It has been a funny old day today. I did pick up the gusset in Mr plumbum’s sock, and have knitted a few rounds on it, but haven’t found much time for it today. Instead I got to worrying about backups.
Backup strategies were discussed and were mostly found wanting. I need a system that I can search easily and that has good recognisable images that I scan through quickly. I am mostly concerned about my irreplaceable photos and downloaded knitting patterns that I have paid for.
In the end I decided to go for a blog and have created a WordPress installation where I shall effectively be logging raw camera images and downloaded knitting patterns. The new Media Manager and Gallery features in WP were the clincher as they really ease the uploading and post building processes.
WordPress Categories and Tags will simplify searching for those elusive snapshots, or that particular sock pattern that I cannot recall the name of. The ability to group files together in posts and to link out to relevant material on the web is a bonus. There may even be beneficial effects to my machine once I get so many files removed and archived.
The blog will be entirely private (I added a plugin) so as to avoid any copyright contraventions, of course. In the future when I have it all tagged and under control I may make it available for browsing, keeping any actual pattern files under lock and key – so that the whole thing functions as an index with links to the original pattern sources.
The real driver is just to get those images and PDFs onto Dreamhost’s server, and under their 2 hourly backup service.
Today the whole project has been a pain and I have made infinitesimally small progress – this being mainly due to Mr L downloading some teevee viewing for tonight. Once the Broadband upgrade happens (any day now, supposedly) the project should just romp along. 8Mbits should feel super fast after 512Kbits.
And now, I trust it is time for Capt Jack, a glass of sherry, and further sock progress.