How much is that in todays money?

Over the years I have seen many postings in which someone has asked the question "How much would that be today?" in regard to an ancestor for whom they had a source which gave a sum of money for wages, a settlement, something they sold... or stole... etc.

It's a question that has sometimes raised great debate and several websites such as www.measuringworth.com and www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/ have been set up to answer it.

But if you have an iPhone/iPod/iPad you can now get an app for that.

Using records from the National Archives, RevelMob and historian Nick Barratt have developed an app called "Old Money".

In a press release The National Archives said

Our records are not just the first draft of history, but are increasingly being used in smart ways by developers to create innovative products and services for anyone who needs instant access to practical historical information.

The Old Money application enables users to make sense of historical facts and figures which might otherwise be meaningless, such as the 1761 sale of Buckingham Palace for £21,000 or William Shakespeare's annual salary in 1599 of £100 a year.

Details can be found on the RevelMob website at www.revelmob.com/currency-converter.

iPad for the iGran

Following on from highlighting iPad for the iCat heres one for the silver surfers.

99-year-old Virginia Campbell is the star of the latest viral YouTube video

Never looking up at the camera, she’s totally focused on her new iPad which daughter and son-in-law got her the first day they came out.



An avid reader Viginia suffers from glaucoma, making it difficult to read.

Having never owned a computer before when she heard all the hype about the iPad she wanted one and now she’s reading books on the iPad and writing limericks as well.

Heres a tribute in appreciation of her newfound freedom from the frailties of old age.

To this technology-ninny it’s clear
In my compromised 100th year,
That to read and to write
Are again within sight
Of this Apple iPad pioneer.

 Full story www.oregonlive.com

iPad for the iCat

We've all seen the news and the videos and seen the reports and reviews about Apple's iPad and many of you will have been trying to figure out a use for it so you have an excuse to get one.

Well for cat lovers here's all the excuse you need