As one of the first people to get a GMail invite, something like a decade ago, I have long struggled with the 15GB mailbox-size limit. At first, it was easy to trim the bush, so to speak; I just removed the multiple copies of 10MB videos I’d traded with people. Then I started removing press releases, photos that I could easily find on the Internet, and every spreadsheet I’d ever sent anyone, ever.
Over the past few days, I’ve been searching GMail using the string “size:1m older_than:5y” in order to find unwanted attachments from the last decade. I can’t lie: it’s made me really sad. I’ve seen a lot of pictures of pretty girls and fun trips and my son’s first few years that I’m simply not prepared to throw away. I can archive them, and I can put them on a hard drive somewhere, but I’m not going to lie to myself: as soon as you take something and put it on a fragile storage device in a closet, you are rolling the dice on ever getting it back. I found that out years ago when I had both of the storage drives on my iMac fail within hours of each other, wiping out several years of video and music I’d created.
After the jump, I’ll show you a few photos I found that are not underwear shots of attractive women in their late twenties or early thirties, along with the links to what was an absurdly prolific week for me and brother Bark.
Ah, those carefree, unemployed days of sandwich-shop music. That’s my Gibson Custom ES-339, bought at the Beale Street factory during a particularly vivid long weekend. And that’s my son, grabbing the microphone with authority!
Of the eight pieces we got out the door this week, Bark was responsible for three. He despised the Hyundai Veloster but he totally dug the Cadillac XTS. And he continues to taunt me with the Ask Bark series, which is far more popular than “Ask Jack”.
For Road&Track, I wrote something about how I became the target of road rage after growing my hair past my shoulders. I hate to admit it, but this piece was a total bomb. It was just too long for the readers, and when it was edited down to size much of the humor and self-deprecation disappeared. As a result, many people thought I was trying to play tough guy, when in fact I’m trying to make the opposite case: that bullies in traffic will pick on women but won’t confront any man, even a gentle fellow like your humble author.
Another piece, on trunk kits, got a better reception.
This shot has to be from the very first weekend I raced my original Neon ACR in April of 2008. The car didn’t survive the season.
Also unlikely to last very long in anyone’s hands: the fragile, but fascinating, BMW 640i Convertible. BMW bikes, on the other hand, tend to hold up, even if they’re expensive to fix, which is why some fellow recently attempted a cross-country record on one.
Last but definitely not least, I upped the ante from my original promise and decided to give away all twenty of my TEXAS Edition badges. Some of them are going as far away as Japan, Germany, and Australia.
I can’t remember who took this picture, or even what coast it’s on — from the weather, I’m thinking it’s somewhere on the north side of the East Coast, but I couldn’t tell you for sure. Sometimes you think you’re in the middle of the greatest adventure of your life and it turns out to be something that fades from your memory without ceremony.
This next week should hold some further highs (a brand-new supercar on a fast West Coast track) and lows (a small-claims court over some medical bills) in my continuing (mis)adventure. There will be pictures — there might even be a photographer. But nothing’s worth doing just for the pictures. Does John Mayer have something to say about this? YES HE DOES.
For what it’s worth, I’m glad you wrote the R&T ‘long hair’ article.
Way too often at the hospital, I have male patients who are belligerent to our female nurses then turn meek when the (average-sized, clean-shaven) male doctor comes around. While the problem is not isolated to the road, but your particular circumstances are humorously ironic. I can easily imaging some humorous tone being lost to the length constraints. I’m not sure R&T readers are looking for the broader cultural commentary you’re giving them … but I don’t know that you should stop.
Any chance you can post the original piece here?
That article actually surprised me with how deferential most guys (who run in the social circles I do) are to women.
… please forgive typos / grammatical errors made while mobile typing. damn you autocorrect.
A Carbonite subscription is very cheap insurance for losing precious memories like that. I’ve got about 25k pictures backed up with it. They’ve survived 2 hard drive failures and migrating to 3 new computers over the years without a hiccup. I’m slowly scanning my old film pictures and home movies to keep them safe.
The mobile app is quite handy too. I can access any backed up file on my phone, just in case I need to show someone that picture of me standing in front of my mom’s 280Z with feathered long hair in an OP shirt (ladies!).
Something like them but not them… Carbonite might put Jack through the politics filter and invite him to leave.
Have they been doing that sort of thing?
I knew Facebook, Twitter and many OSS projects were approaching SJW Convergence, but Carbonite? The infection is more widespread than I thought.
Battle against the dark forces of PC/SJW entryism was joined in Autumn of 2014, but it’s clear - despite early victories - the war will be long and bitter.
WONDERWALL WAS ACOUSTIC
what, not even one underwear shot for the B&B (in advance, not of you, smart guy)?
I could come up with something, if I blurred out the face. I just don’t want people who come here at work to get fired!
I actually discovered your writing because of that ACR. I remember Jeff having a thread outlining its history, and posted a link to an article you wrote on SSL. They used to have a lot of good articles on that site.
For some reason, I never archived a lot of pictures that were posted on MySpace. I logged in for the first time in at least 5 years and noticed that the majority of my pictures were gone. Ages 16-20 were sort of a blur and it was sort of upsetting that I lacked the foresight at the time to make sure I had those moments “forever.”
Anything important that’s recent I have on Google Drive and/or backed up to a SSD.
Email me all the “hotties in underwear” pics your heart desires. That never gets old.
😀
Jack,
Glad you do the recaps here; I usually catch you and Bark’s stuff on TTAC, but sometimes miss the R&T pieces.
There was a scene in the first season of Justified (being born and raised in a rural area, I am FASCINATED by Hollywood’s depiction of hillbillies) where Dewey Crowe tells Raylan; “Man, I don’t get you.” I feel like Dewey when I read your pieces on cross country records. This week’s article on Carl Reese seemed positive. In other times and other places, you have been very negative to the entire concept of cross country records.
I’d be interested in reading the longer version of your road rage article, but I assume posting it here would be verboten?
Rob
I think the cross-country records are utter and complete bullshit.
But the readers want the information on them and I’m fundamentally a servant of the readers when they pay me (or when the site pays me). So that’s why I’m trying to cover this stuff in a semi-neutral fashion.
Just wanted to say that I was glad you wrote the recent piece on R&T “When I quit cutting my hair”. I’m married to a woman who is an incredibly strong person, and I’m very appreciative of how she has helped me realize that things like this exist in the world. Although the article infuriated me, at the same time I am glad there are people out there like you opening the eyes of others like my wife has opened mine. Keep fighting the good fight, and thanks.
I’ve thought about the loss of pictures and video with the way technology changes so quickly now. I suppose going forward everybody will save stuff on-line. However it amuses me that I could play and digitize the 8mm movies my parents and grandparents made in the 50s and 60s, many of which I had no idea existed until I inherited some old boxes containing them. That green color on the neon seems similar to the s5…
I trust thumb drives more than I trust “the cloud.”. Hell I don’t rely on “the cloud” for anything besides email, honestly. If the longevity of flash storage is a concern, one can just keep buying 64 or 128 GB thumb drives every few years and re-copy everything. Easy enough to throw those drives in a fire-proof safe. But that’s just me.
Kevin ;
You’re *very* wise .
I recently found some discarded thumb drives , they had *very* sensitive personal information for a large number of people on them , I wiped them and have been using them for pictures of my Grand and Great grand Children .
-Nate
I trust 3X5’s more than thumb drives. And paper photographs, even old faded ones, are not OS dependent. Print your favorite pictures, they’ll survive an EMP blast.
Better to go with OwnCloud using your own NAS and whatever security levels you desire. I haven’t yet shipped the auxiliary storage mirroring units to friends in nearby states, but the sort of JFC levels of redundant data security that were once only available to governments can now be had for less than the cost of a good used car.
And at today’s rates, if you’re paying more than $0.25/GB for a USB storage device, you’re being robbed. It was 6 months ago I saw displays for 128G storage sticks at Costco for $27 and that’s the current street price for said capacity unless you’re looking for added encryption or other special features. Remember, FAT32 can still be used up to 2TB levels.
I should prolly dig through the few old photos i have left and try to save them somehow but i don’t think my Son cares so why bother ? .
Too bad as i love looking at old photos .
The long hair article was dead on , I see this happen too and think it’s shameful and cowardly , that’s why some guys get all pissy : because they’re aware it’s true and are ashamed to admit it .
I had it happen to me a few times in the early 1970’s when my long straw blond hair was down to my waist .
-Nate
Your son might care sometime in the future - or his offspring? Also make sure to identify the pictures. I have old tintypes I wish I knew who my ancestors were.
First things first… For heaven’s sakes, put some PSS10s on the 993! They are cheap right now because of the strong dollar/week euro, they ride miles better than the stock shocks, your car will sit at the height its designers intended, and they will cure that rollicking SUV phenomenon you posted in the first picture.
If you road trip down to Houston, I will install them, replace your front control arm bushings, and pin your tie rods for nothing more than the satisfaction of seeing another US spec 993 suspension hit the dumpster. It will feel like a different car.
Be careful — I might take you up on it.
Can you recommend a vendor?
Jack, could you send me an email? I’m too inept to find your contact info on the site.
It may hearten you to know that gmail now gives you 115GB of free space. I noticed this a few weeks ago.
They want me to pay for anything past 15G
I enjoyed the trunk kit article, especially to compare with my own expectations and desires. I knew my “5 doors or nothing” motto makes me more than a little staid and practical in my outlook, but my favorite trunk kit is Zee part number 6626.
Well played 🙂
I recently waited patiently, turning signal blinking, for a lady to pull out of a handicapped parking space. My handicapped tag was clearly visible . It took the dear lady some time to maneuver, and I courteously backed up to give her more space.
Imagine my surprise when
a large SUV with no handicapped insignia tried to take the parking spot. Imagine HIS surprise when a little, old lady dropped her clutch and beat him into the space!
It took me a minute to maneuver myself and my cane out of the car. By that time, he was looming over my 5’3″” frame, spouting invective and spittle.
He tried to block my way, but I was able to maneuver my cell phone out of my pocket and get an angle on the front of his car. I said nothing.
Frantically, he demanded what I f—-in thought I was doing!
I smiled my best dear sweet old thing smile. “I took a picture of your license plate. If you continue to illegally detain me, the police will know whom to charge. Now, move!” He did.
Men of a certain jejune, Neolithic mentality do really seem to have a need to prove their non-existent masculinity through vehicular aggression toward women. Love Jack’s article!