The following announcement was written by the The Friends of the National Archives:
Pittsfield, MA. . . . The Friends of the National Archives will host two lectures by nationally-known genealogist and computer guru Stephen Morse on Monday, October 23, 2006 at the National Archives facility, 10 Conte Drive in Pittsfield.
Mr. Morse is an amateur genealogist who has been researching his Russian-Jewish origins for the past few years. Several years ago, he developed some web-based searching aids which, much to his surprise, have attracted attention worldwide. He has received both the Outstanding Contribution Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
In his other life, Morse is a computer professional with a doctorate degree in electrical engineering from New York University. He has spent his career alternately doing research, development, teaching, consulting, and writing. He is best known as the designer of the Intel 8086 microprocessor (the granddaddy of today's Pentium processor), which sparked the PC revolution 25 years ago.
He will present two lectures on Oct. 23, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The first, "White, Blue, Gray! What Color Ellis Island Search Form Should I Use?," discusses his search engines for the Ellis Island database and how best to use them. In April 2001 the Ellis Island ship manifests and passenger records went on-line. A few weeks later the One-Step Ellis Island website was created to make this resource easier to use. Since that time the One-Step site has been greatly expanded to include new search capabilities and an array of color-coded search forms. This talk will describe the evolution of the website from both a historical and a practical perspective, and provide a beacon for navigating through this color maze.
The second lecture, "Deep Linking and Deeper Linking: How I got the most out of existing search applications," provides a means of optimizing the information extracted from existing third-party websites in general, and from search applications in particular. Various means of deep linking are introduced such as URL editing, using search forms, and placing a man in the middle. These are the very techniques that are used by many of the tools on the One-Step website. Then the tables are turned and methods of blocking others from deep linking to your website are described. The legalities of deep linking are also discussed.
The lectures are free but pre-registration is required. Seating is limited. Refreshments will be available. To register or for further information, contact the National Archives at 413-236-3600.
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