How to install FamilySearch Indexing on Linux

Since there isn't a good set of instructions on how to install FamilySearch Indexing on Linux, I figured I'd post it here. 

1. Go to indexing.familysearch.org and click on Get Started, which should bring you to https://indexing.familysearch.org/newuser/nugetstarted.jsf# 
2. Click Download Now. It automatically selects the proper download for your operating system. In my case, I'm running Linux Mint 17, 64 bit, and the file was named "Indexing_unix.sh".
3. Open a terminal window. Change to the directory where the file was saved, and type the command "sh Indexing_unix.sh", as shown here:

That's where I was stuck. I got this .sh file and didn't know how to run it. I tried a suggestion I found online to make the file executable. That was wrong. There was no need to change permissions on the file either. All I had to do was use the sh command, followed by the file name.

After you type sh Indexing_unix.sh, it will say:

Unpacking JRE ...
Preparing JRE ...
Starting Installer ...

If all goes well, this window will pop up. If not, you may not have the 32 bit libraries required to run 32 bit programs on a 64 bit machine. Scroll down to see how I fixed that problem on my wife's laptop.

Click Next, and then you can select the languages to include.

In my case, I had nine of these error boxes pop up, all on top of each other. So it seems like you're clicking the same OK button and nothing happens, but each time you click OK, the box goes away and you see the one under it.

Then you get the completed wizard and if you click Finish, it will launch, unless you unchecked the "Run FamilySearch Indexing" box.

So after I figured this out on my desktop PC, it was time to install it on my wife's laptop, also running Linux Mint 17, 64 bit. Here's what happened:

The error said "Indexing_unix.sh: 217: Indexing_unix.sh: bin/unpack200: not found Error unpacking jar files. The architecture or bitness (32/64) of the bundled JVM might not match your machine."

Her laptop is a 64 bit machine, so I figured the problem was that the application was only 32 bit. So, to run a 32 bit application, I had to open the software manager and search for ia32-libs.

I installed it and it took five or ten minutes to download and install. Then I tried again to install FamilySearch Indexing.

This time, I used the "bash" command instead of "sh". I know there are several different shells, but I don't know if it makes any kind of difference which one you use. I still got the nine errors, but it installed. And that made my wife very happy.

To launch FamilySearch Indexing, click the menu button and find it in the "Other" folder. It's also under "All Applications".

Hey! That's not fair! SmartShield 360 review

I'm going to review the SmartShield 360 Plug-in.

This is a $299 "EMF protection" product I haven't bought, and have no plans on buying. Not fair? Oh yeah? Scamming people out of their hard-earned money isn't fair. 

There's a lot of talk among the alternative health community about EMF. In my opinion, there is a lot of unjustified fear and misinformation going around. 

How it works

Here's what I gathered from their web site. It creates a multi-frequency signal that's fed back into the power lines that it's plugged into. They say "a high level pulse sent through wiring". I guess they're trying to use the household wiring as an antenna. This isn't the first device to use household wiring for communication.

It turns on for 3 seconds, then off for 30 seconds, repeating this cycle.

Claims

They say it's designed for use with Smart Meters and wi-fi. I've heard of some wi-fi password stealing devices hidden in small appliances, so this claim kind of makes me wonder.

They say that electronics of all kinds has harmful radiation. Yet they claim this piece of electronics has good EMF radiation (in the form of a "torsion field", whatever that is) that heals you. Never mind the fact that most household electromagnetic radiation has a near zero effect on the body. (Hey, if they can make baseless claims based on opinion alone, can't I also?)

Here are their claims from Amazon.com: and their website.

• SmartShield360 Plug-In Whole House Protection provides the latest, state of the art EMF protection (latest Blushield upgrade!), generating a multi-wave scalar output (torsion field). Greatly assists the body in staying balanced and normalized when exposed to the negative effects of harmful electromagnetic radiation from cell phones, cordless phones, WiFi, smart meters, cell towers, computers, powerlines, and electronics of all kinds.
• Plug SmartShield360 into the wall in your home or office. Highly effective EMF protection designed for large spaces, business and commercial areas. Provides an 80 meter (260 foot) diameter coverage, covering a total 360 degrees of protection. SmartShield Plug-In is an 'active' device. This is unlike passive (not powered) pendants or stickers which claim to protect you.
• ABS CASE: High impact ABS (plastic) case. Color: White 4 plug types 100 - 240V Low power consumption Microprocessor controlled Meets EMC EN 50082-1:1992 and EN 50081-1 Meets electrical safety NZ/AS 3100
• Designed for use with Smart Meters and Wi-Fi (although we do not agree with the use of these devices). 2.4 times stronger than the Blushield Classic Plug-In. Covers 4 times more area than the Classic Plug-In. High level pulse sent through wiring for EMF protection. Ideal for avid gamers. Great for homes and offices where EMF exposure is high. High strength field effect reduces fatigue and EMF symptoms, promotes emotional stability, reduces stress, helps maintain levels of alertness and productivity. Promotes restful sleep.
• * Buy with confidence - 14 Day Satisfaction Guarantee! (Unit must be returned in original condition with original packaging in tact.) Most people experience positive improvements and some even report symptoms they used to have lessen or completely disappear. SmartShield 360 provide state-of-the-art technology, gentle, harmonious with the body and highly effective. People definitely experience the benefits. However, please be aware the technology is subtle and gentle, benefits are cumulative and felt more over time, rather than immediately (although many people do claim to feel the difference soon after use).

And from their website:

• Wide-spectrum, natural, bio-compatible frequencies
• Some or no detox effect
• High strength field effect
• Reduces fatigue
• Reduces EMF symptoms
• Promotes emotional stability
• Helps maintain a level of alertness
• Enables restful sleep
• Increase energy levels

Analysis

Let's go through these claims.

A multi-wave scalar output? Ok, the same thing can be said about the speaker terminals on the back of your stereo. But why say that's a torsion field? Oh, it's listed as a pseudoscience in Wikipedia. So, this supposed torsion field that travels a billion times faster than the speed of light is somehow supposed to "greatly assist the body in staying balanced and normalized"?

Unless they've figured out how to modulate gravity, I don't know of any other physical phenomenon that travels faster than the speed of light. And if they have, this would not be the product first to market. Hoverboard, maybe?

"Wide-spectrum, natural, bio-compatible frequencies." If that doesn't leave you wondering what that means, you are more enlightened than I.

This little outlet cover does in fact block the outlet so you can't accidentally stick a butter knife in the outlet before removing it. In that way alone, I concede protection from EMF.

They say it covers 80 meters diameter. Most people use radius. But they also claim 60 meters on the same page. They don't give any conditions on the coverage, such as walls, line-of-sight, etc.

If you look at the picture of the back of this device, you can see they made a mistake on the label, which leads me to believe that it wasn't designed by an electrical engineer. It list consumption as 4mAH. First, they got the capitalization wrong. It's mAh, which stands for milliamp hours. But that's for batteries. A plug-in device would list Watts or milliamps (mA), not mAh. 

Commentary

Everything I can find about this product is vague. The website's FAQ and News sections are blank. The testimonials are basically anonymous because they only have two initials, and no names.

There's only one way to block EMF (electromagnetic fields). That's with a conductive barrier, also known as a Faraday shield. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

Imagine trying to block light in a room with another light. It can't be done. You need something to physically block the light. It's the same with EMF. We have many radio stations at once. You can have a more powerful radio overpower a weaker nearby channel, but it doesn't reduce the EMF of the first station. It just makes it harder to pick up the weaker station without hearing the more powerful one.

I think the price is so high, it's to prevent curious people from buying one to take it apart and see what's inside. I see no justification for the price. From what I can deduce about this product, it should cost less than $20. But even then, I'm pretty sure it runs on the placebo effect, despite their claims to the contrary. The price alone should tell you that this company is only interested in collecting your money, and not in helping you.

So, after this, if you're still convinced that it wouldn't hurt to just give it a try, remember that you're putting your trust in someone who is promoting a technology that isn't accepted as real by the scientific community. In order for a technology or science to be accepted, the published work needs to have reproducible results. 

There are no studies referenced on the web site. Only one person's two blood tests were recorded. This is by no means a study. 

"But what about God?", you may ask. You may argue that we can't prove that God exists. That doesn't mean that torsion fields and orgone energy are like belief in God. God is real. God has made a significant difference in the lives of countless people.  Here's how to invite God to work a miracle in your life. Make an unconditional commitment to do the right thing, no matter if you believe in God, or not. Then, with an honest heart, study and learn about God.

You will get better results from God, than you will from using this product. 

Filtered, Moderated, and Fake Reviews - Ranting About Online Reviews

I, like many customers, depend on reviews to determine if a product is right for me. But when we sense foul-play in reviews, it can drive us away. We may not shop at a place if we suspect they cherry-pick reviews, or if there are what seem to be fake reviews posted by employees of the company that makes that product.

Customer reviews can even be a good source of technical support, especially when your search engine brings them up when you're trying to find a solution to a problem. But the main reason we write reviews of products is because we are trying to be helpful.

For one example, I bought a microscope camera for work from microscope.com. It worked well and I wanted to post my opinion since there weren't any reviews for that product on their website. So I spent some time and created a very nice review, but I also had a couple complaints.

It's pretty unrealistic to have a 100% positive review on a product that isn't perfect. I submitted the review and they never posted it. So I had to assume that they don't post any reviews that aren't 100% positive. Therefore, I am very hesitant to shop there again. I depend on reviews for an honest opinion of other users' experiences with the product.

So then I bought some stuff from tigerdirect.com. Since I hadn't posted any reviews there before, I was unfamiliar with their operating procedure. I had several of my reviews posted, but my review of the motherboard and CPU still weren't posted, so I posted another review on the CPU. Here it is:

Ok, now I sound like a total dork. How was I to know they'd actually post THAT one!?

Here's what I can tell so far about reviews on tigerdirect.com:

• The review moderators don't like to read. If you post a lengthy review, it may never get posted. Shorter reviews are approved and posted quickly. The longer a review is, the longer it takes to get posted, if ever. I assume the 1000 character limit is because they know their moderators don't like to read.
• Good luck editing your review. Trying to change it after it's posted doesn't seem to work. Maybe it's because again, I'm trying to post 1000-character reviews. You've already read 1285 characters on this post so far, so there's only so much information you can cram into 1000 characters.
• Threats to go shop somewhere else actually elicit a response, but I'm not sure they do anything about your complaint.  
• They have standards for reviews, but I can't find them posted anywhere on their site. So I'm not sure why my reviews aren't being posted. I don't use any bad language, bad grammar, or personal attacks. I did, however, link to this blog for the X9SRA motherboard review. They haven't posted that one.
• Checking the box that says send me an email when my review is posted, (wait for it) . . . does nothing.

Update 6/20/2014

So after at least four previous attempts at posting a lengthy review on a computer case, I caught some attitude and wrote this.

Victory at last!

Update 29 December 2016

I saw a computer on bestbuy.com and had never heard of this brand before. I was intrigued by their 4.7 out of 5 star rating with 364 reviews. I was skeptical. It's a computer. It runs Windows. Even if every system they sold had no problems, how do you get 4.7 out of 5 stars? You can't please everybody. Some people are just difficult.

Sorting that computer category on BestBuy by best selling, the BB921 was on top. But the next best seller only had 53 reviews. Nobody else even came close to 364 reviews. There was a 4.4 star Asus with 206 reviews. Hmm. The number of reviews doesn't correlate well with the best selling rank.

Let's do some comparison shopping. So I checked on amazon.com under Electronics > Computers & Accessories > Computers & Tablets > Desktops > Towers.

I found a computer with 4.6 stars and 735 reviews. Ok, so maybe it's possible. Then for the same specs and the best I could find with anywhere close to the same number of reviews was a 4.0 star with 294 reviews. It was a Dell computer.

So maybe the rating is plausible. That means we need to do some verification.

The IBUYPOWER computer on amazon with the most reviews only had 90, and it was 3.7 stars. Note the 24% 1 star reviews. That's telling. Ok, this doesn't match with the BestBuy rating.

Let's compare reviews from other sources online. Here's what Yelp.com had to say:

Let's skip over that alert and check the rating. Let's see, the majority of their reviews are 1 star. It seems like most people hate this company. And look, it went from 1.4 to 3.8 stars in June. I wonder how that happened.

That doesn't match the BestBuy rating either.

I checked TomsHardware, cnet, and youtube. They really made some customers upset. Several complained about the $99 shipping fee.

Now, here's IBUYPOWER's rating on the Better Business Bureau. They got an F.

Hmm. Really doesn't match the BestBuy rating. Something's suspicious here.

So, if you filter out all the bad reviews, then I can see how you'd get 4.7 out of 5 stars, but 364 reviews? That's funny. When I click to read the reviews, it never loads. I do block some ad sites, so maybe that has something to do with it.