March 1, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item It's the Bits
March 3, 2008 at 4:00 am
In a previous century, on a far-off planet, there was a utility called Jet, which came with a memory card from Promise Technologies. It is no longer available, and anyway wouldn't work with modern operating systems and file systems, but I yearn for it. It was sort of a really smart xcopy -- just a command line and a bunch of switches, but one of my favorite things it could do was create a list of files touched today in any directory, and then copy all those files to the target, preserving the directory structure on the target. It had some other cool arguments that let you copy only files that do not exist on the target, copy only files that do exist on the target but which are newer on the source, and so on. Best of all, it did smart copying and arranging -- it would juggle the list so as to maximize usage of the target medium, and then prompt for a new disk when it needed one.
Yes, I know that backup can do differentials, etc., but often it's more hassle than I'd like, and is expecting media such as a tape drive. I'd like a modern version of Jet, so I could write a batch file with the arguments I use most frequently, name the batch file CMA (cover my assets), and fire it once a day, then take the flash disk(s) home.
I don't suppose anybody knows of one. I'm learning Python lately. Maybe this is a good time to write my own version of Jet.
Arthur
Arthur Fuller
cell: 647-710-1314
Only two businesses refer to their clients as users: drug-dealing and software development.
-- Arthur Fuller
March 3, 2008 at 8:36 am
Stella Liebeck, 79 years old, was sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson’s car having purchased a cup of McDonald’s coffee. After the car stopped, she tried to hold the cup securely between her knees while removing the lid. However, the cup tipped over, pouring scalding hot coffee onto her. She received third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body, necessitating hospitalization for eight days, whirlpool treatment for debridement of her wounds, skin grafting, scarring, and disability for more than two years. Morgan, The Recorder, September 30, 1994. Despite these extensive injuries, she offered to settle with McDonald’s for $20,000. However, McDonald’s refused to settle. The jury awarded Liebeck $200,000 in compensatory damages -- reduced to $160,000 because the jury found her 20 percent at fault -- and $2.7 million in punitive damages for McDonald’s callous conduct. (To put this in perspective, McDonald's revenue from coffee sales alone is in excess of $1.3 million a day.) The trial judge reduced the punitive damages to $480,000. Subsequently, the parties entered a post-verdict settlement. According to Stella Liebeck’s attorney, S. Reed Morgan, the jury heard the following evidence in the case:
By corporate specifications, McDonald's sells its coffee at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit which, if spilled, causes third-degree burns (the skin is burned away down to the muscle/fatty-tissue layer) in two to seven seconds;
Third-degree burns do not heal without skin grafting, debridement and whirlpool treatments that cost tens of thousands of dollars and result in permanent disfigurement, extreme pain and disability of the victim for many months, and in some cases, years;
McDonald's admitted that it has known about the risk of serious burns from its scalding hot coffee for more than 10 years -- the risk was brought to its attention through numerous other claims and suits, to no avail;
From 1982 to 1992, McDonald's coffee burned more than 700 people, many receiving severe burns to the genital area, perineum, inner thighs, and buttocks;
Not only men and women, but also children and infants, have been burned by McDonald's scalding hot coffee, in some instances due to inadvertent spillage by McDonald's employees;
At least one woman had coffee dropped in her lap through the service window, causing third-degree burns to her inner thighs and other sensitive areas, which resulted in disability for years;
Witnesses for McDonald's admitted in court that consumers are unaware of the extent of the risk of serious burns from spilled coffee served at McDonald's required temperature;
McDonald's admitted that it did not warn customers of the nature and extent of this risk and could offer no explanation as to why it did not;
McDonald's witnesses testified that it did not intend to turn down the heat -- As one witness put it: “No, there is no current plan to change the procedure that we're using in that regard right now;”
McDonald's admitted that its coffee is “not fit for consumption” when sold because it causes severe scalds if spilled or drunk;
Liebeck's treating physician testified that her injury was one of the worst scald burns he had ever seen.
March 3, 2008 at 8:47 am
The value is not just in business data. I have almost 6 years of family tree research on my laptop (with copies on a desktop, another laptop, and a USB hard drive). Evan at minimum wage, the data cost much more than the laptop...
The older free versions of xxcopy is more tolerant of across-the-network backups than the newer free versions (fewer nags). The Pro version is $40 for 2 computers. At $20 per computer, this is probably the least expensive *good* software you can get - I've been using it for a number of years on various OS versions (Win 98, NT, XP) and have yet to encounter a problem in the software. The price drops as you buy more ($18/copy for 10 copies, $9/copy for 100 copies).
http://www.xxcopy.com/index.htm
No connection with PixieLab, except as a very happy user of their software.
John
March 3, 2008 at 10:39 am
I have been using the online backup service offered by Mozy (www.mozy.com). There have been some minor glitches but overall I have been satisfied. There are other comparable services that get strong reviews. The price (around $50 / year) for most of these services is a steal.
March 3, 2008 at 11:06 am
I've been a big fan of those USB hard drives that have popped up with the included backup software. On a high-speed USB connection - it's about as fast as it gets without getting ludicrously expensive. Full/differential backups, scheduler, etc... All for the price of the hard drive to backup to.
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Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part...unless you're my manager...or a director and above...or a really loud-spoken end-user..All right - what was my emergency again?
March 3, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I have 2 USB MyBooks from WD. Both 500GB and they work well, though it seems they don't like being on full-time. I now use them once a week or so for backups.
Or before I travel.
I still think the McDonalds settlement was too high. I think that McDonalds was wrong, they deserved to pay, and should have been fined, but if it was that big a problem, it should have been a larger suit (or more suits) going to more people. Not $2M to one person (I know it got reduced).
March 3, 2008 at 2:15 pm
SynchToy is a free utility from Microsoft that seems like a fancy wrapper around xcopy.
Personally, I'm using Carbonite. It's also $50/year with unlimited data. Since I started getting into photography, my data has outgrown the external harddrive I used for backups, and going with a product was cheaper than buying another gadget.
March 3, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Thanks, Charles, I will give it a whirl.
And just to pre-empt any complaints that I was off-topic here (a frequent habit of mine, but I digress:), I actually was addressing Steve's need and my own. It's simple enough to do back up the SQL databases, and anyway they wouldn't fit on my flash drive. I was more concerned about stuff like word and excel and etc. documents, especially word. I don't cut that many fresh Excel sheets that it's worrisome, but I do write and rewrite lots of word docs, not to mention cmd files, powershell files, etc., sometimes lots per day, and it's just too hard to design a traditional backup that covers all the numerous directories and subdirs.
xxCopy may be the solution I'm seeking. I'll let you know.
A.
Arthur Fuller
cell: 647-710-1314
Only two businesses refer to their clients as users: drug-dealing and software development.
-- Arthur Fuller
March 3, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I agree as well that the settlements in today's lawsuits are, in many cases, unconscionable. However, many businesses will not settle unless you get a lawyer and many lawyers will not even take a case unless they know they are going to get a chunk of money from it. The U.S. has become so litigious that the really good lawyers can always get a different case with a much higher monetary return.
I like the concept of arbitration rather than lawsuits, but it, too, has become somewhat deceptive due to "favorable" arbitors.
Regards,
Joe
March 3, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Damage awards seem totally outrageous mostly because the media coverage of the subject is typically very one-sided, and VERY shallow. Just saying the same thing over and over doesn't make it true - but it does make lots of people THINK it is.
Chris summarized the case very well in his post. How much of that detail do you think the average person knows? For that matter, how many really stop to consider that a jury made that award - 12 citizens who tend to reflect the same hostility to these cases and judgments that are held by the public at large? How many know the difference between compensatory and punitive damages - and the reasons for each. How many realize, as Chris pointed out, that blame is often apportioned, and compensatory damages decreased as a result?
Why do the media fail to report both sides of this case, and continue to refer to the "million dollar damages", when the judge decreased the award to a fraction of that, as Chris mentioned? Maybe because referring to millions gets better ratings?
How many people realize that, for a corporation like McDonalds, even punitive damages in the millions of dollars aren't much punishment? (I've heard that the jury in this case determined punitive damages by deciding that McDonalds should pay 2 days coffee receipts as punishment - seems pretty reasonable when stated that way, right?)
The purpose of punitive damages is to punish the guilty party, not enrich the person who receives it. Tough to get any big company's attention unless it's "real money". Punitive damages are also the only incentive for lawyers to pursue such cases at all - if they don't win, they get zip. Most of us don't have deep enough pockets for lawyers if we had to pay them ourselves for this stuff.
Like a lot of things in life, you really don't get the information to make an informed decision on these issues unless you do some digging on your own. The web helps a lot (though you have to be careful, there's lots of misinformation there, too). If you rely only on the TV news and other mass media, you're handicapping yourself.
There's plenty of people taking advantage on both sides of these cases. Juries are supposed to be how we sort them out. But there are plenty of justifiable awards, too, and using a product liability case that's justifiable as the poster child for abuse is flat wrong.
Just calling yourself "fair and balanced" doesn't make you a journalist (let alone fair and balanced). Perpetuating the conventional wisdom doesn't help much, either.
March 4, 2008 at 6:58 am
frank.ress (3/3/2008)
... Just saying the same thing over and over doesn't make it true - but it does make lots of people THINK it is.
Ooh, good point. I seem to remember pictures of some little man with glasses in a dark uniform. Something about a twisted cross.
ATBCharles Kincaid
March 11, 2008 at 3:13 am
dglane (3/3/2008)
I have been using the online backup service offered by Mozy (www.mozy.com). There have been some minor glitches but overall I have been satisfied. There are other comparable services that get strong reviews. The price (around $50 / year) for most of these services is a steal.
I use mozy also. it's a great service and the price is OK.
March 27, 2008 at 11:02 am
Campbell said she offered to drop the suit, if the company paid her for her expenses and time and addressed "the shortcomings in its property and privacy protection practices." Best Buy hasn't responded, according to Campbell, and the next court hearing is set for Feb. 22.
The only compensation Campbell has received from Best Buy is $1,110.35 that was transferred into her credit card account in late October without her consent, the plaintiff said.
I don't think she is asking for enough. These companies make how much per year and then turn around and treat customers like crap. The suit could have been avoided if Best Buy informed the lady properly. They have no clue what she stored on her laptop and what precautions she might need to take in regards to acting on it getting into others hands.
I won't even get into the Mcdonalds coffee incident since someone already posted on it.
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