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Larry Magid: Backing up is not hard to do

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

The most tragic consequence of the recent Maui fires is, of course, loss of life. There was also horrific property loss. What you don’t hear much about on the news is the loss of data, but I’m sure many people who had to flee quickly didn’t have time to grab their computer or an external backup drive.Related ArticlesBusiness | Magid: Being courteous in your use of technology Business | Magid: Time to think about back-to-school devices and policies Business | Magid: Google’s back in the game with its new Pixel Tablet Business | Magid: Inexpensive speakers for outdoor listening Losing everything on your computer may not be tragic, but it can be pretty devastating, especially if it includes important records and documents, precious photos and other cherished digital keepsakes.  Fortunately, there are easy and relatively inexpensive ways to back everything up.In a moment, I’ll cover external drives, which can be very ...

Early morning dogwalker dies in freak accident near her California home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

A California woman walking her dog before dawn stepped on downed power lines, and both she and the dog were killed.The deaths occurred around 5 a.m. Wednesday along Whitesbridge Avenue (Highway 180), a rural road southeast of Mendota, Fresno County sheriff’s officials said. The woman lived in the area.Two days earlier, a power pole along the road had caught fire and was extinguished by a crew from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The pole was apparently left weakened and toppled in the early hours of Wednesday.In the darkness, the woman is thought to have failed to see the live wires on the ground. Emergency crews called to the scene tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate her, the sheriff’s report said.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Sailboat stays stuck at Stinson Beach as owner works to remove it Crashes and Disasters | Pedestrian hit and killed by train Tuesday in Gilroy Crashes and Disasters | ...

Steve Young on the 49ers’ QBs and the expectations hanging over them

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

Worried about how the 49ers’ quarterback situation is going to shake out with Brock Purdy throwing practice interceptions and Trey Lance trying to hold off Sam Darnold as the backup?Steve Young isn’t worried. Not even a little.The former 49ers quarterback and Hall of Famer was back on his regular gig with the flagship on KNBR Wednesday and was talking comeback at age 61. OK, he wasn’t serious, but Young does love how the 49ers have been put together for 2023 under coach Kyle Shanahan.“Please, just let me play,” Young told hosts Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland. “I’m just saying it’s an incredible place to be right now, playing quarterback for this team, and being part of this roster that’s been put together. All of that builds natural expectations that are real.”A condensed version of some of Young’s thoughts on the 49ers’ quarterbacks:On Purdy’s supposedly limited skill set“He’s not 6-5, 225 and ...

Britney Spears ‘alone in her house,’ without support system after Sam Asghari files for divorce: report

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

With Sam Asghari moving out, filing for divorce and reportedly threatening to spill dirt about their marriage, Britney Spears’ has been left alone in her house without anyone close to support her through her latest personal crisis, a report says.Before things got ugly between them, the 29-year-old Asghari was Spears’ “strongest supporter” as she tried to rebuild her life after she was freed from a 13-year conservatorship, sources told TMZ. But now that the actor and personal trainer is “fully out of her life,” Spears, 41, has no other family to lean on, with sources telling TMZ that “she just isn’t capable of handling things on her own.”HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 22: Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive at the premiere of Sony Pictures’ “One Upon A Time…In Hollywood” at the Chinese Theatre on July 22, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Spears is not on spe...

Twitter-DOJ spat over Donald Trump data raised questions on Elon Musk’s role

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

By Zoe Tillman | BloombergThe room was locked when prosecutors from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office and lawyers from the company then known as Twitter Inc. appeared Feb. 9 before a federal judge in Washington.The secrecy was needed to prevent word from reaching the subject of the court fight: Donald Trump.US District Judge Beryl Howell was concerned that the parties were already back two days after they’d argued before her. On Feb. 7, she’d rejected Twitter’s request for a delay in giving records to the government. The social media company had asked for more time to fight an order stopping them from alerting Trump about the warrant for his “@realDonaldTrump” account.Howell also had questioned the company’s opposition to the nondisclosure order, even asking whether the CEO, Elon Musk, was trying to “cozy up” to Trump. The company’s attorney had insisted that wasn’t the case.Two days later, Thomas Windom, a lead prosecutor in Smith’s office, said Twitter still hadn’t fully complie...

‘I felt much less safe at 70 mph here than going nearly twice that in Germany’: Roadshow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

Q: Thanks for printing letters from German autobahn drivers. From my 2,000-mile road trip in Germany in 2018, I completely agree that high-speed driving is safe there, and not here. They have better roads, better laws and better (more attentive) drivers. I often drove 200 kph (120 mph) with no problems, passing lots of slower cars, and being passed by lots of faster cars.Recently I drove 140 miles on Interstate 880 and other highways with their jarring potholes, no sight of slow traffic keeping right, several double-white crossings and two crazy slalom speeders. I only saw two CHP cars. I felt much less safe at 70 mph here than going nearly twice that in Germany.Doug McKenzie, BerkeleyA: Many people wrote to say they enjoyed the autobahn stories.Q: A reader referred to Germans’ “polite attitude.” I’m half German and lived there most of my childhood. “Polite” is not the word that springs to mind. “Orderly” is more like it, and if you don’t follow the rules, people around you get in y...

Map: Highway Fire evacuation in the Sierra Nevada

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

Evacuation orders have been issued for a wildfire that started Wednesday in the Tahoe National Forest near Emigrant Gap.The Highway Fire was reported by Nevada County emergency officials around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and within an hour evacuation orders were in place. As of Thursday morning, the order covered 17 square miles between Highway 20 and the South Fork Yuba River, including the community of Washington.The map above shows the mandatory evacuation order in red.On Thursday, the forest service’s fire officials estimated the burned area at 31 acres.For updates and more details, including evacuation warning areas, see:The Genasys Protect emergency map app or website (formerly Zonehaven)Nevada County sheriff’s FacebookReady Nevada CountyTahoe National Forest FacebookRelated ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Paradise deploys warning sirens as 5-year anniversary of deadly fire approaches Crashes and Disasters | 5 lightning fires contained in North...

Catholic Archdiocese sues Colorado over right to exclude LGBTQ people from universal preschool

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

The Denver Catholic Archdiocese along with two of its parishes is suing the state alleging their First Amendment rights are violated because their desire to exclude LGBTQ parents, staff and kids from Archdiocesan preschools keeps them from participating in Colorado’s new universal preschool program.The program is intended to provide every child 15 hours per week of state-funded preschool in the year before they are eligible for kindergarten. To be eligible, though, schools must meet the state’s non-discrimination requirements.The Denver Archdiocese, St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood filed suit against Lisa Roy, executive director of the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, and Dawn Odean, director of Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program, on Wednesday.RELATED: Facing more than 500 abuse lawsuits, San Francisco Archdiocese says bankruptcy ‘very likely’The Denver Archdiocese and the Colorado Department of Early Childhood could not...

Covid-19 levels are rising but still relatively low in the US, surveillance data shows

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

By Deidre McPhillips | CNNFederal surveillance data suggests that Covid-19 levels are trending up in the United States, but key metrics remain well below most other points in the pandemic.Covid-19 hospitalizations have been on the rise since early July, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the first week of August, more than 10,000 people were hospitalized with Covid-19. That’s a 60% increase over the course of a month, including a 14% bump in the most recent week.REALTED: COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surgeRates are now at levels last seen in April. But weekly Covid-19 hospitalizations are still about a quarter of what they were at this time last year and lower than they were for about 90% of the pandemic.The hospitalization rate is still significantly higher for seniors than for other age groups, and the share of hospitalized patients who require time in the intensi...

High school football 2023 preview: PAL Bay Division

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:18:51 GMT

PENINSULA ATHLETIC LEAGUE BAY DIVISION(Predicted order of finish)No. 1 LOS GATOSCoach: Mark KrailRecord in 2022: 8-3What to expect: It’s a new league for Los Gatos this season as the Wildcats and longtime league mates Wilcox and Mountain View merge with Menlo-Atherton, Sacred Heart Prep and Burlingame to form a more competitive division. But just like old times, Los Gatos is the favorite to finish on top. Coach Mark Krail, now in his 11th season leading the storied program and 26th overall, has another talented roster, led by standout WR/DB Jaylen Thomas. The De Anza Division MVP last season helped the Wildcats capture the league title and receive a home game in the CCS Division I playoffs. “Very versatile player,” Krail said. “Rarely comes off the field.” Ryan Vernale is also back to lead the way in the trenches. The OL/DL, now a senior, was the De Anza lineman of the year in 2022. Another senior, LB/FB Spencer Burg, is a three-year starter on defense who received all-league honors...