[Editor’s note: Thomas MacEntee, Flip-Pal mobile scanner ambassador, provides an update on photos rescued in Union Beach, New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy and shares tips on how to save photos damaged by water-related mishaps.]
Have you ever experienced a situation such as a flood or a burst pipe that damaged not only your household goods, but also your family photos? As many readers might remember, since November Flip-Pal Cares has been assisting residents of Union Beach, New Jersey in their efforts to recover water damaged photos in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
Photo Recovery Progress in Union Beach, New Jersey
With Flip-Pal mobile scanners in hand, Union Beach resident Jeanette Van Houten and personal historian Mary Danielsen are continuing to lead a massive photo scanning drive that has already resulted in the recovery of over 20,000 pictures. These photographs were collected from local beaches, wetlands and devastated homes and then were cleaned, scanned and posted on https://www.facebook.com/groups/391552050924511/.
“Over 100 families have already identified pictures that they thought were gone forever,” said Danielsen. “We’ve been able to catalog the original pictures in binders, and in many cases, cluster photos of persons found in more than one location.”
Representatives of Flip-Pal Cares, along with a local Boy Scout troop, the Union Beach City Council and members of the public added to the 800 volunteer hours Van Houten and Danielsen have already volunteered. “There are still over 5,000 pictures to scan and post, but we are not far from capturing all of the memories that would have been lost. What’s made the difference in our progress are the volunteer efforts, the use of the Flip-Pal mobile scanners and cash donations we’ve received to cover our costs. Even when there was no electricity, the battery powered Flip-Pal’s got us operating immediately after the storm,” added Danielsen.
“We are honored to support the Superstorm Sandy survivors in gathering their pictures, helping reconstruct the past, and move to the future,” commented Gordon Nuttall, CEO of Couragent, makers of Flip-Pal mobile scanner. For those wanting to make a donation to this project, the fundraising site for Restoring Union Beach memories is located at http://www.gofundme.com/1k3w9c.
Rescuing Water Damaged Photos
What if your own photos were to suffer water damage? Would you know where to start in terms of salvaging the images and preventing further deterioration and damage?
Flip-Pal has developed the Rescuing Water Damaged Photos e-guide which is now available for FREE. Filled with useful tips and advice, the guide covers many areas of photo recovery and preservation:
- How to prioritize and organize images
- Practicing safety in case of moldy photos
- General cleaning practices
- How freezing photos can help save images
- Drying cleaned photos
- Scanning and other preventative measures
In addition, you’ll find a resource list with over 12 links to websites and documents to learn more about handling water damaged photos.
Be Proactive About Saving Your Family Photos
The best way to protect your precious photos of weddings, children, holidays and more is to be prepared! One way is to download Rescuing Water Damaged Photos and review the procedures today. Then consider scanning all your photos now using the Flip-Pal mobile scanner so you have digital copies of years’ worth of memories.
Many of us have spent hours, days and months scanning precious photos and documents only to lose them when a computer crashes, a backup system fails or a natural disaster strikes.
In the past, when most photographs existed in paper form, there were several ways to obtain a copy—a reprint from the negative, a photocopy, etc. Now, when a hard drive fails, those digital images are often gone for good.
The Picture Keeper—A Snap To Save!
I have just started working with an easy-to-use backup device to save all of my digital photos and scans of documents. I first mentioned Picture Keeper in a previous post and now I’d like to explain how to get started using a program that many call “the simplest automatic picture backup device.”
Getting Started with the Picture Keeper
Just plug the Picture Keeper drive into a USB port on your computer and it will walk you through the process of backing up your photos. The software is already installed on the USB drive and is ready to start saving your digital photos and scans.
The first time you use the Picture Keeper drive on a PC, the “Auto Play” dialog will appear. With your mouse, double-click on the “Open Folder to View Files” option.
Normally, the main PictureKeeper window will appear, but if not, click “LaunchPictureKeeper.exe” to launch the program:
For Mac, look for a drive on your desktop labelled "PK" or "No name". Double click on that drive. When it opens the window, just double click on the item labelled "PictureKeeper" that contains a small icon in front of it. The other files are for PCs.
Then the Picture Keeper dialog will appear.
Using the Picture Keeper Program
Click “Start Backup” to begin the initial process of backing up your photos. The Picture Keeper will automatically navigate your hard drive looking for image files (jpg and png). It will then copy them to the Picture Keeper drive using the same folder and files names as those already on your computer. You can use the “Options” menu to add additional image file types such as bmp and psd.
Picture Keeper 8 (PK8) will store approximately 8,000 image files, provided your pictures or scans are approximately 1MB in size. If more space is required, a second Picture Keeper drive can be purchased which will seamlessly continue the backup on the second drive.
Additionally, you can use one Picture Keeper drive for a second computer. When the Picture Keeper program has finished backing up images on the first computer, simply plug it into the second computer and it will back up images on that computer as well.
Finally, remember that when you remove the Picture Keeper drive from the computer be sure and put it in a safe place!
To learn more about The Picture Keeper, watch the video below:
Picture Keeper Will Backup New and Updated Images
Now the best part! Let’s say a month has gone by and you were reminded to back up your pictures again by the Picture Keeper auto-reminder. Plug the Picture Keeper device into your computer and it will automatically back up any photos or scans that were added or changed. That is all there is to it! It certainly cuts down on duplicate copies of images on your hard drive or backup device.
Overview of How Picture Keeper Works
- Plug the Picture Keeper drive into a USB port, click “Start Backup” and Picture Keeper automatically begins searching for and saving all of your digital images. No software to install or setup. No wires. No passwords. No monthly fees.
- After the initial backup is complete, each subsequent backup runs faster as Picture Keeper only copies recently added or modified photos.
Picture Keeper Features
- The Picture Keeper is a simple and easy way to back up digital images. No technical knowledge is necessary—just plug in the Picture Keeper drive and let it go to work!
- The Picture Keeper stores up to 8,000 digital images depending upon the image size.
- The backed up images can easily be transported to a digital photo printing kiosk located at drugstores and warehouse stores such as CVS or Target.
- You can create a “Plug & Play” slide show on any digital picture frame or television that has a USB port.
- You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your digital images are safe and secure!
- A second Picture Keeper drive will work in conjunction with the first one for continuous back up.
- Each time you plug in the Picture Keeper drive it automatically finds the new or modified images added to your system and includes them in the backup.
- The Picture Keeper can help consolidate digital images from two or more computers and help eliminate duplicate images.
- The Picture Keeper is compatible with Mac, PC and Linux* operating systems.
- The Picture Keeper is more than just a USB flash drive…it does all the backup work for you!
- You can contact the U.S.-based Picture Keeper customer service support team by phone or email.
- The Picture Keeper comes with a one (1) year limited warranty.
Flip-Pal mobile scanner is now offering the Picture Keeper 8 (PK8) drive for sale online—click here for more information or to purchase.
*Compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows 7; MacOS 10.4.11 and above; Linux.
Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, Mac, MacOS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
As Tax Day on April 17, 2012 approaches, many of us will spend this week preparing our state and federal income tax forms. Ever wonder about your ancestors and what they had to do in terms of paying taxes?
How to Locate Tax Records
Tax records are a great source of genealogy and family history research data and if you know where to look, you can find tax information for your ancestors.
- Cyndi’s List has over 108 resources related to taxes and genealogy.
- The search term “list of taxpayers” in Google Books delivers a treasure trove of early tax records on the local level such as property taxes and more.
- Mocavo, the genealogy search engine, also has links to tax records.
And don’t forget that the Flip-Pal™ mobile scanner can not only help you scan those tax records images, but it is the perfect solution for scanning receipts for your own taxes this year! Get organized this tax season . . . get a Flip-Pal™ mobile scanner!
Photo: You are one of 50,000,000 Americans who must fill out an income tax return by March 15. File yours early. 1941 – 1945. Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. Bureau of Special Services. (03/09/1943 - 09/15/1945). National Archives and Records Administration, ARC 516201. Public domain.