A Tandem in Pastels

It Could Be Us

During a housesitting trip to France a little while ago we visited an artist called David Flitcroft from whom we were planning to purchase a tandem. Sometime later this original in pastels became available and as tandem riders it was impossible to resist.

Once we got home, we decided to have the picture framed behind high-quality art glass to protect it and it now hangs in pride of place in our living room. It’s an unusual picture because no matter what the lighting it appears to glow and we are absolutely delighted with it.

The title of the picture is “Early Start, but it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

David Flitcroft - Artist

Kingston IronKey D500S: A Secure USB Drive Worth Considering

Kingston IronKey D500S

In today’s digital world, protecting sensitive data is more important than ever. Whether it’s financial information, login credentials, or personal backups, the need for a secure storage solution is critical. That’s why I recently invested in the Kingston IronKey D500S—a premium secure USB drive designed to offer top-tier protection and reliability.

Why I Chose the Kingston IronKey D500S

My primary reason for purchasing this drive was to establish a non-cloud storage solution for my most critical files. Losing access to these files—or worse, having them fall into the wrong hands—would be a significant problem. My key requirements included:

• A secure place to store sensitive logins, financial information, and backup files.
• A way to ensure this data would be accessible to those who might need it if I were incapacitated.
• A portable, durable, and reliable drive that would keep my data safe, even if lost.

The Kingston IronKey D500S ticked all these boxes and more.

Features That Set It Apart

While it’s on the expensive side for a USB drive, it offers far more than just storage. Here are some standout features:

• Superb Build Quality: Housed in a soft-touch zinc casing, the IronKey D500S is waterproof, dustproof, crush-resistant, and resistant to shock and vibration. The body is epoxy filled to prevent physical tampering.

• Strong Security Measures: The drive meets FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification, ensuring advanced encryption and protection against cyber threats. This makes it suitable for government and military applications, probably overkill for me but alternatives in this sphere are few.

• Comprehensive Compliance: It meets various data encryption and protection regulations, including GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA, providing peace of mind for all users.

• Data Loss Protection: Equipped with safeguards against over-temperature and voltage fluctuations, the drive automatically shuts down in unsafe conditions.

• Malware Protection: With digitally-signed firmware, it is immune to BadUSB malware attacks.

• Multi-Platform Compatibility: The drive works seamlessly with Windows, macOS, and Linux environments.

• Self Erase Protection: The drive can be configured to auto-erase in several different scenarios.

Ease of Use and Performance

Setting up the IronKey D500S was relatively straightforward, with a simple multi-user and drive partition system. The read/write speeds are moderate but they are more than adequate for my needs, I have had no problems copying large files to the drive. The drive balances security with usability, making it an excellent choice for anyone needing a high-security storage solution. I have by no means covered all the features of the D500S here but the user manual is comprehensive and clear.

Final Thoughts

If you need a robust, high-security USB drive for protecting critical data, the Kingston IronKey D500S is a worthy investment. While it comes at a premium price, the build quality, security features, and reliability make it well worth considering. For me, it provides the perfect balance of convenience and protection, ensuring my data remains safe wherever I go.

They Were Proper Cyclists!

If you have a few minutes to spare this is well worth watching if you want to see what cyclocross was like in the good old days. Now these guys were tough. The river crossings at around 3:40 are particularly crazy!