My ICE USB Drive

[CableCat]

I recently started getting into things like Everyday Carry (Also known as "EDC") and I was checking out all those cool Altoid Tins people make full of goodies. One of the ideas was to keep a flash drive with copies of important info so you have it easily accessible in case of an emergency or if something like a fire happens and you lose important papers and such. Or if you are stranded somewhere without internet and need to be able to access information!

I think it was one of Melon's posts, but I saw a post in this section about archiving YouTube and other things you don't want lost, and it inspired me!

I bought a designated USB for turning into my "In Case of Emergencies" or "ICE" Flash drive. I learned you can download a copy of all of Wikipedia for offline use, and there are multiple applications for viewing. I'm using Kiwix hosted directly on the drive to download and view Wikipedia.

Since the drive will be for everyday carry, I also have a few other useful things for me such as image and audio tests for monitors and speakers and a text file with my relevant emergency phone numbers.

My other thought was to keep a hidden and password protected or encrypted folder with copies of important documents and photos. The only issue with this is that it needs to be secure since it would contain sensitive information. For now I'm going to hold off on that side of it, or maybe create a different backup drive separate from the ECD.

I have other projects along this line going on, such as my "Library of Alexandria" hard drive, which I'll probably update with the download of Wikipedia in addition to the other info I already have on it.

Does anyone here have any other good ideas or tips for an "In Case of Emergencies" USB? Any good ideas for things to add? I only have 256 gigs of space for this designated drive! What would you squeeze into that?

[larvapuppy]

This is an excellent idea! Thanks for mentioning Everyday Carry, I looked into it and I'd like to implement it in my life as well. 

One suggestion I have its to load it with a few ebooks or pdfs that you've been meaning to read. Not necessarily emergency material but if you're ever stuck somewhere with a computer and no internet, it wouldn't hurt to have some entertainment.

For students, textbook pdfs would be useful. A pdf of the manual for your car or any other equipment you use could come in handy too. Keeping a folder of your most treasured pictures/memories on the off chance that they are lost from other sources...

You could also add a text file with contact info in case your usb gets lost.

[Memory]

[removed by author]

[akbatten]

Music would be good along with important documents like ID, insurance, apartment leases, etc. Maybe some portable games to kill time. I use a password manager, so a copy of that database goes on there.

For my situation, an ICE USB drive wouldn't really work. I'll almost certainly have a phone with me, but no guarantee of a device to read the USB drive. I have a cloud storage/file sync service that I use. It has important documents along with most of my daily-use type files. This is the most available backup I have, but I also have a USB with the same stuff just in case something happens.

The cloud storage is Nextcloud running on a Virtual Private Server (AWS EC2). AWS is complicated but extremely reliable. As long as I don't fuck up the config or leak the server's access key, that server is live no matter what happens to my computer, USB, home, etc.

[CableCat]

A pdf of the manual for your car or any other equipment you use could come in handy too.

All of your ideas are great! But the car manual is one I definitely did not think of! I will be finding a copy of my vehicle manual and adding it ASAP!

I also want to add the important photos but for now I'm adding resources. It's going to take me a bit of time to find the best photos to add since I have so many.

[CableCat]

For my situation, an ICE USB drive wouldn't really work. I'll almost certainly have a phone with me, but no guarantee of a device to read the USB drive. I have a cloud storage/file sync service that I use. It has important documents along with most of my daily-use type files. This is the most available backup I have, but I also have a USB with the same stuff just in case something happens.

The cloud storage is Nextcloud running on a Virtual Private Server (AWS EC2). AWS is complicated but extremely reliable. As long as I don't fuck up the config or leak the server's access key, that server is live no matter what happens to my computer, USB, home, etc.

I totally understand this. The USB won't always work for everyone, and where you store your important things and resources really depends on your lifestyle and technology habits.

In my daily life, I am usually somewhere near computers all day, and I like to play with Raspberry Pi's. So having a flash drive on hand makes more sense.