If you've ever lost a computer and everything on it no doubt you've learned the value of backing up everything. You may have purchased an external hard drive for this, but there's also a good chance that you're now trusting at least some of your information to the cloud - photos to Picasa or Flickr, files to Dropbox, documents to Google Docs, or Microsoft SkyDrive/Office 365, Adobe Air, etc. It's a good approach, and you can be relatively sure your data is secure from theft as well as from dropped laptop bags, spilled water, viruses and from types of mechanical issues that could strike at any time.
But how safe is the cloud?
From a security point of view it's actually pretty good. Data is backed up a few times over and there have been no real security break-ins so far with the major players. No data has been stolen or corrupted. Yet.
There have been a few cases of people not being able to access cloud data when servers have gone down, but nothing has been lost.
The biggest risk is what would happen if the unthinkable were to take place - a major fire at a server warehouse where some or all of your data is kept being an extreme example, or a company pulling the plug or changing its terms of service to make you feel less secure. It could be anything really - a power surge, a super virus, a malicious attack of some sort.
After reading someone's account of how they were booted from Google for violating the terms of service - and they can declare you in violation at any time, with no explanation - losing all his photos, documents, contacts and calendar entries in the process, I've started to think about backing up all of my cloud data.
This takes some work. The first thing to do is to organize your file structure so you have one file for photos and home videos, one folder for music, one folder for documents, one folder for contacts, one folder for bookmarks and so on. Having information spread out around your computer is never a good idea and if you're in the process of backing things up you'll wind up with duplicate files.
There are a few programs out there that will do this work for you and organize all your files into folders by extension type, such as Digital Janitor, Magic Folder, etc. Do a search online and include your operating system to get the right program for you.
Windows 7 has a Libraries function that lets you add folders to other folders by type, keeping your information handy in Windows Explorer. Learn how to use it!
Once you have a file structure you can work with and your files organized you'll need to do a bit of work. For example, you can automatically sync your Picasa or Flickr account with albums on your computer to ensure that you have the same photos on your computer as you do online. With browsers, you can usually sync bookmarks between two computers (e.g. work and home computers), but you can also export your bookmark files. In Firefox, click Show All Bookmarks under the Bookmarks tab and click on the star-shaped button to get the export option. I usually pick "Export HTML" so it can be read by any browser without overwriting your other bookmarks by mistake.
For Google Docs, I downloaded a program called GDocBackup that downloads every file to my computer. There's also BackupGoo, Gladinet, etc. Google also includes an option where you can click on all your docs and then selection Download. The important thing is to make sure that your files go to the right folder on your computer.
While you're at it you can export your calendar, export your contacts - everything you have in the cloud can be downloaded at any time.
It might take a bit of work to set up and some maintenance here and there, but it's nothing compared to the time you'll put into rebuilding everything if your data is somehow lost. There's a World Backup Day (Mar. 31) if you need reminding, but I try to back up things every few months or whenever I do a significant amount of work I don't want to lose.
For an extra measure of security, you can also backup the files on your computer to the cloud once again - backups of backups - using Dropbox, SkyDrive or another backup program.
You'll never lose your data again.
Surprise games of the summer...
While there's never a shortage of special forces/space marine/sci-fi themed first person shooters to spend your time on, some of the surprise hits of the summer are independent games that take a little different approach.
The title for biggest one-day sales on Xbox Live Arcade goes to From Dust, a game where you manipulate the environment with god-like powers to keep your civilizations alive and thriving. Although reviews were mixed, players really seem to enjoy the game mechanics and the challenging campaigns.
Another game getting great reviews (also Xbox) is Insanely Twisted Puzzle Planet, which is a combination 2D shooter and puzzle game where you manoeuvre your spaceship across a living planet. Other top titles are Ms. Explosion Man, Trenched, Deadliest Warrior and Bastion.
PC players should download the Humble Indie Bundle from Steam, getting a pile of great games for a contribution to charity.
Sony players should wait for Free Realms and Starhawk. They're coming...
