The Digital Dad

Call to arms! I’m issuing an RFP. (That’s Request For Proposal, you luddites!) having recently reinstalled my laptop OS, I’ve been looking at options to back up important data: work documents, application settings, MP3s. (Yes, my MP3 collection IS important data.) I’d like to have an online solution, and have been looking at providers like Mozy, Carbonite, and Jungle Disk. I like the latter for using Amazon’s S3 data architecture, and being a geek I think it would be awesome to use S3. It’s just really frikkin’ cool. Then I started thinking… I already pay for a hosted web site with 300GB of space and 6TB of monthly transfer, of which I’m using 0.1% currently. Why do I want to pay more for online storage space?

So here’s the deal. I’m looking for a free or cheap app, run from my site or my PC, that will allow me to do (preferably automatic) incremental system backups to both online storage and a network drive (redundancy) for a Windows XP system. I’m looking, but I imagine some of you out there already have my answer. Some of the hosted stuff has a great interface already, and that may well be the route I go. I’ll let you guys battle it out.

Wow. Jars of Clay had it right. My world is a flood. For those of you in the Wi:Fi:Guy listening area, I hope you survived the night in one piece with your homes and belongings intact. Many did not. I’m heading out shortly to survey the land and check for damage. I’m fairly certain I’ve found some more leaks in our roof. Grrrr. Don’t you know, it’s only supposed to rain outside!

Looks like I got another bump on CNet’s Buzz Out Loud. In episode 653, they read my previous post in its entirety on the air. Wicked! Do I qualify as almost famous yet?

Check it out here. – [My bit's at 39:35.]

So yesterday while in class I was robbed. Someone stole my brand new Columbia winter jacket from the table right next to me. I’d gotten hot and taken it off, placing it within arm’s reach. I mean, like a foot and a half away. When I got up to leave, my jacket was gone. Some stole my jacket… 3 feet away… during math class!
[insert first round of mental expletives]
So that sucked. Then I remembered my iPod touch was in the breast pocket of said jacket.
[insert second round of mental expletives, many of these audible to nearby civilians]
This was rapidly turning out to be a bad day. Then I walked back to my office in the freezing rain in my short-sleeved polo shirt.
[insert third round of out-loud, pseudo-intelligible random expletives, cursing the very nature of such a dirty rotten scoundrel to any available passersby]
So now I’m cold, wet, hungry, and sans $300 mp3 player! I swear a Klingon blood oath of vengeance upon his soul, and get to work.

Here’s where had this been an action movie the next 30 minutes of work would be pieced together into a 60-second montage, complete with Nine Inch Nails soundtrack in the background. I’ll give you the short version:

The iPod touch is more than just a simple mp3 player. It’s got a wifi connection and a browser built-in. [This being, to me, its main utility.] Any time you turn on the device, it automatically tries to find a wireless network and join it. If you’ve ever joined the network before, it won’t even notify you it’s doing so. [he he he]

Notice to criminals: If you’re going to steal a wireless capable device, don’t steal it from the manager of the wireless network.

To make a long story short I used the campus wireless network to track down the exact location of my jacket and iPod. I had it send SMS messages to my cell phone, updating me on its current position. Police officers made an arrest last night and first thing this AM I got my cheese back. Don’t mess with a network ninja. That, my friends, is weak sauce. Weak sauce!

This morning I get a call from the Detective involved with the case. “We just received a report of a laptop stolen on campus. Think you could do that again?”

[fade in theme music]

Addendum: A co-worker came up with the perfect analogy for this occurrence. “Hey, how about I steal this huge homing beacon and take it back with me to my secret lair? What’s that beeping sound?”

Network ninja out.