now. Here is a link. Link to amazingness.

You will hear more about it as time goes on. If I get into the beta I will be posting even more about it.

For the two or three people out there on the internets that have been following my blog you know that I have been using a little literary freedom with the story of Moby Dick. This was an attempt to help you all come with me on a little journey or adventure as I discover genealogy. I have to say it has been a blast. In the few short weeks blogging about it I have found that at least four people out there are really reading my blog. I have also learned they are not that much of a fan of genealogy and they feel that my content would be better with out it. I have to agree. I was fun to write about but really didn’t fit what was going on. So later this week when I write about genealogy it will be the last Moby Dick post. Because you see Electronic Arts it seems has cornered the market on the name. So I am going to continue to try to be funny. I use the word try loosely here.

I love Moby Dick. It is a hard book to read but it was great to listen to. If you haven’t listened to it head out to librivox and grab a copy. I find that even though it is about killing whales and that is beyond politically correct now a days. I don’t care. It is really about a life adventure set at sea. The type of life you and me are going through. We have things that drive us and things that we fear. Face those fears and move on. Find out what drives you and don’t let anything stand in your way. Grab life by the horns and hold on. I hope that you all catch the vision of the book and what it is about.

As always in my acknowledgments, this is not my image. I have used it with out permission to Penny Arcade. If they have a problem with my usage, portral, my hair, or the way I walk, I will be happy to remove this image. I do not represent, look like, stand in for or want to be the owners of the copy write that was used in the making of this post. Feel free to contact me at jeremy at my grapesoda dot com and I will remove this. Again I make no profit off of this blog post or pretty much anything I do on the web. If you want to change that please contact me I’m happy to pimp out my services.

“So I keep pushing, and crowding, and jamming myself on all the time; recklessly making me ready to do what in my own proper, natural heart, I durst not so much as dare? Is Ahab, Ahab? Is it I, God, or who, that lifts this arm? But if the great sun move not of himself; but is as an errand-boy in heaven; nor one single star can revolve, but by some invisible power; how then can this one small heart beat; this one small brain think thoughts; unless God does that beating, does that thinking, does that living, and not I. By heaven, man, we are turned round and round in this world, like yonder windlass, and Fate is the handspike.”

“How long have you been standing there Ishmael?” Turning back toward the calm seas, Ahab continues. “You see out there. Beyond the horizon is our query. You can almost see the light plumes of water. In just a few days time we will be upon them.”

Tonight we shall continue our instruction on tools of the trade. If your reading this before last weeks post please go back and read it. We will pick up were we left off.

Go ahead and login to new.familysearch.org. As you search through your family tree you will find a little icon. This means that “Temple work might need to be done.” What this means to you is that there is genealogy work that needs to be done. This is where you can start to find your first real work. So go find one.

Select one of the names and their info will show up at the bottom. Scroll down to the bottom and select the “possible duplicates”

If you see the list of possible duplicates we are going to have to merge them. If there isn’t then you should be able to move onto what ever the next step will be for you. So lets go ahead and merge a few records. Check each box that looks like a possible duplicate and press the “compare in more detail”.

On the left you will see your original record. On the right you will see the possible duplicate. Go ahead a look at the data. What your trying to figure out is how likely these are the same two people. Follow the steps at the bottom of the page. When your done you should have resolved the possible duplicate. After I merged them that little Icon stayed there.

Press that icon. Inside the next screen you see that there is work that is ready to be done. Ya me. I have found someone to goto the temple for. Even if you are not LDS this is important in finding duplicates and fixing them so stay tuned.

Pretty exciting hu? Well almost. On the left you will notice that those two people look pretty much the same. Those two are duplicates. I went ahead and merged them.

After merging her records. The Icon has now changed into the one that shows all the work is done. You have just helped clean up your family tree. Your first real genealogy work. Congrats. Next week will try to figure out where to go from here. (This is the extent of my knowledge of genealogy. So next week will be a fun discovery that both of us can go on.)

For the two of you out there that reads my blog. I’m sorry. Yesterday didn’t play well with my life and prevented me from posting. It happens to the best of us.

So tonight I have a treat for you. I will show you how to make a quick background using a texture. I have made a few of these for my friends and they are always asking me how to make them.

The first thing you need to do is find a great texture. There are lots of great sites out there for textures. One of my favorites is Lost and Taken. There are also some groups on flickr. I get my best textures from my own library like the one using tonight, or from texture vault.

Open it in Photoshop

Find a Great Font and write out something great:

Save as a JPG and your good to go.

You can get the files I used here:
Background
Fonts

A few wall papers I have made for you:

GrapeSoda Photography Red Bolt wall paper – 1280×800

Jones Soda dark wall paper – 1280×800

Jones Soda light wall paper – 1280×800

GrapeSoda Photography wall paper – 1280×800

Next week and the weeks after I will continue a few more photoshop tutorials. I hope you enjoy them. If you want to know how to do something just let me know I will put something together.

Please note that Jones Soda there brand, name, likeness, coolness, and anything else they might decide they want or looks like it might be theirs, is theirs and not mine. I have not gotten their permission to use there name or anything else. Also these are my creations. Feel free to use them, share them and pretty much do what ever you want with them. Just don’t sell them. If your going to make money on these please send some of it back my way. Stealing is wrong and it hurts my feelings and just so you know if your wondering I am not selling these or making any money on them. Jones soda has not endorsed me or contacted me. I bet they don’t even know I exist. (If you guys want to endorse me I would love to promote you. You can always contact me if anyone has a problem with anything here at jeremy at mygrapesoda dot com)

Author Brandon Sanderson
Pages 496 pp (first edition, hardback) 656 pp (first edition, paperback)
Genre(s) Fantasy novel

Elantris was beautiful, once. It was called the city of the gods: a place of power, radiance and magic. Visitors say that the very stones glowed with an inner light, and that the city contained wondrous arcane marvels. At night Elantris shone like a great silvery fire, visible even from a great distance.
Yet, as magnificent as Elantris was, its inhabitants were more so. Their hair a brilliant white, their skin an almost metallic silver, the Elantrians seemed to shine like the city itself. Legends claim that they were immortal, or at least nearly so. Their bodies healed quickly, and they were blessed with great strength, insight and speed. They could preform magics with a bare wave of the hand; men visited Elantris from all across Opelon to receive Elantrian healing, food, or wisdom. They were divinities. Any anyone could become one.

That is how this great book opens up. It give you a feeling of amazement and grandeur that never lets up. This is the debut novel by Brandon Sanderson. But you couldn’t tell from the joy that you will get from reading this book. To stand on the walls of Elantris with Raoden and Sarene brings you into there world.

The city of Elantris used to be a wonderful place. Anyone had a chance to become an Elantrian. One day you could be a serf, a noble or a farmer. The next you could be welding the great magic of the Elantrians. It was no respecter of station. But something happens and the city become fallen. It becomes a place of the dead and those that inhabit it become feared. This is where the story starts. With a noble Raoden becoming one of the walking dead an Elantrian. His wife to be is still on a boat on her way to his country. It follows a great political ride on the outside of Elantris. While those inside the walls try to figure out how to over come there dead state. Mix in a little bit of religious zealots and you have one bumpy ride.

The story that follows is a joyful love story filled with intrigue and twists. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Sanderson keeps you on your toes. This is an amazing treat. I hope to stand at the gates of Elantris with you. May you also find the love that extends to all in this wonderful book.

Good day Ishmael. I hope you had a good nights rest. I hope the shrunken heads didn’t bother you to much. Welcome on board and to your first real day upon the BOAT. So lets get to work. Here you go Ishmael. Your very own bucket and brush. Shall we start? Oh, whats up with that look? You would think I hired you to scrub the decks and now that we are at sea you can’t go back. Giving you a huge smile and I head into my cabin. Better get to work Ishmael. Ah, I’m just kidding. I’ll help you at it. Grabbing my own bucket and brush, shall we get going? You see my friend, in order for you to understand how to get your first whale you have to understand a few of the things around the ship here. This brush and bucket are your most basic tool, and you will use it every day. Now lets get to work…

So here is your first genealogy tool. This is the most basic tool that every genealogist will need. You will have to have a place to put your family tree. There are lots and lots of tools/software out there. But you really only need one. That is New Family Search. Also referred to as NFS by those in the know. But why NFS you ask? What makes it so special. Well one word, the cloud. If you don’t know what cloud computing is then your in luck. I’m here to help. Cloud computing is where you use the internet to store your info and programs. Your information is stored on a server out there somewhere in the “cloud”. This has lots and lots of benefits. The first is that your data is backed up and protected by some other organization and as long as you can trust that organization your info will always be safe and recoverable. So NFS is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Weather you a member of the church or not, you must be aware of there interest in genealogy. Which is why they provide this service for free to you. With all the backups and protection they can muster. Including backups being stored in there granite vaults blasted out of the rocky mountains. The other benefit is that most cloud programs are community driver. So that others can see the work your doing and you can benefit from there work. Most of you out there when you join NFS will find that at least some of your family tree has already been created and your tied to them. This is a great bonus. That way your not duplicating someone else’s efforts in your family.

So lets get at it shall we. I will walk you through setting up an account and viewing your family tree. There are three basic steps.

Step 1. Creating an account

Step 2. Signing in for the first time

Step 3. Viewing your tree

Creating your account.
Lets head out to new.familysearch.org. You will need a few things to set up your account. The first thing you will need is to be a member of the LDS Church. I know I have no intention of this blog being about how a LDS member does genealogy work. This really is the best tool, but right now it is only avalible to members. That is going to change in the future so when your reading this it might have already changed. So you will need your membership record and you will need your confimation date. You can both of those from your ward clerk. I’m sure there are other ways but that is the easiest.

So just fill it out. You will be asked for a username at one point. Be careful what you pick because it is what will be used as your display name and on every record you submit. So pick something that you want others to see.

Now lets go ahead and use that new account.

Go ahead and skip this. Make sure you come back some other time and follow it. I can’t teach you everything.

Here is the Family Search main page. You will see that on the top will be your family tree or your pedigree. Click on any one of the people listed and it will display the known info in the bottom section. You will also see if your married your wife/husband is listed but you in laws if they are living are not there. That is one of the biggest confusions people have with family search. It doesn’t list any people that are living but are in its database. This isn’t a problem. Have your spouse setup an account so you can see there family. Now click around and become familiar with it.

As I grow every day in photography and design I have to give credit to those that have come before. There isn’t much that I do that isn’t an attempt to be as great as someone else. So today I wanted to give you a few people and sites that inspire to me to be greater then I am.

Photography

Ash Imagery – This is one of my favorite photographers out there. He recently launched a new website and it really says who he is. If your looking for great unique inspiration for weddings, engagements and your general killer style this is it. His use of natural light keeps me coming back for more.

Blush Photography – broke is a wedding photographer extraordinaire. The way she can capture a wedding dress is beyond human. There is nothing boring about her work. She is crisp, clean and does a little vintage style that is to die for.

Jasmine Star Photography - She is quirky and unique. She says she has only been shooting for a few years. Which I am sure has to be the biggest lie she has ever told. I am sure she was born with a camera in her hand and when camera makers create new camera’s the have a mold of her hand to see how they will work. She was voted one of the greatest wedding photographers in the world for a reason.

Jessica Kettle Photography - Family friend that is like no other. She doesn’t even know I exist in this world but we have been following her from day one on her blog. She is one of the best in Utah. Check out her stuff for some great locations and how they ‘should’ be shot.

The Pioneer Woman – I found her for her amazing photography. But stayed for the charm. If you have read her blog your missing out of the of the dearest people god has blessed this earth with.

Thomas Hawk Digital Connection – This guy is a city scape shooter that will blow your mind. He does anything but look at the world like a normal human. We are all blessed because of his vision. If you want to know how to look at a location differently then the other million photographers have he is your destination of choice.

Design

Lost and Taken - This site is the single greatest location for texture on the web. One of my 100 things to do before I die is to get a texture pack on his site. I have worked on doing that in the past. But life got in the way. If you need a texture from grunge to silk this is the place.

Smash Mag – If you into design and have never visited this site, your not really into design. They are one of the greatest locations for inspiration. It is just about all you need.

The other day I was setting up an account for a fellow employee. She isn’t the most tech savvy and I knew I would need to also be logging into this account. For shared accounts I have a standard password that I use. This password is known to many of my closest friends and they can use it for most of my shared accounts We refer to it as the “super secret password”. But I had no desire to give this out to people that are not with in my closest circle of friends. So I asked one of my developers what I should use. As a great joke he suggested I use I<3Obama. Now for those of you not from Utah we are a very conservative state and many of us hillbillies didn’t vote for him. I knew this lady for sure didn’t and might have been offended by having to type that every time she wanted to use this account. The moral of the story is. Chose your passwords wisely, and making someone profess there love for the president can’t be bad. Can it?

For those of you just tuning in you might not know that I love books. But if any of you have read any of my genealogy posts you will know that I have read “Moby Dick” and would love you to come on an adventure that parallels that great American book. So if your new here jump on over and read the first two entries in the genealogy section. For those of you that have read them, your welcome. I hope you enjoyed them.

Over time I have read my fare share of books. Those books have been on a myriad of subjects. From religion to fantasy to self help books. If you have a good book and recommend it to me, chances are I will read it. I like to consume my books in any format possible. You know your standard paper back, your hard back, your ebook, your audio book, your book written on stone tablets tossed through my window because I have a problem with communication. I think that Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best when he said, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.”

I have been taught by Thoreau and Talmage. I have one of my greatest friends found in the words of Melville. I have learned to live life to its fullest on the shores of a small pond named Walden. I have visited the great glaciers of Alaska with my small companion Stickeen. I’ve slain dragons in the labyrinth thanks to my cherished friends Hickmen and Wiess.With the help of Locke and Demosthenes I have over thrown a government. I have stood at the gates of Mordor with my sword and shield in hand. I even have learned to read at the age of 98. Let me tell you how amazing the great canyons of mars are, I have been three times. I lived through the alien invasion of the 30′s. I have even stood in the chamber of secrets with my friend Mr. Potter.

All I have needed was a small white card and this amazing place filled with books has been opened to me. They ask no questions, and they don’t judge me. At most they ask for a few cents because my books have grabbed me and I didn’t want to give them back up to the greater collection. I read every day of my life. There is truly not many other adventures I need in my life. Give me a good book, a warm blanket and a quiet place and I’m in heaven.

Stick around and I will let you know some of the great books that I have read. As I finish them up I will for sure let you know which ones were amazing and which ones make better door stops. I haven’t meet to many. Right now some book about vampires is holding my doors open. But that is a story for another time.

Ah there you are Ishmael. I see you have signed your papers and will be bunking with Queequeg. I hope your first night together will be interesting. Before we embark on our voyage, I feel that this genealogical adventure needs a little back story. You know, the whys need to be all established. The biggest why would be, “why is Cptn.J so interested in Genealogy?”

To understand that, you have to understand the man behind Cptn.j. I love history. There is nothing more exciting to me than reading the words of the founding fathers of American. They were great giants of men. The words of Benjamin Franklin are inspiring and interesting. Thomas Jefferson’s view of politics and the rights of the people helped establish a constitution that dozens of countries have tried to emulate. Then later in our history you end up with Henry David Thoreau. With the works of Walden and Civil Disobedience,  he later inspired great men like Martin Luther King Jr, and Gandhi.

These men and their writings have helped shape who I am, and helped strengthened many of my beliefs. As I studied them, my mind wandered to my ancestors. Who were they and what words did they say? What things did they do that can inspire and mold me? I was lucky. I had the writings of three generations in a single book. I talked a little about that book last week. It is called Pioneering in the West. It contains the stories of my ancestors. To my luck, it is inspiring and they were great men, married to amazing women. As I read more of the words written, my mind wandered to other of my ancestors and their stories. This contained only three men’s writings. How many more are out there? More than anything I want to find those stories. I want to know those men and women that share my genes. It is a strong bond.

In this adventure I hope you find one story that inspires you, because one story will never feed your desire. You will need to seek out more stories. As those people become more than a name your heart will yearn to find more. In time you will find yourself standing next to me harpoon in hand attempting to slay your own whale. I hope to be there helping.

Next week we will get our sea legs, and learn about FamilySearch. Until next time, your Captain for this adventure Cptn.J