I finally decided to signup for an online file backup service today. After an hour or so of research I signed up for Backblaze. I did of course check out Mozy and Carbonite but found Backblaze had better Mac OSX integration than the others (see info below) and some other nice bells and whistles. They’re all bout $5.00 a month for unlimited storage of your personal files and all fairly easy to setup.

Bottom line: Backblaze had the tightest Mac OSX integration (works great for PC/Windows too). It operates as a daemon and continuously backs up files while others were just “backgrounded applications” which backed up files on a schedule. It also seemed much lighter on system resources as well. Finally, I liked how Backblaze tucks everything neatly away in my Macs System Preferences.

For more info on how it all works, check out their “how it works” page.

It’s 2010 and we have a black president in office for the first time in our nations history. How far we’ve come, right? Well, that’s what I thought until I opened my census form (click thumbnail image for larger view) a couple days ago. As I filled it out I finally got down to the “race section” where I chose “white”. But, as I scanned further down the form I saw “Black, African Am., or Negro”. WTF?!?

I mean, come on people. This is ridiculous. Who created/approved this? Oh, and why wasn’t “white” expanded to include things like “honky” or “cracker” etc.? Only fair…

I guess today the census people apologized for it. Check out the video interview with the U.S. Census Director for more info (haven’t watched it yet).

So, I am glad to see we’ve started taking steps to fix a broken healthcare system here in the USA. No more cutting sick people off, no more price hiking/gouging for no reason by insurance companies, no more barring people from coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and it will eventually allow small businesses and contractors such as myself to have affordable/competitive options.

Anyway, here is an email I received from President Obama’s office after the vote:

For the first time in our nation’s history, Congress has passed comprehensive health care reform. America waited a hundred years and fought for decades to reach this moment. Tonight, thanks to you, we are finally here.

Consider the staggering scope of what you have just accomplished:

Because of you, every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.

Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.

And we’ll finally start reducing the cost of care — creating millions of jobs, preventing families and businesses from plunging into bankruptcy, and removing over a trillion dollars of debt from the backs of our children.

But the victory that matters most tonight goes beyond the laws and far past the numbers.

It is the peace of mind enjoyed by every American, no longer one injury or illness away from catastrophe.

It is the workers and entrepreneurs who are now freed to pursue their slice of the American dream without fear of losing coverage or facing a crippling bill.

And it is the immeasurable joy of families in every part of this great nation, living happier, healthier lives together because they can finally receive the vital care they need.

This is what change looks like.

My gratitude tonight is profound. I am thankful for those in past generations whose heroic efforts brought this great goal within reach for our times. I am thankful for the members of Congress whose months of effort and brave votes made it possible to take this final step. But most of all, I am thankful for you.

This day is not the end of this journey. Much hard work remains, and we have a solemn responsibility to do it right. But we can face that work together with the confidence of those who have moved mountains.

Our journey began three years ago, driven by a shared belief that fundamental change is indeed still possible. We have worked hard together every day since to deliver on that belief.

We have shared moments of tremendous hope, and we’ve faced setbacks and doubt. We have all been forced to ask if our politics had simply become too polarized and too short-sighted to meet the pressing challenges of our time. This struggle became a test of whether the American people could still rally together when the cause was right — and actually create the change we believe in.

Tonight, thanks to your mighty efforts, the answer is indisputable: Yes we can.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

Oh, and if you can’t tell by looking at my blog design, the White Stripes are by far my favorite band! So, you know I’ll be there…

Here’s the synopsis of the film:

From the cinematic genius of Emmett Malloy is spawned this unprecedented account of The White Stripes reality- their unrivaled musicianship, and unfiltered commentaries on life and life on the road, all in the Canadian summer of 2007. Through his 16mm camera lens, Malloy brings to full exposure the essence of Jack and Meg White in his documentary “Under Great White Northern Lights.” The film was conceived from the band’s initiative to do the undone- tour each province in Canada, every reasonable (or unreasonable) nook of the landscape including bowling alleys and city buses, in order to deliver their legendary sound to unsuspecting townspeople and diehard fans alike. And as to be expected, the duo does it all. They play their longest show ever at the Savoy Theater on their 10th anniversary, only to balance it out with a subsequent one-note ensemble. And somewhere between tinkering on old pianos and firing off cannons in an empty field, the band evokes and sustains a most intimate connection with their audience. “Under Great White Northern Lights” illuminates the soul of the White Stripes, their rooted spirit for Rock ‘n Roll, and their unshakable dedication to their fans. As Jack White simplifies it in the film, “from the ocean to the permafrost” he and Meg only come to delivery some of the most unforgettable performances our generation has ever seen.

So when I heard of a possible Apple Tablet Computer coming out (for real this time) I couldn’t wait to hear all the details. Sure, it’s still technically a rumor but Apple has announced a big press conference for this Wednesday so I guess we’ll all soon find out then if the rumors were true. In addition to the possible new tablet computer they are expected to talk about iLife ’10 and iPhone OS 4.

A friend of mine found some pics online of the rumored new tablet device and posted the pics on his blog. Check them out here.

Finally, everyone is guessing at what Apple will call the new device. Some of the ideas people are throwing around are iSlate, iSlab, Newton, and iPad. They’re all decent names but I really hope they don’t go with iPad. Anyone remember this old Mad TV spoof commercial? LOL…

Anyway, a friend posted this image on twitter earlier and I thought it was worthy of reposting.

You can buy the image above as a poster or printed on a t-shirt here if interested.

I give you The Kuro-kamikiri (black hair cutter). It’s a large, black-haired creature that sneaks up on women in the street at night and surreptitiously cuts off their hair. Anatomical features include a brain wired for stealth and trickery, razor-sharp claws, a long, coiling tongue covered in tiny hair-grabbing spines, and a sac for storing sleeping powder used to knock out victims. The digestive system includes an organ that produces a hair-dissolving fluid, as well as an organ with finger-like projections that thump the sides of the intestines to aid digestion.

Here’s one sent to me by a friend titled “Late For Work”

Edit: Of course when I took the 5 seconds to do the math (assuming it’s counting seconds down) it will finish in 14 days (ie. News Years Day).

http://www.holytaco.com/25-hilarious-wifi-network-names

Some of my favorites:

• PicturesOfBalls
• TurdBurglar
• GetOffMyLawn
• H1N1
• JoelsADoucheBag

MS Project licenses can cost a ton of money depending on how many you need and Basecamp charges $24 per month for their smallest hosted plan. Enter ProjectPier. ProjectPier is an open source project management tool that’s been around for a while which you host on your own web server. It was built to basically clone the functionality of Basecamp but since it’s open source it’s free to install and use. Take a look at the screenshot below to see what my install looks like.

click to enlarge

As you can see not only can ProjectPier mimic most of the functionality of Basecamp it can also be made to look almost identical as well. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Download and install the latest beta of ProjectPier (v0.8.5.0) located here
• Configure your ProjectPier installation by following the install guide
• Once fully configured download and install the free BaseQamp theme for ProjectPier located here

After following the steps outlined above you’ll have a great tool to manage all those projects on your plate and some extra cash in your wallet each month as well.