You just gotta love technology. Many genealogists use online websites in order to do their genealogy research. Some of you may be backing up your research on your computer. However, there are several other interesting genealogy related things out there that you can use through your computer, iPad, or smartphone.
It’s important for all genealogists to make copies of their research. While it is possible to transcribe copies of documents and records by hand, this can prove to be too time consuming for many people to do. An excellent alternative solution is to back up your research in an electronic format. Doing so provides you with some protection. If there is a fire in your home, you could lose everything, including all those precious records, documents, and photos of your ancestors. The copy you saved online, offsite, will still be available to you.
There are many different companies that offer server space to customers. BackUpMyTree is one you may have heard of, perhaps because it is free. Another one is called Mozy. This one used to provide unlimited space for $5.00 a month, but it recently stopped offering that. Instead, you can pay $6.00 a month, for 50GB of space. If you have a lot of photos of ancestors and relatives, you might want to get a Flickr account, and upload them there. You can get unlimited storage for $25.00 a year.
Genealogists who have an iPad, or an iPhone, may want to check out the Ancestry App. It is created by the makers of Ancestry.com. This app allows you to log into your Ancestry.com account without having to sit down in front of your computer. You can access your family tree, upload photos, add notes, see shared trees, and view records through the app. This can be incredibly convenient for genealogists who are doing research in a cemetery, or at an archive or library. It makes the Ancestry.com website portable. Version 2.0 of the Ancestry app is free, and can be downloaded from the iTunes store.
There are several games that involve genetics. One is called Alchemy – Genetics and it is designed for Android users. Mix animals and their genes to create new breeds. There are over 200 variants that you can create in this game, and the game counts down each one you make. The game has recently been updated to show you the genes of the animals in the game, which is supposed to make things a little bit easier.
Phylo is a game that you can play on your computer, through your browser. This is an interactive game that allows players to make a contribution to genetic science. Compare one genetic sequence to another one, and try to make them match up. Basically, this game allows real human beings to find the patterns, instead of using a complicated computer algorithm to do the same task. You are able to choose which genetically heritable disease that you want to help scientists learn more about.
Image by Ricky Romero on Flickr