Condensing Your Life on to a USB Flash Drive? 888
Fear the Clam asks: "My wife and I figure that if we plan for the worst, it'll never happen, so we've been putting together 'If public transportation bites it and we have two minutes to grab our stuff and start walking, never to return to NYC' getaway knapsacks. With luck they'll live in the closet forever.
Coincidently, this morning the New York Times has an article about what to take when you have to leave home in a big hurry [DNA verification required], and they suggest making a list of all of things like Social Security and credit card numbers, scanning birth certificates, marriage license and tax returns, and saving it all on a USB flash drive. Since this would be a complete identity kit, encryption is of utmost importance. What's the best solution? A flash drive that claims to encrypt or a platform-independent, self-extracting, encrypted file on a regular drive? Any suggestions for sturdy drives?" Of course, the choice of USB flash drive covers only a part of the problem. What other data would you put on this piece of "contingency hardware", and how would you protect the drive itself in case you did have to "swim for it"?
Maybe it's just me, but (Score:4, Interesting)
PGP (Score:5, Interesting)
Why save it locally at all? (Score:5, Interesting)
Cloned start-up drive (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:I'd take a backup of my backup. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The guy who grabs your USB key chain... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Why save it locally at all? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:stick it on the web (Score:2, Interesting)
Multiple copies (Score:4, Interesting)
1) Keep the latest copy on your iPod (or equivalent) if you tend to carry it all the time. That way you have it with you in case you can't go home.
2) Buy an extra USB drive and snail-mail it to your parents out in the boonies for safe keeping.
3) E-Mail it to yourself on Gmail or equivalent. But then I would double dog encrypt it. You may not want to put your most secret information there. But some of things could certainly go on there.
I would put all my ID stuff on there, all important papers and contracts, passport. Thumbprints and pictures of each other for the dreadful prospect that you may have to ID each other, or post pictures in the news paper for your partner. If you have any particular features such as a birth mark or a tatoo then it might be clever to take a picture of that as well. Medical records potentially. But you could also walk around and take pictures of your home for insurance purposes. All your important phone numbers and addresses to relatives.
If you are collecting all this information then you may want to invest the money in a fireproof safe as well.
Man, I didn't mean to sound so alarmist. I just thought it was a really great question.
Just Plain Stupid (Score:4, Interesting)
As others have pointed, more politely than I think they needed to, "In case of a nuclear war, nobody's going to give a damn." You'll be struggling just to live. So will everybody around you. Nobody's going to give a damn about your stupid keychain drive with the password to all your porno-sites on it. And if you make it to a part of civilization where you actually get to *use* the damn thing for it's intended purpose, being to recover your life's data, you'll be lucky to find somebody's computer with a compatible document format to read it, let alone figure out how to recover the data from your ultra-secure storage method.
Get a LIFE!
Re:stick it on the web (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:stick it on the web (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:If there's a (thermo)nuclear attack... (Score:5, Interesting)
If it's pure science fiction, then why does the U.S. MILSTAR/NESP communication system have an operation mode for just such a scenario?
This is called "scintillation", and is very real.
Re:PGP (Score:3, Interesting)
Doing the samething only different (Score:3, Interesting)
I have been thinking about encryption options for files on a USB drive for a slightly different reason. I want to keep finical info like tax returns, investment records, etc. on a USB drive for the reason that if my box does get compromised then the stuff that could REALLY f%&k me over will not be on it. The basic idea is there is data I want to store digitally, but I don't want it on a computer that is connected to the internet 24/7.
So I'm really naive about encryption options and would like my data to be readable on Linux, OS X, and Windows at minimum. What options do I have besides a password protected zipfile? Are password protected zipfiles encrypted using the password as the key?
How reliable are USB drives? How many backups should I make?
Re:If there's a (thermo)nuclear attack... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:I'd take a backup of my backup. (Score:2, Interesting)
In case of emergency, scream... (Score:5, Interesting)
My personal records are scanned in high-res PDF format and kept on a jumpdrive. Identicals are kept with both of my parents on identical hardware, and my grandmother holds the originals. (This includes my birth certificate, my SSN card, my high school diploma, last 3 years of 1040 forms, my insurance policies, my driver's license, my EMS certification, and a few odd bills here and there for 'proof of residence'.)
I keep a backpack packed with a dry pair of pants, fresh socks, two t-shirts, a sweatshirt, a bright orange-and-yellow 'RESCUE ME' vest, emergency self-inflating flotation device (rated to 225 lbs), 4L of drinking water, 6 MREs, a space-warmer blanket, air-activated hand-warmers, a flashlight, batteries, sweedish-firesteel, 600$ cash, a rescue strobe light, a leatherman, a wide-band two-way radio and scanner, a GPS reciever, a universal hand-crank charger, a map, a compass, pencil, paper, an emergency contact card, and the aforementioned USB keychain.
It's not a huge bag, one just has to know how to pack. I do not live in the countryside by any means, but I travel through such areas often, and you never really know where you're going to end up if you need help quickly.
I also keep a proper EMS bag (affectionately known as the 'blue bag') in my trunk, as well as a large ammocan with more space blankets, MREs and fresh drinking water. The assumption is that I'm not alone in the car, and we have to create a shelter-in-place.
Worse-comes-to-worse, eat someone.
Re:stick it on the web (Score:2, Interesting)
durability (Score:4, Interesting)
Transflash or SmartMedia would be sturdier. But SmartMedia is obsolete and transflash is so small that it's very easy to lose.
You could just store the docs on your cellphone and plan not to lose it, or store on a memory card which is in your cell phone. But then the memory will get used more and be more subject to wearing out.
iButtons are about the sturdiest format there is, and they have encrypted ones too, but they don't have enough memory for much data. There are also flash-based smart cards you could keep in your wallet. But neither of those is common enough - it's hard to find a reader for them, harder than finding a usb port anyway. Smartcards _should_ be standard equipment for securely storing all your passwords and personal info, but it hasn't caught on, mostly because of paranoia about "big brother" or "mark of the beast" or identity theft or some such.
Maybe you could pop open an SD card, fill the empty space with epoxy and put it back together. It would probably be more durable that way. Or, do the same with a USB drive. Or use the SD card by itself most of the time, and keep a compact new USB SD reader in your knapsack.
Yeah somebody should be manufacturing a really tiny usb key that has encrypted flash, implements some smart-card-like protocols for partitioning information with different keys, and sticks out of the port less than 1 cm, and is very sturdy. Having it stick out less would reduce the leverage when it gets bumped against something.
Re:If there's a (thermo)nuclear attack... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:contents (Score:3, Interesting)
All neat stuff, all very valuable - but in a scanned form of absolutely zero legal validity.
The real answer isn't techno-wizardry and gadgetry - it's organization and clear thinking. All of my important documents are on paper, in ziplocs, and under lock and key in fire-resistant storage. (And unlike the NYT article implies - I'll have the presence of mind to grab the papers before departing. OTOH, unlike the average citizen I'm trained to keep my head on in a life threatening emergency courtesy of Uncle Sam's Canoe Club.)
Re:Safe Deposit Box? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Living in the other target city (DC) (Score:2, Interesting)
And I'd make damn sure to bring my data; it's the product of a couple of decades of work. 'Starting over' would take on a whole new meaning without it. I'd probably grab my 500 GB external drive (which has everything) and my laptop. The laptop would give me a second copy of my really important stuff, and could come in handy. Katrina showed that the Internet can play a pretty important role in getting out information when infrastructure fails, in providing local information that traditional media overlooks, and in helping people stay in touch.
Life Disk (Score:5, Interesting)
Scan examples of the work that you have done. Source code, schematics, written documentation, blueprints, photos, letters of recommendation. Include these with the family photos and financial info. Don't forget medical records (remember also childhood immunizations and disease records, ask your parents if you don't have them) and hi-res scans of any X-Ray photos and dental records if you have them.
Buy or borrow a DVD recorder and copy all your photos, along with high resolution scans of birth certificates, tax returns, property deeds, financial records, etc. onto many copys of DVD ROM of all this data. Encrypt only the sensitive financial data. Make a copy of your and your family member's finger prints. Be sure to encrypt these before writing them to the disk. Make recordings of your voice. Record your spouse. Record your kids. Shrink these recordings into MP3 and OGG files (high quality 256KBPS) and include them on the disk. Not sure what to say? Dictate a will. Make a list of all your possessions. Include serial numbers, descriptions, digital photos, and estimated value. X sweaters, Y pairs of underwear, ect.
When you've done all this stuff listed above, make many copies of the CD/DVD-ROM. DVD-ROM blanks and CD ROM blanks are very cheap now (about 50 cents or less) and they can hold a great deal of information and photos. Send a copy each to your parents and spouse's parents.
Keep a copy of this disk in your car. If you get hit with a big disaster and have to get away quickly, you most likely will not remember to gather this stuff or you may have forgotten where your 'life disk' is located.
I'm not sure if this applies to you but sooner or later it applies to most people. If you are 'illegal', no proper immigration documentation, no passport, expired visa, fugitive from computerized bench arrest warrants regardless of how long ago it was issued, or if you are at risk of arrest because of lifestyle (you sell weed for a living) or are a political activist in a dictatorship, you might consider creating a complete new and separate identity for yourself. And keep the paperwork for this identity on a CD-ROM, encrypted of course. Put a few soft-core porn pictures (be sure to use ones that are not illegal) unencrypted on the CD in case you are forced to display the contents of the CD to the police (resulting from a search at a traffic stop or a random police stop-and-frisk on the street). You may want to have this info on a 512K Flash Disk (or a 3.5 inch mini CD) that you can carry with you at all times. If you are undocumented or a fugitive, you may find that you have to escape without being able to go back to your home to get your papers, contacts, or alternate identity papers. In this case, having a flash disk with a complete new identity on it is a big help in maintaining your freedom.
Shalom
Re:My objection to the article: (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:My objection to the article: (Score:5, Interesting)
If I'm full of shit it's because I know my shit, not because I'm bullshitting.
. .
A bit slipshod stream of conciousness really. I left out the "Shake & Bake" flashlight, which is important, the cornstarch, which isn't, but it's nice to have a bit around. Didn't go into sewing kits and why you should make up your own instead of purchasing one from a camping store, the Therma-Rest pad, which could be important, even lifesaving under certain conditions, or even that you get all this stuff from Wal-Mart or something, not a camping store (except maybe the Therma-Rest). There are also any number of small items that can disappear in the bottom of a side pocket that can make life easier (like the G.I. can opener), but I've learned to live without them and take life as it was before such manufactured items were available. Many people on this earth do so as part of their everyday lives. I know. I've seen them do it.
It wasn't part of the subject, so I didn't even touch on how you either get out of or into a disater area safely. That's a bit of a longer subject then a short, slipshod post. I'm not even sure I could write it. I think I'd have to show you. Bicycles are often better than cars though. A guy I know bicycled from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego with his wife. It took a whole team of pros from Land Rover to accomplish the same thing with motor vehicles.
I was born in Manhatten, but grew up in large part in the Vermont woods, climbed Mt. Washington in a minor gale (by Mt. Washington standards) when I was only 6, been from the subartic to the tropical rainforest, city to wilderness, land to sea, often with nothing more than I could carry, my stepfather is a travel journalist who ghost authored a best selling camping book (no, I won't say which one. There are these things called lawyers. I like to avoid them when I can) and been in, into and out of disaster areas for various reasons. I sorta grew up knowing how to get by with only what you could stuff in a daypack just so long as the conditions were actually survivable without heavy gear. I've never checked luggage on an airline. Everything I need goes carryon.
This all writes much more impressive than it really is. I'm just another dork like anybody else and my day to day life is just as humdrum and unexceptional at any given moment as anybody else's. I just occasionally have these "episodes" where it looks like things should have been exciting, but they're not at all like Indiana Jones has. Pulling people from their homes in a rowboat is really a rather mundane affair. Crawling through the priest tunnel of a Zapotec pyramid is too.
No Nazis, face melting or anything. Just dirt and deadly snakes.
Snakes, why does it always have to be snakes?
KFG
Re:Computer Acess? (Score:4, Interesting)
Low tech, more useful in an emergency than any "thumb drive" that requires a working computer to read it.
He recently made a new second card with a shrunken map of the bus stops/train stops on the high res color printer. pretty darn cool stuff.
now only if I could figure out how to make a microfishe I could cram more information on a card than he can.
It's all about accessing that information when you need it. and I am betting you will not have a computre available when you need to access it during a major emergency.
Re:I'd take a backup of my backup. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Why save it locally at all? (Score:3, Interesting)
512mb sandisk cruzer mini survived washer/dryer (Score:2, Interesting)
-gary
Re:My objection to the article: (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:OMG! The sky is falling! (Score:2, Interesting)
In the freezer (Score:5, Interesting)
We bought a little fireproof waterproof safe for like $50.
I think the topic of this post was mostly for big chemical, bio, or nucular attack on NYC or DC. What would you take? How prepared would you be to never come back to your house?
BTW, Foxfire books are awesome if you don't have the series already. Great stuff with good detail on everything from building a log cabin to making moonshine to making a violin.
Re:Living in the other target city (DC) (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Linus Torvalds' Solution (Score:2, Interesting)
http://optics.org/articles/news/11/7/4 [optics.org]
just be sure to avoid eating any wendy's chili, identity theft is a problem you need to be wary of, but if you use RAID5 you should be fine.
you may want to also consider mirroring the data to both hands and feet. shoes are important to maintaining data integrity, on toenails. i believe a good manecure and pedicure will increase the write speeds, but that technique is also listed by the NSA as the official method to purge this storage medium, so you should remember to re-write the data afterwards. also be sure to always dispose of nail clippings in different locations, i reccomend subways for guarenteed dispersal and data hiding.
you may encounter some performance hits when using RAID5 during your flight to freedom from NYC, but hopefully you wont be accessing the data much when this situation occurs.
and if you didnt consider keeping all your info on an iPod shuffle with an audio will & testament and comments to loved ones then in the worst case scenario you could atleast have some kickin tunes when the zombies come chasing after you.
Re:My objection to the article: (Score:4, Interesting)
Then it really sucks to be you. That's ok, I'm intolerant to most "food" and when other people are sitting down to a hot meal I'm sometimes off scrounging for edible weeds or something, so I know what sucking to be is like. Go with one of the polyester microfibers if you really have to, in a weave, not a knit. The structure of a weave is important. They're sold under various trade names, like CoolMax. Maybe the larger piece in a water repelant Supplex nylon. When I'm not traveling ultralight I often add this to the list anyway. Staying warm when you're wet is good. Staying dry in the first place is better and the Supplex is a sturdier tarp and more pleasant to wrap in than the emergency blanket.
There are also "technical" wool fabrics available now. Waterproof, windproof, breathable. Some people who have problems with wool don't seem to have a problem with this stuff, some do. I've fondled some samples. It's amazing stuff. It's also godawful expensive and I don't know how well it holds up to abuse. I can't afford to find out empirically.
I wish there were some true substitute for wool. It requires more care than synthetics, doesn't last as long, it's expensive (the good stuff will run you about $20/yd. for shirtweight. Get the good stuff. It's worth it. Pendelton is one of the few brand names left on Earth that is still what it purports to be, as good as you can get) and I have vegan tendencies. Any of the synthetics do something much better than wool. Cotton is lovely for warm, dry weather and when I absolutely know it's going to be warm and dry what I almost always turn to. None of them do everything put together as well as wool though, which is why when you have to chose one it's the one to choose. When I'm traveling strictly urban I'll carry the two smaller pieces in cotton and only the larger in wool.
Come to think of it, I'm dressed in those two pieces of cotton right now. This stuff isn't just camping/emergency gear for me. I use it all the time and almost never wear "normal" street clothes around the house or hotel room. Once you get used to wearing wraps and drapes you'll start to wonder why people ever adopted tailored clothing in the first place. In some places they still haven't.
Don't you even think about taking away my trenchcoat though. Yeah, it's cotton, but the lining is wool.
Aaaaaanyway, like my issues with food ya gotta do what ya gotta do and live with it. If I have to eat weeds while everyone else is eating lasagna, it's better than dying. If you can't use wool, don't use it.
Oh, by the way, the antihistimes on the list are for allergic reactions, not colds. I should have mentioned that.
What are some of your favorite books or links regarding being prepared?
I was afraid someone would ask that. I really don't have any. That's why I simply said "poke around" instead of posting some links. Yeah, I've done that poking around myself, but I haven't made any particular note of any particular sites. I read them with a critical eye, pick up a clue here and there, bang my head against the keyboard at others and absorb into my brain, not my link collection, since none of it is entirely new material to me and much of it is intended to sell you something that's really just a manufactured version of what you can obtain for free as you need it (like pebbles).
Search on firestarting, Greek clothing, Egyptian clothing, Indian clothing, draped clothing, sarong (you need to completely rethink clothing, starting with realizing the word simply means "cloth," "clothes" is simply the plural of cloth, not something from the Gap), soda can stove (there's a Wikipedia article on these), tarp craft, twisting cordage and knot craft. That'll get you started. Most of the stuff on food is, unfortunately, pitifully simplistic ( "Here's a pen and ink drawing of a burdock. Its root is edible") or completely ridiculous ("How to prepare freeze dried Nouvelle Cuisine in the woods"). I don't r
Re:My objection to the article: (Score:2, Interesting)
Depends on whose luggage it is.
While that makes you sound cool and tough. .
I haven't a clue why and I would certainly never characterize myself in those terms, especially at that point in time. "Dork" and "wuss" come to mind though. It was something any other 6 year old dorky wuss could do.
. .
The kind whose kid got lucky with parents, at least in that respect. I am not cool, but it was cool. It was my first time above the timberline.The following day was even cooler. It was dead calm and there was a really cool fog over the mountains as we followed the ridge trail over Jefferson and Monroe. It was like being in a fairy story. I'll never forget it. Then we spent a couple of days at a Dartmouth Outing Club (we were members) cabin on some lake whose name I can't remember, but I remember the canoeing. The whole thing was a "peak" experience, as it were and it taught me things.
Thanks mom and dad.
KFG