The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

A new buzzword is becoming popular in high tech. Well, it isn't really a new buzzWORD as much as it is a buzzABBREVIATION (if there is such a thing). 

According to Wikipedia's definition of IPFS: 

"The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. IPFS uses content-addressing to uniquely identify each file in a global namespace connecting all computing devices."

While that explanation is technically correct, I think it deserves a bit more explanation. I prefer the explanation offered on IPFS.com:

"A peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol designed to preserve and grow humanity's knowledge by making the web upgradeable, resilient, and more open.""

Even that is a bit cryptic. I would prefer:

"IPFS is the next iteration of cloud computing.'

Another simplistic explanation might be: "The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system."

I have been using IPFS to store backup copies of all my newly-created files for the past several months and I am very impressed with these low-cost file storage services. I thought I would describe them this article.

Cloud computing has become one of the major advances in computing technology of the past decade or so. It provides both increased file space for storage of thousands of files as well as (optional) backup copies of files already stored locally in your own computer(s). Again, referring to Wikipedia:

"Large clouds often have functions distributed over multiple locations, each location being a data center. Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and typically using a 'pay-as-you-go' model which can help in reducing capital expenses but may also lead to unexpected operating expenses for unaware users."

IPFS deviates from that definition in that each location does NOT need to be in a data center.

In addition, IPFS typically offers lower prices for data that is stored off-site. In addition, IPFS offers encryption and other techniques to keep your data private, meaning that nobody else can view any of your data other than yourself (unless you explicitly give others permission to view your files). 

IPFS is an abbreviation for "Interplanetary File System" which should win some sort of award for the coolest product name in the industry. "Interplanetary?" Just what is that?

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The state of New Jersey, where Reclaim The Records has successfully acquired and freely released millions of historical records in recent years, is trying to amend their state-level Freedom of Information law, which they call the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), to limit access through bills S2930/A4045.

This controversial plan was pulled from the state Appropriations Committee at the last minute with promises that it would return.

“Democracy is being threatened all over the country, and this is an outrageous and immoral effort,” Beverly Brown Ruggia, the financial justice program director for New Jersey Citizen Action said, calling the bill an “attempt to gut one of the most democratic” pieces of legislation in the state.

This bill to gut the power of the state’s public records law has raised concern among genealogists, historians, journalists, and champions for government transparency to the level of action.

Recent efforts through OPRA have finally released the New Jersey Marriage Index (1901-2016). Back in 2017, when they first tried to get a copy, the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) refused to release the index and Reclaim the Records prepared to file suit. With the help of the office the New Jersey Attorney General they were eventually posted online, for free, for everyone.  A few months later, Reclaim the Records again leveraged OPRA to obtain the first-ever New Jersey Death Index.

One of the reasons these efforts were possible was that unlike many other states’ open records laws, New Jersey’s OPRA mandates that someone who wins a records access lawsuit against the state deserves to have their attorneys fees paid by the state. Because of this, state government agencies are more hesitant to blatantly break the law and wrongly withhold records from the public, because they know they will be on the hook for the fees if they lose the case.

The newly-proposed bill would change that law however, an attempt to chill the ability of requestors to challenge agencies that withhold government records.

You can read more in an article in the New York Almanack web site at: https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2024/03/new-jersey-records-access/

Jewish New York was once defined by pushcarts and peddlers; immigrants arriving through Ellis Island; densely packed kosher restaurants; lively Yiddish theater and daily newspapers in Yiddish and Ladino. 

Those days are long gone — but that period is just some of the Jewish history captured in documents and ephemera collected and carefully cataloged by the Dorot Jewish Division at the New York Public Library. Their collection includes the very first edition, in 1897, of the Yiddish daily newspaper Der Forverts, matchbooks from Jewish businesses like Schapiro’s Kosher Wines, scripts of plays from the Yiddish writer Sholem Asch and photographs of the Lower East Side from more than 100 years ago. 

A photograph of street life on the Lower East Side taken by Morris Huberland. (Courtesy Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs)

For decades, New Yorkers could request to see such items during a visit to the New York Public Library’s main branch. 

Now, as part of a belated celebration of the Dorot Jewish Division’s 125th anniversary — which was marked officially in November 2022 — the library has curated and digitized select materials from the division’s archives for a new online exhibit. Now, anyone, anywhere can virtually scroll through thousands of years of Jewish history both local and global, from amulets found in Jewish tombs in Jordan dating to the fifth and sixth centuries to a 1903 guide welcoming new Jewish immigrants to the U.S. 

You can read more in an article by Julia Gergely  published in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency web site at: https://tinyurl.com/2rcv33jd.

American Ancestors' newest initiative, 10 Million Names, combines the work of historians and genealogists to bring the past to the present. 

It’s a sad fact that identities of people who were enslaved in the United States have historically been obscured, if not completely unreported. But a Boston-based non-profit organization hopes to bridge the gap between living descendants of Africans today and their often forgotten ancestors. 

The long-term goal of American Ancestors’ 10 Million Names project is to recover every name of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children enslaved on the land that became the United States.

American Ancestors is the global brand of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. NEHGS was the first genealogical society in the nation, established in 1845. Their newest initiative, 10 Million Names, combines the work of historians and genealogists to bring the past to the present. 

American Ancestors has shifted to a broader perspective in recent years, moving well beyond New England. Recently, for instance, they worked with Richard Cellini — now a member of the 10 Million Names advisory board — on the Georgetown Memory Project. 

Through their collaboration, the memory project presented the family history of 272 people found on a bill of sale between Jesuit priests of Georgetown University (then Georgetown College) to plantations in Maryland and Louisiana. 

You can read more in an article by Adora Brown published in the boston.com web site at: https://tinyurl.com/wfzjn3mp.

In Tennessee, there's a proposal to make it illegal for first cousins to marry each other. Representative Darren Jernigan introduced the proposal in the House, and Senator Jeff Yarbro introduced it in the Senate.

The proposal wants to change a part of Tennessee law about who can marry who. Right now, it's not allowed for cousins to marry, but the proposal wants to make it clearer by saying descendants of grandparents can't marry either.

The bill states, "Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 36-3-101, is amended by deleting the language "nor the child of a grandparent" and substituting "nor the lineal descendant of a grandparent."

You can read more in an article at: https://97x.com/tennessee-lawmakers-outlawed-first-cousin-marriages/

Genealogists typically read lots of obituaries but very few of them match the one for George Ferguson of Oak Bay, British Columbia. Quoting from George's obituary:

"What to say about George? Certainly, no one could accuse him of having been a loving son, brother, or father. He'd gladly have stolen the shirt off your back and he was generous to a fault with other people's money. Was he a small-time con-man with grandiose schemes? Probably. But another view of him is that he was the most exciting member of his family and of the families he married into. He was a poor man's rhetorician who beguiled certain woman into buying into his promises and dreams."

"...he was a United Church minister who passionately improvised sermons for congregations in Quesnel, Barkerville, Bella Bella, Greenwood, Nipawin, Sask. and Kelowna. It is impossible to say whether or not George was actually religious. Anyway, God's name rarely came up when George was flush."

As to his death:

"The next day, we brought in some beer, toasted his life with him, drank with him, and helped him to make several thoughtful good-bye phone calls. He reminisced a bit and gave us a few unhelpful instructions. He died without pain the next evening..."

I never met George Ferguson and I feel that is my loss. I suspect I would have liked him and probably even admired him for being such a scoundrel. After reading his obituary, you may have a different opinion of George.

This was a man who will long be remembered, although perhaps not for his charity and strong morals. You can read the full obituary at http://goo.gl/EdI8op.

I’m excited to share that the MyHeritage DNA kit is now on sale for a rare low price: only $36 USD!

Especially with Mother’s Day coming up, this is the perfect time to order a MyHeritage DNA kit. It reveals your origins across 2,114 regions and helps you find new family members across the globe, and as the DNA company with the most comprehensive set of DNA tools and the widest geographic reach, it’s the best option for genetic genealogy.

The following words were written by the folks at MyHeritage:

Buy a kit today!

As the world bursts into spring, it’s the perfect time to dig into your family history and discover your roots. And if you’re looking for a unique and meaningful Mother’s Day gift, a MyHeritage DNA kit is the perfect present. Together you can explore your family’s lineage and the stories that have shaped your family.

We recently featured the story of Peter Stefanovic, a MyHeritage user in the U.K. who used a MyHeritage DNA test to uncover his family’s hidden history. After his mother passed away without knowing her father, Peter’s test revealed three half-siblings and identified his grandfather, solving a longstanding mystery. This DNA discovery connected Peter with family members he had never met, providing closure and new relationships.

This sale is for a limited time only. Take advantage of our low price and order your MyHeritage DNA kit today.

Who knows what discoveries await?

From the York Dispatch web site:

The South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society and the History Center will present a half-day seminar Saturday focusing on research resources that can be accessed online.  

Presenters include experienced members of the field.  

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at the Historical Society Museum, 250 E. Market St. Tickets are $10 for History Center members, $20 for non-members. To register, visit www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/genealogical-seminar. 

The Augusta (Georgia) Genealogical Society Quarterly Virtual Genealogical Program will be held Saturday, 23 March 2024. It will be FREE to AGS members and nonmembers. Details may be found in the flyer here.

To cope with today’s digital era, the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) reported that it’s halfway through its digitalization thrust that, in turn, has encouraged more people to go back to the country’s official repository of information on cultural heritage and other literary resources.

According to NLP Director Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano, they have digitized roughly around “50 percent” of their big collection of rare old books and other learning materials published up to the 1950’s.

He has no inkling, though, as to when they can fully digitize their vast collection of reading and learning tools.

“If given the budget and everything, we can give what’s our definite timeline for that. What is important to us right now is our rare collection is digitized. That’s our target because new books can be bought now,” he told the BusinessMirror at the recent launch in Quezon City of the inaugural Philippine celebration of the International Children’s Book Day (ICBD).

For him, digitization is a part of the regular function and a never-ending drive of the National Library.

You can read more in an article by Roderick L. Abad published in the BusinessMiror.com web site at: https://tinyurl.com/ydnkvvbd.