Out with the old, in with the new storage devices in a flash

If there is a particularly annoying aspect to state-of-the-art high technology, it is that as soon as you get into the habit of doing things a certain way, that habit becomes obsolete and you have to learn how to accomplish your basic chores all over again.

For example, in the old days (about 15 years ago), if you wanted to give someone a file, you went to the file cabinet, pulled it out and hand-delivered it to them. If they were a little further away, you used a photocopier (do not ask about earlier duplicating technologies) to make a copy and then you sent that copy in the post.

With the advent of the floppy disk, the 'sneaker net' was born and handing someone a floppy was the file-transfer method of the day. The versatile floppy also became the default backup medium and archival data storage technology, even though the data stored on these floppies would only stay intact for a year or so.

Now, the hot technology for shuttling files back and forth is the thumb drive. Also known as the pen drive or flash drive, it is a tiny, inexpensive USB gadget that clips on your keychain and will hold up to two gigabytes of data or roughly 30 minutes of DVD video. It can be rewritten up to a million times and its content can be retained for up to 10 years without data loss.

Because these drives are inexpensive, both Mac and PC compatible, handy and do not require geek support, they are becoming an institution and are expected to stick around for a few years.