Time Capsule Obtained

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 08:30:14 GMT

So... Time Capsule came in. It's a 3rd Gen a/b/g/n model (model ID: A1355), because I don't have anything newer than a "WiFi 4" (802.11n) device anyway. No need for the WiFi 5/ac model with its absolute shit performance in my home.

Setup was absolutely easy. Ran a wizard that asked a few questions, helped me to set up the shared drive, even launched Time Machine for me so I could get that done. I was done in less than five minutes, and most of that time was thinking up a name for the device, and a name for the drive. Go figure that it Just Works™ when I need it to. The multiple hours of the initial backup over wifi? That was a bit of a pain, but understandable. And that's done, so the incremental backups are much faster.

And best of all? I don't have to worry about shoddy USB cables killing a drive. If this drive dies, I'll just open it up (once I get a hair dryer), put in a new drive, and get things going again. Don't have to worry about soldered-on SSDs or anything.

Repairability... It's such a nice thing.

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Time Machine/Time Capsule (AKA "Shit Happens")

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 09:13:05 GMT

So, in using MacOS, something I've come to appreciate is Time Machine. Having a backup system that runs in the background without worrying about it is one hell of a mental relief, especially when shit happens, and I need to restore some files, or even my entire OS. And you know what? Apple made a router with a built-in drive specifically for use with Time Machine, called Time Capsule. I ordered one on eBay, and it should be here before the end of the week.

Why did I order one if I'm already using Time Machine in another way?

I use it via a USB drive sled and 3.5" HDD. Recently, bumping the USB cable during a backup made me lose EVERYTHING on the drive to corruption, since it powered down during a write. Not Time Machine's fault, since that's on a physical level. But I don't want that happening again. And since I use a MacBook Pro, having the backups done automatically over WiFi means I don't need to worry about bumping a stupid cable while it's writing the backup. That's a good thing.

Yeah, I know. It's an Apple thing. It's proprietary. But at this point in my life, I find it hard to give a damn about that. I'm tired of fighting with solutions that cause more problems than they fix. I'd rather use some outdated proprietary stuff that works without problem, than to keep struggling with modern bullshit that makes me tired and angry all the time.

It's no wonder I see more Linux people I know moving to Macs these days. I can't blame them.

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The Author's Nest

Time Capsule Obtained

Time Machine/Time Capsule (AKA "Shit Happens")