1. Zen and the Art of Computer Backup
Computer Backup
Computer backup involves the process of storing data in a location apart from your hard
drive, on any possible medium in order to ensure that you always have a copy of that file.
We all know that damage can come to a computer resulting in a loss of data, and having
proper backups can greatly ease the pressure off of us in the event that such a thing does
occur. If you have a loss of data on your machine for any reason, you can easily restore
these files through the use of your previously made backups.
Zen and the Art of Computer Backup
Zen is an ancient Asian philosophical system which arose in China and then traveled to
Japan. It is a combination of the teachings of Siddhartha Gotama, the Buddha (enlightened
one) from India and the Taoist philosophies which had grown up in China from the
teachings of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching.
One might wonder how Zen could play any part in the modern
technological world of computers, especially such a seemingly mundane
task as computer backup. However, zen can play a great part in computer
backup. Zen is the art of becoming one with that which you are doing. It is
a form of meditation that puts you in a state where you are sure of exactly
what is going on around you. It is a way of life, and can become a part of
all aspects of your life, especially something as essential as computer
backup.
Practicing Zen and the Art of Computer Backup
When you are backing up your computer, do not just consider it a mundane task that must
be performed. Allow yourself to become one with your data, and with your computer. There
are many different methods of computer backup, and you can practice zen with any
different method of computer backup.
Traditionally, floppy disks were used in the performance of computer backup. However,
floppy disks are becoming increasingly obsolete. After all, a floppy disk can only hold 1.4
megabytes, while a CD-R can hold 800 megabytes. It is easy to see why such a method
would be seen as ineffective.
Zen is all about effectiveness, and living properly. While computer backup is a very
important thing, and a practice that should be performed often, it merits us nothing to take
much more time and disks to backup on floppy disks than to backup on a CD-ROM, DVD-
ROM or other medium which holds a great deal more data.
Another form of backup that is becoming very popular is the use of what are called key
drives. Key drives are tiny drives which can fit on your key chain but can still hold up to a
gigabyte or more of data. You then plug these drives into your computer, and on most newer
machines your key drive will automatically be read by your computer, without the need for
any device drivers, the perfect conception of plug and play technology.