Backpedal! Backpedal!

So, your computer just crashed and you've lost everything. Well, I'm sure you've learned your lesson and will back up your important data, right? It can be a hassle, though, to carry a thumb drive, portable hard drive or (Cthulu forbid!) floppy disk with you. You might lose it, it might be stolen, eaten by your dog, used for a school project by one of your kids or abducted by aliens. Whatever the cause, you can (and will) lose whatever you're backing up on.

Is there a way to prevent this, you ask?

Yes, there is.

When I had lost my 20th thumb drive, I just started sending myself files in mail. I got a nifty little online email address and just sent the file I needed to myself. The internet had become my portable drive.

The process is simple. Get yourself a web-based email, such as Gmail (or Yahoo), and log in. Compose a new note and make yourself the recipient. In Gmail, under the Subject bar, look for the 'Attach a file' button. Browse to where you file is. Click on it and wait til it is loaded. Then hit Send. Google now has your file stored away, safe and sound.

You can now log into your email address from any Internet connected machine in the world and you can access that file. Gmail is now your own personal back up device, averaging about 7400 MB. That is over 7 Gigabytes of data storage space, free. Safe, secure and you can never lose it.

Unless you forget what your password is. But that is another article.