Neat little tool for photo collections

Today while chatting with a co-worker about the collection of photos from my Great-Grandma Leola, I learned that Google's photo album tool used facial recognition to help users identify the people in the pictures.

So I thought I'd give Picasa a little test. I uploaded the photos from my great grandma's collection. For some of these photos I have identified the people, but for others we're still guessing. I was hoping that this little tool might help with our guessing game.

After uploading the photos I began tagging the photos using the "Name Tag" feature. Several photos in, Picasa began giving suggestions. Some suggestions were right on target. Then there were a few photos where Picasa suggested the individual could be my great-great aunt, a cousin, or my grandpa ... hmmm, do they really look that much alike? Take a look and let me know what you think ...

Picasa has suggested the boy on the left in this picture is Sara, Dennis or Don. Here are pictures of Sara, Dennis and Don. This particular boy is actually Larry. Sara is Larry's aunt, Dennis is his nephew and Don is his brother.

Now keep in mind that these photos are at least 30 years old and were all scanned images, so the incorrect suggestions could be caused by the lack of clarity in the images.

My conclusion, I'm not sold on Picasa yet, but it looks promising. Maybe after several more pictures, Picasa will have some better suggestions.

the first Tuesday's Treasure

Today, in honor of my grandpa Don's cousin Janice and her husband Chuck visiting, I thought I'd share a photo of Janice's parents.

This is my great-great aunt Sara Workman and husband Raymond Laganella on their wedding day in November 1943.

Sara was the youngest of six children born to Jesse J. and Blanche D. (Heard) Workman. She was born in October 1920 in Brookings, SD and passed away in September 2002 in Philadelphia, PA. Sara and Ray had two children: Raymond Jr and Janice.

The Beginning ... FINALLY!

I've been considering writing a blog for over a year now, but haven't found the words to get me started. Yesterday, I stumbled upon a site that posted specific types of material on specific days of the week. I thought it was a neat idea and might just help me get started. So to get my blogging rolling along, I’ll be sharing Tuesday’s Treasure, Thursday’s Theory, and Saturday’s Stumble-upon.

Tuesday's Treasure posts will highlight some neat pieces of my family history. This will help shed some light on the boxes and albums loaded with photos. I also have amassed a collection of documents and articles that tell our stories. I hope you find treasure in these pieces of history.

Thursday's Theory posts will help shed light on answers I’m seeking. I have a handful of elusive ancestors that I’m bound and determined to locate. So I’ll post my theories of their stories and then go digging for the answers. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my theories too!!

Saturday's Stumble-upon posts will share my new-found insights on my family. I’ll keep you posted on all my findings.

Now this isn’t to say that I’ll post three times a week, but I do plan to post at least twice a week.