Posted by Silke on Jan 30, 2009 in
Life,
Writing 
We’re having a discussion on Critters at the moment.
It’s about Backups.
The problem with backups is that they tend to be a pain to do — so people don’t do them.
The services below sort that problem out, very simply and effectively.
I use BT Digital Vault, which comes free via my ISP, with 5gb storage. That’s where my books go, that’s what we use for all manner of data we can’t afford to lose.
Some solutions out there are these:
IDrive — http://www.idrive.com (2gb Free, more is $4.95/mo up to 150gb)
Mozy — http://mozy.com (2gb Free, more is $4.95/mo unlimited)
Amazon S3 — http://aws.amazon.com/s3/ (Not sure how much it works out as they charge per gb / time stored etc.)
Carbonite — http://www.carbonite.com ($49.95/year — unlimited)
HP Upline — https://www.upline.com/ ($4.99/mo US only, 1gb free version to try)
SOS Home Edition — http://www.sosonlinebackup.com/sos-for-home.htm ($19.95/year – 2gb, up to $49.95/year 15gb)
So… which would I recommend?
It really depends what you want.
Some of the above are Mac compatible, some are not.
Some will back up open files — some won’t. So be aware of that and read carefully.
Some have free trials, some don’t.
Some are free to use (with a space limit, but not a time limit), some are not.
I think Mozy doesn’t back up open files, but IDrive does. Not sure. 
Another factor is data encryption.
If you intend to store sensitive data, like tax reports and stuff like that, on an online storage system — where other people will have access to it, like their administrators (They have to.), then you’d do well to encrypt such data yourself.
The simplest way to do it, is to create an encrypted Zip file (you can do this from inside Winzip), or get some encryption software. There are plenty out there.
Fact is, even if you back up stuff to DVD’s, sensitive data should be encrypted before writing it to DVD, too.
Just for information… 2gb is a LOT of space for pure text data and if all you want to back up are your manuscripts, it’s going to last you a very long time before you approach the "pay" stage.
Whichever way you choose, if you back up the files you want to keep, you’re already miles ahead of the pack!
Silke writes paranormal romance, and knows a thing or two about things going bump in the night. Although it is usually her, creeping to the kitchen at O' Dawn Thirty to score another cup of coffee.
She grew up in Germany, but her home of choice is in the UK, where she lives with her partner on the outskirts of London.
Her first book Smitten is now available from Decadent Publishing.
Website - More Posts
Related Posts:
Tags: Backup, Encryption, Online Storage
Posted by Silke on Jan 15, 2009 in
Life 
Well, you all know I’m a fountain pen nut.
My fellow pen worshippers at FPN came up with a great idea: Let’s send postcards to each other, put our pens to work.
I’ve sent out 6 so far, and they certainly are going to some far flung places.
In turn, I’m getting some from Aruba, among other places, and got one yesterday from the Shetland Isles. (Val would loooove not just the postcard, but… it came from a real Scot, with a really scottish name: Angus.)
It made me think.
I’m looking forward to my mail again.
I get home, and my first glance is in the mailbox, to see which incredible place I have a card from this time.
Of course, being pen nuts like me, the cards sport a variety of inks, in all colors and shades. Yes. Ink.
No ballpoint pens for me.
Now go wash your mouth out, for even thinking the word.
These days, we correspond with everyone via email. It’s fast, free and we get a reply almost instantly if the other party is so inclined.
These days, we are losing the art of letter writing. Our penmanship has gone to hell. Structure is non existent. We forget how to write without a spellchecker.
Letter writing is an art.
It would be sad to lose such a skill, so here is another resolution from me:
I am going to write – by hand – letters and cards, at least five per month.
Lets face it… who doesn’t like getting a letter, or a card, in the mail, rather than a bill?
Silke writes paranormal romance, and knows a thing or two about things going bump in the night. Although it is usually her, creeping to the kitchen at O' Dawn Thirty to score another cup of coffee.
She grew up in Germany, but her home of choice is in the UK, where she lives with her partner on the outskirts of London.
Her first book Smitten is now available from Decadent Publishing.
Website - More Posts
Related Posts:
Tags: letters, penmanship, postcards, Writing
Posted by admin on Jan 7, 2009 in
Goals,
Life Since many of my crit partners are discussing goals and 2009, I thought this a good time to jump in and add mine!
While I worked on my goals prior to Jan 1st, I just wasn’t ready to start them on that day.
Mondays, for me are good starting days. I get a full week in of starting a new routine or two.
I thought I’d post my goals here, so I can look back on them at the end of the year.
CAREER ROAD MAP
–Daily –
- Write 1000 words a day/4 pages.
- Revise 2 pages a day.
- Diet. 10 lbs a month, end of May reach goal.
- Exercise.
- Promo daily
- FlyLady
–Weekly –
- Update my goal on PC for accountability.
- Read one craft book a week.
- Blog weekly on my blog – Friday
- Blog weekly on Passionate Critters – Wednesdays
- Blog weekly on a Once Upon a Crime blog – Mondays
- Make menu for following week
I have a notebook that I like to keep a daily journal of what I’ve accomplished. What will you do to keep yourself accountable and stay on track to reach your goals?
Related Posts:
Posted by Silke on Jan 2, 2009 in
Challenges,
Life,
Writing 
I thought Bethanne made a pretty good post reflecting on what she has achieved. I wish I’d managed half as much!
My little list is much shorter, I assure you. Though I didn’t get pregnant in… ever. 
Still, her list prompted me to wonder… what do I want to achieve in 2009?
Apart from the obvious — to have a book bought, and published.
I’d like to be more assertive. I really suck at it, I think.
So what kind of resolutions do writers generally make? Write more, read more, submit, query… We all make those resolutions, I’m sure.
A friend of mine once said: "A New Years Resolution is a To-Do-List for the first week of January."
Considering that’s about as long as most people stick to their resolutions, he’s probably not far off.
Here are some of mine which may not be on the general "Writers Resolutions" list.
- Critique more. (I have been terribly slack!)
- Be more helpful. (I think sometimes I could help more. I’ll make a point of it this year.)
- Be more open to other people’s writing. (I’m talking genres. I hate chick lit, for instance.)
- Be more vigilant when it comes to the tone of my critiques. (I can sound very very harsh without meaning to.)
- I need to query and submit the books I write. (Yeah, yeah, I know… but it scares me.)
- I need to finish the damned things, too! (Well, one is, but I need to finish the other one.)
- Get more organized. (I’m the queen of messy desks!)
- Write at least 250 words a day, every day. (It’s not a lot, I can do this! More if I can, but never less.)
- Keep my darn blog up to date! (Wow I haven’t blogged much there at all lately!)
- Stop procrastinating and finding excuses for why I couldn’t write. I’m only lying to myself, after all.
So… there you have it.
But my Number 1. resolution isn’t on that list.
It’s "Be nice to everyone, regardless. Don’t whine, don’t complain. Shed the old negative self."
It’s a tall order, believe me!
Silke writes paranormal romance, and knows a thing or two about things going bump in the night. Although it is usually her, creeping to the kitchen at O' Dawn Thirty to score another cup of coffee.
She grew up in Germany, but her home of choice is in the UK, where she lives with her partner on the outskirts of London.
Her first book Smitten is now available from Decadent Publishing.
Website - More Posts
Related Posts:
Tags: Lists, New Start, New Year, Resolutions
