Whenever I go to tech press events I always come home with a handful of flash drives. It’s easy for companies to put a full press kit and hi-res images on a USB stick with their name on it and is greener than printing everything out. Some companies hand out small drives — 256MB, 512MB and so on — but most use drives that fit at least a gigabyte, usually two. I even have a 4GB drive from Zune around here somewhere.

At first, this is awesome. You think: yay, now I don’t have to buy a USB drive! Then after a few events or a big one like CES, you look around and think: I will never have to buy a USB drive again in my life. Maybe even into my next life. It’s a sea of memory, all segregated into 1 and 2GB chunks.

Today I’m transferring all of the press material I need to my work computer and wiping the drives. I’ll keep a few of the larger ones, but I don’t need 27. I really don’t. If you happen to see me in the next few days, don’t be surprised if, instead of a Jelly Baby, I offer you a flash drive. The latter is inedible but will be more useful.

I’ve decided to stop being silly and make a proper backup plan for my computers. It really is ridiculous how long I’ve been putting this off. But as you read this my important files (including all of my music) are syncing to a server somewhere controlled by SugarSync. Later on I’ll start on the process of making local backups, though I’m running in to a bit of a problem there.

I made some backups before with the program that came with my hard drive, but as they’re old and not incrementally updated over time, they’re a bit obsolete at this point. I’ve installed a new program that will make a full backup and update it incrementally, which is good. However, I can’t delete the old backups and it’s driving me insane.

I tried just deleting the folder, but it’s too big, obviously. I tried deleting folders inside the backup, but some won’t delete and give me that access denied message. I finally figured out how to use the DOS prompt to delete files that are undeleteable but then, lo, those files are all still there.Even after the command prompt window ran for hours claiming it was deleting those files. I don’t get it.

I’m not sure if this is because that hard drive is connected to my router and not to my computer via USB or if something else is up. But the folder contains almost every file that was on my computer at one time simply mirrored to the HD.

I’ve thought of a few ways I could try fixing this, like connecting it via USB to a notebook and trying to DOS delete thing or even going into the drive from Linux and deleting since it’s Windows that seems to feel these files should hang around forever. Any suggestions from the more knowledgable amongst you on other ways I could go about this are appreciated.

However, this shall not deter me from backing up my files. That particular hard drive is getting somewhat crowded, but I have another 500GB one sitting around here, so maybe I’ll make my local backups there. I’m setting the program to make a full backup monthly while the online storage will make backups as I go along every day. Smart, yes? You should do the same. Most people need prodding when it comes to backups, just like they need prodding to go to the dentist. So. Go get your teeth cleaned but not before you set up some kind of automatic backup for yourself. Hurry!

While I was looking for a picture of my version of the AlphaSmart for yesterday’s post I came across a post touting the superiority of the Neo (that’s what they’re calling AlphaSmarts these days) over netbooks. To say I was shocked is an understatement. In these times when netbooks flow from the heavens like water, why in the world would anyone still use an AlphaSmart? I was doubly surprised to discover that this guy is an SF writer (he went to Viable Paradice). Thinking on it, I’ve probably met him. But that’s neither here nor there, my main shock remains: AlphaSmart over netbook? No wai!

He even has the same netbook I do, a Samsung NC10. Yet he still feels that the portability and usability of an AlphaSmart is far, far better. He also cites battery longevity. Though I’ll agree that years of battery life is better than a few hours, ever since I got my NC10 I haven’t felt chained to an outlet. (It’s the 7+ hours of battery life, I love it, so.) And while it is great to have a machine that allows you to concentrate on just one thing, writing, the device is just a little too unitasking for me.

One of the reasons I stopped using my AlphaSmart is that it was crap for editing. Sure, it would allow you to get some words down on the screen and drive forward. However, you certainly can’t edit really well on that thing, or go back through what you’ve written and try to take stock in a meaningful way. And only seeing 4 lines of text at a time felt like far too little. You can’t edit already-existing text. And if you’ve typed a major chunk of your novel on the thing, good luck trying to get a sense of the structure.

Not that Marko claimed the Neo could do any of these things. These were just my reasons for giving the machine up. I needed a gadget that would allow me to do all of my writing tasks, from the first draft through to the editing stage, that was easy to carry, light, and had a reasonably-sized screen. Aftre I accomplished that with my Eee PC, my next goal was a netbok with long battery life so I wouldn’t have to worry about outlets. And here were are.

Having read through his whole review, though, do you think that the Neo has enough advantages over a netbook to justify putting the latter aside?

I was rummaging through my closet looking for something when I came across an old Sony Discman bag from when I was a teenager. This bag was specially designed to hold the CD player, my prized possession for many years, plus some CDs and those crappy headphones everyone I knew worse. Of course, that all went to the garbage heap the decade before that last one. I vaguely remembered what I’d shoved in the bag since then, and opening confirmed it: My MiniDisc player and all of my minidiscs.

What’s a minidisc, you might ask? It was the best thing since CDs, my friends, and I believe I bought my first one in the year 2000, ten years ago. The one in the bag was my second, as the first was either lost or stolen (can’t remember which). I loved this gadget to death and eschewed all others, including MP3 players.

Minidiscs were more awesome than the MP3 players out at that time. And even after the iPod came out it was still a while before I decided that an MP3 player would suit me better. Apparently I couldn’t bear to give up my beloved player, though.

Did you know you can still buy minidisc players? Weird.

I put the bag back in the closet on top of my Alphasmart, another device I couldn’t live without for a long time. It was my proto-netbook, though I was always yearning to do more with it. Still, it was a great writing companion. You typed whatever into the Alphasmart — which could hold quite a bit of text — then transferred it to your computer via the PS/2 keyboard port. No, it wasn’t perfect, and USB connectivity would have been more useful (that was the second generation), but it allowed me to carry around a device with full-sized keys that I could write on whenever I had some time, yet didn’t kill my back with heaviness. Like I said, proto-netbook.

Next to the Alphasmart sits another bag with my N64 in it along with all of my games. I looked inside about a month ago and found my old Neuros MP3 player. Loved that thing, too…. until it broke. (After a year. It was pretty crap.) But yes, it’s still in there. Right next to my (now non-working) HP Jornada 545 PDA. Though that lasted much, much longer than a year — I believe it finally gave up the ghost in 2007.

Yes, I have trouble letting go.

I know I should get rid of all that stuff. After all, I obviously don’t use it, anymore. I have a new MP3 player, a netbook, and I don’t play console games much anymore. But every time I come across them I feel a wave of affection. At one time or another in the last decade, my digital life revolved around these devices. They were awesome, in their day, and just tossing them out (or even sending them to be recycled at Gazelle.com) doesn’t seem quite right. I’m sure I’ll feel differently if I’m ever forced to move, but for now the closet remains their home.

What about you, what gadgets do you still have around your house even though they’re no longer working or obselete? Why did you love/like them when you used them and what tech replaced them in your heart?

For reasons that should be clear to everyone reading this blog, I’m usually the person folks in my circle of friends and acquaintances come to when they want advice on which netbook to buy. I am the netbook queen. Plus, I get to play with (and sometimes review) a larger sample than most. Thing is, my netbook advice hasn’t changed in many months. So I thought it would be good to put it in a post here.

If you’re looking for a netbook, these are the ones I suggest: (more…)

As promised, today I brought my TARDIS hub back to the office and I finally have plenty of USB ports within easy reach.R2D2 is getting along nicely with the new addition (click images for the larger versions):

Of course, I couldn’t bring the TARDIS in without some daleks showing up. You see the black one menacing my poor police box there. They’re lurking in many corners. See:

This one thinks he’s being crafty:

I also brought back my photos since they always bring a smile to my face. Cute kids will do that to you.

I’m trying to decide if my desk is geeky enough or if I need to add a Doctor action figure to round it all out.

Last week I determined that I needed a new USB hub. The one I was using got dangerously hot, even just sitting there with an idle flash drive plugged in. Untenable. So I found a hub online. Say hello to my little friend:

He’s surrounded by several of the devices that I need to now plug into him. Every time I do, he emits movie-correct beep beep boop sounds, much to the delight of my co-workers.

Can you identify all that crap? A pat on the head goes to anyone who can. I’ll give you a hint on the penguin: it’s actually a USB flash drive with Ubuntu pre-loaded. R2 is also surrounded by my fancy Logitech keyboard and mouse, seen here:

The last time I worked here I had a pretty geeky cubicle with a TARDIS hub and Daleks menacing me from every corner. I think I need to get back to that. I’ll get (yet another) hub for my desk at home that’s not quite as fun then bring the Doctor Who toys back.

Any other suggestions for geeking out my cubicle?

Sorry I’m so late posting this conclusion. Lots of stuff going on at work. But the reviews editor informed me Friday that we have to send the UL30 back to ASUS, so now seems a good time to post the wrap-up.

As I said in my last post, I am definitely a netbook person when it comes to computers I carry around all the time and use anywhere. However, my needs and experience are not necessarily everyone’s. I can see the UL30 or other ultraportables being great machines for people who travel a great deal, folks going on extended trips (particularly abroad), and people with access to tables on their long commute.

Not everyone needs or wants to carry a laptop around all the time just in case you have a spare moment to write on them. Not everyone rides a cramped and crowded subway. I fall into the realm of Power User for netbooks, so what I need and do are on the extreme end of what mainstream consumers want.

That said, the UL30 came pretty close to being the kind of machine I want for a secondary computer. Perhaps if systems like this and with this price had come along before netbooks, I would be perfectly content. It has all the things I wished for back in the day. (The Day being 2 years ago. Sad, I know.)

I’m back to carrying my NC10 around now. Seshet missed me, I can tell. She always gets a little nervous when a new, cool netbook or notebook lands on my desk. However, I can say with some authority that I still think the Samsung NC10 (and its subsequent update the N110) is the best netbook I’ve ever tried. I’m glad I own one and I won’t be trading it for a fancy ultraportable any time soon.

In the review of the ASUS UL30 I mentioned that the boot time is a slow 1 minute and 16 seconds. This slowness also applies to coming out of hibernation. In both cases it probably has to do with the number of programs running on startup and in the background. So if you do buy this notebook, I suggest you go in and do some pruning. (I can’t since this is a review unit.) This should improve both boot and wake time.

The laptop does include a solution to that in the form of ExpressGate, ASUS’ instant-on OS. This boots up in about 10 – 15 seconds and from there you can access a web browser, Skype, music and pictures. The one thing I wish this instant-on had was a notepad or something so I could do some simple writing tasks (like these posts) without booting the full OS. I can’t access the web on the subway, so even being able to access GoogleDocs doesn’t do much for me.

Boot and wake time can be tweaked, like I said, so it’s not a tragedy.

Meanwhile, I’ve taken the system to several press events this week and it’s not as convenient for taking notes as my netbook. My NC10 wakes up pretty quickly and it’s easier to perch on the edge of a small table or my lap for notes. Of course, if I had a tablet it would be even easier, but we won’t get into that right now.

So again, I find myself wishing for my NC10 instead of the UL30. I do still really like this machine in general. It’s just not a netbook.

For me, this experience reinforces what I’ve always thought: though light and inexpensive 12 and 13 inch laptops have wonderful screen real-estate, when looking for a laptop to carry around with me everywhere at all times, the 9 and 10 inch sizes are better. Even 11.6 is more than I need.

But when it comes to power, I do find myself wishing that 10-inch netbooks came with CULV processors so that I could run more programs at once. Perhaps that will happen sometime in the near future. Or the new Intel Atom “Pine Trail” will provide the power I seek.

Someone asked me how I managed to get writing done on the subway when I don’t like to use laptops on my lap. I find the whole lap thing mostly inconvenient, but it depends on so many variables: seat height and depth, whether I can comfortably slouch, and how hot the laptop in question gets on the bottom.

The subway is bad for lap typing because my lap slopes downward when I’m sitting. After trying to find a good solution I finally came up with the perfect combination. My ful messenger bag and the Cool-Lift. The ful is square and flat, so it makes a good, steady surface. The Cool-Lift corrects for the small amount of slope that would usually put it off balance, and the straps around my waist keep the whole thing secure. This is how I type with the NC10 and how I’m able to still write with the UL30.

I’m using the messenger/backpack convertible, which is also flat on the back, in the same way. The strap sits a bit differently on my back and I’ve had to do some adjustments with the Cool-Lift, but otherwise it’s a great setup.

I still find that I need more elbow room than I normally would and that using the trackpad is not quite effortless. I use two hands, which I am told is unusual. YMMV.

I think I’m ready to declare that my netbook is better for writing on the subway.  The UL30 isn’t bad or anything, but given the choice I would stick with my smaller laptop.