Have a Backup Plan

~ So the bad news is - the hard drive is dead in the water! Which means that hours of journal entries, research notes, half completed blog post ideas, and more files and other data than I care to think about is virtually lost forever, unless I am prepared to spend a lot of money trying to get at least some of that data back.

Which also goes to show that complancency is not an option.

The lesson here is obvious (if it is so obvious, why didn't I follow it myself?), whether you are planning a short trip, and extended vacation, or simply working at your computer each day like I do - have a backup plan.

Murphy's Law states something to the effect that if something can go wrong - when you least expect or want it to - it will go wrong. The car will break down; the flight will be cancelled; the airline will lose your luggage; someone will steal your wallet - or your computer will refuse to boot up.

I'm disappointed in the technology for not holding up like it should, after all I've had the computer less than a year. I'm disappointed for the loss of information and the wasted hours that loss represents. But most of all I'm disappointed in myself for not being more organised and thorough enough to implement a backup plan I could stick to.

Hopefully, I have learnt my lesson.

Panic - Don't Panic!

~ Panic! Don't panic.

That's what's going through my head right now.

My main computer - the computer I use every day to make notes for this blog, to work on upcoming entries, store travel photographs and raw video footage, write my daily journal, store passwords to a multitude of third party websites, and so much more, has decided to 'spit the dummy' and not boot up.

Unfortunately, I have to wait until Tuesday before a technician can come to the house to look at it. Tuesday just happens to be my birthday, so I am hoping it will turn out to be a very happy birthday for me. Until then, I am using someone else's computer to write this, so my usual Saturday column, The Week That Was will not appear, since the completed entry - and the original notes - are trapped in limbo on my own system.

Of course (I hear you say), you did make regular backups of your files, didn't you, Jim?

Umm, yes, but not regularly enough, so I am going to be very unhappy if the technician is unable to breathe life back into my computer. Which is why I am keeping my fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed for some good news early next week.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, enjoy your weekend.

Friday Photo #12: Bulgari Building, New York

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Bathed in golden light, the upper levels of New York’s Bulgari Building, at 730, Fifth Avenue, takes an a whole new aspect as the day ends and evening falls over the city. This was from a series of images I took, and filed under the category Shadows and Light. Essentially, there are three main colours in this image: the golden yellow light, the blue of the evening sky, and the dark, almost black shadowed areas.

Apart from sharpening the image up in Photoshop, the colours are exactly as the came out of my camera. They have not been enhanced in any way.

I am disappointed to read that this Bulgari store has since closed down. While I never entered the store during my New York stay, I always looked out for the distinctive glow lighting up the top floors if I was in that area of Manhattan.

Image: Bulgari Building, New York City, April 2008

Photographer: Jim Lesses