Sticker on the cable bag of my Maxtor external firewire drive, purchased over the weekend.

I’m currently on my third external firewire drive. The first two are 250GBs, this one is 500GBs. Someone suggested that I get a 1TB (terabyte) drive, but I’m willing to wait — prices will always decrease for storage while capacity increases.

I have several archiving methods which include making a backup of a memory card download direct to DVD even before I cull any dud photos or do any editing. That DVD of full unedited originals gets filed chronologically.

I shoot on average 1,000 photos or more per month, so I burn a backup of about a month’s worth of shooting and editing and file that, too. Additionally, I archive each quarter of a year’s worth of photo libraries (2008 Q1, Q2, etc.) over to an external drive, separate from any other archiving.

I only keep three months (one quarter) of photos on my G4 PowerBook at any one time because it travels quite a bit and it only has an 80GB hard drive. All my email is stored on other servers (.Mac, gmail, the office, etc.), and my documents, calendars, address book, and bookmarks are synched with iDisk to Apple’s servers. I can retrieve them using any browser and can access most things from my iPod Touch.

Basically, if my PowerBook G4 ever fails, the only things I lose are the applications, which are no big deal. The only area I haven’t covered is if my house collapses or explodes because I need to move either the DVDs or an external drive with full backup off-site.

Are you a big archivist? Or are you willing to take a technological gamble? It’s time for a poll!

Umbrella Drink (not mine)
Swan & Firkin Pub
Bloor West, Toronto

Whoa! The past two weekends and the weekdays in-between have been the busiest I can remember since I moved here. I didn’t even get a chance to write about the previous weekend, and now another weekend has passed and it’s Monday?? How can this be?

Well, first things first: I’ve said before that I’m not much of a meme-r, but I promised Anf I would do his meme back on April 25. Yikes, that’s a week and a half ago.

Here goes:

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What??? How does this work? It’s correct! Try it and see if it works for you. I’ll put in a little poll at the end after publishing so you can answer in one click.

(DON’T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!)

It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read. Be sure you don’t read the bottom until you’ve worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it’s fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat. (More than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1758… if you haven’t, add 1757.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number. The first digit of this was your original number. (i.e., How many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)

The next two numbers are YOUR AGE!

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2008) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.

Anyone have a guess at how this works?

As I have recently been designing websites, I have a question that’s been bugging me for years. Now, when it comes to design there is very little that doesn’t come down to the personal preference of a reader/user, but over time these preferences become stronger or weaker as websites mature and change with their intended audiences. For me, the more websites I look at, the more I want to tweak mine to make it better!

This preference also has a lot to do with screen width, and my market research experience tells me that using Twiigs’ simple polling feature won’t give me a chance to cross-tabulate the answers with the size of your screens… hmmm… I’ll have to rework the question a little bit, then.

The list looks rather long, but decide your type of screen first (wide screen - greater than 1024×768, narrow screen - less than 1024×768, or if your preference is for either size), and now there are only four three* possible answers. And no, there isn’t a “no preference” option. This poll is for the opinionated folk

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I’m done with winter. Why? Only in this current wild and woolly Toronto Winter of 07/08 would doing laundry require crampons to prevent a treacherous fall while stepping outside carrying a laundry bag before going down to the basement to use the washing machine. Even the raccoons are smart enough to stay away from the side of the house, which is a veritable skating rink. Either that or the ‘coons are sharpening their skates.

I’ve got one more load to go, and I have this question for you about Facebook, whether you’re on it or not. (I’m not. Well, sort of — I entered my name last year and immediately tried to delete it but Facebook won’t allow account deletions. A Facelessbook? A FacelessNonBook?)

1. If you’re on Facebook, what’s the draw for you?

or

2. If you aren’t on Facebook, what’s the drawback (or deterrent) for you?

Just wondering while wiling away the spin cycle. Arliin and I had several discussions about this over a game of baseball and, later, beer.

Over the weekend I watched the whole preview movie of the new Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard — which is rather impressive, by the way — but I cringed whenever the demonstrator said the word “presentation” with the first syllable pronounced with a long e, like “preacher”.

In fact, it was so distracting I was nearly ready to mute him and just watch the demo silently. Especially when a second demonstrator came on the screen and she said it exactly the same way! It was like nails on a chalkboard!

I live in a cosmopolitan society, I hear all kinds of pronunciations, but for some reason this one sounds new. But maybe it’s just my imagination. Maybe lots of people say it that way. So I’ve set up a little poll, for readers and lurkers alike. Even if you’ve never commented before, indulge my curiosity (the poll is anonymous) and click an answer. You can choose more than one.

OK, I can’t remember the last time I carried on a meme, but since this was in an email, I actually answered it and replied.

I am…

SpongeBob Squarepants?

I’m puzzled because I haven’t seen the cartoon. But I guess if my image were made into a gigantic inflatable and floated over thousands upon thousands of people, it must not be all that bad.

Incidentally, I took this photo almost one year ago, at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade last year in New York City (natch). Sadly, I lost all my videoclips from the parade! Including the one of Dora the Explorer, which I took especially for Miss Madeleine. Oh well… on with the show…

… and HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO THE NEIGHBO(U)RS SOUTH OF THE BORDER. Gorge yourselves silly with the turkey and tofu and gravy or whatever floats your potatoes.

After two years of David’s superb maple brine turkey, I have to say his spoiled me for all others. *sniff* Here’s his recipe, by the way.

Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character. Have you ever asked yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?

A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of well known and modern cartoon characters. The information that was gathered was made into this test.

Answer all the questions with what describes you best, add up all your points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end and look for your results.

1. Which one of the following describes the perfect date?
a) Candlelight dinner (4 pts.)
B) Fun/Theme Park (2 pts.)
C) Painting in the park (5 pts.)
D) Rock concert (1 pt.)
E) Going to the movies (3 pts.)

2. What is your favorite type of music?
A) Rock and Roll (2 pts.)
B) Alternative (1 pt.)
C) Soft Rock (4 pts.)
D) Country (5 pts.)
E) Pop (3 pts.)

[eh, where's jazz?]

3. What type of movies do you prefer?
A) Comedy (2 pts.)
B) Horror (1 pt.)
C) Musical (3 pts.)
D) Romance (4 pts.)
E) Documentary (5 pts.)

4. Which one of these occupations would you choose if you only could choose one of these?
A) Waiter (4 pts.)
B) Professional Sports Player (5 pts.)
C) Teacher (3 pts.)
D) Police (2 pts.)
E) Cashier (1 pt.)

5. What do you do with your spare time?
A) Exercise (5 pts.)
B) Read (4 pts.)
C) Watch television (2 pts.)
D) Listen to music (1 pt.)
E) Sleep (3 pts.)

6. Which one of the following colors do you like best?
A) Yellow (1 pt.)
B) White (5 pts.)
C) Sky Blue (3 pts.)
D) Dark Blue (2 pts.)
E) Red (4 pts.)

[two shades of blue?]

7. What do you prefer to eat?
A) Snow (3 pts.)
B) Pizza (2 pts)
C) Sushi (1 pt.)
D) Pasta (4 pts.)
E) Salad (5 pts.)

8. What is your favorite holiday?
A) Halloween (1 pt.)
B) Christmas (3 pts.)
C) New Year (2 pts.)
D) Valentine’s Day (4 pts.)
E) Thanksgiving (5 pts.)

9. If you could go to one of these places which one would it be?
A) Paris (4 pts.)
B) Spain (5 pts.)
C) Las Vegas (1 pt.)
D) Hawaii (4 pts.)
E) Hollywood (3 pts.)

[Only one is a country?]

10. With which of the following would you prefer to spend time with?
A) Someone Smart (5 pts.)
B) Someone attractive (2 pts.)
C) Someone who likes to Party (1 pt.)
D) Someone who always has fun (3 pts.)
E) Someone very sentimental (4 pts.)

Now add up your points and see who your cartoon character personality is…

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In a bid to try and get my mind off the conspicuous absence of furry paws laying across my feet and whiskers tickling my leg, I’m posting a rare meme, one that Kim sent to me by email.

I’m not tagging anyone with this meme, but feel free to fill in your version as a comment. Or if you have a blog and post it there, add your permalink here, merci beaucoup!

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It’s not often I write about myself, or fill out those “About Me” lists that arrive in my e-mail inbox from time to time. But I saw this version on Katy’s blog, and thought I’d do it.

In no particular order…

TEN random things about me:

1. If I had the skill, I’d be a professional comedian
2. I haven’t been to the dentist since I was 10
3. I’ve never had PMS
4. I can write straight without ruled paper
5. I hate pink
6. I was the only girl in my co-ed Grade 12 Phys Ed class
7. I’ve never had a headache
8. My birth name is not Gail
9. I’ve never broken a bone
10. Handbags: ugh

NINE places I want to visit:

1. Indonesia
2. Madagascar
3. Galapagos Islands
4. Quebec City
5. Cuba
6. Croatia
7. India
8. Portugal
9. Brazil

EIGHT things I want to do before I die:

1. Go to the dentist (haha!)
2. Have an exhibit of my favourite photography
3. Learn how to fly
4. Visit those nine places mentioned above
5. Read all the correspondence I’ve ever received
6. Learn how to scuba dive
7. Meet the three World Vision Canada kids I sponsor (Haiti, Chad, Brazil)
8. Throw my own “wake party” (except I’m alive and present)

SEVEN ways to win my heart:

1. Be able to guess musician/song titles within five bars
2. Be geeky and embrace one’s own geekiness
3. Show your imagination
4. Be kind to little kids, old people, and animals
5. Be consistent
6. Make me a hot beverage
7. Keep in touch with me

SIX things I believe in:

1. Universal healthcare
2. Highly subsidised education
3. Preserving the environment
4. Exercising the right to vote
5. Public transportation
6. Affordable housing

FIVE things I’m afraid of:

1. The concept of infinity
2. The power going out and having to go into the basement to re-set the fusebox
3. Deep ocean
4. An emergency in the plane and forgetting the transponder code
5. Losing photos/photo data getting corrupted

FOUR of my favourite items in my bedroom:

1. Cypress reed diffusers
2. Flannel sheets
3. Humidifier
4. David

THREE things I do almost every day:

1. Drink hot beverages
2. Wake David up
3. Feed Hugh

TWO things I’m trying not to do right now:

1. Eat
2. Lose this Scrabble game (no danger, though! I’m ahead!)

ONE person I want to see right now:

1. 5 little people (the MJEs) — together they make up one big person

If you make your own list, I’d love to read it!

I read this post by David Callahan, who wrote a book called The Cheating Culture, and has a Weblog to discuss (and, of course, promote) it.

There are dozens of comments on it thus far. Some of them refer to a paler shade of cheating — that is, cheating is OK since it’s prevalent in that environment, where it is acceptable and everyone is an aware participant. An equivalent of the “little white lie”, if you will… everyone does it.

From what I’ve glanced at, Callahan seems to be talking particularly about cheating on tests, not spouses, although it will probably be discussed in the book (if I were inclined to buy it)…

There are all kinds of situations in which people are regularly caught in some form of cheating:

* road tests (people sitting in for others)
* drug-enhanced sport
* university exams
* driving as a single occupant in the HOV lane
* sneaking into the cinema
* copying software
* queue-jumping
* job applications
* ticket scalping
… et cetera …

Some situations seem more benign than others — how upset are people going to be when you sneak your own food into a cinema (unless it’s really pungent or offensive)? Probably not a bit. But if you were waiting in the passport office with a roomful of others in a 3-hour queue, and your friend the passport officer waves you over, imagine the lynch-mob mentality that could ensue…

My question is, when you engage in cheating-type activity — and we all do (I’ve committed the above two offenses, I’ll say that) — then how do you rationalize it to yourself? Maybe another way of putting it is, how do you judge it OK/not OK to cheat? Or, do you say it’s never OK?

I’ll go first.

1) Guilt factor: how many people can this affect? I’d rather cheat a big, faceless corporation than people I know. (I’ll put a rebuttal to myself: cheating costs are passed to the consumer.)

Your turn. (I’ll understand if you prefer to be anonymous, but if you say you’ve never cheated, we all know you’re telling porkies.)