Genealogy software wishlist

Okay, so here’s what I wish I had available in a software package. Any mad coders out there feel like putting it together? ;) (This has been submitted to the LazyWeb.)

  • A web-driven genealogy software package (PHP/Perl/Python with a database backend?).
  • One page per family member, able to display (at minimum, though not all items would necessarily exist for every page):
    • Links to immediate family members (one degree of seperation: parents, siblings, spouses, children).
    • Vital statistics (birth, marriage, divorce, death). This could be expanded to include christening, baptism, etc. for situations where such dates are recorded.
    • Biographical and/or historical information — stories, memories, etc.
    • Pictures.
    • Contact info for still-living members.
  • User registration.
  • Logged-in users would be able to easily edit any individual page on the tree to add memories, stories, information, etc. (Wiki-style ‘edit this page’ links?).
  • Logged-in users should also be able to create new pages for family members not already in the tree. New pages should follow a template to ensure that a consistent look-and-feel is maintained as much as possible.
  • Wiki-like ease in adding pages and linking pages together. IE, one of the things I really like about the Wiki concept is how easy it is to (in this concept) let the tree grow. When creating my page, all I had to do was add WikiWords for my relatives, and I could then jump to and create/edit their pages. Functionality such as this is far easier than having to log into a central database and create new records for each new entry and then have to go back and edit all pages that would link to the new entry.
    • I’m still not sure how to best work around the issue with multiple family members with the same name.
  • Administrators should be able to review and approve/disapprove new users, get a list of recent changes, possibly approve/disapprove page edits before incorporation (this is optional, I think).
  • HTML output should be clean, standards-compliant, using CSS for styling, etc.
  • RSS/XML/Atom feeds of recently changed/added pages (preferably with an option to subscribe to either ‘minimal’ feeds listing only changed pages, ‘short’ feeds listing the edited page and the changes, and ‘full’ feeds listing the edited pages and the full text with changes marked in some way).
  • (This might be pipe dream territory) A dynamically-generated (Java? DHTML?) overview of the tree or branches of the tree. I’m visualizing being able to start with a simple tree of one nuclear family. Lines leading away from members would indicate further information along the branch. Clicking on a member (parent, spouse, child, etc.) would “slide” the display to that member’s nuclear family. “Zoom out” would allow more branches to be viewed (and would need a “Zoom in” control to return to a single-family view. “Detail” links on each member would lead to the individual member’s page (which would have a “View tree” link to switch to the dynamic tree view).
  • Possibly more as I come up with it.

If I had the time, I’d start diving heavily into PHP (or Perl, or Python)/MySQL and start attempting to build this myself. However, I don’t have the time, and something tells me that this might be complex enough to be fairly overwhelming as a first project.

If this software existed, I’d gladly pay for it (hopefully it would be within my price range, of course). At the moment, if anyone feels up to attempting to code it together, I’d gladly beta test!

So how crazy am I? How does this feature wish list sound? Is there already something out there on the ‘net that might cover some or all of this (aside from Wiki, which I’m already exploring) that I haven’t found yet?

Questions, comments, and words of wisdom are, as always, appreciated.

Update: Hot damn — PhpGedView just might be it!

Back home with lots of pictures

I made it back in last night safe and sound, and immediately crawled into bed and crashed out. While it was a wonderful trip, it was fairly mile-a-minute for much of it, and sleep was a very good thing when I got in.

I’ve managed to get my photos of the trip uploaded, though for some reason the software doesn’t seem to be sorting them correctly, even after I’ve told it (twice) to sort by the timestamp on the pictures. Ah, well. Feel free to take a look, just realize that many of the shots are out of sequence. I’ll work on rearranging them after I get home from work tonight.

Also, as I’m a bear of very little brain, there are a lot of people pictured who I couldn’t remember the names of. If any family members who are able to could add comments to the photos with the names of the people in question, I’d greatly appreciate it!

Preparing to head home

Well, the deed is done — there are now three sets of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Hanscom’ in our branch of the Hanscom family.

The wedding was yesterday at the Memphis Botanic Garden, and went off very nicely. Dad and Aunt Susan were the officiates for the ceremony, Kev’s friend Stu and I were groomsmen (and I was best man), Em’s sister Elizabeth and friend Heather were the bridesmaids, and music was provided by mom and dad. Very nice, short, and sweet. There was a good laugh when Susan got names slightly confused and directed Em to place the ring onto Michael’s finger rather than Kevin’s — I didn’t realize that I was coming to Memphis to get married! Em knew which hand to aim for, though, and aside from being able to gently tease Susan about it, it didn’t cause a fuss at all.

Lots of pictures were taken, of course. Dad and I will be posting ours in the Hanscom Family photo gallery as soon as we get home, we should be getting Susan and Eric’s pictures added after they’re developed and sent to us, and there may be more after that. Quite likely only of any real interest to close family and friends, but still, they’ll be there.

Right now mom and dad are visiting with Em’s parents, and I’ll be getting shuttled off to the airport in about three hours or so. A short hop from Memphis to Cincinatti, and then from Cincinatti to Seattle, and I’ll be back home.

It’s been a wonderful weekend, though. I got to spend some time getting to know my cousins better — one of the downsides to being up in Alaska for much of my life was that I haven’t had as many chances to meet many of my relatives as often as I might have otherwise. Big family get-togethers such as weddings are good for rectifying such situations, though, which was a lot of fun. Mom, Eric and I spent a fun few hours debating politics last night (Susan and Eric form one of the few bastions of Republicanism in our immediate family), and Doug, Pam, Kayt, and Hannah came by our hotel room to visit for a while yesterday, which gave me some time to visit with Kayt (and give her a demo of my iPod that ended with her gently reminding her parents that she’s got a birthday coming up, and the iPod mini‘s are only \$250…).

Anyway, this is coming out all jumbled — I’m still a little out of it (hotel fold-out beds are not comfortable and do not promote a good night’s sleep), and there’s been so much going on this weekend that my brain’s still processing a fair amount of it. Not a bad thing in the least, but I’m sure that it doesn’t necessarily lead to the most coherent narratives. :) So on that note, I think I’m out until I get home.

Too many people!

Well, no, not really “too many.” One hell of a lot, though.

We had our big dinner tonight at Rendevouz, a barbecue joint in downtown Memphis. I walked in, and was amazed — and ended up remarking to mom at one point how much I liked “small weddings.” Final count was forty people. I suppose that doesn’t really sound like all that much, but it was definitely something of a surprise (albeit a pleasant one).

Afterwards Kev and I wandered around Beale Street, apparently the main nightlife district here. Looked like fun, but between lots of people holed up for Valentines day and a chilly, rainy evening, it was apparently much slower than usual. Still, it was at least worth a lot.

I’m going to be crashing out with Em’s family for the night, but at the moment Kev, Wes and I are heading out to a local bar for Kev’s last night out as a bachelor — I’m not sure it’s going to be much of a “bachelor party,” but it’s at least more than just coming straight home and crashing out.

Besides — my little brother’s going to be married in another fourteen hours. I owe him a drink. :)

The day before

I’m sitting at the house that Kevin and Emily have been staying at, taking advantage of a momentary lull in the activities of the day to check in for a few minutes.

So far, things have been fairly expectedly hectic. I arrived in Memphis yesterday evening about 7:30pm local time, and Kevin met me at the airport. Mom and Dad were arriving just an hour later, so Kev and I just hung out there for a while, gathered mom and dad when they came off of their plane, and we all found our way back to our hotel.

A late dinner followed at a local restaurant, where the four of us met up with Emily and her parents, Ted and Sally. Lots of good conversation there, as everyone got to know each other (since mom, dad and I had yet to meet any of the rest of Em’s family), until travel caught up with us all and we headed back to the hotel.

Today started really early, with a 9:30am breakfast gathering at Em’s grandparents farm just across the border in Mississippi (so I’m actually adding two states to my “where I’ve been” list than just one on this trip). Lots of people there that I’m having a hard time keeping them all seperate in my head. Myself, mom, dad, Kev, Em, Em’s brothers Ted and Wes and her sister Elizabeth, her parents Ted and Sally, her grandparents, a friend of Em’s from the Peace Corps, and a few other assorted cousins (?) and other relations that I’m losing track of.

More people are coming in over the course of the day today, including my dad’s sister Susan and her son Eric; dad’s brother Doug and his wife Pam, and their daughters Kayt and Hannah; my great-uncle (?) Bob Wills and possibly some of his clan; another of Em’s friends from Peace Corps just showed up; Kev’s currently off attempting to rescue his friend Stuart and his wife Sara from a hotel that apparently overbooked and left them without a room; and I’m sure there are more appearing (or already here) that I’ve forgotten. Considering that Kev and Em were originally just going to “elope” until Em’s aunt convinced them to have a “small wedding” here, the list of names and people involved just seems to get longer and longer every time I turn around!

Right now, with Kev off playing the gallant hero, mom and dad resting at the hotel, much of Em’s family invovled in prearations for tonight’s barbecue gathering (and possibly mini-rehearsal, though we keep being assured that a rehearsal hasn’t been planned), and Em holed up in a room here with her sister and friends working on her dress (or hair, or something…I’m male, I’m not expected to know what’s going on, I think), I’ve ended up without any responsibilities for a few minutes.

And so I’m here.

Now there’s a surprise. ;)

Kev just showed up with Sara (though Stu is still missing in action), so I think I’m expected to interact with people again…

Goin’ to the chapel and they’re gonna get married…

I’m off to the airport — my brother Kevin and his fiancee Emily are getting married on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, and I’m heading down to be best man at the wedding!

I have absolutely no clue if I’ll have any sort of computer access while I’m gone, so posting may be infrequent to nonexistent until sometime late Monday or Tuesday, as will replies to any e-mail.

While I’m gone, have fun, be good, and try not to burn the place down.

And no parties.

I mean it.

Good advice

Quite a few of these gave me a good laugh.

Kids, this is all the shit I had to learn the hard way. Now that I’m retired it’s time to pass it on, so you won’t have to suffer the same indignities I did.

Don’t use one of those little Handi-Vac things to empty an ashtray. Because the inrush of air could potentially reignite any fading embers. And, uh, a big jet of flame might shoot out of the thing, surprising you and making you scream like a ten-year-old girl. And you might knock over your beer.

If you’re ever fishing, and a poisonous water moccasin swims up to try and eat one of the fish on your stringer, and you think that maybe flipping the snake out of the water and onto, say, me is a good idea, please reconsider.

Just because you can stick toothpicks in your forehead and they’ll stay there and it doesn’t really hurt all that bad doesn’t mean you should go ahead and do it, at Denny’s or any other restaurant.

All those skinheads over there? They’ll beat your ass.

Yes, popping a paper bag in the mall makes a very loud noise. Yes, you can hear that shit echoing all through the place. Yes, rent-a-cops are all dicks.

Don’t try to pee and ride a bicycle at the same time, even if Jim Marburger can do it. Not that you were watching or anything.

The rash won’t go away on its own.

Should you ever decide to use bamboo sticks and stretchy, decorative string that’s designed to wrap presents to make a bow and arrow, and should you decide to wad up a bunch of duct tape on the end of your arrow and soak it with WD-40 so it’ll, you know, burn better, I would recommend not shooting the flaming arrow onto the roof of a house, or into the lap of your friend’s cousin. Even by accident.

There are no secrets when it comes to fucking. Everyone will eventually find out about it, and probably a lot sooner than you want them to.

God created assistant managers when he was in a really shitty mood.

Knife wounds inflicted on bodily extremities, such as hands, should receive firm pressure with a clean, dry towel or cloth. Elevate if possible. Remember, dry is the key. The wet washcloth is a poor choice for staunching blood flow, no matter what you’ve heard.

Be careful of what you headbutt. Some doors are not as sturdy as they might first look, and it can be hard to estimate your own strength immediately after inhaling nitrous oxide.

Wear the condom. No, for the love of Pete, not the mint-flavored one. Jesus, that thing burns.

Here’s a helpful tip for job interviews: try not to stab your future boss in the arm with a freshly sharpened pencil. If you must stab someone with a pencil, have the common sense to dull the point to a state where you can be sure it won’t easily break the skin.

Burt Reynolds? Nope. Tom Selleck? Uh uh. Try Chile D. Molester. Shave that fucking mustache.

If someone passes out on the couch and you want to put them in a figure-four leglock, ensure that the hold is correctly applied before they wake and fuck your goddamn knee all up.

Head wounds do tend to bleed a lot. Don’t panic.

Pajamas are indeed comfy, but society dictates we not wear them to school, work or the bowling alley.

For that matter, be aware that bowling alley employees may have a limited tolerance for other non-pajama-related behaviors, such as getting all loaded and pretending to be Godzilla and stomping on that windmill over there in the indoor miniature golf course.

You better ask before you try and stick your finger up there.

Socks should match your pants, and your belt should match your shoes. After that, if anyone complains, tell ’em they should be happy you’re wearing any clothes at all.

If you suspect someone likes to do a lot of cocaine, don’t let them “borrow” your CDs.

Try not to get too depressed. There’s always something to look forward to. Keep alert, and sooner or later you’ll see someone slip and hurt themselves.

Beat off enough and eventually someone will walk in on you while you’re doing it. When this happens, pause, look them directly in the eye and say, “You done ruined the romance, so go ahead and say whatever it is you want to say.” If they don’t immediately apologize and leave, run over there and put your hands on their face.

You should never put a string of lit Black Cat firecrackers in someone’s back pocket while they’re on stage playing bass guitar with their band. Even if they fucked your knee up by reversing the figure-four on you that one time. And even if you crack up at just the idea of someone with their pants are on fire jumping up and down and spinning around and around like a dog chasing its tail while trying to figure out what’s going on. Yup, someone could get their ass burned, so it’s wrong. Despite the fact that shit is really, really funny.

You can whoop those two guys easy enough. But what if they come back with a friend who’s big enough to lift you off the ground and pin you to the wall with one hand? What then, slugger? (You’re going to feel like a fucking idiot, that’s what.)

If, while chugging a beer, the phrase, “I bet this is going to be the last coherent thought I have tonight,” runs through your head, get someone to take you home. Now.

The cops never think it’s as funny as you do.

Be advised: the “Minnesota wristwatch” maneuver is correctly performed by using only the penis. The scrotum and testicles should neither be substituted nor included in any way.

Yeah, I know Sid Vicious wore a lock on a chain around his neck just like that. But the first time you try and pogo with that thing on it’s gonna chip a tooth, Road Warrior.

Sure, she’s good-lookin’. She’s also crazy. Crazy as a shithouse rat. Run for your life.

Just because one of those made you feel nice and two of ’em made you feel even better, taking the whole bottle will not exponentially increase your good time. In fact, you may get dizzy, or throw up, or end up spending half of the next day wondering where the hell your pants are. Or die.

The bouncer at Mons Venus always knows best. If he says you should stop, then you should stop.

Strictly speaking, ranch dressing is not an ingredient.

Yes, you got grounded for having the very same porn stash that turned up in Dad’s closet six months later. You still can’t bring it up. The cosmic scales of justice will never tip in your favor on this one, trust me. Bide your time patiently, and one day you might get the chance for revenge. Like, by unplugging his dialysis machine. Or something.

Now that you’ve climbed up there, it’s a lot higher than it looks, isn’t it? Dumbass.

You can use Krazy Glue in lieu of surgical stitches. For when you’re, you know, too poor to go to the emergency room. Or trying to avoid explaining things to the police.

The Renaissance Faire may not be the source of all your problems, but it sure as shit isn’t helping any.

You’re probably doing something that bugs the next guy twice as much. Clam up and get on with your life.

Powdered cocoa won’t put out the fire.

If you accidentally rear-end another car while driving, Florida law dictates that you must stop and confer with the affected party. Turns out just waving to let folks know you’re alright while driving away is a little something the state troopers like to call “leaving the scene of an accident.”

When it comes time to pick out that first tattoo, remember: it doesn’t matter how much you like that one comic book. There’s always a chance that eight years later someone will make a movie of it that stars Sylvester Stallone. And you’ll be fucked.

You might not be able to remember it, but if you wake up the next day with a bloody nose, no money, barf all over your jeans and a finger or two smelling like poontang then you had a good night.

Always look behind you before you make that first cast. That boat may be smaller than you think. And Jim Marburger’s dad might be taking up more space than you think, too.

Dungeons and Dragons never goes away. Girls will still sense that shit 20 years later.

Last but certainly not least: if you don’t want Sweet Dick Willy to give you a lapdance, don’t sit so damn close to the stage.

(via Something Positive)

iTunes: “Faith to Believe” by Liquid Jesus from the album Pour In the Sky (1991, 4:55).

So much for that secure entrance…

“Hey…could you help me?”

I turned around, halfway out the front door of the apartment building. Dan, one of the new tenants, was standing at the bottom of the half-flight of stairs leading from the landing down to the ground floor. He looked up at me with a slightly frantic look on his face. “What’s up?” I asked.

“There’s this crazy guy wandering the halls.”

Here?”

“Yeah. He keeps banging on the doors…I don’t know what to do.”

I let the door close behind me and went down the stairs. “Is he down here?”

“Yeah, down at the end of the hall.”

Going around the corner, I walked down the hall to meet our unexpected and uninvited guest. He was standing at the end of the hall by the door leading down to the basement, leaning up against the corner.

“Sir?” I said. “Can I help you?” He grumbled something at me, I’m honestly not sure what. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t understand you. Are you supposed to be in here?” Another unintelligible grumble.

Great, this was going to be a fun one. “Sir, could you please leave?” More grumbling, though not grumbling of a cooperative nature. “I’m going to have to call the police if you don’t leave now.”

This got more of a response. “Yeah. Call the police. Take this outside. C’mon!”

“Sure, let’s take this outside,” I said, figuring that it would at least get the guy out the door. He started down the hall towards me, and I backed away, leading him towards the door. Eventually, I made my way back up to the landing where Dan was waiting at the door. Dan opened the door and stepped outside, and I stood at the landing, looking down the staircase at our new friend. “Sir? Did you want to head outside now?”

“Call the fuckin’ police. Outside. Both of you!” He still wasn’t very cooperative, but apparently he’d only go outside if both Dan and I went out first — assuming he’d even go outside then. I wasn’t terribly convinced.

“Dan, could I borrow your phone?” Dan handed me his cell, and I called 911 as the guy retreated around the stairs to stand by the building’s mailboxes.

“Emergency dispatch.”

“Yes — we’ve got a vagrant roaming through our building, banging on doors.”

“Where are you located, sir?”

“8th and Seneca.”

“Could you describe the person in case he leaves?”

“Sure — about six foot, black, with a greying beard. He’s wearing a grey jacket with blue trim, no shirt underneath, and maroon sweatpants. He’s got safety glasses on upside down,” (here the dispatcher started to laugh) “and one white shoe. No socks.”

“Alright, we’ll have someone there in just a few minutes.”

I thanked her, and hung up. Dan and I chatted for a few moments on the landing as we waited, occasionally ducking some small piece of debris that the guy had found lying by the mailboxes and sent sailing in our general direction. Eventually, he got tired of taking clumsy pot-shots (or just ran out of ammunition) and wandered back down the hall, at which point Dan headed down to keep an eye on him, and I stood at the door and waited for the officers.

A few minutes later, two patrol cars pulled up in front of the building, I let the officers in and pointed them down the stairs to our guest. They headed down and found him seated at the end of the hallway.

“Okay, come on,” the first officer said. “I talked to you yesterday about this. Matter of fact, this guy talked to you too,” he said, gesturing towards his partner. The guy mumbled something I couldn’t understand, but it didn’t seem to make the police officer any happier. “Look we’re tired of seeing you in here, okay? It’s time to go! What did you do with your shoes?” Another mumble, and a vague gesture down the hall.

“He had one shoe on a bit ago,” I called down the hall, realizing that the man was now entirely barefoot. The first officer started guiding the man towards the door, and his partner went down the hall, coming back a moment later with both shoes.

As the officers worked their way towards the front door of the building, some of the other tenants came downstairs, heading out. One of them saw the flashing lights outside the entrance, and turned to took a look at what was going on. “Oh, shit!” he said. “That’s the same guy that was in here yesterday!”

“Who keeps letting him in?” I asked. They just shrugged, and went on out. I stood out of the way while the officers ushered the man outside, then stood outside while they put him up against one of the patrol cars and started going through his pockets.

After watching for a few minutes, I asked if they needed either Dan or I for anything else. “No, we’re fine here,” said one of the officers. We thanked them for coming out, and started up the hill, Dan to a friend’s apartment a few blocks away, and I continued on up to the Vogue.

Ahh, the joys of downtown Seattle.

Uff-da

After fourteen trips down and up six stories to get three loads of laundry done, I really wish that they’d just go ahead and get the damn elevator in this place fixed.

iTunes: \”Alright*\” by Lizette & from the album & So… (2001, 4:25).