@zellwes2

Rule 1: All hard drives fail. ALL OF THEM!
Rule 2: 100% of hard drives fail. ALL OF THEM!
Rule 3: ALL hard drives fail. ALL OF THEM!

The only way to protect your data locally is by using something called RAID (it's a computer acronym for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). While there are DAS (Direct-Attached-Storage) RAID devices, unless it's USB 3, I would go with a NAS (Network-Attached-Storage) device. The issue is SPEED. (You can also backup your data [porn collection?] in the cloud, but that's a monthly cost...)

There are low-end NAS RAID arrays out there for $200-300. I have used inexpensive models from QNAP and Synology - both have worked well for me and my clients. (My own porn collection is on a QNAP 4-drive NAS device).

But, a few caveats:

• There is a considerable up-front cost to a RAID device: the RAID box itself doesn't have any storage (drives), so you have to "populate" the box with hard drives... multiple drives!
• You have to routinely check the system to ensure that the inevitable drive failures are detected and the failing/failed devices are replaced quickly.

So some quick computerese technology stuff... There are multiple "levels" of RAID:

• RAID 0 simply spreads your data across multiple drives, but offers NO PROTECTION! (if ONE drive fails, you may lose ALL of your data!) -- NOT RECOMMENDED!
• RAID 1 (called a mirror) copies whatever is on one disk to a 2nd disk. Thus, if you lose a disk, there is a complete copy right there! (BEST PROTECTION, HIGHEST COST: buy 2 4TB drives and store up to 4TB of data!)
• RAID 5 (most common) spreads your data across all of your drives, but sets aside storage too for a "checksum". The amount of storage "lost" for the checksum is determined by the number of drives in the array: use just 3 drives, and you lose 1/3 of the raw storage to data protection.

The most common small-business (or, in my case personal) array is a 4-drive unit, with all 4 drives populated. Assume you purchase 4 5TB drives... you will store data on 3/4 of the total storage area, and 1/4 will be used for data protection. The math, then, is that your 4 5TB drives will allow you to store AND PROTECT 15TB of data (the last 5TB of data is used to provide protection).

Now, you can see why there is a large up-front cost:

• $200-300 for the RAID device
• $100 EACH for 4TB Seagate IronWolf drives TIMES 4!

That's $600-700!

BUT, if you make that investment, you won't ever have to start over again (so long as you keep an eye on it! Drives fail - and so long as you lose only ONE DRIVE, your RAID ARRAY will keep your data safe!

[NOTE: I'm a computer consultant - I've glossed over lots of technical details, but included enough to help you get started. Feel free to email me on here of you want additional help.)

@andergarcia said in THIS or THAT: the game:

@dvt

Yes, with an ex-boyfriend we jerked off each other until we cummed. It was so hot!

Have you fucked on a plane or not?

In the bathroom on a plane, and I also sucked off my b/f while I pretended to be laying down (this was the 1980's - you were allowed to lay across the seats... yes, my head was on his lap, and yes, his Asian beauty of a cock gave me an in-flight protein snack!

If you were on a nude beach and got an erection, would you try to hide it?

@raphjd said in Trump-a-holic My-Pillow founder sued for $1.3-billion:

@bi4smooth

LOL, you voted for a pathological liar.

"Come on man, I'm the guy who ......."

For decades he has lied about the truck driver who had the accident with his 1st wife. Inattention by his wife was determined to be the cause of the accident. The police also reported that there were no signs that the truck driver had consumed any alcohol prior to the accident.

Biden has lied about pretty much everything.

First: WTF? The posting and article are on Trump-a-holic Mike Lindell, not Joe Biden... If you've got a beef with Joe Biden's "memorial" tonight to the 500,000+ dead in the US from Covid, start your own topic!

But on another level:

Really? Have you absolutely no heart or empathy for someone simply because you disagree politically?

Have you no compassion at all?

... purely for political points?

Whether Joe Biden's first wife contributed to the accident, or whether the truck driver was drunk (no investigation was done because: in 1972 we didn't vilify drunk drivers the way we do today... that didn't start happening until the 1980's and MADD) if of no consequence!

Neither the presence nor absence of alcohol was shown: no breathalyzer was taken (the technology was in its infancy in 1972, and not in widespread use in the US), and no blood was drawn... which also wasn't unusual in 1972! [See what a 2-minute Wikipedia search - with a few clicks on references - will teach you?]

Either way, Joe Biden was left with a dead wife, a dead baby daughter, and 2 badly injured little boys - in an ER - on what should have been one of the happiest days of his life!

This is the kind of dark and dangerous rhetoric: insistence on purity for the other side; and piety for your own - that will be the death of our Democracy...

I'm no fan of Joe Biden's politics - his huge spending plans are going to bring back economic inflation like we haven't had since the 1970s - but he's still a human being - and one who has suffered numerous, terrible tragedies in his life.

He may not be my favorite President of all time, but he's not a comic-book villain, and he IS a human being!

Yet another Trump-allegiant fool has followed the Great Orange Don-ald into a Trumpster Fire of legal trouble...

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Dominion Voting Machines has filed a defamation and libel lawsuit against MyPillow founder Mike Lindell. (Edit: Click the link above... the words Wall Street Journal... will take you to their article)...

Seems his continual claims that the company's voting machines were mis-counting election results (presumably in favor of Biden), even after manual recounts had proved that the results were accurate, are now under intense scrutiny.

Like Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Lindell has put his dick in a grinder by being very careful to NEVER repeat those claims in any arena where truth is required (like a court, or under deposition, or under oath), but continually made those same claims in public forums... even after proof was provided specifically to him.

This did a GREAT job of shielding him from perjury charges, but set him up for a slam-dunk defamation suit - where there has to be evidence you KNEW the information you were peddling was false... evidence that he created and strengthened by his unwillingness to repeat those lies under oath!

Seems Mr. Lindell may be following Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani into the poor-house!

$1.3billion is a WHOLE LOTTA overpriced pillows!

THIS is what happens when you are in a cult-of-personality, and the object of your devotion is a narcissistic, pathological liar!

@tobert0 said in How do you shave your balls?:

Hi there,
Personally, I have tried different methods and from my personal experience I prefer razors.

I concur... I trim the pubic hair around my penis, but shave my balls, perineum, and asshole areas. I have found that I need a touch-up at least weekly, or else the skin gets too sensitive again.

Like you explained in your posting, I've found virtually all electric shavers "bite" (that is, the skin in these areas gets caught in the electric shavers, and so it gets cut by the shavers. I have no explanation why the razor doesn't also do this, but for me it doesn't!)

I shave my ass and balls (and perineum) on Saturday or Sunday... in the shower. I use regular body wash to "lubricate" the skin, and get the water as hot as I can stand it... that relaxes the skin as much as possible, and makes the resulting shave exceptionally close.

One final note: To keep the blades "clear", I only pull 2 or 3 strokes before I run the blade backwards along my thigh (e.g.: PUSH the blade down my thigh - to pull out the "stuck" hairs and other stuff in between the blades) and rinse in the shower stream.

Even though it seems to add extra steps, it actually makes the overall shave go faster because the blades are clearer and get more hair with each stroke.

@colintnm said in Smegma:

@cub2263 said in Smegma:

Glad I'm circumcised ;D …..never dealt with this

Cut dicks can also get smega sorry to inform you.

Indeed - and WRT the above users talking about loving the smell and the taste... please note that the aroma and taste are both produced (as is most body odor) by bacteria "eating" the moist contents thereof...

So, for me at least, ewwww....

Florida's federal legislators (Senator Rick Scott (R), Senator Marco Rubio, and now Rep. Charlie Crist (D)) are among those asking the Dept of Justice to investigate the Florida COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

This after the Governor (Ron DeSantis (R)) seems to have arranged for "popup" vaccinations in Manatee and Palm Beach counties that were hand-picked to be in wealthy neighborhoods, and with the help of local officials, giving wealthy donors "special access" to vaccinations.

DeSantis joins NY Gov Cuomo (D) (under investigation for potentially falsifying COVID-19 death statistics), CA Gov Newsom (D) (under potential recall for COVID-19 handling), and TX Gov Abbott (R) (under investigation for botched response to cold snap on top of botched COVID-19 vaccination rollout).

That makes 4 for 4 of the largest US States' Governors with big political problems... and all 4 are under fire by members of both political parties (although somewhat less so in the case of Newson (CA) - his case appears more purely-political than the others).

While none truly appears to be in danger (yet) of being removed from office (nor facing legal prosecution - though a potential exists for NY and FL), all 4 face re-election in 2022.

CA & NY are considered "safe" Democrat states, so the only "risk" appears to be from a primary offensive... that likelihood will depend on the outcome of the investigations...
TX is a hard-lean, if not a "safe" Republican state, so a primary opponent would seem the biggest concern there, again likely dependent on the outcome of the investigations...
FL is a soft-lean Republican, but in spite of recent Republican domination, the state is considered a "Purple" one... so DeSantis may face both in-party and cross-party fights... depending on the outcome of investigations from a justice dept that's controlled by Democrats, DeSantis would seem to be in real jeopardy.

Why does this matter? National Parties want to ensure that they keep/protect these governor's offices... and these fights will take funds away from critical House and Senate races...

@andergarcia said in THIS or THAT: the game:

@dvt

I never wear socks when fucking... and I don't like the other guy to wear them, either

Fucking with your pants on (just with your dick out) or without pants?

I'm a nudist at heart - no sox, no underwear, no leather, no lace... and no pants!

Would you rather have sex in public (e.g.: in a bar or on a stage - with a live audience), or on video (live, or recorded)?

@Ricky raises a good point - if you just downloaded the torrent file, what you've downloaded is a pointer... to something called a tracker - which contains pointers to other people that have the original file... it's an indirect process.

You will still need to download the file you want from one (or more!) of the people the tracker will connect you with... THEY have the file you're looking for, but the tracker only has the pointers.

If you don't already have one, you'll need a Torrent Client.

For Mac, I recommend

• the FreeDownloadManager is far more than just a torrent client, but it'll get you your file! However, I don't know whether it will then also SEED the file (allow YOU to share the file with OTHERS - give, as well as take!)
• Transmission is a true MacOS torrent client...

Quick terminology check:

• Torrent File: a very small file that contains descriptors of blocks of a "source file" (or folder). It is created by an original "uploader" (who uploads this torrent file to the tracker), and is then downloaded by other people who also want or have that file.
• Torrent Server (called a tracker): a website that maintains a list of files and people who are sharing those files. The Tracker is the source of the .torrent file for all but the original uploader.
• Torrent Client: the program on an end-user's PC that will communicate with the Tracker to find people who have the file and are willing to share it. The torrent client does not download the torrent file itself (you use your web browser for that), but it does download the target file (or folder)
• Torrent Blocks (aka: chunks): the individual PARTS of a file. They are described in the torrent file itself. Each descriptor helps to ensure you are getting the correct, unchanged, file contents.
• Seeder: someone who has the target file already, and has registered their willingness to share it on the tracker. The original seeder is the original uploader. Other seeders are usually people who have downloaded it via the torrent tracker themselves, and then agreed to share it.
• Leecher: someone who wants the target file and downloads the torrent from the tracker.

The beauty of a torrent is that the source file is broken up into "blocks" - and the tracker helps you manage getting all of those blocks from wherever you can find them! That means you can download from multiple people simultaneously - thus, speeding up the download process considerably.

But keep in mind: the tracker has the .torrent file (the descriptions of the blocks), and it maintains a list of people who have those blocks, but the tracker does not have the original file itself, or any of the blocks. The tracker (in this case GT.RU) is just a middle-man.

When you decide upon your client, you open your .torrent file with that client... it will start the process of connecting to the tracker (gt.ru) and determining where the other people who have (and are sharing) that file.

Your client will then reach out to those other people and download the blocks (parts) until you have all of them!

Once you finish your download, please seed the file!!

@justfunagain

The general-purpose un-compressor for Mac is Unarchiver...

It looks like you've already tried it, so have you considered that the archive itself may be corrupt?

@raphjd said in Biden's plan for unity, picks vile Neera Tanden:

@bi4smooth

Thanks for proving Godwin's Law.

LOL extreme examples to describe extreme people

@raphjd said in Twitter, itself, spreads lies:

@bi4smooth

Ah, so in your mind, real "conservatives" are swampies, RINOs, and Democrats.

I'm glad we came to an understanding.

No, I'm saying Donald Trump is not a real conservative!

@raphjd said in Biden's plan for unity, picks vile Neera Tanden:

@bi4smooth

Obviously not, you still claim to be a conservative.

Donald Trump is to Conservatism what Adolph Hitler was to race relations!

@raphjd said in Twitter, itself, spreads lies:

@bi4smooth

I do love how you always shill for the left, but claim to be a conservative.

I am a Conservative - Trumpsters are the fake Republicans

@raphjd said in Biden's plan for unity, picks vile Neera Tanden:

@bi4smooth

Your TDS just keeps getting worse.

Maybe you should start looking at some conservative news sources, rather than your beloved leftist outlets like The Root and Democratic Underground. You might learn about what is happening in the world.

Tucker Carlson did several segments on the Russian collusion lie. He even quotes your fellow liberals' own words in the Congressional hearing in the bunker where they admit they didn't know of any Russian collusion. Other people have also done similar videos on the topic.

You don't know anything, in part, because you think you already know everything.

I don't know - I seem to have learned from my mistake of voting for Trump in 2016

@raphjd said in Twitter, itself, spreads lies:

@bi4smooth

Is Don Jr a Rep from Colorado? Why mention that person?

Because she too is someone who said something dumb accidentally.

But, there's more to this:

• Trumpsters (rhymes with dumpsters - not accidentally) are getting all bent out of shape because Don Jr got caught saying something dumb... it's political lampooning, it's been done for decades (centuries, even!), and you (he) should laugh it off as a gaffe - something misspoken in the moment. But not if you're a Trumpster! Because it's directed as a lampoon of a Trump, you'll make a Trumpster Fire out of it! My point: let it die. It was just a funny gaffe. Even if it didn't really happen!
• The Colorado Rep issued a statement from her office, clarifying that the Rep didn't really disagree with all amendments, and that she clearly misspoke. And the statement wasn't even covered by the media, and the whole situation died - like nearly all gaffs do... unless someone decides to light a Trumpster Fire under it, so it won't die!

Twitter added their "factual statement" to tweets about the subject. That is their lie.

The "fact" warning label wasn't a lie - indeed, it was factually correct.

It was just like their "factual statement" that Biden was the actual winner of the election.

ROFL (literally) - you actually think the election was stolen from Trump, despite there being NO EVIDENCE? In fact, the evidence uncovered so far points to 2020 being a more accurate (less fraud, abuse) than in 2016 - or any other prior election!

NOTE: There are investigations that are still underway... so, who knows, maybe there will be some giant, multi-party, anti-Trump conspiracy uncovered still... but then again, maybe not... maybe he just lost. By a lot - e.g.: too much so to overcome by the small (smallest ever) numbers of vote-fraud attempts uncovered so far (which, it's worth noting, are running 2-1 in favor or Trump - that is, by a 2-1 margin so far, the fraudulent votes were FOR Trump! At least in AZ, PA, and GA, where those things have been reported).

Maybe Trump got fewer votes than most down-ballot candidates (which signals that he's a DRAG on the party)!!! I'll leave you to check that one out... I know the answer, you need to discover it for yourself though... more instructive that way!

But honestly, dude... It's almost March... Trump lost. EVEN IF IT WAS A FRAUD, it's too late now. Biden is the President, and we're much better off limiting how much he can do vs. re-hashing old, decided elections!

Get into the CURRENT GAME, let the last one go...

If they can lie in a "factual statement" about Don Jr, then they can lie in any other "factual statement" they made/make.

There you go with hyperbolic extensions again! Just like, if the cop lets one speeder go by, it's open-season on speeding! NOT!

I suggest you just dump Twitter! It's a private company. No Government Regulation is going to stop them from labeling (or declining to label) posts as false. If they're the liberal-loving platform you accuse them of being, just dump 'em! En masse! All Trumpsters should drop their Twitter accounts!

(Best John Lovitz impression) Yeah! That's the ticket!

@raphjd said in Biden said minorities are too stupid to get online:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1363224533759574016

Make sure you have the sound on.

That is a hilarious tic-tock video
Thanks for sharing!

@raphjd said in NY School Principal Urges Parents To Become ‘White Abolitionists’ With Propaganda Graphic:

AA is not a program for low-income PEOPLE.

Affirmative Action isn't race-based in every case. Affirmative Action is an admittedly wrong-headed attempt to provide some "on the edges" support to disadvantaged people. The most disadvantaged people are the poor, and those are mostly minority (brown) and women...

It's a program to benefit people based on race and gender, regardless of wealth.

I'm sorry, but you're just plain wrong there.

Poor white boys have to get higher test scores than wealthy black females who had all the privileges. Poor white boys have a lot fewer options when it comes to scholarships than wealthy black females.

If what you want is true, government-enforced equality, then you are communist.

Government-sponsored scholarships are forbidden - by Federal Law - from being racially based. So, you must be talking about privately funded scholarships... and as the father of 3 current college students, I can tell you that you're wrong. There is plenty of scholarship money out there. What there isn't a lot of is help in finding those scholarships!

Hell, Shaun "Talcum X" King still fakes being black, as do many others. So being black can't be that bad.

Shaun King has a mental disorder. She is not the norm. She's sick, and your use of her mental illness to prove a political point is deplorable.

That said, within the PoC community, it's a common thing: the lighter the skin, the less "black" (as-in belonging to the PoC community) a person is perceived to be.

For what its worth: I got an uncommon "view" into the PoC community because my ex-fiance (he passed away due to a medical misdiagnosis before our marriage) was a dark-skinned black man.

@raphjd said in Biden's plan for unity, picks vile Neera Tanden:

Swampies, RINOs, and Dems are guilty.

We're all guilty of something... my problem is that you consider true Republican leaders: like Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Michael Steele - even former President Bush - as RINOs, because they do not fall-in-line behind 3-time loser Trump!

I'll re-iterate: Donald Trump has has NEVER - EVER - won a national popular vote!

RINO Romney voting to convict says nothing about Trump's guilt. He would vote to convict Trump for breathing air.

If that were true, he would have voted Guilty on both counts - he didn't:

• Romney voted GUILTY on the count of colluding with the Russians
• Romney voted NOT-GUILTY on the count of obstruction of congress

Again, you ridiculously equate fealty to Trump to being a "real" Republican. If Trump is personally so important, why not rename the party: The Trumpian Party?

Hillary colluded more than Trump.

With who? Not the Russians, Chinese, or Iranians - they all attempted to interfere (each with different levels of success) in 2016, and they all interfered in favor of Trump. (Apparently, they were just as afraid of a Hillary Clinton Presidency as many others were: thus, the Trump Presidency!)

Certainly, Hillary had plenty of help - she outspent Trump by nearly $300m! The difference is who was helping: other Americans? , or other countries!?!?

You need to stop reading Democratic Underground and The Root. Trump referred to MS-13 as animals, not all brown people as MSM claimed. Likewise, in the full video, Trump condemned racists in Charlottesville.

Look, so much of Trump's political baggage (like Charlotte) is self-inflicted! -- The idiot drinks his own kool-aid!

When the video came out, Trump could have gone on the air and condemned the white supremacists - made it clear that he didn't side with them, and that he didn't consider white supremacists "good people".

But he refused. In spite of nearly every advisor saying he should clarify that he wasn't with the white supremacists! Trump was being his infallible self!

Dems were able to take that and make Trump "one of them" - a white supremacist - and he stupidly welcomed that label! (I don't think he actually believes it, I only think he embraced it - because those followers were so rabid in their support of him!)

It's just like how the Dems altered "evidence" for the impeachment. Or how FBI agents illegally altered documents so the "evidence" would fit their case.

You really do love shilling for Biden.

I've stated many times before: I have no love for Joe Biden.

• I was faced in 2016 with a lose-lose option: Trump or Hillary, and I went with Trump - and it was far worse than I expected. But: was it worse than Hillary would have been? I don't know... and I'm thankful that I never will!
• I was faced in 2020 with a lose-lose option: Trump or Biden, and like the last time, I went with the unknown vs the well-known and chose Biden. Will it be worse than a continued Trump presidency? I think he'll have to work awfully hard to do that, and he's too old for that kind of workload!

I think we'll have to wait for 2024 to "set a new course" for the country. And, I'm hopeful the "Drunk on Trump" era will be over by then, and true Conservatism will have a place again...

Getting back to the original topic:

Biden's team clearly failed to do the appropriate background check on Ms Tanden. She is likely to drop out before the Senate shows her the door.

Biden needs this: he needs a failure in the Senate. He needs to see the limits of his new powers.

@fun17 says:

Trump did something while Biden seems not being able to do anything...

I suggest you should be careful what you ask for.

So long as Biden remains focused on COVID-19, and getting his cabinet in place, he is NOT focused on the more left-wing, radical parts of his agenda - elements he's promised (and he's shown an unusual willingness to do EXACTLY what he promised in the campaign), and will certainly "get around to"...

A new President seems to get a "honeymoon" period, where they basically get their way. There's also an "expiration date" on that honeymoon period... the longer it takes him to get his cabinet in place (with congressional hearings going on.. even the always-doomed impeachment trial), the less he'll be able to ram through in this honeymoon period...