Random bits

• What a miserable week. A sinus infection/cold/headache kept me at home most the week. I really wanted to do something, but I couldn't concentrate.


• Since genealogy was out of the question, I watched TV and DVDs. Or at least I sat in front of the TV when I couldn't sleep. I'm not sure I absorbed much. But is it me, or are commercials for Blockbuster and Netflix the only ads on these days? How much are those two companies spending in the battle to show who has a better online rental program? (For what it's worth, I think both services are about the same. The difference is that Blockbuster is giving away all kinds of free in-store rentals.)


• My prediction (based on no insider info): The Missouri State Archives and volunteers will complete the 1910-1956 death certificate project sometime in April, meaning that in exactly one year they will have done something really amazing. (For the record, I haven't worked on the project since completing the one and only packet I received in 2005.)


• Ancestry sent me an offer for a heavily discounted subscription. I probably should have signed up. Heck, eight bucks a month in exchange for not going to the library for specific lookups (primarily Ancestry's census indexes, which are superior to HeritageQuest) is a pretty good deal. On the other hand, I can't get enough done anyway. I really don't need easier access to more information I won't be using any time soon.


• I meant to comment on Ancestry adding Hamburg Emigration Lists to their offerings, which happened at the end of December. I don't know if anyone noticed, but that was free content for a few days -- remember their free access to the Immigration Collection through the end of the year? Once they get all of the lists indexed, that will be a fantastic online tool.


• I've ordered my DNA test kit from The Genographic Project.


• To those waiting on me for various genealogy related items, I'm sorry to say that everything is taking me forever to complete or get started on. I thought I'd have a relatively light winter at work, one where I could take along papers to read or edit at lunch, but it hasn't happened. Due to various decisions and an ice storm (which was good for business), I've been kept busy. I'll be happy just to have my winter work projects finished before spring hits, which is when we're really busy.


• A new version of Ancestral Quest has been released. Once a few things get ironed out, I'm really looking forward to using some of the new features.