Karl / David / VoltageSpike et al:

Keeping this on-list as requested.

Many blessings on your heads for being helpful.  When we meet at some future
function, I owe you all a beer or some other beverage.

Karl helped me get "modprobe" and "lsmod" working.  I added /sbin: to my
PATH variable in  my .bash_profile.  Then I say "source .bash_profile" to
actually invoke the profile settings.  , ow bash at least recognizes the
command.  (See, I'm not completely helpless.)

modprobe says "modprobe:  can't find device usb-storage"  Don't know what
this means.  I plunged ahead anyway.
modprobe vfat returns nothing too.

lsmod listed devices, including
usb-uhci
usb-ohci (both unused)
usb-core which it says "usb-storage hid ..." (i.e., not unused.)
usb-storage
scsi-mod  [sd-mod usb-storage]
(vfat is there on the list, along with many others)

BLindly following Voltage Spike's instructions I did this:

mkdir /mnt/memstick
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/memstick

Voila!  The 67 photos I placed on the memory stick all show up in
/mnt/memstick as little thumbnails.  Now this is progress.

Haven't figured out the palm pilot syncing yet.  Ximian's "Palm  Conduit
Wizard" needs info that I just don't have.  All this is voodoo -- I don't
realy understand much of the above cryptic commands ...

Thanks again -- Craig