A group of Horses

Is this Fair Use?

This morning I received an email from someone who was asking me for more information about a person they had found on my site at Ancestry.com but the first thing that popped into my feeble brain was that I don't have a website on Ancestry and I knew that what they were referring to was not on my freepages at RootsWeb!

So I went to Ancestry and did a search for "Phend" which brought up the following screen and didn't see anything out of the ordinary (click on any of the images to make them easier to read):



So I elected to view all 229 results:



The "Internet Biographical Collection" jumped out at me. Notice the padlock? I clicked on that link, but this is a "for pay" subscription database, and since I wasn't logged in I couldn't see the detail any more than the listing of pages, all of which, except for the last one, are from my website and they are definitely NOT part of Ancestry.com!!!



After logging in and clicking on "View Record" on one of the listings, what you see is shown below. No indication of where this came from, only a small link to "View Cached Web Page", Okay, so it says it is a cached page. . .



Click on "View Cached Web Page" (click on these images to make them bigger) you'll see a small link at the top of the page to "View Live web page" and it will then take you to the page, maybe.



For this particular page the link works because my site is still live. But when I was investigating all this I had gone to some obituary links. The site where the obituary was retrieved from is even more "hidden" for lack of a better word - many newspapers only keep obituaries online for a short time so the page is no longer live. I wonder if Ancestry.com is paying those sites to "store" their obituaries and make them available to Ancestry subscribers?

Is this legal or moral? How is it right for Ancestry.com to take my website pages, which I've made freely available, and CHARGE people to use them? And if they can legally or morally do this, how can they in turn say that it is illegal for their users (me and you) to use their images (census records, draft cards, etc.) on our websites or in our books or other publications?

The more I think about this, the angrier I am getting. At first I thought, okay, they say it is a cached web page, but it's not overly obvious. But they are charging people for access to my stuff!!! I really don't think it would bother me so much if this wasn't hidden behind a padlock. The more people that can find my data and possibly connect to me or someone else, the better - but they shouldn't have to pay to see it! Now, Ancestry is probably going to say they are simply providing a service for all of us poor webmasters and making it so that more people will see our stuff - but does that make it right? They are profiting from my work, and not just my work but the work of anyone with a genealogy related website. Will my blog pages show up next?

This is different than Google or Yahoo or any other search engine storing cached pages or providing links to websites. This is a company using other peoples work for their own gain - Ancestry is charging for these 'searches'. That is just not right, and not just because this is my work showing up - if you have genealogy pages out there anywhere they will probably show up as part of this new Ancestry database.

*** Update 4:00 PM Tuesday ***
I spent a while this morning and afternoon putting this post together, and while I was doing so, it appears that "all hel* was breaking loose" on this issue, see these posts with some very good commentary on the subject:

• Kimberly Powell with Has Ancestry.com Gone to Far?
• Janice Brown with Ancestry.com Hijacks Cow Hampshire
• Randy Seaver with Ancestry.com is Caching some web site data
• Amy Crooks with Ancestry.com Nothing but Theifs

*** Update 4:44 PM Tuesday ***

Ancestry.com has now made the "Internet Biographical Collection" a "free" resource. You have to register to view these free records, which is not the same as signing up for a free trial, but why should you even have to register to view the "Internet Biographical Collection"? Registration is not required to view the Ancestry World Tree entries. To my way of thinking, this step by Ancestry does not entirely resolve the issue.

*** Update 11:30 PM Tuesday ***

Dick Eastman's post yesterday on The Generations Network Receives Patent for Correlating Genealogy Records has a lot of comments dealing with the Internet Biographical Collection, which really had nothing to do with his original topic, so you could say the comments thread got hijacked. As can be expected there is a wide range of opinions on the matter. Some make sense, others don't. Some valid, some not. And Dick is really good at playing the devil's advocate!

Thunderhead Clouds

We have been having what is called the New Mexico monsoon season. We have had more rain this year than we have had for several years. This is more like we used to have 25 to 30 years ago and more. Which is really good. Nearly every afternoon we watch the thunderhead clouds come across the Sandia Mountains or else come across the desert from the west until they turn dark and we get a bit of rain. Sometimes just a sprinkle, some times up to a half an inch of rain or so, and then sometimes the clouds just go around us and it rains somewhere else.

Sic Semper

An Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus).

For various goofy reasons, my husband, my sister, and I have developed our own names for many birds. This one is affectionately known as a Kingburger.

Sic semper tyrannis is the Virginia state motto, and the phrase that some witnesses claim JW Booth shouted after shooting Lincoln. It's often misspelled as tyrannus, which changes the meaning.

A little History of North American Bird Names.

While looking up tyrannus references, I ran across the Guidelines for contributors to Birding. Ruh-roh. I am so guilty of indefinite references. Oh dear. Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clauses. Good thing I wasn't planning to write an article for them anyway.

(Imagine musical notes here.) It's my blog and I'll abuse grammar if I want to... overused ellipses and hyphens in place of em-dashes oh yeah! Misplaced apostrophes oh no no no... Misusing "hopefully" and blatantly writing a plural possessive adjective when referring to a singular concept, ooh wah baby...

Actually the misplaced apostrophe is one of my pet peeves.

Winded

I remember in elementary school art class, our first assignment was to "draw the wind." The class was divided in their interpretation: Half drew an old man with long gray hair floating up in the sky and blowing gray swirly clouds; the other half drew trees swaying. I was one of the few who drew something weird - I think it was little animals running for cover amidst fallen flowers. The teacher wasn't pleased at all with my creativity and told me to look at the other children's pictures. But I never did get the hang of it.




Today I came close to crashing on my bike, and it was all the wind's fault. Well no, it was my fault. But it happened because it was windy. I was riding my roadbike alone and practicing leaning on turns, when suddenly a strong gust of wind blew in the direction of my lean. It had not occurred to me that such a thing could happen, but of course there is no reason it can't. It was an alarming sensation, as if someone was maliciously shoving me, trying to topple me on a turn. I was already leaning, and the gust of wind made the lean feel out of control.




Naturally, I panicked and tried to straighten the bike - in the middle of the turn, while simultaneously braking. As a result the bike became unstable, and then all I could think to do was attempt to bring it to an abrupt stop without letting it fall. I hit the brakes and came off the saddle at an awkward angle, holding on to the handlebars tightly and managing to keep the bike upright. Overall it was fine, except as my left foot landed on the ground, my right foot remained on the pedal and I twisted my ankle slightly. It's not swollen, but it hurts a little. Damn.




Of all the ways I could injure myself on a bike, it figures that it would be something ridiculous like this. Why did I have to panic and get all squirrely? Until today I haven't had that sort reaction in a long time. I guess what scared me is that the situation was entirely new. I know at this point how to right a bike if the front wheel hits a pothole, if another cyclist hits me with their elbow as they pass, or if I need to swerve around an obstacle. But the wind pushing me into a lean was unexpected and I didn't know what to do. In retrospect I should have just gone with it - I don't think the wind was strong enough to actually push me all the way to the ground. But of course that's easy to say now. Well, I hope my ankle is okay and I can ride tomorrow. I am trying to figure out what lesson there is to be learned from this, but more than anything I am just super annoyed at myself. And the wind.

Through Prospect Park to Museum of Art, and back later

California Newt Up Close

Cascade Creature, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

This little guy was basking in the sun next to a wonderful mossy waterfall in Las Trampas. Newts are so cool, and seeing them move about means that spring can't be far away...

Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Eleventh Grade

It isn't climbing but it is life

I recently have had a hard time keeping much of my private life out of the blog. No one but me interested anyway. I would rather write about and concentrate on new gear and amazing climbs and spectacular skiing..



Today for the first time in months I was able to get a run in. Hard to not celebrate that! So I look back to see just how much I do have to celebrate. It is a lot.



But there is a dark side that needs to be looked at aired out and retold as well. Not a picture I would ever look at if I wasn't painting it. But now I think we all should, I am the lucky one. But there are thousands who aren't so lucky.



Maybe this will help just one. Even if it is just me. But I had to put it some where just to keep me sane!



http://enhancenotdefine.blogspot.com




The picture below is the artist's proof of a print I am having made up for my Oncology Dept. No question the eventual poster and leading this climb have been part of my healing process.

Old Church Sign

This sign my the Old Town Church told about it's 200th Birthday. 1793 - 1993.

Patagonia Piton Hoody?

A Euro like conversion in the Cascades for winter use? TLT Ski boots with crampons, Dynafit ski-mo lycra tights and a bright '80s retro colored Patagonia Piton Hoody. The perfect combo for that day!




I've likely had more info requests about this sweater than any one piece of clothing recently. As a reference this one will likely become just as popular at the Atom Lt imo. It is that good. Mind you I originally thought the Patagonia video was purely hype by paid actors. It is not. May be I shouldn't always be so cynical. These guys are not kidding you in the video. The Piton is everything they are saying it is..









I really like and almost always use the R1 Hoody. Have since the first versions. Part of me really accepting a garment is finding a place in my system of winter clothing where the garment easily fits in. The Piton is so versatile it immediately fit in. The Piton sat on my gear table in a bag for a few weeks before me actually trying it out. Once I did it has now gone every where with me much to my surprise. I wasn't expecting much to be honest. The Piton will workwell as a base layer. It will work well as a moderate weather "shell" or a piece of insulation under a shell in colder conditions. I have used it as all three at different times already. And I really like this garment. No problem taking this one out 12 months of the year.



Only down side Isee is I wish it had two chest pockets and while they are there a hidden zippered fanny pocket would have been a great idea as well. Just the 2nd chest pocket would add a lot to this one used as yourouter garment. A fanny pocket, done right, wouldn't be felt with a harness and would add some extra cross over advantages off route. Done right you could easily use that fanny pocket with a harness for gels and bare essentials. Even a lwt wind shell easy enough.



Easy to find right now around $120. delivered on the Internet. Trust me on this one. If you own a R1, use it and like it, this one you'll love.



Back story?



Remember that I only write about things I think are stand outs. Which is the reason you see a post about the Piton and not the ORRadiant Hybrid Hoody. My first impression of the Patagonia Piton was it was a expensive version of a sweater I already owned, theRadiant Hybrid Hoody. In the black color my Piton sat unopened on my table for a few weeks. Then since I didn't think I would ever use it I exchanged the black one for the blue and green color which would make better photos on the blog. Glad I did. I have used the ORRadiant Hybrid Hoody a lot over the last year. First purchased along with 3 other hoodies to find a replacement for my now stinky R1s. Out of that bunch of hoodies only theRadiant Hybrid still survives in my gear closet. I use it for cold and wet weather running mostly with nothing under it. So while good for running I found it pretty limited in my own use, compared to say the R1.



They could almost be made from the same pattern. Pocket is reversed on the chest. Neck zipper is off set on the OR and it has thumb cuffs. But the material is slightly different. And the "vents", wrist to waist on the OR don't seem as comfortable or as stretchy to me as the Patagonia does over all. I like it but nothing I would have ever written about either. I have been wearing theRadiant Hybrid Hoody all day just to see if my original impressions were still true. They are.








Among other things I prefer on the Piton is the fabric mix and the center zip which makes a usable collar on the Piton with the hood down. A left and right chest pocket would have been better imo than just the one. At least it is on the left side. OR's Radiant version has it on the right hand pec......which is backwards for anyone right handed.




The hood is good over a helmet. And you can get an idea from the picture of just how high the collar will come if the hood is left down. One of the "big" features that really turned my head past the Radiant's off set zipper.











I was originally going to make a ripping comparison of the ORRadiant Hybrid Hoody to the Patagonia Piton. Where the OR piece was to be the landslide winner and @ a better price point. Imagine how surprised I was to NOT have "just another runner" in the Piton! I have plenty of gear to run in but few bits of gear I really like to climb in. Once I realized just how good this piece of clothing was for me and more importantly how easily I could incorporate it into my clothing system, I ordered a black one as well on line at a discounted $116. price. I'll wear them both out eventually I suspect.

New Home!

Sarah and Dustin both thought they had found houses that I would like to buy and move into. The first photo is of the house next door to Dustin and the other is the house Sarah found for me. They were both disappointed when I turned down both houses.

A reminder on crampon fitting....

Just got in two new pairs of boots as I get ready to go to Canada for 10 days of testing,photos and climbing.



I'll take 5 pairs of boots and 5 different crampons to climb in this trip as I attempt to see where I am at physically and mentally.



As I spend the evening fitting crampons this commentcomes to mind,



"Precision crampon technique is impossible without a proper (perfect) fit of boot to crampon."

Jeff Lowe from the WATERFALL ICE video, 2005.









In other words, if your crampons won't stay on the boots first, without latching the binding, likely the crampon doesn't really fit your boot.






Finally some one gets (again) how it is suppose to be. No tricks just a perfect friction fit.

Petzl Lynx on a Scarpa Phantom Ultra and no back binding.

Working Guy 1940s

Summit, Camp Muir, Guiding, Bureaucracy

Two separate teams reached the summit of Mount Rainier last week! Such a feat wouldn't normally make blog headlines but with the park closed, it's fun to hear about anyone who gets anywhere near Columbia Crest. The details? Two men ascended the Emmons Glacier, and a RMI guided team climbed the Disappointment Cleaver. There are more photos and descriptions of the Glacier Basin Trail too (and it's not "that" bad).

Helicopters ferried loads to and from Camp Muir last Friday. The primary push is to support the new mountaineering guided concessions as they prepare for the summer. Those familiar with Camp Muir will note a change in who operates out of what buildings. The client shelter (eastern 2/3 of the big rectangle building in the lower right photo) will house RMI. The Gombu (west 1/3 of the same building, different entrance) will be shared by AAI and IMG on alternating nights. The NPS will move out of the Butler Shelter and into the Cook Shack (rock hut in the lower left). RMI will gain use of the Butler Shelter as a storage and cooking facility. All three of the guide services will have access to an independent weatherport on the Cowlitz Glacier.

There are a lot of changes with regard to guided operations on the mountain. Here are a few key elements:

• Along the Camp Muir corridor, RMI can lead 24 clients and guides per night. AAI and IMG are allowed 12. This is an overall reduction of 11 "guided related climbers" per night when compared to previous years.
• On the Emmons Glacier, each guide service can lead one trip per week, for a total of 120 clients and guides per year. There is no commercial guiding allowed on Friday and Saturday night.
• The same is true for the Kautz Glacier route, only each guide service is limited to 80 clients and guides total per year.
• There is NO commercial guiding from Success Cleaver west and north to Ptarmigan Ridge.
• Independent climbers will note a reduced number of guides and clients on the Muir routes during the summer. They will note a mid week increase of clients and guides on the Emmons Glacier route. Almost all of the western half of the mountain is closed to commercial activity, so there's plenty of room to stretch out.

On a completely unrelated note, you can download an electronic version of the Climbing Registration Card. If you want to save a little time in the ranger station, fill the Climbing Registration Card out completely ahead of time and bring it with you when you come to register.