Michael Turner
Octogenarian with a broad range of skills and many self-taught although have OU degree oriented around maths and computing and a post grad Certificate in Genealogical studies from Strathclyde Uni.
Location Essex, United Kingdom
Activity
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There is a glossary that you can download now.
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I did some research for somebody with your surname or DUNT.
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Michael Turner replied to Roy Colman
I believe they don't allow testing to be carried out by laboratories in foreign countries. At one stage it looked as though the law was going to change but was then blocked at higher echelons of the French Government.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I also took a yDNA test under similar circumstances whilst studying for the Strath GPH certificate in 2016. I did not get any meaningful matches until 2022 when I had a close match with someone in Upper Canada with the same Surname. Following a subsequent Big-Y test FTDNA have created a new terminal Haplogroup on the Y-DNA tree. Our most recent common ancestor...
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Michael Turner replied to Chen T
@ChenT Development in Ai platforms. Cyber security since the development of Ai clear offers opportunities to criminals to commit fraud. In a health environment new skills will be required to integrate Ai with established medical practices. I'm sure this is already happening; as the accuracy of Ai improves the opportunities will increase.
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My thoughts have not changed. I see it as an opportunity to provide added value to what I do for minimum cost.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I'm a genealogist and family historian and like to add historical context to my reports. However, it can be time consuming to do the necessary research. Ai provides an effective way to add such content making reports more than just bland facts.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I have completed the Certificate module of the Strathclyde MSc course in Genealogy but felt the need to refresh my knowledge and skills. I have been using DNA tests for some time to add substance to my paper based genealogical research. I have also helped a number of other trace their birth parents. A recent close match in Canada with the same surname from a...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I'm here for refreshment - knowledge not lunch!
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Michael Turner made a comment
I think the issues raise a common issue that has been prevalent through industrialisation. Industry and commerce has historically needed people with specialised skills to perform tasks. Training for those tasks may have taken place before job placement or on the job. When those jobs cease to exist because of automation people are left with nowhere to go. They...
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Looking for courses on Ai on Edge or Google will lead to the appearance of ads. This applies to any products or services for which I search although it is possible to opt out of personalised ads in browser settings.
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Michael Turner made a comment
A number of photo storage applications such as Google photos recognise and categorise images. For example if I search for 'cats' in Google photos it will attempt to find all pictures containing cats. I have an app on my phone which recognises bird sounds and proposes a match; another app does the same with flowers and plants. The information they provide goes...
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Michael Turner replied to Tina L
I have used ChatGPT to produce images, add contextual historical stories to reports and to ask what I could cook from a range of ingredients. I have also asked it to produce notes to hotel staff thanking them for their service in their language and mine.
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Michael Turner replied to Tina L
@TinaL I was tempted to ask ChatGPT but I will try my own. Knowledge collected and processed by digital storage devices and analysed and processed to provide solutions to questions and problems at speed and with accuracy and consistencey.
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Michael Turner made a comment
As a genealogist I am interested in Ai as a tool to add historical context to family history reports.
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Michael Turner replied to Tina L
I've already started to use it and have been excited with the results. However as with other self-taught skills it's easy go in the wrong direction. I need some way of developing a structured approach to Ai, indeed maybe that is one of the questions I could put to ChatGPT.
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Michael Turner made a comment
Having personally seen the benefits of using Ai I am looking forward to this. At the moment I'm not sure that I am making the best use of it or accessing the appropriate tools.
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There are many variables other than time but the most significant is probably that the crossword will be different each time.
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I wonder what discussions went on when making the decision to include music and then what music to choose. The other possibility is that the choice was made by a technical team who have nothing to do with the contents of the course. It is cognitively challenging.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I found the background music distracting and question it's purpose?
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Michael Turner made a comment
This is a deviation for me from recent interests although 40 years ago I spent a couple of years studying psychology. The title intrigued me.
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Michael Turner made a comment
The rate of death for Covid-19 is suggested in the lecture as around 2% of those who get the disease. Since testing rates vary from county to country the number of people who get the disease must be substantially different from those who are confirmed cases. So presumably 2% is the rate for confirmed cases which might prove to be very different when historic...
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Michael Turner made a comment
It answered a question that had troubling me - how is DNA shared by offspring. I have often read that children inherit 50% of their DNA from each parent and I had been trying to visualise how this might be in practice. Where and how is it chopped in half? But now there is meiosis and things are much clearer. Well at least as they can be at this stage of study...
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Michael Turner made a comment
The last paragraph of this article has confused me. It is headed 'Scottish Catholic Archives' and then goes on to describe the records of the Church of Scotland. I was under the impression that Catholic churches and the church of Scotland were separate entities. On Scotland's People under church records we have Old Parish records and Catholic records...
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Michael Turner made a comment
Currently in the middle of the PG Certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies with University of Strathclyde so this course fits very neatly as added experience. Passionate about family history with which I have had an interest for 25 years. I live in the South East of England and rather envious of the scope and nature of Scottish records.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I did learn a lot from the course. It was helpful to understand the different levels of "proof" in a formal setting. From when I started my research in 1996 the availability of resources online has grown exponentially and the extra databases that have been revealed on this course will prove useful.
My tendency to be distracted when researching will...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I spent some years providing technical computer support and one of the most common problems was hard drive failure. In most cases data had not been backed up and in all cases clients lost business data or important personal information. It is reasonable to assume that all magnetic, optical, or solid state storage systems will eventually fail. No single method...
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And a notebook!
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Michael Turner made a comment
For a long time I used One Note from Microsoft. I changed to Evernote - I am not sure why now as it was some time ago. I think it followed an update from Microsoft at the same time I changed hardware and there were some problems with accessing data.
Evernote acts as a searchable receptacle for data. It is possible to create subject related folders and I...
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Michael Turner replied to Michael Turner
Thanks for the thought Jacqueline but sadly I am apparently too old (73) for a loan for a postgraduate degree. Two years ago I applied for a loan to do another first level degree but was turned down because it was not at a higher level. It now seems loans are not available for post graduated courses for anyone over 60. I have applied again for finance for the...
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Michael Turner replied to Anne Hesp
Surely much of the reference material you will need will be on line. Having completed a distance learning degree whilst working full time please don't rule it out. One of the best things I ever did.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I am in the process of applying to the University. There is a partially complete application; I need to upload my CV and waiting to hear from a 2nd referee. Although I quite like the idea of doing the whole MSc in one go funding may be any issue so I am hoping that I will be able to pay for one module at a time. From reading the details it looks as though this...
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http://www.rafcommands.com/ There is a free forum here - you need to register.
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One of my favourite sites is Old Bailey Online which provides both primary and secondary resources. Provides a wonderful insight into the criminal justices system set against historical background. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/History.jsp
The Home page provides a search facility.
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Frederick William Boncey who as the chief steward. The Boncey family ran pubs and clubs in Kent and London. My second great uncle. My grandmother who with her eldest daughter lived with us until her death. My grandmother was born in a pub and lived in pubs until she married. I never new any of this until 20 years ago. My grandmother and my aunt never went near...
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Contextual historic events are what hooked me. In 1865 one of my ancestors drowned along with over 650 others after the wrecking of SS Princess Alice. This was a paddle steamer that ran pleasure trips along the River Thames. It collided with a collier The Bywell Castle and sank within four minutes. There is a Wikipedia article that makes fascinating reading...
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Another very interesting resource full of promise in "see also". I urge you to look at the "see also" links.
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Michael Turner made a comment
Genealogical proof is of real interest in ensuring that I have reached to best possible conclusion. Having found a woman having children at the age of 110 with this information adopted on other trees I am very cautious about using these as sources; they can provide clues. That has encouraged me to be persistent in tracking primary sources wherever...
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Michael Turner replied to Michaela Skinner
There is more information here http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2016/03/02/family-tree-maker-is-updated-and-ready-to-ship/
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Michael Turner made a comment
The most useful thing I learned this week was the database that covers non-conformist records.
It was interesting to learn about Scottish census records and the differences between Scotland and England.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I think it is important to point out that when it is necessary to pay for records it is best not pay more than necessary. An example of this is when purchasing birth, death or marriage certificates. In England these are available directly from a UK Government website.
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp
The cost to European...
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Court records especially The Old Bailey. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
Reading some of the cases is a chilling reminder of brutal punishments. -
I agree and have found this to be a very useful resource.
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Something as simply as writing to people with the same surname whose addresses can be found. It worked for me for my paternal grandmother's maiden name of Boncey (and variations). In the 1990s I wrote polite carefully worded letters to around 20 people and received replies from around 10 of them that included family trees and other family information...
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Michael Turner replied to Michelle Lawrence
Hi Michelle
I have just been doing some research for a friend on a "LAWRENCE" branch and I discovered that there is a One Name research project underway. Just in case you have not found it you could have a look at http://one-name.org.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I have a long list of resources that I have used for genealogy the main being FreeBMD.org, Ancestry.com, Findmypast and FamilySearch. This is of course in addition to family knowledge. Also significant though has been local records provided by local authorities. It appears that many authorities now strongly support family history and provide access to local...
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Michael Turner made a comment
The main thing that I have discovered is that the issues that I have experienced in my past research are common issues. As I aim to move towards being a professional researcher I do need to be more organised and move away from my chaotic approach; that is ok when I am the client but clearly it will not do if someone is paying for results. I quite like the...
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Michael Turner replied to Michaela Skinner
It looks as though FTM has a new life with a new owner
I have yet to try the latest version.
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Michael Turner made a comment
Amongst the "see also" there are a number of very useful resources. I particular I would like to mention the "Guild of One Name Studies". It is worth checking if your target name is the subject of "one name" research. It is a different approach to research whereby the researcher finds information relating to a name and its versions. I have found two names that...
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I find http://Evernote.com (free version) useful as a snipping tool. It provides options such as article, whole page, selection or a pdf document. You can create directories so the info is added to the best place and add tags.
One other tip use the "ALT" key in conjunction with "PRT SCR" and it copies just an active information box and not the whole screen.
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Or email the results to yourself whilst in the library.
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The organisations you mention do employ skilled people to provide advice and technical support and don't underestimate the costs of running a large and complex and efficient database. Costs do need to be recovered so not everything can be free. The alternative to cost recovery by subscription is through on page advertising - CyndisList is a good example of...
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I like http://FreeBMD.org.uk for quick searches; just entering the event and name is usually sufficient unless it is a common name like Smith when you will need to add some filters for maybe date or location. Searches are normally fast and it does not take long to scan through the results to find likely matches. You can order certificates from...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I certainly advocate following the "See also" link at the foot of the article. There is a mine of useful material in all three links.
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Michael Turner made a comment
There is ambivalence in my search strategy. My concept is a linear ancestral search but adding branches along the way has led me to finding cousins (of all grades) conducting research on the same line. For me too getting sidetracked by historical facts and family stories is what adds interest so yes i do revel.
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First of all in terms of CydisList I have always found this rather frustrating. It might work better for Americans but for me it is confusing and riddled with commercial links.
Now to the discussion in hand. I like to be able to get as close to the primary records on line as I can; sometimes this can be at the expense of them being indexed. For example...
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Michael Turner replied to LD C
My aim to is to become a professional geneslogist and have begun the process of enrolling on post grad courses run by the University of Strathclyde. I will have a look too at the NIGS. If you have any advice it will be appreciated.
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Michael Turner made a comment
Clearly spelling of names is significant where a registrar has to rely on his own interpretation from a spoken name from someone who cannot read or write. Accents woukd play a part. Misinterpretation of names on census records I have found to be very common On birth data I have found dates as much as 10 years out. People's willingness to accept unsourced...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I stumbled across this course while looking for recognised genealogical courses that could lead to professional status. I am very interested in the Strathclyde modular distance learning taught post grad coutses. I have already started to complete an application.
I have been conducting genealogy research relating to my own families and also for friends for...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I found it very difficult at the height of the latest crisis. Communication was very difficult and extremely stressful for both of us. The difficulty of obtaining first line professional support at the outset and the deficiencies of the mental health services made matters worse. I am certain that had help been more efficiently provided the length of time that...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I had been led to believe that psychosis was likely to be a life long condition with the need for perpetual medication. The argument here is that recovery does not need to be regarded as the absence of psychosis but the sufferers ability to live a normal life. I cannot really accept that view; the parallel argument that a diabetic has recovered if they lead a...
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Michael Turner made a comment
Talking therapies have not been suggested. When requested we have been told that medication works best alongside these therapies but waiting times for such treatment has been long to the point of being unavailable in any practical sense.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I suspect that it is such a relief when a level of medication is reached to control the positive symptoms of psychosis that what can follow is unexpected and put down to either the effect of the medication or just an exceptionally lazy person. Sadly the patient failed to seek help, indeed avoided it. This is where community care is so important but can be...
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Michael Turner made a comment
Negative symptoms were a big problem for the sufferer in my experience. Lack of community support from mental health services (systematic failure not individual) worsened the problems. For the patient the negative symptoms, notably lack of emotion, became too much to bear to the point that medication was stopped with profound consequences.
The video has...
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Michael Turner made a comment
This is my experience of what are termed as the negative aspects deemed to be symptomatic of schizophrenia; lack of emotion, apparent laziness, tiredness, lack of social engagement. In the end they became such an issue for the patient that he stopped taking medication. For three months all was well. No positive or negative symptoms. Then positive symptoms...
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I am responding to my own post here to expand on this argument. I have a friend who has strong beliefs which I would describe as para normal. She believes that she is controlled by waves from space that sometimes cause her to need (in her mind) psychic surgery. I am not sure what form this takes. Clearly there is not physical intervention. She is not alone in...
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In caring for a relative who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia one of the most difficult aspects of this has been distinguishing his beliefs from other normalised and socially accepted beliefs.
The articles here mention the acceptance of paranormal beliefs by a significant proportion of the American population. Do we add to that the acceptance of...
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I can only answer the second question here since I really cannot say that I have deduced and common attitude to people who have had hallucinations.
Inability to function and to relate to other people would suggest that help is needed and emphatically if the hallucinations will pose a danger to themselves or other people.
I find it difficult to...
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Michael Turner replied to [Learner left FutureLearn]
I am somewhat confused; is this meant to be a discussion point relating to the course or to courses in general?
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Michael Turner made a comment
I think from what I have watched and read so far is that you as educators are floundering rather like me. We simply don't know what works - unless we try evaluate it ourselves. Since the propositions are so complex - Facebook, Twitter, Adwords - getting reliable data is very difficult. Large organisations will approach marketing organisations but it must be...
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Michael Turner made a comment
I am not sure how a video telling us what you don't know is useful.
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Michael Turner made a comment
What I would like to develop is a methodology for using digital media for marketing.
The opening video talks of there being "no experts". Well I think there probably are but if they are wise they are keeping their expertise secret and using it to build their wealth. There are of course plenty of others claiming to be experts and offering to sell their...
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Michael Turner made a comment
Septugenarian with several objectives. One is to delay the decay of grey cells. Busy designing websites for me and other people. There is more here.http://about.me/miktrnr
One of the digital challenges for me is balancing digital marketing activities with privacy. I used every means possible to promote myself online when I was trying to sell our French house... -
I left the original message there after resolving it just in case anyone else had the same problem. The first time that I ran the program instead of "open" to the right of the file dialog box (ringed red in the diagram) I had "browse". Closing and reopening the program did the trick. The only thing that I can add is that when I closed the program for the first...
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Michael Turner made a comment
Just a slight glitch with the analysis software but the common technique of closing and reopening the program did the trick.
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Michael Turner made a comment
RESOLVED - CLOSED AND REOPENED THE PROGRAM AND BROWSE BECAME OPEN
Where on the illustration of the File Browser dialog box the box is ringed in red "open" mine reads browse. I can then navigate to the Gapminder-2008.csv but the file does not open. I'm puzzled why mine is different to the diagram and embarrassed that nobody else seems to have...
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Michael Turner made a comment
Retired septuagenarian entrepreneur and IT enthusiast attempting to do things to ward off brain decay for as long as possible.
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Michael Turner made a comment
I am doing this course as exercise for my septuagenarian brain. I completed an OU degree in 1992 that was biased towards maths and computing. The programming skills I learned then are now very hazy; hopefully this course will reactivate them.
