What do you need for work?

1) Program/(s)

EaseUS Todo Backup Free – a free and very handy program that allows you to easily create backups of everything and everyone (documents, folders, disks, etc.). The program impresses with its simplicity and reliability: in just a few clicks of the mouse, you can arrange everything.

Additional features:

• cloning disks (including system disks);
• the ability to configure schedules;
• creating an emergency flash drive;
• viewing and selecting files that you will restore from a backup.

2) USB flash drive or external hard drive

It is most reasonable to make a backup to some external media (which will calmly lie aside from the computer/laptop, and will help out if something happens).

Just imagine yourself – if you make a backup copy to the same disk that you are using – then in the event of a breakdown (for example) – this backup will not help you.

A flash drive or external drive (which is even better) – must be large enough to fit all your documents and files that you want to save. Let’s say, if you have a 60 GB system disk and you want to back it up, then you need a flash drive (disk) with at least 80-90 GB.

Making a disk backup

And so, we will assume that you already have the program installed.

The first thing to do is to click the “System Backup” button located in the top menu of the program.

Next, you need to set a number of parameters:

• select your system drive;
• specify the location where you will save;
• plan name: the name of your backup is set here – it can be anything, if only you yourself remember what you have saved there, for example, in a month or two;
• description of your backup;
• schedule: if you need to make a regular backup, you can configure it once, and then the program will do it automatically;
• proceed – button to start the operation.

After specifying the main parameters, in the next step, the program will ask you to specify the drive (and folder) where the backup will be saved (by the way, it will be a regular file).

Back up folders and files

It is performed, in principle, in the same way as creating a copy of the disk (which was done in the previous step). First, launch the utility and click the “File Backup” button.

Next, you need to specify:

• select the file or folder: folders (or even entire drives) you want to add to the backup;
• destination: where to save the backup;
• you can specify any name and description (Plan name, Description);
• schedule: if necessary – set;
• proceed – the beginning of the operation.

By the way, the backup file itself can be recorded later on to another medium (or even uploaded, for example, to somewhere in the cloud).

Picture Credit: Unsplash

According to IBM researchers, these innovations and developments will determine how our world will become in the near future.

Quantum computing

Today, quantum computing is more likely a playground for researchers, but within five years they will become a familiar reality for professionals working on problems that previously seemed insoluble. Quantum computing will be mastered everywhere in universities and even (to some extent) at the high school level.

Now already, IBM researchers have successfully modeled an atomic bond in beryllium hydride (BeH2), the most complex molecule ever modeled by a quantum computer. In the future, quantum computing will solve much more complex problems, and ultimately they will surpass everything that we can do with classic machines.

Cryptography and blockchain

Most recently, IBM introduced a microchip the size of a salt granule and a cost of about 10 cents. In terms of computing power, it is comparable to computers in the 1990s. It supports blockchain technology and can serve as a data source for relevant applications.

In the near future, such tiny chips can be used as “cryptographic anchors” to track the supply of goods, control food safety, identify genuine luxury goods and so on. Buyers themselves will be able to track the entire path of the goods from production to the time of sale.

Grid Cryptography

To keep up with the times and new technologies, IBM is developing encryption methods that can surpass all existing protocols. A lot of hope lies in the method of post-quantum encryption, the so-called cryptography on lattices, that is, on complex algebraic structures.

Hacking such encryption is practically impossible, even future quantum computers will not be able to do it, IBM representatives assure. That is why this technology can be used to protect the most valuable data from hacker attacks.

AI robots

In the next five years, with the help of artificial intelligence and robotics, one of the most important problems of mankind can be taken under control — pollution of the oceans. It is planned to introduce a network of autonomous microscopes that signal adverse effects.

We are talking about micro-robots united in the cloud and located around the world, capable of monitoring the behavior of plankton. It is plankton that is a biological sensor that characterizes the content of harmful substances in the seas and oceans. Data on the movement of plankton will allow much faster to determine changes in water composition.

Unbiased Artificial Intelligence

To prevent the bias of artificial intelligence from becoming a real problem soon, IBM is already working on systems that can be trusted. First of all, it is AI trained on data free from racial, gender and ideological prejudices.

To this end, the company’s researchers have developed a method of reducing bias, which can be used in the set of educational materials of AI. This approach will create an objective system that will not contribute to the spread of inequality, IBM researchers are sure.

Picture Credit: Pixabay