From: "Erica VD Ginter" <eginter at klgai.com>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Backup Yourself . . .Re: Netiquette
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 17:56:02 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Walsh [mailto:MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu]
Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 4:07 PM
To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Subject: [WSFA] Backup Yourself . . .Re: Netiquette

> kfl at keithlynch.net 04/13/02 03:54PM >>>
>
>>Kit Mason <kit at hers.com> wrote:
>
>> I learned word processing first on a dedicated DEC system in
>> 1981; each of us had a dumb terminal and the main 'computer' was
>> elsewhere, with its attendant avatar to care for it.  Once, the
>> building was struck by lightning and everything we'd done was wiped
>> off the current disk and had to be redone... not fun.
>
>I hope the "attendant avatar" was fired, as their main responsibility
>was to make frequent backups.  And also to keep offsite backups, in
>case of a larger disaster than a lightning strike.
>
>Notice that very little computer data were lost in the WTC collapse,
>since all the firms in those buildings knew the importance of frequent
>backups and offsite storage.
>
>Too bad it's not yet possible to make backups of *people*.

Which brings to mind two things . . . Backups of your least favorite =
politician . . . and John Varley's story "The Phantom of Kansas" where the =
copies keep getting murdered.

mjw

I immediately thought of Varley, too: the "backed up on tape" method of
preserving people is a plot device in many of his stories (in this case a
good thing--he's done many interesting things with the idea).

Erica