The Drobo offers dead simple setup but it stirred up all sorts of ideas and new possibilities which turned out to be a good thing. After playing around, researching and trying to sort out the “best possible” configuration, I finally got it situated. Here’s what I learned that might interest to you…

My Purrrfect Backup World

In my perfect world, Apple’s Time Machine wouldn’t be such a douche bag and consume every morsel of bytes on an external drive. Time Machine has always annoyed the hell out of me because it oversimplifies backup and recovery and tends to give the uninitiated a false sense of security. Sure, there are some ways to limit it’s hunger but I didn’t want to deal with that headache. Via the Drobo knowledge base, I came across a couple backup and recovery programs that could take the place of Time Machine. After a bit more research, I decided to go with Carbon Copy Cloner from Bombich. I also looked at SuperDuper which runs $28 but Bombich hooked me with their “try it ’til you trust it” model.

Our philosophy is that you should try the full-featured product until you trust it, then consider a donation to support the development of Carbon Copy Cloner. That’s right — try ALL of these features, for FREE, let the software establish your trust, THEN donate. Isn’t that the way it should be for such an important task? We think so too. – Bombich.com

I should also point out that the Drobo software has a “DroboCopy” feature. DroboCopy can be setup to automatically copy a drive, folders or files onto the Drobo. At first glance, this seemed to be ok but after mulling it over for a bit, it wasn’t quite a fit for what I wanted. Installing Carbon Copy Cloner was a cinch but configuring it gave me reason to pause. Another testament to the Bombich team, Mike got back to me in less than a day with one of the strongest support responses I’ve seen. Not only did he answer my question, provide guidance but he seemed genuinely concerned with ensuring that I didn’t screw things up.

My original idea for Drobo and Carbon Copy Cloner setup looked something like the image above. Since the Drobo is nearly always connected to my computer, I figured I would just clone my Mac drive on a monthly basis to the Drobo and then send it to the cloud for storage. The challenge with that scenario was that I also wanted to use the Drobo as a “live” working drive for k-weight heavy files (video, images and audio etc.). Rina and I have a pretty full digital life with a Flip video cam, a Canon HV20 and digital cams, so when it comes editing and creating little projects, storing things on the Mac can get intense. So basically, I wanted the ability to drop files directly onto the Drobo and skip the Mac altogether but still have Carbon Copy Cloner.

The Real World

Based on Mike’s response to my scenario on the Bombich support forum it seemed I was on the right track but if the Mac crashes, backing up from a separate external might be easier. Likewise, I discovered that cloud backup providers like Carbonite, Mozy, BackBlaze and the like, aren’t as impressive as they first appear because they limit external drive backup (Carbonite) and several file types and sizes. BackBlaze at this point seems to be the best fit but it’s still leaves a bit to be desired.

1. Carbon Copy Cloner is setup to do a monthly auto-clone of the Mac
2. BackBlaze continuously back’s up the Mac and Drobo

Resources

• Backup to The Cloud - BackBlaze
• Carbon Copy Cloner - Bombich
• BeyoundRAID storage technology - Drobo
• Eco-friendly hard drives - Western Digital – 2TB Green Caviar

I started migrating to the Google Chrome browser when it was first in development for Mac but since January I’ve begun relying on it more and more. What made me switch? The Chrome Extensions Gallery and Developer tools. Now I only open Firefox and Safari when I’m testing or creating a tutorial of some sort.

Recently, I was researching an issue in the Google Support forums and came across the Chrome Help section. It never occurred to me to search for Official Extensions for Google Products but I was happy to stumble across it. I picked up the Google Voice Extension without even considering what it might be capable of…all I knew was I missed having the Firefox add on for Google Voice.

Fan-bloody-tastic! The Google Chrome extension for Google Voice does nearly everything I need it to do. It works in Gmail and any site that has a phone listed in a standard format. I’d ideally like it to function in some other out of the way areas but this will do fine for now.

If you’re using Chrome and Voice you’ll want to check out these extensions. Also, if you’re a Google Apps user and have various standard Gmail accouts, you might need more than the standard set of extensions in order to define a route to the different accounts…drop a comment below you need more help.

Google Buzz has no advertisements.

So did Google miss an opportunity to place more ads? Are they waiting for something? In case you’re wondering, Google generates nearly all of it’s revenue from advertisements, yet Google Buzz doesn’t have advertisements. I suppose it isn’t so strange…Calendar and Docs are missing advertisements as well. Anyone have any ideas on how Google determines where to place ads?

1. Head over to www.Knol.Google.com
2. Sign-in with your Gmail username/password
3. Go to Preferences in the top-right corner
4. Select the Name Verification tab to verify your account

After a few failed attempts at verifying via credit card I resorted to using my social security number. You can check out the Name Verification FAQ here.

Similar to learning Chinese, as my vocabulary grew, so did my appetite. I didn’t just want to understand the language, I wanted to DO something with it. When I get an idea in my head I tend to beat the life out of it and then jump head first into the deepest part of the pool – a bona fide INTJ. Whether it’s software, Chinese, juggling, business, triathlons or rock climbing…

1. Deep thought.
2. Right now.
3. Head first.
4. Don’t look back.

When I went back to work in China I promptly changed my Chinese to Ma Shang which is a legit Chinese name but sounds like “right now or immediately”. Business Case Example: Hi Mr. Yang, I’m Ma Shang a.k.a. Mr. Right Now, as in lets get this thing done – right now!

Out’ing Ruby on Rails

After a bit of wrangling with Rails books and learning the basics of building a web app with Rails, I had a basic understanding of the benefits that Ruby on Rails offered. I wasn’t, however, bold enough to try building my own app. Instead, I started dabbling with open source apps by learning to install and tweak them on my local machine. To be totally honest, it wasn’t very fun…in fact, it was down right frustrating because I wasn’t (in my opinion) learning fast enough or going far enough. What made matters worse was that I came up with an idea for an app that I felt really strongly about but my learning curve just wasn’t working in my favor…or at least I didn’t think so. So instead of learning to code and building my own app, I decided to leverage my background in outsourcing development and commissioned a team to build the app I had dreamed up.

I wont bore you with the details of outsourcing something like this because quite frankly, I could write volumes. I will say this though…if you’re a non-technical entrepreneur, small business or dude with an idea…don’t go down the freelance/outsourcing path without having someone on your side to guide you through it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big proponent of the freelance, outsourcing and contracted scenarios. Hell, my entire professional career revolves around outsourcing in some form or another. But if you’re going to do it, take my advice and make sure you have someone that knows the industry, technology and your idea.

However, last fall I decided that it was time to get a better handle on Rails because I wanted to play a more prominent role in developing my application…i.e. I want to build it. So I enrolled in a ‘learning ruby on rails’ class taught by Sarah Allen in order to get the hands-on guidance that I had been. Sarah and her team of assistants produced a great class and gave me just enough of a nudge to get me to the next step.

I Got Next

Well earlier this week, I passed an important milestone in my Ruby on Rails experience and launched the beta version of the app I’ve been working on. In it’s current state it’s a snippet of what I envision but for now that’s all I need to drive me forward. While the user front-end website and user interface are rather drab that can be remedied with a little time and effort. Functionally it consists of a baseline that will serve it’s purpose for the time-being but I’m excited to get moving on some of the more enticing features. If you know of anyone in the fitness industry, feel free to have them take a look at MyFitHub.com where they can sign up for a free beta account.

RT @Scobleizer: Oh, we finally found a GREAT use for Google Wave! Holy shitake! RT: @Orli: Awesome video!! http://bit.ly/4vfQAR #googlewave

Get Google Voice Add-On for Firefox

If you’re looking for a professional photographer or you’re a PRO, take a look at what Eric O’Conner is up to over at mylife-pages.com. Eric has created a fantatstic tool for professional photographers that provides the ability to create custom websites for their clients. The beauty is in the applications effortless approach in creating an event specific site. In a matter of a few minutes you can have a site up and running with professional pictures. Another interesting feature is that the client has full editorial control over the content!

Here’s how it works in 3 Steps; 

1. Photographer takes pictures
2. Photogrpher clicks through site creation and loads pictures
3. Client creates content

All you software geeks in the room will be happy to know it’s built on Rails!