RAID on the Cheap: Windows 7 Software RAID vs. inexpensive ‘fake RAID’

How good is Windows 7 software RAID? Is it faster or slower than a cheap hardware controller (aka “fake RAID”)?

This past month I’ve realized the simultaneous need to add more hard drive storage and decrease the probability of losing the data stored within. While I fully realize that redundant hard disks are not a substitute for a backup, I do want to use a RAID array to reduce the likelihood that I have to restore that data from a backup. Also, I plan to put data on that disk that I would be annoyed to lose, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world (i.e. music, movies, etc.).

Disk drives are cheap (1.5TB is currently running around $100), but industrial-grade RAID controllers are not. Being that I’m cheap, have an old (4 years is old, right?) system, and just need a bare-minimum amount of reliability I’m looking for the cheapest way to add a couple of mirrored drives. That basically means that I use a “fake RAID” hardware controller or a solution managed completely by Windows. There are various pros and cons to each, but I’ll tell you up front that Windows 7 software RAID was what I chose because of performance & trust. After the break I’ll get to the details as to why.

Continue reading RAID on the Cheap: Windows 7 Software RAID vs. inexpensive ‘fake RAID’

Humanity & the Mystique

I finally finished Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. I don’t believe that I’m overstating when I say that this book has made an impact on my life greater than any other work of non-fiction I’ve read. I found myself amazed, shocked, confused, and simultaneously enthralled at various points in time.  I think that is mostly because it led me to question my own beliefs and upbringing. It also made wonder at the experiences of my mother and grandmothers.  Would they find themselves summed up in Betty’s words? Would they agree that they have suffered through the trials and tribulations of being “only a housewife”, never free to become themselves? Would they see the same effect of the mystique on their children and grandchildren as Betty does? I can only wonder at this point.

Continue reading Humanity & the Mystique

veggie burger showdown : MorningStar vs. Gardenburger

IMAGE_020

Well, let’s start out with this… neither is made out of meat, so if you’re looking for that juicy hamburger flavor, you should look elsewhere.  These aren’t a substitute for the real thing, but they are wonderful in their own right.

Continue reading veggie burger showdown : MorningStar vs. Gardenburger