November 2002 Archived Article Abstracts

Can't calculate your EPV? Don't know your KFCP from a hole in the ground? The Search Engine Dictionary is an alphabetical listing of over 300 terms and definitions related to search engines, from About to Zone. Results have pretty good annotation and plenty of crosslinking. If you find the dictionary very handy, there's a free PDF version you can download. The author of the dictionary welcomes additions and corrections.

SpyWare Nuker will scan your PC Absolutely FREE and let you know if you have any files that are infecting your PC!

If you are like most people on the Net, you've most likely downloaded music on the Net.

Did you know that when you use these file sharing services, they infect your computer with Spy Ware or Ad Ware?

Did you know that by simply clicking on a random "pop up" ad, your computer may have been infected with Spy Ware?

Spy ware & Ad ware are files that are installed on your computer without your knowledge. They allow companies to monitor your Internet browsing patterns and even allow companies to inundate you with those annoying "pop up" ads!

If after you've downloaded some music, you started getting those annoying ads popping up on your screen, you've been infected with Spy Ware and/or Ad Ware!

There are right ways -- and wrong ways -- of using the Internet as a search resource. Newcomers often make the mistake of thinking that "everything" can be found on the net. Wizened information professionals often mistakenly believe that the Net is nothing but an online cyberslum offering nothing of merit. The truth lies somewhere between these two extreme views.

Along with the many commercially built web directories available on the web, several non-commerical options exist which offer the searcher well organized collections of high quality resources.

The 1901 Census offers a rich source of information about Canada and Canadians at the turn of the 20th Century. Through this research tool you can access digitized images of the original census returns, which record age, nationality, religion, profession, income, education, etc for every single resident of Canada on 31 March 1901.

This tool allows researchers to search by geographic location only. As this is not a nominally-indexed database, it is not searchable by family name. The digital images within this database are copies of the original microfilm records held by the National Archives of Canada. The information on these images can be used to prepare family histories, the history of towns and villages, research immigration trends and a great deal more. See what you can discover!

In 1955, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics(4) was authorized by the Public Records Committee(5) to film and destroy the original paper records of the 1901 Census. As a result, only a microfilm copy of the 1901 Census exists as an archival holding. The microfilming of these records was not of consistent quality and not all images are decipherable. Unfortunately, the destruction of the paper records means that there is no recourse when a record is unreadable.

Death certificates are a useful resource for genealogical and family history research. The Minnesota Historical Society hosts this online index of death certificates to improve access to this popular resource. Currently, the database indexes the years from 1908 through 1996. For information about other years, see "sources" on the FAQ page.

From this page you can search by first and last name (exact or Soundex) year of death (or range of years) or county of death. You can sort results by last name, first name, death year, or county of death. Search results vary depending on the date of death, but possible information available for each entry includes date of birth and date of death, place of birth, mother's maiden name, and certificate ID number.

The Maple Leaf Legacy Project is an immense project to "photograph or obtain a photograph of every Canadian War Grave of the 20th Century." This includes Canadians who served in British units and Americans who served in Canadian units.

When you visit the site you won't get access to a database of photographs -- it's not ready yet. However, the site does allow you to request a photo of a grave if available (so far over 55,000 names from graves and memorials have been photographed). For genealogy researchers, this site offers several hints for getting good photos of ravestones and offers a standard way to take photographs in a cemetery. There's a list of countries with Canadian war graves, including number of graves in each country (some of these countries have been actually been completed!) and a link list.