Cloud

If you haven't got in touch with a data recovery expert yet, the best thing you could do right now is to take a picture of the damage and post it on here. It's quite possible that it's not actually fucked at all, but just some of the internals have got damaged, especially if it's USB powered. Whatever you do, don't try and make it work any more - every time it tries to power up, it could be destroying data. There are ways of recovering drives, and to be honest, it would be really terrible luck if it was that badly damaged that you couldn't recover the data. But the fact that it's able to power on is encouraging - and it does point at the drive not being terribly damaged. I'd certainly avoid the suggestions of freezing the drive - mainly because it may do more damage than good. It's fine and well if it's just a broken drive, but where irreplacable data is concerned, it's better not to fuck with 'man in the pub' cures. If you can't afford the services of data recovery experts - then you could have a look at GRC?|?Hard drive data recovery software?? . It could do the trick, and there are plenty of testimonials about it. But I'd strongly suggest not considering it unless you really have no other alternatives. Whatever you do, don't let anyone touch it who doesn't clearly know what they're doing - although I've fixed a broken drive before, you don't want people who can repair things near the drive, you want people that can get the data intact from the drive. As for recommendations for backup - it's a tough subject. I'd suggest having a read of this - Long-term backup [dive into mark] - and then deciding from there. CD/DVD based backup isn't the best in terms of life, although I imagine making three DVD backups using different media should be a fairly reliable method. It goes without saying that you should always keep one copy 'off-site' too. From what little I know about backups, you should always try to ensure that the files are kept in an open source format too. I was reading something a while ago about the problems with older software, because the files generated were in a non-open format and thus it was difficult to actually read and convert the files in question. You could also subscribe to an online service to backup the most important things too. Hope it turns out fine

Nope, I'm not going to agree with you here. Calderwood did a bloody good job on what he had available, and while he probably wouldn't suit a club with money, he's a damn good bet for any top level club that doesn't have lots of money to invest. I'll give it one bad start to the season and the Aberdeen faithful will be all over McGhee, especially as they'll be expecting a dream start to the season. Consideirng he'll be working with no money, with the Setanta mess on top - just what do Aberdeen fans expect? Will McGhee really have any hope of getting to the last 32 of the UEFA cup?

What motivation is there for Sandi Thom to help anyone, seeing as small time charlies like this do nothing but criticise her? I certainly wouldn't be lifting a hand to help anyone if I was her, especially when someone who's 'done so much' uses an internet column to take cheap shots. Maybe she's just taking the piss, maybe she's just showing that she's human and can be affected by unfair criticism just as the rest of us can? Or maybe, just maybe - she's having a laugh at people's expense who take themselves deadly seriously?

It does, to be fair. I doubt anyone was even talking/thinking about his blog until she mentioned it - and she would've done far better to leave it be. Then again, it's got people talking about her, even if it's in a mostly negative way. I wonder what her motivation was, to be honest - she might just be fooling around with too much time on her hands, or she might actually have taken it as a deadly insult. Hard to say... She's from the North East though, no?

Well, he lost his radio show, his blog and is working behind the bar in The Tunnels. Meanwhile, Sandi is in America promoting herself.....1-0 Sandi, I'd say. Such articulate language! Hint : Try having your own opinions in future, rather than simply following the herd, eh?

No luck, even the Premium membership isn't available here. I'm sure absolutely no-one is interested, but these services tend not to even get off the ground here. Even iTunes isn't available here

Awww. Someone doesn't like the fact that people can actually have their own opinions! Does it make you feel scared?

Oh, I know the story, but it is damming that a show dedicated to dull MOR had more worth to the station than a show dedicated to local music. This is exactly the point I'm making here - he may have done a hell of a lot for Aberdeen locally, but to take cheap shots at one of the very few people to have succeeded out of the North East for no real reason than seemingly to appeal to his circles is absolutely pathetic. I don't know him and can only judge him on the basis of what he's written online - and he comes across badly to an outsider. Whether or not he's a good guy isn't here nor there - come on, there's plenty of good guys offline who have been involved in some incredibly petty arguments and feuds online. (as a random aside, given the mockery of the EE by almost everyone with an ounce of sense in Aberdeen - why on earth was he writing for them??) That's not 'clear' though, is it? No. I'm saying that after she was dropped by Sony, people should have been clamouring to get her 'on side' here. No matter what anyone says, she's had some success and could have helped Aberdeen in some way, especially as she's gone stateside to try and find a deal there. But what motivation does she have to help anyone, especially if people like him are taking cheap shots at her? No matter what you say, she could get coverage in the local press by attending the naming of a cat cermony - whereas many people would struggle to even get the cat mentioned in the EE. The thing I don't like is that this guy is coming across online as being part of something that's much better than you because he doesn't listen to Sandi Thom - yet of all the people he could be slagging off, he choses to pick on one of the very few success stories from the North East. It was misguided and stupid to do so - especially as it appears to have backfired quite badly. Maybe it's a matter of a different perspective - I don't know or care for him or Sandi Thom, so I don't have any personal attachment to either of them. But people like this guy can work their ass off promoting the local scene, doing all that's good and so on - yet someone like Sandi Thom could do far more with one gesture than he could do all year. It's not fair, or right - but it's the way it is.

Yet another service that isn't available here..rubbish

I see someone has nothing intelligent to say

I could probably send you a couple of Polish workers to do it cheap?

So that would be why he lost the radio gig and his blogging gig, then? Clearly slagging off Sandi Thom didn't do much for him... As clearly stated where though? Not in the February blog post, and not on here... Then again, he just sounds bitter that someone from the North East managed to get to get their 15 minutes of fame, whereas he's still stuck behind the bar in a random music venue in a backwater of the UK. Sandi's right - he was taking a cheap shot, and where she might actually have managed to do some good for Aberdeen in publicising the city abroad, there's absolutely no reason for her to do so now. Perhaps he would learn a lot by not shitting on his own doorstep in future?

Did he apologise because he meant it, or did he just want to keep his blog on the EE website? Bearing in mind that having Sandi Thom as a columnist is far more interesting than him, he might just have been covering his own back. Writing about how cool he thinks he is because he goes to 'indie gigs at The Tunnels' is absolutely pathetic. His posts about the Fringe are done well, but some of it just screams 'look at me, look at me, i'm different'. Doesn't really matter if he's nice or not - the point is that his blog is absolutely mince.

If this bloke is a nice guy or not, it doesn't really matter - the point is that he was a dick online to someone and then got called out for it. Sandi Thom's done far more than he appears to have done, and the whole thing screams of 'let's pick on Sandi because she's an easy target'. He's coming across in his blogs as being the classic case of someone who likes to think that he's some sort of IMPORTANT PERSON. Certainly, he's about as controversial as Greigsy for crying out loud! Seeing as everyone is so desperate to talk about me being in Poland, I think I'll make it a recurring theme in every post I make. Wonder if Sandi Thom will do a tour of Poland? If the Manics can support Limp Bizkit here (seriously), then she could quite easily do some nice support gigs here.

Have you read any of his columns? He sounds like a complete dick. He goes on and on and on about how he's 'cool' and 'knows music' - then goes on about seeing the Arctic fucking Monkeys at the AECC, because ...that's where cool is to be found. I notice he writes about "me, me and fucking me" the whole time too. He actually represents everything that's horrible about Aberdeen Even down to his constant mentioning of The Tunnels, like some sort of superior being just because he goes to indie gigs there.

PHD has always been fucking shit, nothing changes there

I see Biz has been leaving comments...

Voted too. And Jesus, I remeber that time on Union Street like it was yesterday, but it was what, 6 years ago?

Doesn't it depend on the bank? Lloyds machines will tell you the current account balance and the available balance, whereas RBS machines used to only tell you the current account balance. I might be mixing the two up - but certainly, RBS would only tell you what was in your account. HBOS machines always gave both figures when using a Lloyds card, though.

Did you have money in the account? Some machines will tell you that you've got money in your account, but a Lloyds machine (using a Lloyds card) will tell you the real scenario - usually when you've used the money paying for something, but the money hasn't left your account yet. RBS machines used to be terrible for doing this, at least.

I bought a kilo of strawberries yesterday for the equal of 65p...and they were fresh from the field! (then again, in a country where a kilo of apples is no more than 50p, I suppose it's no shock...)

Can someone do me a favour and check the price of strawberries, please?

Lance Armstrong, for me. Anyone that can be a world champion at 21 like he was, get hit with cancer (and his prognosis was terrible!), then come back and win the Tour de France 7 times is nothing short of absolutely jaw droppingly incredible. If he wins number 8, then there'll be absolutely no question about it.

Shut up, Fink Brau is the drink of kings. I spent an entire summer school drinking nothing but Fink with my flatmates and had a brilliant time...only beer I've ever found that gets you nicely pissed and yet no matter how much you drink, you still stay at that nicely pissed level. 'stop thinking, start finking'

Unless things have dramatically changed, Back Wynd was for Green badge holders at the very start, with taxis the rest of the way. I know someone who posesses a Blue Badge and was caught out there.