In the year 2008
I showed my office how to format a 3.5" floppy disk to stop them just buying a new one every single time they needed to save a file (yes, out computers still have floppy drives and we still use them).

Then I introduced them to teh wonders of CDR's and flash drives. They really were amazed. Perform a backup without having to change floppy disks 7 or 8 times? Wow.

Cleaning out the compacting file cabinets out the back I even found system backups saved onto tapes. I was soooo excited and wanted to take one home to show MrKitty, but they wouldn't let the sensitive data leave the office. Even though it was at least 20 years out of date and no-one had the equipment to read it in any case. Oh well.

I know it's not DIY but a functioning office using floppy's and with an electric typewriter (FFS!) in this day and age deserves a mention.
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Fri 21 Aug 2009, 3:36, 8 replies)

Impressed by back-up tapes?*
I still have a collection of 7inch floppies [oo-err], some punch tape, some 80-column programming spec sheets, and punch cards from the IBM System3 [http://www.boegvald.dk/system3/hartmann2.jpg]**

Bow to my technological inferiority.

*clicks

** not me in teh photo
( Piper Alpha is being a grumpy northerm bastard on:, Fri 21 Aug 2009, 6:08, closed)

It was a really big disk
and it had shiny metal bits on it and screws and all kinds of stuff.

I wanted to take it home and take it apart.

It's not just me is it? Everyone gets that urge to destroy things that are no longer needed and you can see how to open them, right?
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Fri 21 Aug 2009, 23:49, closed)

I knew it
So that's how Virgin Media works!

(I'm guessing given their rubbishness that this is their only explaination and you work there).
(Wooden meal is. Or is he?, Fri 21 Aug 2009, 12:52, closed)

Sorry, no
I work in realestate in Australia.

The computer I work on is not on the internet (even though I worked out we'd save over $300 per month in ink, paper and specially printed cheques if it was)in fact only 1 computer in the whole office is.

We use the typewriter at least once a week.

My boss is in his late 60's and refuses to be dragged into the 21st Century (or even the 20th FFS).
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Fri 21 Aug 2009, 23:47, closed)

By any chance
Is the company you work for called Rancam?
Surely there can't be more than one real estate company still producing invoices on electric typewriters.
(teff, Sat 22 Aug 2009, 3:29, closed)

Strangely no.
Nice to know there's someone out there technically I inferior to us!
One day I'll get my hands on the company and drag it kicking and screaming into the modern age.
We may even get inter-office email!!
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Tue 25 Aug 2009, 2:36, closed)

you do realise
that tapes are still current technology. As a backup/archival medium they are far superior to the alternatives in the important respects. They have a longer life span, are resistant to being dropped, are compact...
Long live the tape!
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sun 23 Aug 2009, 4:25, closed)

That is as maybe
But not for daily current data backups. My 1 meg flash drive has so far lasted me over a year. We're not talking about big files. Xx
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Tue 25 Aug 2009, 2:38, closed)