".. do you actually TEST those backups?"

yes (of course), see my post above.

I have used time machine repeatedly to restore lost or damaged files. I also replaced harddrives several times and played back my carbon copy clone. It boots and I have never missed a file in years.

Mac: Carbon Copy Cloner and Time Machine on separate usb disks. I use the system scheduler to wake the machine at night, mount the disks, start both backups, unmount and sleep the Macbook again. Rock solid, runs every night since years. Even swapping the harddrive is a matter of 30 minutes to play back the latest ccc clone.

I have to find a similar backup solution now also for my Linux based Thinkpad. I am looking into Mondo rescue, because it promises to create a bootable image on an external drive (just like Carbon Copy cloner). For me, it still fails, but this is Linux. Needs more time and research.

This is a personal backup of one computer only. I have bad experiences with centralised backup solutions. In every case you need to reinstall the operating system at least before you can access the backup. I also forgot my password once, because access to the backup is not frequently needed and well meaning admins constructed crazy pw rules. So even though I had a backup, it was not accessible any more.

I would suggest always having one of the three disks in a seperate location. Never have the three disks physically close together, not even when swapping them out.

Also, have an offline backup that is not connected to power. Power surge at night and all your data is gone.

Well, yes and no. People who take their backup drives away from the computer tend to have - a completely outdated backup. There is no 100% safety. If power fails while the backup is done, well there is still the original disk. How high is the possibility that it crashes in the same moment?

It talking about a power spike. If lightning strikes you could toast your computer and the connected backup drives. That is why offline storage is important.

For a local government a preference of local business is not only ok. It should be the first choice, the second choice and also the third one. In this case, as there is totally different tax flow involved as the article nicely explains, local business is the only responsible choice for an elected government, IMHO.

If Munichs public service personal has issues with Linux and Libre Office, they need a proper training, not a switch of platforms.

Without training nobody in this world would be able to properly use Microsofts products as well. And this is true for every new version, as the comments correctly mention.

How will training help them if their business applications are not available for Linux?

Well, I do expect the availability of applications has been checked before moving to Linux. If not, ... bad management (not impossible that the move was planned badly though).

But if you know exactly what you need, you can also develop software or extend functionality of available software. That's one of the advantages of the Unix processing philosophy and open source software.

"This is very true in London, unfortunately ..."

I admire the Dutch. They use the bicycle everywhere and in all weather conditions. The result? Their cities even sound so different. It is calm, very little car noise. Amazing.

Dangerous as a pedestrian though - especially if you aren't used to it!

yes, I wanted to add that remark as well, especially because the topic is about kids. But I didn't.

And of course bicycles are far less dangerous than any car. So there is no reason to complain or criticise this great achievement.

Yes, it wasn't meant so much as a criticism as a caveat.

The kids ride bikes too.

"... I do have less ability to do brilliant-late-night-ninja-coding stunts,..."

Isn't this an advantage as well? How many ninja stunts have you seen without hundreds of bugs and being easily integrated into existing stuff and not requiring to change many existing things because they don't fit anymore with the genius code (and thus replacing well tested bits with alpha quality code)?

Being older helps to plan well before you code and get a result that does the job. As you said: getting things done.

Even long ago, I discovered that once I reached a certain level of tiredness, it was pointless to keep coding, because after a night's sleep I'd realize it was all garbage and had to revert to a previous version.

Past that point there's no possible justification except "I need to show something functional to someone tomorrow".

I confess that, once upon a 5 A.M., I thought it would be clever to store X-Y position values not as a tuple but as two halves of a single int. There was a reason, but looking at it the next day there certainly wasn't a good enough reason. That set my low-water mark for coding while tired.

Yes, this. And that goes even if one is already awake due to insomnia: one owes it to oneself as well as to one's colleagues not to write code when one's mind is not in tip-top shape.

>How many ninja stunts have you seen without hundreds of bugs and being easily integrated into existing stuff and not requiring to change many existing things because they don't fit anymore with the genius code (and thus replacing well tested bits with alpha quality code)?

I am familiar with the stereotype you're referencing, and have seen it from myself and others. However, to genuinely answer your question of "how many ninja stunts have you seen without hundreds of bugs..." I must answer: Many.

For the first 3 years of my company's life, I a full half of the code was done as "late night ninja coding". In between getting steady work done, I would often think about a few harder problems/features/projects, and take notes from those thoughts over a few days/weeks,on what would be the best method of accomplishing said problem/feature/project. I called it the "think twice, code once" mentality.

Eventually it would culminate (almost always in the evening) when I would either realize one last detail that made it all click, or realize that there was nothing left to plan out, and it was time to dig in and code.

Cue an overnight session where all of that planning would be brought into reality. With tests.

Even now, when my lifestyle and product allows for less of this, I still do so occasionally and it brings me great joy, significant productivity and very few bugs. Think twice, code once, and of course YMMV.

Maybe that wasn't a comment on the practical benefit or otherwise of all-nighters, but on the perceived benefit from management.

If a manager doesn't think you will be up for a 36 hour shift, maybe they won't hire you.

Franz Werfel: Pale Blue Ink in a Lady's Hand. The story of an Austrian aristocrat and politician, who is - through his marriage - well established in society and on a safe carrier path, who discovers that he might have a child with a jewish woman (in pre-WWII Austria).

Great story and so well written by Werfel.

What do you want to say: it is hopeless to cultivate bicycle usage in the US?

No, absolutely not. In fact there is a growing trend away from single use zoning towards mixed use communities. With ride sharing services, people are finding less need to own a car and there's actually a lot of scrutiny of the poor public transportation situation. Times are changing but it's not going to happen over night.

The OP asked about the stigma of bike riding and I was providing some context to help him understand why the stigma exists. I wasn't trying to advocate for or against anything, just trying to explain the current state of affairs.

Apparently speaking the truth has become a punishable offense around here.

"And then there is the stigma that if your riding a bike, it means you obviously have DUI and/or other issues."

Here in Europe bikes become a lifestyle item. Just get yourself a real cool bike, with a carbon belt drive or one of those Titanium bikes, and dress accordingly.

"Cities make it easier for kids to go outside and be kids."

The other way round. I grew up in the countryside and we could literally play on the streets without risk. Visiting friends was actually easier. We simply took the bike, the rollerskates or - later - a motor scooter. No need for any parent to drive anybody anywhere. No need to use public transportation. All my schoolmates lived in bike distance (that is 25 km in my definition).

Of course it counts how safe your country or city is. It is our business to make them safe, not to hide in cars, because otherwise we may be harmed.

Again, it depends...

I live out in the country. My 15 y-o son has one friend who lives within walking distance and his parents keep him pretty busy with extracurricular activities, so he's never home. When you're an adult, being close to nature sounds cool. When you're 15, it's boring beyond belief.