One of the (my) first rules of computers is try not to load too many programs onto the computer as you end up spending too much time keeping them all current and fixing the inevitable problems that occur. Just recently I have been having some challenges with Backing Up my computer. I generally maintain a System back up once a month and a Data Backup every week. The Data backup starts with a full backup and then incremental each week until the disk is full - I then switch to another driver and repeat. When I have to switch back I then wipe the previous disk and so on, toggling between the two disk drives. This is not as good as keeping an archive of backups and can cause problems if a file gets corrupted along the way. I also duplicate my storage of pictures and music, but since I now have around 200Gb it represents quite a lot of storage.
The problem I am having is that my Incremental Backup seems not to be incremental - the idea is that each week only a small additional number of picture files get stored and so the Backup drive can store many weeks of data. Unfortunately the Incremental Backup seems to archive all the files each week - which quickly fills up the storage disks. It also take my Computer quite a lot of time to do the back up and so instead of it quickly running overnight (Sunday 1pm onwards) it is still running into the Monday. The last time this happened I think that it was Google Desktop Search somehow marking each file as changed so that the Backup re-copied it to the Archive. I have since stopped using Google Desktop Search as it also kept stalling and refusing to find stuff later than 5 months ago. I think that it collides with Microsoft's Search facility. A shame but there is no point if it does not seem to work.
This time around I am not so sure what the problem is, although I suspect it might be caused by Google Picasa - only suspect mind you. I have enabled Face tagging and so I wonder whether it has a similar effect to the Google Desktop Search. I have not got the time to check it out at the moment as I fly to India in less than 5 days - and I am having problems as the airlines in India seem to have minute baggage allowances - even my suitcases are too big apparently - which is why I think there is a misunderstanding. The fall back is to take my Brompton, although cycling that up 2000m mountains will be quite a challenge.
My second challenge is that when using Zoundry Raven to write a post (this one) I had storage problems. I tend to use Picasa to select the pictures I like, then I write them to a new folder and then copy those pictures into a Post. (I then store it as a draft post before adding the words - when it is stored as a draft Zoundry Raven uploads the pictures onto my picasaWeb account). This time around I accidentally reduced the resolution of the images. After deleting them from my PicasaWeb account and re-loading them they refused to store correctly. In the end I deleted the Local Zoundry ImageStore and re-created it. It seems to have worked - but a minor hassle that I could have done without.
The bright spot on the horizon is that my new bike is great to ride - it goes well on tarmac, is comfortable and goes well on byways and farm tracks Also the weather has been pretty good too. We have had some rain and some sun so a few fields have started sprouting again before the Autumn turns into Winter. This field is one I cycle past quite regularly and this is the third sprouting this year. I think the first one was probably a nitrogen crop to get some condition back into the soil - the second crop was leeks - I wait to see what this one is..
Another field on the way to Upware also getting a green tinge - only a couple of days ago it was light brown.
A few days ago I "discovered" a rather nice off-road track between Wicken Fen and Soham - it is always more pleasant to stay away from cars. I noticed another route whilst on it and took that this time - it brought me to a path I knew but had never explored.
There were what looked like motorcycle tracks on this bridleway - which is not strictly legal, although if it was the farmer then he/she can. However it does seem to join two By-ways open to all traffic (BOAT) which is perhaps why it was used. I have never seen motor vehicles here so it does not seem to be a big problem.
Alongside the by-way was an apple tree - I am quite surprised how many apple trees you see around here.
The apples were smallish - I am not sure what variety - but I assume the tree was seeded by a dropped apple core - so an eating apple probably.
Cycling from Reach along Straight Drove with Winter drawing in the skies are more dramatic at around the time I am cycling. So much so that I took the same (well similar) picture three times. Here is the wide open sky.
In this one I have zoomed into the sun/clouds.
Finally in this one I have zoomed right in to the "lemon" sky and the silhouette of the hedgerow/trees.
When taking pictures of the sunset the sunset the camera makes the sky seem darker - this is what the scene looked like looking along Straight Drove.
The Commissioner's had been cleared by some large digger using articulated tracks so the path alongside was rather more chewed up with a lot of plant debris on it. This made the cycling a little slower but not too bad.
Time for another shot of the sky as the sun set.
Along a bit of tarmac between Straight Drove and Rand Drove there was a sign of the times a burnt out car. Fortunately not something I see too frequently - but more frequently than I would like.
It is surprising how much our eyes can adapt to changing light conditions - here is the sky in the opposite direction - practically dark.
As usual I was carrying bright lights for the journey home.
No comments:
Post a Comment