Published August 19, 2007 Episode 23 SHOW NOTES The Mailbox: According to alert listener Richard, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests can receive acknowledgement letters from the US Dept. of Homeland Security / US Citizen and Immigration Services in just two weeks.  Richard's requests were placed on a speedier "simple track."  This means that response time has been drastically cut from the six months it took me to receive answers about 5 years ago.  This is good news for genealogists!  Better yet, you now have the option of requesting a CD with pdf file, instead of paper files, if the number of pages is over 15.  We"re all waiting with bated breath to hear back from Richard when he receives the final results from his request for his great grandfather's records.  GEM:  Follow up - Using Your Video iPod As A Genealogy Tool  Proactive listener Donna wrote this week to ask what the best format and resolution was for saving pictures to be viewed on the Video iPod For photos to be viewed on a television screen, save them as JPEG files at 300 dpi resolution.       Update: Reduce the size of images quickly by running them through TinyPNG. Supply Checklist Video iPod MicroMemo Digital Recorder for Video iPod A/V Cable for viewing iPod through your TV Photo Slideshow Troubleshooting Checklist  When plugging A/V cable the  into your TV make sure each jack is firmly plugged in.   To begin slideshow, be sure to press the center iPod ENTER button TWICE when selecting the first image.    Make sure the TV Out feature under Photo Slideshow settings is set to ON.  Make sure your digital TV tuner is set to the appropriate input for the signal coming from the jacks that your iPod is plugged into.  GEM: Home Movie Hint  Please permit me to share a suggestion you may find useful...  I recently took a number of old movie reels (from the 1940s) out to be transferred to DVD, as I'd long intended to do. As much fun and as enlightening as these reels were to watch, I realized an unexpected bonus:  the scenes in these reels helped me identify my great grandmother and her sister in a photo I had sitting by.  Of course, I recognized my great grandmother and I suspected the other was her sister but these movies put that photograph in a context that allowed me to make that identification.  The clothing was the same and the  background matched so I was able to put names and approximate dates on these pictures!  The fuller context of the movie allowed me to identify the names, place and time for the photograph. I hurried down to the store with the rest of the movie reels.  I will remember that often photos are taken at the same events as movies were taken and that a single picture is merely a moment in time but movies can provide larger context. Thank you for your podcast and sharing your ideas.  I look forward to them."  Pat  Regarding Brick Walls:  If you're ready to give up you're probably closer than you think.  Or as they said in Galaxy Quest:  "Never Give Up, Never Surrender!"