Hey guys,
I recently started using Backblaze. Its a subscription service to unlimited cloud storage for one PC. I'm not a fan of subscriptions but all things considered, I find this one worth it as I think it is about $7 a month. The way it works is that it makes a copy of every file on your computer, but it is intended to be a mirror of your computer only. So, if you delete files from your PC, after about a month, they will be deleted from your Backblaze account as well.
For more money, they will save all of your files permanently (even if you delete them from your PC) and also allow you to back up multiple PCs. As someone who plans to not delete much (I can just add more drives to my tower over time) I like that Backblaze will continue to back these different drives up as well if I get to that point.
I was either paying $100 every few years for new backup drives, or just paying someone else to do it for me, so the money works out about the same which is why I'm ok with this as a solution.
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Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
Civil Engineer
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-09-2022 08:59 AM
From: William McAnally
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized
Very true, James. The busier I am, the less attention I pay to digital housekeeping. Getting organized is important, but staying organized is hard.
Backups are essential, so one necessary SOP is to use good backup software. However, offsite backup is tricky. Trying to restore gigabytes from the cloud can be excruciatingly slow and storing a portable drive in a safe deposit box is and exercise in inconvenience. DOes anyboy have a better solution?
Bill
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William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
ENGINEER
Columbus MS
Original Message:
Sent: 11-08-2022 08:45 PM
From: James Williams
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized
SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), centralized databases, file management, and data base maintenance. Of course, I am guilty as charged. I have redundant reference, admin and other folders on various drives on different computers, and external storage drives. What seems like a good idea becomes a challenge when file management (i.e., primarily clean-up, consolidation & backup) is not performed. Steps we take to speed up the process are adversely affected due to lack of maintenance.
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James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
Principal/Owner
POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
Yorktown, VA
Original Message:
Sent: 08-02-2022 01:34 PM
From: Daniel Bressler
Subject: So Organized that it's Disorganized
I had a professor that would create a new folder each year for the current class and copy all the updated lectures, books, and references each year. This took up so much space
having copies of the same lectures over and over and over... that more online storage was needed.
Sometimes when someone is too organized it becomes disorganized!
Does anyone have any examples of how they avoid this organized disorganzation?
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Daniel Bressler EIT, A.M.ASCE
Structural Engineer
Brooklyn NY
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