Mobile phones, the wireless, and Titanic

We take our mobile phones for granted. I know many people with smartphones now, although I still consider them a luxury item. Even I can text on my dinky cell phone. Best of all, although I hope I don't need it, I can call 911 anytime (and yes, it is 911 for cell phones in my state).

In early 1912, the telegraph was the new gadget, a novelty used by upper-class travelers to chat with their friends back home. The equivalent of today's smartphone with Facebook.

Jerry Neal as Guglielmo Marconi

That changed when the R.M.S. Titanic struck an iceberg April 14, 1912, and started to sink. The telegraph transformed from social networking device into the most basic emergency system. Titanic's operators transmitted "CQD," the maritime call for help, with the ship's position at 12:15 a.m. April 15.

I learned about the wireless aspect of the famous disaster last weekend during Jerry Neal's performance as Guglielmo Marconi. Neal is the co-founder of RF Micro Devices, Inc. (for cell phones and other applications) and owner of Linbrook Estate, where I saw his performance. Since childhood he's been fascinated with Marconi (1874-1939), who invented telegraph technology and sent the first transatlantic wireless signals in 1901.

As part of the deal between Marconi and White Star Line, he and his family had free passage on Titanic's maiden voyage. But Marconi decided to take earlier transport to America and his wife and children joined him later.

Titanic artifacts at Linbrook Hall

Marconi had two telegraph operators onboard Titanic, John "Jack" Phillips, 24, and Harold Bride, 22. The two men stayed at their post even after being told they could leave. Phillips was lost, but Bride survived the icy Atlantic. Recovering from his rescue with frost-bitten feet, Bride was carried into the wireless room to give Carpathia's exhausted telegraph operator a few hours' rest.

The operators weren't the only ones to stick to their posts in an attempt to save as many passengers as possible. Engineering crew members stayed to keep the lights on as long as possible. Boiler operators, firemen, and the famous band, all kept working.

With 1,523 casualties, Titanic remains the greatest peacetime disaster in maritime history. In honor of that, Neal's grandson Charles Neal composed a song, "Signals," for the occasion. He also played a solemn trumpet solo of "Nearer My God to Thee."

After the performance, Neal answered questions in character about Marconi.

Earlier in the evening I got to tour Linbrook Hall. I'll share more about that in Monday's post.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to learn lots of details about the Titanic, including the people onboard and recovery operations, I recommend the book Titanic: Destination Disaster, The Legends and the Reality.

Photos courtesy of Linbrook Heritage Estate.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary ticket to this event through my chamber of commerce membership, with no obligation to write about it.

Eating 17th-century food

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to eat the way people did in the 17th century? I've dreamt about an immersion course (small beer for breakfast — why not?) to see what life was like for my ancestors and get details for my novel. But after watching this hilarious episode of the BBC's Supersizers, I'm glad Giles and Sue did the immersion for me. I can live vicariously through their experiences while keeping my internal organs in good working order.

Each of the six videos below is about 10 minutes, for a total 1-hour episode about life — and especially food — in Restoration England. Thanks to A Woodrunners Diary for the idea.

My ancestors in Ireland were Quakers, so they would not have set such an extravagant table. There's a clip about Puritan/Quaker/country food towards the end of the third video.

Blogging on the brain - part 2

It's after 10 p.m. and I haven't finished today's homework assignment for the April Platform Challenge. (Does it count if I already did it yesterday?) Instead of writing, I've been reading about blogging from various experts around the web. You see, I'm still trying to figure out what topics I should focus more on in Travels with Books, which turned 3 years old yesterday. Should I add separate pages for history, books, and genealogy? Would placing those links at the top of this page distract people from reading new posts?

I like all those things in the "About This Blog" blurb on the right side of this page. Out of curiosity, I skimmed through the blogs I follow (I don't necessarily read everything), and counted up the categories. Several of them were outdated, or sadly, closed shop a few months ago. Those did not get counted. I follow:

17 history blogs
26 genealogy blogs
29 about books, booksellers or libraries
5 about Quakers (modern)
1 travel blog
29 writing blogs
6 scrapbooking or photography
and 6 others, just for fun.

Apparently Genealogy, Books and Writing still grab my interest, about equally. I was surprised to see only one for travel, because I follow several travel bloggers on Twitter.  New posts show up in the Reading List on Blogger's dashboard, but I don't know how to delete duplicates or extinct blogs. 

What about you?
1. What are your favorite themes?
2. How do you read your favorite websites and blogs? (eg. Google reader, Blogger)

Please post your answers in the comments. I'd like to know your thoughts.

Blogiversary! And a little writer's retreat

Today is my blogiversary! Three years and counting.

My first post on Travels with Books was April 11, 2009, about going through some of my mom's things. Within a week, I started talking about this book I wanted to write about my ancestors in Ireland.

I think I started writing the book in November 2008 during National Novel Writing Month — 50,000 mediocre (at best) words in 30 days! I got back to my busy life, but managed to travel back to Ireland for more information in October 2009. I didn't have time to organize the research because another nanowrimo started as soon as I got home. I added about 23,000 more words, trying to fill in some of the missing pieces in my 100-year-long, multi-generational saga.

The following year (2010), thanks to my new writer buddies, I kept at it. I ended up with this monster draft in a three-ring binder, some of it in longhand. (By the way, I took a break and worked on other stories during nanowrimo 2010 and 2011.)

I'm still progressing at excrutiatingly slow speed. Earlier this year, I decided that my monster child might actually be triplets — I mean, a trilogy. I re-outlined the first book and put headers and notes into Scrivener. I'm now typing my draft into Scrivener, revising as I go.

Last weekend, I had my first free Saturday in aeons and decided to give myself a little writing retreat. Nothing organized, just a Saturday at home with priority on writing.

I put the nice lace pillows on the bed and laid out the guest towels, just for me! I slept in, but not too late. Cooked breakfast. Spent more than an hour trying to add those little "share" icons you see at the bottom of this post, as part of the April Platform Challenge (I've enjoyed the daily tasks, but that one caused some problems).

I finally started on my story after 10 a.m. Stopped to check a child character's birth date on my old desktop computer. Pulled up photos of the actual Irish manor house so I could add a few scene details. Then I went on a book and internet search to find the 17th-century word for "diaper." (Another historical writer uses "clout," but I couldn't find any sources for that, and "nappy" came later.) Considered focusing my blog on 17th-century Irish social history because there's such a dearth of information. Ordered a book online from interlibrary loan.

During lunch, I read my May/June Writer's Digest that had just arrived in the mail. Lisa See talked about organizing historical research. Wish I'd read her ideas a couple of years ago!

Back to the book. By the time I quit to make an afternoon grocery run, I'd written about 771 words. Pitiful, I know, especially for a day dedicated to writing. So let me add some accomplishments:
- Transition to the next scene.
- Added Sarah, the third child in the scene, for historical accuracy. Corrected George from a baby to a toddler.
- Added details, including relative directions for the stairs and hall, type of floorboards, and the toddler's trundle bed.

The next time I get a day off, I may use some tips in this article about a Mini-Writing Retreat. Two things will get this book to publication: God's help, and sheer stubbornness.

The challenge is that I'm not just writing, I'm revising. That means stopping to look things up, checking facts, deciding on consistent names for servants and other supporting characters. If anybody has any tips on how to keep flowing while doing all that, please share!

Writing Magazines  <-- May/June issue as pdf file
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Please excuse the mess

The Travels with Books blog is looking a little... different, today. It all started with this morning's April Platform Challenge, just a "simple" task: to add sharing options to my blog.

Well, it wasn't so simple. After hitting my head against the proverbial wall for an hour this morning and then trying again at lunchtime, I learned that my old Blogger template just wasn't compatible with these fancy new gadgets. I'd been meaning to update my page, anyway, so I chose this wider, newer format.

It's like moving furniture around your living room — you can't stop with just one thing. I've been shuffling links and widgets around, but they're not quite where I want them, yet. Since I post a lot about history, I want to change the background to one of my photos from Ireland. Blogger says my photo must be at least so big, but every time I try to upload it, Blogger tells me it's too big.  *sigh*

I think I've had enough design fun for today. More tweaking to come.

The 'key' to genealogy...

Last week I wrote about DNA Genealogy Excitement — a way that DNA might help me solve a century-old family mystery — and two big obstacles. First, the tests are very expensive. And second, would Mrs. Myrtle be willing to share her DNA with strangers?

worradmu / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I remembered that I have a savings bond in my safe deposit box that my grandparents gave me when I graduated high school (more than a few years ago!). If I remember correctly, it's large enough to offset the cost of the test. Since my grandfather hunted for his grandfather all of his life, I think that would be an excellent way to use the money they gave me!

I got up my nerve and called Mrs. Myrtle on a Sunday evening. She didn't sound nearly as alert as the last time I talked to her, and I had to tell her who I was all over again. Not good. But when I asked about the DNA, and told her she'd just have to swab her cheek and send the kit back in the mail, she said yes!

All I had to do next was visit the bank and cash in the bond. I went to my hidey place and... no key. I searched all over, and even found the little envelope that the bank gives you to hold it. I hadn't used it in at least a year, so I emptied out an old purse to see if it had been left in there. No luck. I searched in other likely places, and looked underneath my bills. Nada. I found a couple of sturdy-looking keys in a drawer and eagerly showed them to the teller at the bank. She shook her head. "Nope." (Anybody know what these keys go to?)

*sigh*

April Platform Challenge - Who Am I?

Robert Lee Brewer's April Platform Challenge for writers is up and running! The first challenge (I knew this was coming) is to define myself.

Name (byline): Elizabeth A. Saunders

Position: Bookseller; freelance writer; Assistant Archivist at Friends Historical Collection; blogger; Board Member for North Carolina Yearly Meeting Publications Board.

Skills: Nit-picky proofreader, editor, writer (historical fiction and journalism), genealogist and historian (Quakers, Ireland and the Carolinas), constant learner (eg. self-taught Spanish and blogging).


Social Media Platforms: Blogger, Twitter, Facebook

URLs: http://elizabethsaunders.blogspot.com/
http://www.biblio.com/bookstore/tannery-books-archdale
https://www.facebook.com/TanneryBooks
Archdale Friends Meeting book (really long link)
https://twitter.com/bibliotraveler

Accomplishments: First place awards in community journalism from North Carolina Press Association; Heritage Award from Archdale-Trinity Chamber of Commerce; wrote a genealogy book on Archdale Friends Meeting; edited Deep River Friends book (revision) and manuscript of Quaker biographies; National Novel Writing Month local volunteer and three-year winner; completed Writer's Digest course in Nonfiction Writing; B.S. and M.S. in aerospace engineering; former private pilot;  wrote more than a dozen published technical reports for the Department of Defense.

Interests: Genealogy, extended family, reading, faith, and travel.

Who am I? (one sentence):
Elizabeth A. Saunders is a Quaker historian, genealogist, writer and editor who loves to travel, and who owns a used and antiquarian bookshop in a small town in North Carolina.