No sooner do I talk about the low reliability of the RoadRunner service does the Verizon ADSL service go down. Or I guess I should say their DHCP server went down - same difference because if you don't get an IP address recognized by their routers/DNS/gateway you don't go anywhere. Sigh.
Fortunately, RoadRunner was up so I switched modems and all was well. Having redundant access to the Internet is especially important right now as we near completion of our thesis. We are sending drafts back and forth via email and the turn-around time for changes is measured in minutes. So, having access, whether through ADSL or cable modem is critical. Whether or not I need to have this kind of access once I finish we will have to see.
On a related note, our group made it our policy to send copies of everything to everyone, both when in hard copy and electronic. We did this for two reasons. The first is for redundant backup. Should disaster strike, like fire or flood (or dog eating our manuscript), we would have back-up copies stored in five locations. The second is should one of our group drop out, we would have all of the work product up to that point.
Thankfully, we have not had to make use of our backups but it is nice to know that we have them in place should we need them.
Have a Great Weekend Everyone - Aloha!
