Let’s just be kind on each other.

If you would like to go directly to the outcome, jump directly to the verdict. If you would like to read the full article just continue reading!

Ten years ago all secure backups was either on CDs or on an external disk which then could be placed in a secure vault or such. Now days the price for online backup services has dropped so that it actually is a really good alternative. So based on this, I set out to try to find a service which gave me what I was looking for. Keep in mind that the choice I make is based on my personal requirements, I do not claim that my choice is the best for everyone.

MY REQUIREMENTS Since I am an amateur photographer and also write a lot of texts I would need a service with unlimited or next to unlimited storage space not to be afraid to run out anytime soon. I do store all photos I like in raw format which become a huge amount of data in a short time. Big storage amounts naturally calls for good transfer rates to be able to transmit changed data or restore data if needed. Since I am located in Sweden, that means a good transfer rate between the central storage server and my local ISP in Sweden. If I need to recover a file I want to be able to recover individual files quickly and easily and I want to be able to do so again with a good transfer speed.

At home I use one stationary computer and one laptop and I want to be able to keep both backed up. Since I do write code mostly on my laptop a system which can keep track of file version would be preferable. If I am going to spend money signing up for a backup service I would like to see a good version based system in place which can be used for not only hardware based failure but also for thought based failures by myself.

Last but not least the price of the service. This is really a secondary requirement for me since what I get from the service is of highest importance. However I will not pay more for a service then I feel I get features back.

THE CONTENDANTS Quickly it was obvious for me that there is a huge amount of services available for online backups, but just as obvious was the fact that most of these services was not what I was looking for. The services I finally came to look into was:

• Backblaze
• Carbonite
• CrashPlan
• Diino
• Dropbox
• Keepit
• Storegate

After a quick run-down of my must-haves I could cut these down once again so all i was left with was Backblaze, CrashPlan and Keepit. Main reason the other fell out of my view was to bad conditions for what I needed and limited storage plans.

I simply added a trial for all three and made a few experiments to backup 2Gb of data which I uploaded and restored to see which was the best for me. I also searched the net for additional reviews to see what other had to say about the three. The service which I did like the best just looking at the conditions was Backblaze, if it hadn’t been for the fact that I had terrible transfer rate to their service I would have gone with them. Secondly I tried Keepit which was a very good service but I did feel a bit limited about the available choices to what data to be backed up or not. I also found it to be a bit complex to add additional service for another computer to be added to my account.

So, last of the three I tried CrashPlan. Looking at the conditions of their offer I saw that they was on a clear second place after Backblaze but really ahead of Keepit. Uploading data ran fast for me and the recovery process was very quick and simple.

THE VERDICT After a going through all the services I had tried one final time, what conditions they were offering and the price they asked for it my choice fell on Crashplan. When all is summarized they do provide the best offer for me personally. This is based on the conditions of their accounts, the transfer rate to my home together with a price I feel is fair for the service I receive.

What service is the best for you personally will be the service which offers the best features you want together with an acceptable transfer rate based on what amount of data you will be transferring. My best tip for anyone trying to choose a backup plan just as I did I’d recommend that you write down a short list of what features you need and then also the amount of data you will be transferring. Looking at the list I compiled with those bullets in mind I hope that you will have a better way of choosing the best offer for you.

AFTERWORDS After I already made my selection I found out yet another great feature CrashPlan offer. Instead of uploading data to a central server it is possible to place a drive at a friends place and send your continous backup there. Using this technique you can actually get great transfer speeds where ever you may be in the world as long as you have a second location to place a bonus disk. This is a great opportunity for people who have friends in their network neighborhood with a machine that’s mostly turned on.

Also, as I am a Dropbox user since quite some time I will not give up my account there. For me Dropbox fils a gap for me which Crashplan do not. I use to to transfer files between computers and also to have a quick update for files before they are transfered to CrashPlan. Best thing with Dropbox is that you can use it for free! If you want an account and want to help me at the same time, please use my referral link when you sign up!

To start of this project I have a brand new notebook in my Evernote account named “Things to remember”. In this notebook I store all things that you on different occasions find your self trying to remember. It can be the cryptographic combination of letters and numbers which identify what bags to use for you vacuum cleaner or it can be what socket the lamp has in your bedroom. Drop a note or a note holding a photo of the things you always forget and you’re all set. Some days ago I came up with two new lists for this notebook which is of course connected to the seasonal holidays and the actions surrounding these. The list was created just as normal out of problems seeking a solution.

Problem one, the gift paradigm
During the fifty one weeks of the year when you are not thinking of buying Christmas gifts there is quite often tips and hints on gifts you actually could buy. Moments passing by when friends and family mention things they need or things they maybe just want. Moment that make you think: “That would be a great present for him/her!”.

To handle this I have a new note in my Things to Remeber notebook called “Gift ideas” in which I just have names and things that I could get them for the next birthday or seasonal holiday. The list can look like this:

• Jessica
  Trip to north pole
• Emil
  That red shirt

When I’m away travelling or just out shopping I can just read through the list on my phone and see if there is anything I should pickup!

Problem two, the holiday cards
Every year when I am to write holiday greeting cards to send to family and friends I start wondering who to send to. The social rule I’ve learnt is to send to family and to all that sent you a card the previous year. So all easy then, with the small problem that I never ever remember who sent me cards the past year.

So, a list in my notebook it is! The list hold information on what occasion and from whom I got a letter as shown below:

• Christmas 2010
  Parents <address goes here>
• Bertil <address goes here>

Both these lists are so simple I wonder how come I haven’t created them before. But still, now their in place and I hope I now just remember to read them too! And by the way, today it is New Years Eve so; Happy New Year!

Evernote

Evernote is an application in which you store notes of text, sound or images. If you want to read more about Evernote, please see what I wrote about it or head over to their official website.

You have most likely seen chalkboard-paint before, to make every wall a painting in the making. However these boards have also a great negative aspect of bringing allot of dirt into the room where they are located. The whiteboard do not do this and can also be in higher contrast using multiple colors and so forth. And this weekend I found out about a company called Ideapaint who sell whiteboard-paint on the gallon so that you can actually make every wall in your home a surface on which you can draw, brainstorm or write a novel on.

The great pros of whiteboard-paint does not end there. When we have the ability to pain everything in this manner we can create tables, kitchens or even bedrooms where we have surfaces just waiting to get scribbled upon with great ideas.

• Icy water – Start by filling a container with ice and cold water. Cut the onion in two parts and let both parts lay in the icy water for a few minutes and then do what you need to do with them.
• Flowing water – Chop your onion next to the flowing stream of water from the water-tap.
• Boiling water – Chop your onion next to the flowing stream of water steam from a pot of boiling water.
• Freezer – Put the onion in the freezer for five or ten minutes and then take it out and cut directly.
• Shaper knife – By using a sharper knife you minimze the cells being crushed when cutting the onion.
• And of course for a last resort, put on your scuba-gear and cut that onion away like there was no tomorrow.

If you ever wondered why it is that the onions do irritate your eyes by the way it is due to the enzymes released when you collapse the cells of the onion. These enzymes react with the rest of the onion and release a gas that together with water becomes an acid. And due to the fact our eyes is watery, the gas when it reaches our eyes become acid and the eyes begin to get irritated. This is why a pair of swim-goggles or scuba-gear will prevent your eyes from burning.

1. Shut down automatic mail-fetching – The flag in your system tray may be small but every time it lit up you lose a bit of concentration. Not only this but quite often you may find yourself starting to work at the issue you just recieved instead of working on what you did from the start. Task-switching is dangerous.
2. Use an alternative browser without private bookmarks – If you have one browser at your work-computer I bet you have bookmarks there for your personal sites, news-sites and networks. By installing an alternative browser in which you keep only work-related links you wont get distracted by that link to amazon.
3. Read up on material – Do not start working on a task until you understand the problem you’re facing.
4. Regular breaks, routine is your friend – If you usually have your morning-coffe at 9, plan it so that your body knows that you’ll get it at 9. By doing this you wont get an urge until the time is right anymore.
5. Scheduele planning time for each day – Start each day by going through what you should achieve before your day is ended.
6. One task at a time – Multitasking and task-switching is time-consuming. Work at one task at a time, creating sub-tasks to narrow down what it actually is you are to do.
7. Keep a calm workplace - If you are working on one project, don’t let the papers for your ten other projcts linger on your desk. By just having them in your field of view you might have a big portion of your mind in the other things you did earlier.
8. Reward yourself by not working on breaks - If you are on a break, take a break! Do not read mails, make work-calls and such, just take the time to restore some energy.
9. Minimize surrounding sounds - If you work in an open area or in a cubicle, get a pair of headphones which stops sounds as well as play good sound. Wear these even if you are not listening to music, if so only to get a more silent work sphere.
10. Socialize – Comunicate with people in your workplace or if you’re working from home, comunicate with your customers. Speaking will get your body going on that something is worth taking notice of and you will work better afterwards.

There is something almost religious about throwing away a post-it with a task completed. The feeling when you do it is so great that you rush towards finish your tasks just so that you can destroy that little piece of damned paper. The method is great but it has one big negative aspect; if you were to bring all your post-its with you at all times you may need a trailer or a couple of square-meters of wall. This might not always be the most convenient way, sometimes a trailer is just to big to bring for a conference or a meeting. This was why I started to look for an electronic alternative I can have at my computer or in my phone, just about anywhere I can reach it in multiple locations.

About the same time I tried out my hundredth note-taking application I found Evernote and was saved in a way. Evernote for those who don’t know it is an application and a web-interface where you can store text and images which then can be searched through from your computer or phone. In my book it is THE best note-taking software on the market and the simplicity it brings makes and saves my day over and over again. Mails I need to remeber goes directly into it, I take pictures of good wines or places to remember etc. Now you may think that this was the solution to note-taking as well? Well, WRONG!

There is one thing missing about Evernote to use it as a post-it replacement. There is no visual representation of finishing a task off and I want my cookie! So I had to keep on looking for that replacement. And I continued until I finally found Things for my iPhone. Awesomeness divine.

Things is just as simple as I want, you create notes and say if you want to do it today or another day. When you have finished it you click it and a nice checkbox get checked. And I have my visual cookie for completing my task. The bad thing is though that I think that what tool works for just you is as personal as what color is your favourite for your socks. I’d love to say that get Evernote and Things and you will be forever happy – The End.

But I think you just have to through all stuff you can find on the internet and try them out for yourself. Or you just take my word for it and use Evernote and Things. We’re all lazy, isn’t it beautiful?