When working remotely, data can be much like the natural spring which feeds our home: a precious resource to be managed carefully. Just as we have an enclosed reservoir up there in the forest in which the spring water gathers and rests — an often finite resource, limited by the flow rate in and our rate of consumption downhill — so I have a limited pool of data at my disposal.
The spring analogy can be extended further. Just as we are sure of losses on its way downhill due to leakages and loss of pressure, so I must seek out the processes causing data to haemorrhage away at an alarming rate. Close at hand, Activity Monitor, tracking packets in and out, and data sent and received.
The culprit turns out to be much like a neighbour’s tap left on to water their allotment. In this case, my wife’s phone had auto-connected to my mobile hotspot, and seeing itself as connected to wi-fi, her phone decided to download updates and back-up to OneDrive. Hence, 2.5GB of data zipping away into the ether.
Fortunately, that’s a loss more easily fixed than leaking waters. Next project here: to replace the pipes we laid a decade ago with a larger gauge and better connections, supplementing our diminishing spring with a second one recently identified. As for remote working, with careful management, hopefully 50GB will be sufficient for three week’s work. It just calls for a more mindful approach to work online and virtual meetings.
Last modified: 21 September 2024
