Dropbox and Evernote

There are two online storage applications that I've started to use that have influenced my life for the better. Now we know that the whole world is eager to transit their data to the "cloud". I still have my reservations about this, especially considering the solar storms predicted for 2012 by a NASA study, which could wipe out our online data. So for the time being I will still have the bulk of my data backed up offline. Nevertheless, the ease of having your data online is of great benefit, especially when you are constantly moving between computers--at your work, your home, during transit--as I do. We all know the frustration when you suddenly need to access information that is on your home computer but you are finding yourself at your office. This need not be an issue since data stored in the "cloud" makes geography irrelevant.

Dropbox is a good solution. It provides you with 2 GB of free space. You can upload data to your account and it is available for you to access anywhere you have an internet connection. It is a great way to backup your most important data. For instance, I use it to backup my student's grades. You can also make certain folders within your account accessible to other people, so it is a wonderful way to share data with other people.

Evernote is equally impressive. It is basically a tool for keeping notes, but notes can be defined beyond mere text--it could include online links, parts of webpages and even photos you snapped with your smartphone. For instance, you could take a photo of somebodies business card or of a poster you saw on a lamppost or of a restaurant menu. Evernote automatically recognises the text in the photo and index it for you so when you search for something in your Evernote notes, even the text in your photos are retrievable. The great thing about Evernote is that it comfortably works on your computers and mobile device and periodically synchronises the notes on your computers and mobile device. That means that when I get an idea while sitting on the subway I can quickly enter it onto my mobile device and when I get home the information is waiting for my on my home computer.