There are some very sophisticated, yet cheap, photo enhancement programs now and those photos should be enhanced and stored on CD's and then re-stored on new mediums as they come out. You should take the data off those 5.25 floppies before they start losing it due to the age of the magnetic coating on them. Bill Watts CRAZYJCL@aol.com wrote: > > This is rather lengthy, but kinda true. nk. > > KEN & MARTHA: A LESSON IN DATA PRESERVATION" > by Michael John Neill > > It's 1968. Two genealogists are madly obtaining and compiling family > history information. Ken is converting all his data to punch cards. > "State-of-the-art" he says. Locals at the genealogical society brag > about how "modern" Ken is. He's been asked to discuss his technique with > several groups. Martha insists on using her old manual, "It worked for > Donald Lines Jacobus," she states, ignoring the blank stare she gets in > return. Ken jokes, "why Martha, you probably don' t have running > water." Martha calmly replies "I most certainly do-packing water from > the creek would take away from time at the courthouse." > > Martha uses good paper and good ribbons, but that doesn't matter to the > others. "Living back in the '30s," they say. Martha remembers using > court documents from the 1890s and the ease with which sixty years later > she read the judge's typewritten conclusions. She smiles to herself and > carries on. After all, her research has shown she's descended from a > stubborn, independent lot and a little ribbing won't sway Martha. > > It's 1998. Ken and Martha have been gone for years, the society members > who lauded Ken and ribbed Martha are mostly gone, current members are > largely unaware the two former members. Ken's heirs and Martha's too > have found their genealogical compilations in their respective attics > and have wisely donated them to the local genealogical society. The > acquisitions chairman quickly appoints someone to inventory and catalog > Martha's typewritten charts, forms, and histories before they are added > to the society's collection. The society is still trying to find someone > to do the same with Ken's cards. The comment "why don't we sell them as > bookmarks at our annual workshop" is initially laughed at but does > generate some serious interest. > > Pictures are also a part of Ken and Martha's collection. Martha's black > and whites have stood the test of time rather well. Some of the original > stones are gone, but Martha's pictures remain and will be archivally > preserved by the society. Ken's color photographs have faded and they, > in addition to his punch cards, are still awaiting a decision. > > While the "old way" of doing things is not necessarily the best way (I'm > partial to running water and electricity myself), Ken and Martha's story > makes a point about the use of technology. The blond hair in the > photograph of me at three years of age has faded. Today the photo makes > me look as if I've always had a receding hairline. > > I have a stack of 5.25" floppies sitting on my desk, gathering dust. > They all contain state-of-the-art software, and corresponding data > files. The only computer I have that reads 5.25" floppies sits in my > garage. With a null-modem I could transfer the files to the machine I > currently use. That works today and the machine in the garage is > thirteen years old.