Beware Technology

[Scrounge]

I’ve been using various Apple/MacIntosh products for about 35 years now. In the early days they had a proprietary set of apps that was roughly equivalent to the “Office” suite of Windows. It included a great little word processing program called “Write Now” that had all of my text files on it (primarily tests since I was teaching.) When Apple stopped supporting this whole program and went to “Office for Mac” I lost access to all of my old files, or so I thought. With the Mac, at least, you can do a work around called “open with” and recover your data, but perhaps with some loss of formatting.

I went through all of this screed Pavia to suggest that there may well be a work around for you as well. I certainly wouldn’t give up all that data without a fight. Do you know any teenagers that could perhaps help you?

Froggie

If the data is saved as a csv file, any text editor, and most word processing software or spreadsheet will read it. CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. Notepad or Wordpad in Windows will read it, as will Word, Excel, or LibreOffice. You'll get a string of numbers and words with commas separating them, and you can import them to Excel or LibreOffice, program something to put them in a different format, or just use them as-is. My favorite spreadsheet was Lotus 123. Which is now in the public domain. Used to be able to run it in a dos window in Win10, but not remembering how to do it anymore. Probably need to pull my head out...

Bill

[dannyd]

I am not a Luddite by any stretch but by the same token, I have never seen a note book crash or get hacked!

Saw an old guy years ago forgot his book at the Range probably 50 years of information gone. So to each it's own, but they all have an up and down side.

[mdi]

I started with a note book pre computer, about '87 or so, then went to a 3 ring binder. When I got a computer I recorded loads in a plain document format and printed pages for the binder, giving me a hard copy kept in my shop and data on my computer. I now have three binders from around '90 to present. I also like to write the load I am working with on a sticky note and stick it to my powder measure when done I put the note in a folder, so I actually have three places to store data. I'm sure there are better programs for recording data (I have a Lee floppy disc with a load program, somewhere, that I picked up aroung '88 or so.). Maybe when I get more "computer savvy" I'll learn how to make a spread sheet fit my needs, but so far I can find a d duplicate loads from way back. I also put good targets with data in my binders. I can go see my 7/8" group I shot from my 308 Ruger bolt gun...

[dannyd]

I started with a note book pre computer, about '87 or so, then went to a 3 ring binder. When I got a computer I recorded loads in a plain document format and printed pages for the binder, giving me a hard copy kept in my shop and data on my computer. I now have three binders from around '90 to present. I also like to write the load I am working with on a sticky note and stick it to my powder measure when done I put the note in a folder, so I actually have three places to store data. I'm sure there are better programs for recording data (I have a Lee floppy disc with a load program, somewhere, that I picked up aroung '88 or so.). Maybe when I get more "computer savvy" I'll learn how to make a spread sheet fit my needs, but so far I can find a d duplicate loads from way back. I also put good targets with data in my binders. I can go see my 7/8" group I shot from my 308 Ruger bolt gun...

I take a picture with the phone now and import it into the spreadsheet with the Chronograph data. But I am also an IT guy; others paid for my training so I should be ahead of regular people's learning curve.

[megasupermagnum]

I am not a Luddite by any stretch but by the same token, I have never seen a note book crash or get hacked!

I sure have. I've lost more notebooks to water and other loss than I have seen make it 10 years. I only use bright colored Rite in the Rain now. They really do work, even a thunderstorm doesn't effect them.

[405grain]

I back up all my notes onto a couple of thumb drives. I save them as Excel, Word, & PDF documents. Today when I turned on the computer I get a window telling me that windows needs to back up a bunch of programs. I'm not a fan of cloud based pay as you go operating systems, but it is what it is. So, it requests me to log in to do the download. I log in and it says password and user name not accepted. Fine. I hit the "remind me later button". Time to fire up the printer. Good thing I've got lots of ink cartridges, but looks like I'll need to make a run over to an office supply store and buy a boat load of three ring binders.

[Baltimoreed]

My current pet load is written on a 1.5x 3 inch label on the top of the plastic mtm ammo box that said ammo lives in. Sticker is moved to a 3x5 card when or if things change. Kinda works for me but I don’t change things very often.

[David2011]

For those of you that think you’re backing up to USB drives, you’re fooling yourselves. The only thing better at losing data than USB thumb drives/memory sticks was floppy discs. After 25 years in IT and most of that for a Fortune 100 company, I’ve had to tell way too many people that their data was gone. USB hard drives can fail too but they’re still more reliable than thumb drives. I back up to two external USB hard drives.

USB thumb drives are great for moving data and viruses around, though. No matter how many times you tell engineering school graduates not to pass thumb drives around, they’re still smarter than everyone else.

[Outer Rondacker]

I just dont want to rely on power. My reloading tools all work manually. Power is out I can still reload on a snowy day watching the flakes fall.

[murf205]

I sure have. I've lost more notebooks to water and other loss than I have seen make it 10 years. I only use bright colored Rite in the Rain now. They really do work, even a thunderstorm doesn't effect them.

I'm sure that we/I could loose anything or have the elements destroy data. I don't take my notebook to the range but transfer the data when I get home. In the end, it is what ever works for the individual.

[uscra112]

Not quite a Luddite or I wouldn't be posting on this forum, but I DO refuse to replace my XP-Pro operating system or any of the executive software I've been running since the '90s. For safety's sake I clone my entire system to spare hard drives every three months or so. Nothing, but NOTHING goes onto the 'net or into "the cloud". I've got "apps" running that I picked up at the dawn of the DOS era, before there was ever a Window in sight. ,

[almar]

I print or write everything now, i keep it in a binder with separators so i can add, remove or replace pages as desired. I lost everything twice, not going to happen that easily now.

[megasupermagnum]

I'm sure that we/I could loose anything or have the elements destroy data. I don't take my notebook to the range but transfer the data when I get home. In the end, it is what ever works for the individual.

How do you take notes at the range then?

[murf205]

With a pen, on the notes where I wrote the load down that I am shooting. I leave enough room for the notes and transcribe when I get home.

[charlie b]

Luddite? Yeah, in some ways. Like using usb sticks to store stuff. Funny I've had two that are over 10yrs old now and they still have all the files on it in good condition. FWIW, I don't rely on them as my only backup. Phone, PC hard drive, card and USB stick.

I do use the cloud. Mainly as a way to easily transfer files from one device to another. I store some data and pics there, but, I only use a free service to storage space is limited.

I wish I had started with a spreadsheet or database. Cross reference data from shooting sessions, sort by bullet, case, etc. Track velocities. Could have even included target information.

And, yes, I have lost hard data before. During one of many household moves I lost a box of reference notebooks (engineering stuff). I had neglected to transcribe the data to a computer disk (what we had a the time). That cost me more than just some time.

[mjwcaster]

I keep load data in a spreadsheet, a new sheet for each loading session.
Print it out and put it in my binder that’s carried to the basement loading room. Binder also includes copies of data from manuals so I can sanity check my loads before loading.

I can take the binder to the range with me to take notes if I want.
Sometimes I even remember to update my spreadsheet with my notes.

It’s far from perfect, just thrown together years ago, but it still works.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NyFirefighter357]

Apache Open office should be able to open these files and is free.

https://www.openoffice.org/download/

[tazman]

Open Office is so good, I have used it to open files that Microsoft office claimed were corrupted and could not open.
Not only did it open them, but when I saved them in the proprietary Office format, Microsoft Office was then able to open them and work with them.
I cannot recommend Open Office enough.

[indian joe]

Open Office is so good, I have used it to open files that Microsoft office claimed were corrupted and could not open.
Not only did it open them, but when I saved them in the proprietary Office format, Microsoft Office was then able to open them and work with them.
I cannot recommend Open Office enough.

I write my load data on the wall above the loading bench - right in front of me face . Hackers cant get it - the book dont get lost - and I have no intention of painting the joint anytime soon. once I get a load (or several) that works for that rifle it dont get changed. 35years worth in a 2 foot square patch. calibre - boolit - powder - what else do we need?

[uscra112]

Double Dittos on Open Office.