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24 July 2020 - Podcast #703 - (23:46)
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Backup is essential. That's not a new topic or a new sentiment. You already know that my preference is for multiple copies of important files and for having one of those backup locations be cloud based. If you're on a tight budget, there are ways to get some of the benefits of online backup but at a lower cost.
There's no doubt that true backup services such as CrashPlan include valuable capabilities, not the least of which is the ability to retrieve previous versions of files. There are two reasons why this is important: First, the user of the computer may change an important file accidentally and want to get back to a version of the file from last week; second, a ransomware attack may encrypt files on the computer. Again, the ability to retrieve a previous version can save the files. The primary advantage versioning provides is obvious when we understand that a file that has been changed, accidentally or maliciously, may already have replaced the previous version of the file that was backed up. Versioning allows us to look further back.
As scary as a ransomware attack is, it's far less likely than simple operator error. Have you ever opened a file to use as a starting point for a new project, made changes, and then saved the file without remembering to rename it? I'll admit that I have done this. Not often, but I have done it. The original file has almost always been a document that I still need. If I realize the problem immediately, I can just download the latest backup file, or grab it from one of two local backup locations. But if even a few minutes have passed, the version on the server may have been replaced with the new version. To recover, all I need to do is save the new file with a new name, open CrashPlan, select a previous version of the file, and restore it. This process takes no more than a few minutes. Choosing to use an inexpensive file synchronization process eliminates that ability.
But wait, somebody's saying, what about Windows 10 file versioning? Yes, Windows has built-in file versioning, but it's turned off by default. If you turn it on, file versioning will consume additional space on the computer's disk drives. So, if you're running low on space, this might not be a good option. Whether it is a good option for you, and how to accomplish it, is a topic for another time.
So let's say for now that you want a less expensive option than a cloud-based backup system, and that you're willing to accept the risk introduced by a process that cannot protect against accidental or malicious changes to files.
Microsoft, Google, and Apple all offer online storage that can be synchronized with one or more directories on your computer. The services have similar features. I selected Google Drive even though I have small amounts of online storage from Microsoft and Apple. Google gives users 15GB of storage for free. This may be sufficient for those who have only small amounts of data that they want to synchronize to the cloud, but you can rent more space.
I've chosen 100GB of space for $20 per year, but I could double that for $30 per year. Two terabytes would cost $100 per year. You can rent whatever you need and Google provides prices online for up to 30TB ($300/month).
One of the primary advantages to the services from Microsoft, Google, and Apple is that you can use the online location to store files that you want to be able to work with wherever you are. I use Google Drive to store documents and images that I want to be able to access from any computer or mobile device, files that I want to share with others, reference materials, and manuals. Adding, deleting, or changing a file that's stored in the Google Drive directory on the primary computer, or on any of the computers or mobile devices where Google Backup and Sync is installed will change that file in the cloud and the change will sync with all other devices whenever they're online. And because I really, really, really hate to lose files, the Google Drive directory on my primary computer is also backed up to CrashPlan.
By default, Google Drive will back up the Desktop, the Documents directory, and the Pictures directory. The problem with that is that (1) I don't use any of those directories to store important files. The Desktop has nothing of value; all of my data files, documents, and websites are on drives D and E; and all of my pictures are in a directory on drive D. So I have set Google Drive to look at (2) a directory on drive H which is what I use for all files that I want to back up to Google Drive or share on Google Drive.
I don't back up the digital photos drive to Google because those files are backed up to CrashPlan and also to a local backup drive.
The directory I use for files that I want to send to Google Drive includes directories that I share with clients or others who need access to the documents. For example "COVID19-for-CML" is a directory with high-resolution images that I took in central Ohio during the height of the shelter at home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. These images are being shared with the Columbus Metropolitan library for historical use. Private directories include images taken in and around Bellefontaine, graphics that I use when people celebrate birthdays, ebooks, and even some screen captures from the Surface Pro that will eventually find their way into a TechByter Worldwide program.
What may be a surprise is that you can share access to your Google Drive directory and give users full control to some directories so that they can add, change, or delete files that will the be synchronized to your computer.
Although I use GoodSync to copy essential files from my wife's computer to her directory on my computer so that the files will be backed up to CrashPlan, Google Drive would also be an option. If you can afford GoodSync for two computers ($30 per year for up to 5 computers) that's what I consider to be the best option. See the section below for information about how to set up a sharing plan like that to duplicate files from one computer on another computer.
Why? Let's consider what happens with the files from my wife's computer. Let's say she takes a photograph with her digital camera. She'll download that photograph from the camera to her computer. Later in the day, GoodSync on her computer will copy that photograph to a directory on my computer. As soon as CrashPlan notices that a new image is present, the file will be uploaded to the cloud. And on the following Wednesday, GoodSync will copy the file to a USB drive that I use for local backup. If you're counting, that file is now in four locations: Phyllis's computer, my computer, CrashPlan, and a local USB drive. If you're not counting, it's still in those same four locations.
The true value of your computer isn't the hardware. It's not the installed software. The really valuable stuff is what you've created: Tax records, email, documents, recipes, photographs. The hardware and software can be replaced. What you've created and stored can't be replaced unless you have a good backup system.
If I didn't use GoodSync on Phyllis's computer to push files to my computer, I could set up a Google Drive directory, create a directory on her computer, connect that directory to my Google Drive account, and give her write privileges. Any files saved to the Google Drive directory would be synced to the cloud, then synced to my computer, and finally synced to CrashPlan.
Having more copies of a file is always better. Always safer. The more copies you have of an important file, the more likely the file is to survive what might otherwise be a catastrophe.
This section is not in the podcast, but is included here to illustrate how to use GoodSync to push files from one computer to another.
GoodSync has excellent online documentation that describes the process of setting up a friend's computer to back up information to your computer, but I decided to include this section to illustrate how straightforward the process is even though it contains a lot of steps. Although there are other ways to set up a second computer, this is the process I use. Before starting, it's important to have set up the GoodSync Connect function that links each computer to a single GoodSync Connect account.
When the GoodSync account is set up, you'll need to set up a new job, give it a name, and select Backup as the option. This should be done on the computer that will be sending data to your computer. (right)
Specify the location of the data you'll be backing up. Assuming you're setting this up on the source computer, select My Computer. (left)
You'll then see a list of drives and directories on the computer. Scroll until you find the data you want to send to the other computer and selected the files and directories to send. It's possible to select more than one directory. (right)
Now it's time to select the destination. The connection type will be GoodSync Connect. The destination computer should be turned on and GoodSync should be running. (left)
You'll see a list of computers that are running GoodSync connect in your account. Select the destination computer. (right)
A list of drives and directories on the destination computer will open. Scroll to the location where you want to store the files from the source computer and select it. If you haven't yet created the directory where you want to store the files on the destination computer, choose the parent directory and click the New Folder icon. (left)
After specifying the source and destination folders, it's time to test the process. Click the analyze icon to start the process. GoodSync will then compare the files on the source computer with those on the destination computer and display a list of files that will be copied. If this doesn't happen, confirm that both computers are running GoodSync and that you have set up the source and destination directories properly. (right)
Click the Sync icon to start the second part of the test. This will perform the backup and copy files from the second computer to your computer. When the process is complete, check your computer to confirm that the files are present. (left)
The job can be run manually, but I prefer setting it up to run automatically. Click to Options icon and choose the Auto tab. There are many options, but my preference is On Schedule because I can select a time when I know that both computers will be running. Also check "Run without User Interface (Unattended)" and then click the Configure button. (right)
Specifying the date and time will be familiar to anyone who has ever set up a cron job in Linux. The job I've set up will run at 5pm (hour 17 on a 24-hour clock) every day. If I'd prefer that the job run only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I would enter "2,4,6" in the Day of Week cell. If I wanted the job to run at 5:30 instead of 5pm, I would enter "30" in the Minute cell. (left)
If you haven't yet set up the GoodSync Runner service on the source computer, you'll be reminded to do that. This is the service that runs the backup job automatically. (right)
You'll be prompted for the computer user's password. (left)
Assuming the password is correct, the GsRunner service will be set up and ready to run the jobs on your schedule. (right)
When set up to run automatically, GoodSync will perform the task silently without notifying the user of either computer.
If you've looked at tablet computers, maybe you've encountered sticker shock. As handy as these highly portable devices are, you might end up paying far too much for onboard storage. There's not much you can do about it if you buy an Apple device, but Microsoft's Surface Pro line of tablets still have XD memory slots and using one can save a lot of money.
Take a look at the prices for two Microsoft Surface tablets. Both have 13.5-inch screens, Intel Core i7 processors, and 32GB of RAM. That's sufficient for RAM-hungry apps such as Adobe's Creative Cloud, but the included storage is limited to just half a terabyte in the $2500 machine and if you pay $2700, you'll just double the storage to 1TB.
But look! There's an XD slot on the back of the computer. Maybe we could use that.
Yes, we could!
Add a 512GB XD card for $80 and you'll save more than $120 dollars while expanding the onboard memory to 1TB, half on drive C and the other half on drive D. Those who need enormous amounts of storage can add a 512GB card to the Surface Pro with 1TB of internal storage and expand the system to 1.5TB.
Apple no longer even has XD card slots on Macbooks, and XD slots have never been an option on Apple's tablet devices. Windows-based tablet devices from other manufacturers usually have XD slots, too.
Facebook users frequently see warnings from people who claim their account has been hacked. This is usually followed by 27 or more well meaning people telling them to change their password.
Although there's nothing wrong with changing your Facebook password, it's rarely necessary. I've been a Facebook participant since 2008, and I believe that I've changed my password exactly once. I did that only to make it stronger: It's now 25 characters long and contains upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.
If you've been careful and haven't clicked on a link that takes you to a fake Facebook site, your account probably has not been hacked. But perhaps it's been cloned. Cloning is relatively easy if the target account uses Facebook's default settings.
When an account is cloned, the crook may be able to see your friends and send friend requests to them. What's the point? When your friends accept the friend request, they may expose all of their friends to the scammers. But what's the point of that?
When the scammer gets the user's friends to believe the cloned account belongs to the user and accept a friend request from the fake account. Victims may think they were accidentally unfriended or the user created a second account. When friends begin accepting the requests, the scammer can hit them with fraudulent messages that can empty their bank accounts.
Example: You receive a friend request from Joe and accept it. Then, a few days later, the cloned Joe sends you a private message. Something terrible has happened. He's terribly embarrassed, but could he ask you for a loan. Maybe he's out of town and his wallet has been stolen, so he needs money for gas to get home. Could you wire him $500 and he'll pay you back as soon as he gets back to town?
It's Joe, after all, and you've known him for years, so you send the money. That's just one of several ploys that crooks use. You'll never see your $500 again and you'll find out that Joe never left town.
Anyone can create a Facebook account using any name. There's more than one Bill Blinn in the world and there are multiple accounts with my name. That doesn't mean my account has been cloned, but one clear indication, if you search Facebook for your own name, is finding a second account that uses your photograph. What then?
When I checked my own name in mid-July, I didn't find any clones of my account, but I did find a Bill Blinn on the east coast whose account has been cloned. This is obvious because the same photograph is used for both accounts.
If you find that your account has been cloned, it's important to do three things immediately:
To hide your friends list, go to Facebook settings and choose the Privacy tab. Make sure "Who can see your friends list" is set to "Only me". You may want to change "Who can see your future posts" to Friends, but this makes it difficult for people to share your posts.
How does Facebook tell the difference between me and all of the other Bill or William Blinns? Each user has a unique ID (or index) number. Your email address and password link to the ID. The display name is just that: the name that Facebook displays for your posts.
If you'd like to find out what your Facebook ID is, go to your account page and right-click the profile picture. Select "Copy link address" from the context menu and then paste the address into any document that can display text. The account ID is the ten-digit number at the end of the string, following "referrer_profile_id".
Forget privacy, particularly on an information sharing site such as Facebook. It's not possible to limit the visibility of your profile picture or the account banner, so they're low-hanging fruit for anyone who wants to clone your account.
If you hide your friends list, you make the account much less appealing to crooks. Just keep in mind that nothing on the internet is perfectly secure. If you consider a larger context, "nothing is perfectly secure." Crooks can break in to stores, steal cars, and rob banks. The internet makes things easier and less personal because crooks can steal your money or you identity without ever meeting you. All we can do is make it harder for thieves to victimize us.
And if your account has been hacked? Until you're certain, don't panic. And even if you are sure, don't panic. Panic can make a serious situation even worse. In other words, maybe we should all try to act the way first responders are trained to react: Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
The E.W. Scripps Company will sell podcast aggregator Stitcher to SiriusXM. The sale price is $325 million, which Scripps says is more than double the company's investment in podcasting over the last five years.
Stitcher three podcast business lines: the Midroll advertising rep firm, owned-and-operated podcast networks including the comedy-focused Earwolf, and the Stitcher podcast listening platform.
Scripps was an early entrant into podcasting, acquiring Midroll and the Stitcher app a year later. The two acquisitions cost just under $60 million. Stitcher's 2019 revenue was $72.5 million.
Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson says Stitcher and its employees will join a large pure-play audio company, and this ensures Stitcher will expand on its success.
Sale price of $325 million includes $265 million of cash upfront with an earnout of up to $30 million based on 2020 financial results to be paid in 2021 and an earnout of up to $30 million based on 2021 financial results that will be paid in 2022.
A new nationwide survey from Fast shows that 66% of Americans say they would be willing to take a pay cut for the flexibility to work remotely, instead of being required to return to an office. Reflecting on the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, American employees are increasingly worried, with 39% saying they are less comfortable about returning to their physical office compared to 30 days ago.
Fast Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder Allison Barr Allen explains: "Many Americans are extremely nervous about working in a physical office and place a high priority on being able to choose for themselves about when to work from home." He said companies that want to remain competitive will need to quickly adapt their approach to offer remote options.
Fast will allow each team member to decide where to work on any given day, whether in the Fast office, from home, or from another location. The company says Fast employee will receive $500 to create a comfortable at-home office set up, plus a monthly stipend for high-speed internet and even regular shipments of snacks sent to them.
Fast's survey data also found:
The survey suggests that most Americans are willing to take a pay cut to ensure flexible remote work:
14% would take a 1–4% pay cut, 29% would take a 5–14% pay cut, 17% would take a 15–24% pay cut, 7% would take a 25% or greater pay cut, and 34% would not take a lower salary for flexible remote work. Workers age 35 to 49 are the most receptive to taking pay cuts to gain flexibility and men are more likely than women to accept pay cuts, possibly because women are generally paid less than men already for doing equivalent work.
Fast's survey was conducted online from July 5 through 7 with 600 US adults ages 18 and older who are currently employed in a job that could be performed remotely.
After returning from PC Expo in New York, I wrote about the ideal computer: "The ideal portable computer would have a 21" screen, a full-size keyboard, enough battery power for a week's worth of full-time computing, a 100GB disk drive, and a 1"-thick case with the length and width of a paperback book. It would weigh 12 ounces." At the time, that was approximately equivalent of saying that the ideal lens for a 35mm camera would be a zoom lens that covered 15 to 1200mm at a constant f/1, weighed 6 ounces, and cost $50. We've made more progress on the ideal computer than the ideal lens.
Transmeta was working on a processor they called Crusoe. They called it a "smart processor" that ran cooler that standard processors and was scheduled to be in computers soon. The launch wasn't exactly a success. Transmeta shut down in 2007 and was acquired by Novofora in 2008. Novofora ran into financial problems in 2009 and collapsed.