22 May 2009

I have had internal debates about keeping my data online vs locally on my computer. I was on “vacation” once, had my computer with me to do some work and couldn’t access my email because there were no internets and I was using Gmail. Google Gears hadn’t been invented yet (at least not for Gmail) and I subsequently converted to IMAP and Apple Mail to avoid such future circumstances.

I’ve used 37signals’ Basecamp and Backpack off and on. Online/offline access have been issues with the flux (although Basecamp has also seemed a bit too much for just myself).

My brothernlaw recently had his apartment broken into, his computer and backup drive stolen among other things. He was good to be making a backup of his computer, but his mistake was not keeping that backup in a remote place. He lost everything. Major bummer. Good news is that he’s getting a new aluminum MacBook.

Well, I am learning to love The Cloud.

A prerequisite problem with offline access is the impulse “need” to be online or connected all the time. The guys at 37signals have written about this, reasoning why they don’t bring offline access built-in to their apps. Given my example of “vacation” above, a large part of my own problem requiring offline access is due to my own lack of proper work scheduling. I shouldn’t be working while on vacation. Neither do I want to be. There are definitely times and places without internets and offline access would be nice, but they are few and far between. For the most part, I am within range. Such is business life built on interwebbed technology.

Moving forward, I just switched all my dressedinvalue.com email over to Google apps, and I just want to tell you that I absolutely love it. I’ve been using Apple Mail for a while which is supposed to learn over time what is considered junk and what’s not. It has done a decent job, but in the past month or more it’s somehow become dumber. I don’t know what happened. Maybe the spammers got smarter. Google mail is so amazingly smart with spam, I don’t ever see any of it. And I love the interface. I’m using Fluid to launch it on my desktop.

I’ve also started using Highrise from 37signals which is helping me keep track of proposals and contacts and commitments I’ve made (sometimes I forget).

And for the past year I’ve been making remote backups of my computer and external drive with Jungle Disk. It’s nice to know that if my computer breaks or is stolen, I can just get another one and get all my data back.

All thanks to the The Cloud. Thank you Cloud.