On backing up.

The collapse of Washington Mutual was called the "biggest bank failure of all time," meaning that - in today's times - no one is "too big to fail."

So it's good to have a backup plan. That's what blogger Khoi Vinh recommends, especially when it comes to anything you have stored online.

This advice is applicable to most areas of our lives: fire escape plans, fire-proof lock boxes for valuables, generators for power outages, etc. Planning, "just in case," can be a real lifesaver.

Just this week, I had an instance at work where I'm glad we made a backup plan. Our marketing department stores our files (ads, newsletters, web site graphics, etc.) on a network disk. That network disk has failed before, and the first time we had no backup plan. We lost all our files in an instant. Then we started to store our files on our work computers, and copy them to the network disk. But that didn't always happen, so when our network drive went down again, Marketing had a big scare. Luckily, we were able to recover most (but still not all) of our files.

After that crash, we bought an external hard drive to backup all of our files. I do this personally every other day or so: move files from the network disk to the external disk. So when we lost our network drive again this week (thankfully, only briefly), I didn't freak out. We had a backup plan.

Do you? If you store files online, like I do all over the place on Flickr or in my Gmail account, do you have them stored somewhere physical? What about your money? Do you have a few dollars of spare cash hidden somewhere, just in case? Maybe a spare gas can for those "uh oh" moments?

My brain seems to be in constant survival mode. I'm constantly backing up my Mac files, regularly buying canned goods, having my trusty sword available for intruders, and keeping food on me at all times. But there's always more I can do.

Vinh's bigger point is that, anymore, no one is "too big to fail":

The size of a company is certainly not a reliable shield against failure, but being small doesn't necessarily guarantee a company will be around in the long term, either. I just don't think that it's realistic to assume that all of the data we're storing online is safe. So a friendly reminder: back up.

He makes the point about online items (Facebook profiles, e-mail messages, banking information), but the point can go further to life in general. Anything can fail.

Things can easily get out of hand. Guys building bunkers in their backyard during the Y2K scare (remember that?) took things a little far. But hey, as long as you've got the storage shelter there, it's one less thing to worry about.

You know, just in case.

You don't have to be a paranoid person to realize that unexpected things happen. A wise person will set time aside to think about the "what ifs" life throws at us, and plan for them as much as possible.

$600 rebate check rich.

Michael Bloomberg, the plucky mayor of New York, recently compared the tax rebate checks to giving an alcoholic a drink: "This country has a balance sheet that’s starting to look more and more like a Third World country," Bloomberg said.

In which case, we’ll all be tested. Binge, or resist temptation? Splurge, or save?

Nevermind the moral questions regarding this tax rebate deal (here are the details, from the IRS) - others have done more thinking on this than me.

All I know is, I’m probably getting $600. And most of you are, too.

But what to do with all that cheddar?

Because I’m like most Americans (and especially like most people our age), I have what’s called a "negative self worth," meaning I owe more money (car loan, student loans) than I have in the credit union. So I’ll tip the balance at least a few hundred dollars in the "savings" column. A nice deposit of $300 into my emergency fund would do well for my security gland (that one in your head that beeps and swells every time you write a check you don’t know if you can cash). That’s smart thing number one. There are many others.

Smart thing number two would be to donate some of it to my favorite charity or cause. Right now our local organizations are hurting because Michigan’s economy (and, good lord, Jackson’s) sucks right now. So a few dollars here and there would do a lot of good.

Then the fun part comes in (we’ll call it "not-so-smart-thing number one"). I’m leaving for my New England trip sometime this spring, and a few hundred dollars would be welcome in my gas and food budget. This depends on when I get the check, of course, but most signs point to sometime in May.

If it doesn’t come in time, I’ll just consider it a New England trip rebate, and the rest of money can pad my checking account for rent or an emergency.

An iPhone? Not with this money. I’ve already set aside the funds for the Jesus Phone, thankyouverymuch, so it’s already a given.

How about you? What will you do with YOUR tax rebate check?

An open letter to Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity.

January 14, 2008



To: Wynn R. Smiley, Chief Executive Officer
One North Pennsylvania Street, 12th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
wsmiley@ato.org


Dear Mr. Smiley,

I received a credit card offer in the mail today at my workplace. It came to my attention, at my workplace address, and was marked, simply, "ADRIAN" (see photo). This kind of behavior from my own fraternity is unacceptable.

I have received previous credit card offers from Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), in partnership with Bank of America (BoA), at my home address - and those were easy enough to ignore. But for you to think it's okay to send solicitations to my place of employment is beyond forgiveness.

It is bad enough that my own beloved fraternity - who I served through many leadership roles that included Membership Educator, Rush Chair, Vice President, and Board of Trustees President - would value a dollar over my privacy at home. But now ATO is soliciting brothers at their place of employment? Are you, Mr. Smiley, so desperate for extra marginal income that you shatter the trust we place in our own national fraternity to keep our personal and financial information private?

I've read in the news how the University of Iowa alumni association sold its own database to big credit card companies without the knowledge of the university or of the former students. I've also witnessed another institution, Rotary International, offer credit cards to members like me. But at least they offer to give 1% back to the Rotary Foundation, an international aid organization that seeks to do good works like the elimination of polio worldwide. What does BoA offer ATO, besides a percentage of the profits? What do you stand to gain from this relationship, Mr. Smiley, while brothers throughout the country continue to be harrassed? The soliciation letter didn't explain.

I've given a large part of myself to ATO, only to see the national organization give nothing back but a begging cup and more and more offers for "exclusive membership" (Life Loyal Tau?) and "Platinum Plus credit lines" (the ATO Platinum Plus MasterCard). My fellow Alpha Mu brothers and I have watched as ATO devolves more and more into a slick business proposition, instead of an institution that seeks "bind men together" in the fellowship of brotherhood.

I know that dwindling membership numbers lead to a loss of income for the national organization, but I hoped it hadn't come with a loss of respectful business (should I even have to use that word?) practices. Profit should not be your main motivator. Long have others derided fraternities for "buying friends." It doesn't take a credit card or some inane membership offer to buy my loyalty to ATO. It just takes decency and respect.

Please remove my name from future marketing lists. It's the only decent thing left to do. If you don't currently have a privacy policy, you should. Because enough is enough.

Love and respect,

Dave Lawrence
Adrian College and ATO alumn, 2003
2575 W. Alpine Lake Dr. Apt. G
Jackson, MI 49203

CC: The Alpha Mu board of trustees, current Alpha Mu brothers, Consumerist.com