Thumbdrive Uses

[gfish]

I just got a free 256MB thumbdrive from work. I doubt I'll use it for transferring files much, since that is why we invented networks a couple decades back, but it seems like it could useful for copies of utilities and data I'd like to guarantee I always have available. I just loaded it with putty, pscp, a collection of favorite etexts and my PDFs of the Machinery's Handbook. What else should I add?

Comments

[dymaxion.livejournal.com]

Actually, I thought that too, but I find I use mine quite a lot for exactly that — samba is a morass of permissions issues and firewall mucking, especially when you need data to move securely, IM networks are unreliable, and everything else requires a server you both share access to.  It's really useful for ad-hoc document handoffs, etc., and can actually be faster than a network anyway &mbdash; handing someone sitting next to you a token beats waiting for flaky wireless networks hands down.

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

Dunno what's covered in the Machinery's Handbook, but...

- Computer cabling pinout diagrams. There are a few of these on the web you could download.

- Copy of your contact list for when your cell phone battery is dead.

- Copies of your catch-all tech-support how-to documents folder. You've got one of those, right?

- Installer or binaries of your favorite text editor.

- Installer or binaries of your favorite instant messenger client.

- Family pictues.

[jhitchin.livejournal.com]

BANANAPHONE!!!

[allanc.livejournal.com]

Porn!

Lots of porn!

[dianthus.livejournal.com]

I keep my resume on mine.

[chatworthy.livejournal.com]

I keep my start page (a whole bunch of links) on mine.

[tithonium.livejournal.com]

Because of the cost of sat uplinks, Jeff was saying that he was semi-seriously suggesting the use of such drives for the next off-site rover test. For one thing, driving thumbdrives back and forth between the lab and the rover would accurately reflect the time delay of an off-planet system.

[shadowblue.livejournal.com]

Contact list makes sense, and I'd do that, but then it'd be out of date quite often, at least for me.

Even at home there are only a handful of documents that I really attempt to save and backup and really keep track of. Everything else is definitely loss_ok.

[mdlbear]

My secure document server (in Java -- open source version available soon), plus whatever documents I need to keep there. In particular, my file of website passwords.

The contents of my .ssh directory, in particular the public and (encrypted) private keys themselves, and the authorized_keys file.

I'll probably end up putting a small Linux distro on mine, for use in those uncivilized places that don't have Linux. It also turns out that they're really handy when you're going someplace with poor connectivity and don't feel like lugging a laptop.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

Like chatworthy, I keep a homepage on mine, and a very clipped version of firefox. Like dianthus I keep a resume. Like you, putty. Plus some songs that I particularly like, to give to people. It's on my keyring, so wherever my car goes, it goes, and it can be pretty convenient. I'd love a copy of Machinery Handbook...

[mdlbear]

I should point out that, although the Internet is awfully useful, its bandwidth is insignificant compared to a USB hard drive or a stack of DVDs in your briefcase.