From one MIT alum to another.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: I am the Historian Emeritus for the MIT Logarhythms (https://www.themitlogs.com/), and on 2025-03-31 I shared this info (by email) with a younger alum who had asked me about organizing and storing personal and professional data. So it’s almost a year old but still relevant.]
1. Hardware
I replace my phone every year, my desktop and laptop computers every four years. I get as much storage as I need for each. Current setup:
* iPhone 16 Pro
- 1TB (80% free space)
- iTunes music (11,000 songs)
- Photos (temporary, more on this below)
- SUMMARY: I keep a lot of space free on my iPhone so that I can record videos without fear of running out of space, I get a new phone every year primarily for the camera features. I keep iTunes music permanently on the iPhone (and I note that my music collection is more valuable than any device on which it is stored). I keep photos/videos on my phone only temporarily, routinely exporting originals to my desktop/laptop (usually via AirDrop).
* MacBook Air
- 2TB (25% free space)
- iTunes music (NONE)
- personal files (900GB @ DropBox personal)
- work files (140GB @ DropBox business)
- SUMMARY: With the exception of my iTunes music library, my laptop is a clone of my desktop.
* Mac Mini
- 4TB (60% free space)
- iTunes music (11,000 songs)
- personal files (900GB @ DropBox personal)
- work files (140GB @ DropBox business)
- SUMMARY: This is my primary computer, and I back up both locally and to the cloud (more on this below).
2. Software
* iCloud
- 50GB plan (80% free space, $0.99/month)
- all apps synced to iCloud except for iCloud Drive
- SUMMARY: I like iCloud for keeping my Apple devices synced, not for general cloud storage.
* Dropbox
- Business account (5TB, 3 users, $540.00/year)
- Personal account (2TB, 1 user, $119.88/year)
- SUMMARY: I love Dropbox. It just works. Business and personal accounts are in different folders. All of my photos are in my personal account. Dropbox is also on my iPhone, but all of the data lives in the cloud.
* Backblaze
- no data limit, 5 users, $45/month
- SUMMARY: I use Backblaze to back up 100% of five work computers. Unlike Dropbox, there is no local UI. I primarily use Backblaze for restoring accidentally deleted files, and for this it works well. Larger restores take more time, but I don’t want to lose any data, ever. If my computers are destroyed or stolen, Backblaze will save the day.
* Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC)
- software for making local backups, 5 users, $43.75/year
- SUMMARY: CCC is crazy inexpensive and I’ve been using it for years. I used to use it to make bootable backup drives, but Apple has depreciated this feature (https://bombich.com/blog/2024/12/19/bootable-backups-have-been-deprecated-for-several-years) for security reasons. I currently backup (only my desktop) to a solid-state drive (Oyen Digital Helix Dura, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW4RBGH6). Solid-state drives like these have come way down in price in recent years. I have two backup drives and keep one in a fireproof safe.
3. Document Retention Etc.
I don’t keep all of my data, with the possible exception of purchased music. When I take photos/videos, I review them and keep the best. For my financial files, I keep only 10 years worth of data. And for email, I delete about 80% of it daily, and I PDF most of the remaining 20% monthly, leaving only a handful of email threads in Gmail every month. I think that Gmail is uniquely unsuited for storing and finding data that matters. This last point I have blogged about:
* Startups Should Delete All Of Their Email (2020-12-17)
17 Seconds #79. Useful Info Quickly.
https://www.giantpeople.com/17040.html
https://www.clocktowerlaw.com/6126.html
A final thought about music. I do not *technically* use music streaming services, but I do if you define “music streaming” broadly. At home, I listen to RadioParadise.com (and donate $30/month to this awesome listener-supported radio station) via AppleTV. I occasionally listen to MusicChoice channels on cable TV (especially during the holidays). On short car trips, I generally listen to the radio (92.5 is my favorite, also 92.9 at times). On longer trips, I listen to my iTunes collection via Apple CarPlay.
Now I’ve got fodder for yet another blog post! I hope all of this helps!
Erik J. Heels claims to publish the #1 blog about technology, law, baseball, and rock ‘n’ roll.
