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My data on real computers is all decently backed up, but my Palm is not often enough backed up to the computer (and hence really backed up) because I haven't got it set up so that it isn't a pain to do (for historical reasons - memo to self, there is no longer any excuse). And yes, in the meantime I have lost data from the Palm. (Courtesy of my then 2yo, and I'm still not sure what he did or how - he didn't lose *all* the data, just some of it...)
As well as making sure that stuff that should be backed up is, I've also come across the issue of making sure that stuff that should be deleted is. Complying with the data protection act (properly) is one reason, but another is destroying confidential information that's been used for a project but which is no longer needed. Over xmas 2005 I thought I'd lost a USB flash drive which I thought contained sensitive files. In the end it turned out to be locked in my desk drawer with all the confidential stuff wiped just as it should be. Work goes for an information retention policy ("back it up, keep it safe and destroy it after a certain period of time if it's no longer needed") rather than a backup policy. As one of our databases is 12 TB in size, it has to be managed so we don't run out of space.
I have things that people have given me, which are irreplaceable and which I'd be sad to lose, but nothing so precious that its loss would make my life miserable forever.
Data... it's kind of depressing to think that I don't actually have much data that I care about. I've never written or coded anything of any significance. I wrote a PhD, which is backed up because it's published and there's a copy in my university's libraries, as well as having various electronic backups lying around all over the place. But to be honest, at this point I wouldn't care if it were wiped out, it's got me where I wanted to be and I don't need it any more.
The most irreplaceable is my two folders of hand-written correspondence from before I discovered email, the stuff which formed my deepest friendships. Actually, maybe it would be worth copying or scanning all that, because the paper is physically fragile even assuming no fires or similar accidents, and that's the stuff I'd be most upset to lose.
Data from experiments I'm currently working on is technically irreplaceable. I could do the experiments again, but it wouldn't be the same. I have to admit that's backed up fairly haphazardly; I need to do something more systematic about that before disaster strikes. But in general, if my computer died or were stolen, it would be a nuisance, but not a tragedy.
My correspondence history from 1997 to 2004 is currently in limbo, not lost, but not in a place or format where I can easily get at it. I need to do something about that before it drifts further out of my grasp.
Data... it's kind of depressing to think that I don't actually have much data that I care about. I've never written or coded anything of any significance. I wrote a PhD, which is backed up because it's published and there's a copy in my university's libraries, as well as having various electronic backups lying around all over the place. But to be honest, at this point I wouldn't care if it were wiped out, it's got me where I wanted to be and I don't need it any more.
The most irreplaceable is my two folders of hand-written correspondence from before I discovered email, the stuff which formed my deepest friendships. Actually, maybe it would be worth copying or scanning all that, because the paper is physically fragile even assuming no fires or similar accidents, and that's the stuff I'd be most upset to lose.
Data from experiments I'm currently working on is technically irreplaceable. I could do the experiments again, but it wouldn't be the same. I have to admit that's backed up fairly haphazardly; I need to do something more systematic about that before disaster strikes. But in general, if my computer died or were stolen, it would be a nuisance, but not a tragedy.
My correspondence history from 1997 to 2004 is currently in limbo, not lost, but not in a place or format where I can easily get at it. I need to do something about that before it drifts further out of my grasp.
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