I guess it all depends on my mood at the moment whether I find people losing their data in a hard drive crash sad or funny.  Of course, a hard drive crash is never funny; it is a pain in the neck!  But people who are so short sighted that they don’t back up their files several times a day (if it is important!) have no one to blame but themselves data loss when their hard drive crashes.

I never think in terms of “IF a hard drive crashes.”  I think in terms of “WHEN a hard drive crashes.”  I read some kind of article a while ago that said something to the effect that 3% of all computer hard drives will crash.  Well, if that’s the case, I’ve seen more than my share!  I have been around personal computers since the very first MacIntosh came out around 1982ish.  My mantra, ever since “day one” has been “backup backup backup.”  I have helped my office “mechanize” with the purchase and installation of the IBM compatible PCs around the same time.  In the office that I was the “IT manager” for I required that everyone backup their computer at lunch and before going home for the day.  I have seen many many many hard drive crashes.  My own personal computer at home has crashed more than once.  This was very frustrating, but I had my files intact.  The biggest issue for me was getting the computer repaired, but I had no loss of files, only loss of productivity while waiting for the repairs.

I recently found out about a system, called an ARAID system that solves all of that by providing automatic backup.  This system is a second hard drive installed into your own PC that provides PC data storage and data protection by continuously backing up your data.

It is, in essence, a complete duplicate of your hard drive.  So if your hard drive crashes, you have the ARAID there to take over.  There is no loss of data, no loss of productivity.  This is a great idea for small businesses and personal computers alike.

(This post brought to you by the folks who make this ARAID backup system)

Posted: June 26th, 2008 under Business, Computers / Software, Internet, Life, Online, Shopping, Technology.
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Well, today’s news seems to be largely focused (at least at the moment) on the Supreme Court’s decision to interpret the 2nd amendment to read that individuals DO have the right to own guns.  Apparently there are quite a few cities in the US that have put into place strict laws making it illegal for people to own guns.

I have mixed emotions about this.  I agree that it should be legal for people to own handguns and some rifles for hunting deer/bear/elk/whatever.  But I do think that the larger automatic type of gun that shoots hundreds of bullets a minute has no legitimate place in today’s society.  I understand that there are some city majors out there right now that are unhappy with the Supreme Court’s decision; they are afraid that their crime rate will go up and they will need to hire more police.  That really is a shame, and it is a scary thought.

It certainly is a “loaded” issue!

Posted: June 26th, 2008 under Business, Internet, Issues, Life, News, Online, Sports, Technology.
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My younger cousin sent me an email, inviting me to “meet her online” in Spicy Town. Spicy Town is a fictitious town in an online video game produced by the company that sells Slim Jim spicy snacks. So I went to the online game site to meet my cousin there. I had to create an avatar to use to play the game. It was kind of fun, creating the avatar. The avatar was called my “spicy side.” Setting up my “spicy side” was quick, easy, and amusing. I had to take a picture of myself and upload it to their site, then their program helped center my facial features around their pre-drawn outline of facial features, then they make a funny little creature with horns and funky hair, and then they turned me loose into the video game.

During the game I was supposed to go around collecting Slim Jims that I found lying around on the ground. I only found three, but I only played for a few minutes, trying to find my cousin. There were other people’s avatars in the game walking around too. Some seemed to be fighting with each other (I don’t know why, maybe one insulted the other, those spicy sides are unpredictable and uncontrollable!) some were just walking around ranting and raving. The game has chat functions and buddy lists and chat functions, but I didn’t stay on it long enough to check those out; the baby started fussing and I had to get off the computer and take care of lunch time!

If you want to play the game yourself, go to www.spicyside.com!

(This post brought to you by the architects of Spicy Town.)

Posted: June 26th, 2008 under Blogs, Business, Computers / Software, Entertainment/Fun, Family, Friends, Internet, Life, Online, Technology.
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