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

Last night my wife and I watched a new show called, “The buried life.” It is about this group of guys that go around trying to do the 100 things they want to do before they die. With each thing they check off the list they help someone else do one of the things they want to do. You would think that this would be something you see on the life time channel. But you would be mistaken. It was on MTV. So what does this have to with photography?

It got me thinking about what I wanted to do before I died. I think that a line from Save Farris contains one of the greatest truths in the man psyche, “Deep in the heart of every man lies a hidden dream or plan to be a millionaire. Life with out a care.” I too suffer from this natural man belief. It is one of the largest thing I want to do before I die. But how to accomplish that. Well it would be amazing to do it writing. But I’m sure if it ever happens it will be through programming something. Who knows what that will be. But what about photography? this is a photography post right? It is the other 99 things I want to do in life. Almost all would be places I want to take pictures of or at. A few of them are places I want to get photo’s printed. Tonight’s post is about one of those. One of the things i want to do before I die is get one of my photo’s printed on a Jones Soda bottle. Tonight I start that dream. I will post my attempts over time and let you go vote on them to see if you can help me get printed. Now those of you that might know something about Jones Soda are thinking, “Cptn.J you know you can just pay to get them to send you a few bottles with what ever picture you want.” Yes I know this, but I want it to be on every store shelf across the US, Canada and anywhere else they might ship those lovely natural sugary goodness to.

So here it is. Attempt number one. Hope you enjoy it. Vote Here – Speedy doing the Robot.

There are nights that you do things that seem so simple they couldn’t possible have negative repercussions. Well at least you figure it is that way. A few nights ago we decided that our kitchens small radio just didn’t have any music that we were interested in. So I cracked out the nearest laptop and launched Pandora. We quickly realized that my selection of music isn’t completely kid friendly. As in they hate the things I listen to at work. I love techno and trance. I think it is the best thing to write crazy hard code to. Your mind just flows and with headphones on you can tune the world out and get amazing things done. So my lovely wife decides that a little Jonas Brothers will do the trick. 30 minutes later and you have a great channel that the kids can listen to at any time.

Moments later dinner is ready. You just close the laptop lid and forget about it. Well that is at least what I thought. Fast forward 12 hours… There is Cptn.J showing up to work. Grabbing his laptop, setting it on his desk. Plugging it in and what is that crazy loud music blaring on his laptop. It takes an amazingly long time for a windows computer to wake up. But it doesn’t take anytime what so ever for your music to start right up. You think they could get that figured out. If only it was playing something manly or geeky. But no it has to be Jonas Brothers. All that time spent convincing your fellow coworkers your this super uber geek pirate captain, wasted. Now I have to start again. Will they ever forget? Only time will tell.

In the mean time if you want to check out some of my best Pandora just take a look below.

• DJ Tiesto
• No Doubt Radio
• Jonas Brothers Radio
• Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

One of my hero’s in life has always been and will always be Martin Luther King, Jr. From the first time I heard his stories and read his “I have a dream” speech he has been a man to be measured by in my mind. As I grew older I have learned that he was much more then one speech. It may have changed the world, but his work before and after were of the same caliber. To say he was the youngest person to ever receive a noble peace prize can only take away from  what he did to receive it.

Following it the foot step of the great Gandhi his ever pressing passion for non-violent civil disobedience and his words changed how mankind looked at one another. His example will forever change my views and I hope the views generations to come. I believe his example was a great reflection of the love of our savior. May all men be more like the great martin Luther King, Jr who reflects the light of Christ.

I hope that as I raise my children I will teach them the things that he stood for, and teach them to be the same kind of man that he was. He stood for the things he believed in and never backed down. He felt that if something was worth standing for, it was worth dieing for. He believed all men were created equal and that the government was required to put laws in place to protect those rights. I hope his dream continues.

Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr

If you just started reading this blog, I welcome you. If you know me then you should know of my growing fixation with genealogy. If you don’t know me then you might be asking yourself, “Self, why does this Cptn.J guy write about Technology, Design and photography. With a dash of crazy. Then put in something that seems so unrelated as genealogy??” The answer that question is, because. There is a good reason but this is not the forum for you to know. If you ever meet me in life feel free to ask. If I am in a good mood, I might answer. But don’t count on it.

Now back to the show…

I shall call you Ishmael! Ya you. The reader. That is what I am going to call you. Ismael. Grab your hat, compass and harpoon. Because we are going looking for the white whale. You can call me Captain J and we are about to embark on an adventure. One of excitement, depression and joy. There will be ups and downs. In the end I hope to find a family member or two. If that is all I accomplish it will be a success. If I truly get  my Moby Dick the world will be a better place for it. Only time will tell.

A few months ago I was asked to attend a genealogy class. Before that I knew that it was an important part to my faith. That people around me found happiness and joy out of it. But I only gave it a passing glance. I knew I was from tough pioneer stock. I have a book that contains the writings of my ancestors. I have read that many times and have used it to inspire and teach. I am thankful for the stories found in it. But me do research? The task seemed so daunting. Where would I start. That book contains a hand written line back to Adam. There had to be hundreds and thousands of my family doing work or so I believed. If they hadn’t found anything how could I? So I said sure.

Over the next few weeks and years I hope to teach you the things I learned and will learn. I hope to share with you things that I know now to be myths about genealogy and how large of a task all of us have in front of us. In the end I hope to start a movement that changes the industry.

So grab your ores, man the long boat and spend every Thursday here on the Pequod. Where we all shall learn together to be sailors on the sea called Genealogy!

Your captain for this adventure, Cptn.J

When I decided that I wanted to write a new blog I had an idea of the design and functionality. I wanted it to be segregated into four distinct areas or sections. Those being, Life Style, Photography & Design, Genealogy, and Technology. So that I could have four really different groups of people reading here. But they really are my interests.

So I started poking around at other sites to find colors and a feel that I wanted to follow. In time I found a few blogs out there that I loved how they did things and a few designs that I liked. Next I started working on my design. But it just hasn’t come to me yet. I got the background and that is about it. Check it out. It isn’t much but there it is.

In my work I came across the worst sites of 2009 list. I have to say wow, I didn’t think people still did sites like these. Awesome… I want to get on this list some day, it would be fun

American Beauty Border Collie

So what is wrong with this? Nothing if you don’t mind that all your text is in images and you think floating penguins will help you sell border collies.

All Star Farm

LOL, you have to  be joking me. I hope that they didn’t pay a cent for this one. So funny