OT?

I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed is .230 MB/s.
It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash drive. Any tips on mailing them
1st class mail? Any problems mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas.
Nothing illegal just common family type images.
Thanks

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote:
> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed is .230 MB/s.
> It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash drive. Any tips on mailing them
> 1st class mail? Any problems mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas.
> Nothing illegal just common family type images.
> Thanks

Often people's download speed is much higher than upload.
In cases like this, files are often uploaded to some cloud storage
or file transfer service, so you need to upload it only once, you
can send them an e-mail containing the required info to download
the files.
Of course 40GB is still an appreciable amount of data, some people
may have download caps that prevent them from downloading it.
You can consider to shrink the photos using one of the available
programs that can do this.  Today people often have photos in native
camera resolution that take several MB per photo, while a simple
snapshot for family usage can be compressed to 200kB easily without anyone
noticing.  When you upload both versions as a separate collection,
those that want high quality can download the large one.

Mailing flash drives in a normal envelope usually leads to disaster,
due to mechanical processing of the mail.  You will need to mail
them in a sturdy envelope (carton, tyvek) and be sure it is handled
as a package, not a letter.

Rob <nomail@example.com> wrote in
news:slrnqr0bl5.479.nomail@xs9.xs4all.nl: 

> gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote:
>> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed
>> is .230 MB/s. It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash
>> drive. Any tips on mailing them 1st class mail? Any problems
>> mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas. Nothing
>> illegal just common family type images. Thanks
> 
> Often people's download speed is much higher than upload.
> In cases like this, files are often uploaded to some cloud storage
> or file transfer service, so you need to upload it only once, you
> can send them an e-mail containing the required info to download
> the files.
> Of course 40GB is still an appreciable amount of data, some people
> may have download caps that prevent them from downloading it.
> You can consider to shrink the photos using one of the available
> programs that can do this.  Today people often have photos in
> native camera resolution that take several MB per photo, while a
> simple snapshot for family usage can be compressed to 200kB easily
> without anyone noticing.  When you upload both versions as a
> separate collection, those that want high quality can download the
> large one. 
> 
> Mailing flash drives in a normal envelope usually leads to
> disaster, due to mechanical processing of the mail.  You will need
> to mail them in a sturdy envelope (carton, tyvek) and be sure it
> is handled as a package, not a letter.
> 

  This job is pretty hardy...
Should work with an ordinary padded envelope.

<https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BAR-Plus-64GB-MUF-
64BE4/dp/B07BPHN7LV?th=1>

  The 64GB is at 200MB/s and the 128GB is at 300MB/s.
Both are very nice, and the case is very strong.

  Using an online server has a cost at the GB level you are at.

DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno@decadence.org wrote in news:qopc7v$1tkn$1
@gioia.aioe.org:

> Rob <nomail@example.com> wrote in
> news:slrnqr0bl5.479.nomail@xs9.xs4all.nl: 
> 
>> gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote:
>>> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed
>>> is .230 MB/s. It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash
>>> drive. Any tips on mailing them 1st class mail? Any problems
>>> mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas. Nothing
>>> illegal just common family type images. Thanks
>> 
>> Often people's download speed is much higher than upload.
>> In cases like this, files are often uploaded to some cloud storage
>> or file transfer service, so you need to upload it only once, you
>> can send them an e-mail containing the required info to download
>> the files.
>> Of course 40GB is still an appreciable amount of data, some people
>> may have download caps that prevent them from downloading it.
>> You can consider to shrink the photos using one of the available
>> programs that can do this.  Today people often have photos in
>> native camera resolution that take several MB per photo, while a
>> simple snapshot for family usage can be compressed to 200kB easily
>> without anyone noticing.  When you upload both versions as a
>> separate collection, those that want high quality can download the
>> large one. 
>> 
>> Mailing flash drives in a normal envelope usually leads to
>> disaster, due to mechanical processing of the mail.  You will need
>> to mail them in a sturdy envelope (carton, tyvek) and be sure it
>> is handled as a package, not a letter.
>> 
> 
>   This job is pretty hardy...
> Should work with an ordinary padded envelope.
> 
> <https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BAR-Plus-64GB-MUF-
> 64BE4/dp/B07BPHN7LV?th=1>
> 
>   The 64GB is at 200MB/s and the 128GB is at 300MB/s.
> Both are very nice, and the case is very strong.
> 
>   Using an online server has a cost at the GB level you are at.
> 
  That should have been prefaced with "I think", as in I think they 
charge after a certain point.

  So, some may even have 1T available free, but ISTR (from years ago 
tho) that the limit is like 10GB or such free and money for more.
  The number may be higher now.

On 23/10/2019 11:07, gray_wolf wrote:
> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed is
> .230 MB/s. It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash drive.
> Any tips on mailing them 1st class mail? Any problems mailing them to
> Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas. Nothing illegal just common
> family type images. Thanks

Upload from somewhere with a much faster connection - 230k seems awfully 
slow. My rural wet string was good for 448k on ADSL and went up to 1M 
when ADSL 2+ was rolled out and that is on antique corroded copper.

You need to check the allowed thickness and weight to qualify as a 
letter. Jiffy bags work OK especially if you put the USB thumb in a hole 
cut into a piece of thick corrugated cardboard to protect it. Amazon 
often send them in thin card "frustration free" packaging and most 
survive OK. I have had some nearly fall out of their delivery box.

You might want to cut the size down to 32GB since they are presently 
about the sweet spot for cheap USB drives. I quite like this Sandisk 
blade for distributing bulky content. Smaller than most.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDCZ50-032G-FFP-Cruzer-Blade-Flash/dp/B007PYBNSC/

If you know the recipients can handle them then sD card cuts the size 
and weight down to something you can include inside a Christmas card.

-- 
Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nezumi.demon.co.uk> wrote in
news:qopcub$162$1@gioia.aioe.org: 

> On 23/10/2019 11:07, gray_wolf wrote:
>> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed
>> is .230 MB/s. It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash
>> drive. Any tips on mailing them 1st class mail? Any problems
>> mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas. Nothing
>> illegal just common family type images. Thanks
> 
> Upload from somewhere with a much faster connection - 230k seems
> awfully slow. My rural wet string was good for 448k on ADSL and
> went up to 1M when ADSL 2+ was rolled out and that is on antique
> corroded copper. 

  You sure that was "on copper"?

  Oh and cable modems have ALWAYS had a slower up-fiber connection 
that their down rate.  Those were original choices made by the cable 
provider back when motorola and they made the spec.

 My Cox connection started out as only 150kb/s back in the late '90s.

  I can now up at nearly 500Mb/s

 DL is at 100Mb/s (actually more).
> 
> You need to check the allowed thickness and weight to qualify as a
> letter. Jiffy bags work OK especially if you put the USB thumb in
> a hole cut into a piece of thick corrugated cardboard to protect
> it. Amazon often send them in thin card "frustration free"
> packaging and most survive OK. I have had some nearly fall out of
> their delivery box. 

  A piece of cardboard does NOT "protect" a USB stick in an envelope.
Several mm of card stock hard laminated together with a necting cup 
in it would, but ordinary corregated cardboard box stuff?   No way.
> 
> You might want to cut the size down to 32GB since they are
> presently about the sweet spot for cheap USB drives.

  Naaah...  64GB is now.  And they are faster usually.

> I quite like
> this Sandisk blade for distributing bulky content. Smaller than
> most. 

  I have been buying Samsung as I feel that sandisk has dropped the 
ball on good package design.  They also do not always live up to 
their speed claims either.  I guess if the initial burst is at a 
certain rate, that is what they claim.

snip
 
> If you know the recipients can handle them then sD card cuts the
> size and weight down to something you can include inside a
> Christmas card. 
> 

  Tiny micro-SD flash chips are the smallest form factor. 

  Hard USB drives can be great devices as gifts because they can be 
carried around in a pocket and further utilized by the recipient 
after the initial content delivery.  Two gifts in one.  They also 
plug right into smart TVs so the recipient can plug it right in and 
start veiwing photos.

  The only issue I see is that as USB-C is phased in.  I have dual 
I/O drives (sticks) for that, and that drive connects to newer phones 
directly.

On 10/23/2019 5:42 AM, Rob wrote:
> gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote:
>> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed is .230 MB/s.
>> It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash drive. Any tips on mailing them
>> 1st class mail? Any problems mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas.
>> Nothing illegal just common family type images.
>> Thanks
> 
> Often people's download speed is much higher than upload.
> In cases like this, files are often uploaded to some cloud storage
> or file transfer service, so you need to upload it only once, you
> can send them an e-mail containing the required info to download
> the files.
> Of course 40GB is still an appreciable amount of data, some people
> may have download caps that prevent them from downloading it.
> You can consider to shrink the photos using one of the available
> programs that can do this.  Today people often have photos in native
> camera resolution that take several MB per photo, while a simple
> snapshot for family usage can be compressed to 200kB easily without anyone
> noticing.  When you upload both versions as a separate collection,
> those that want high quality can download the large one.
> 
> Mailing flash drives in a normal envelope usually leads to disaster,
> due to mechanical processing of the mail.  You will need to mail
> them in a sturdy envelope (carton, tyvek) and be sure it is handled
> as a package, not a letter.
> 

Rob, Thanks for your reply!  My down load speed is 2.7 MB/s on a fast connection.
Thankfully I don't upload much. I did spend 36 hours sending some stuff to my
brother's NAS ftp server. Got some mail from Google Fiber yesterday saying high
speed fiber is coming but didn't give a firm date.

That's what I was looking for safe packaging info. I only need to send three
at the moment. The thought occurred that perhaps I could rent some tine on a fast
ftp server but search didn't turn up any thing. Thanks again.

On 10/23/2019 6:18 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
> On 23/10/2019 11:07, gray_wolf wrote:
>> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed is
>> .230 MB/s. It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash drive.
>> Any tips on mailing them 1st class mail? Any problems mailing them to
>> Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas. Nothing illegal just common
>> family type images. Thanks
> 
> Upload from somewhere with a much faster connection - 230k seems awfully slow. 
> My rural wet string was good for 448k on ADSL and went up to 1M when ADSL 2+ was 
> rolled out and that is on antique corroded copper.
> 
> You need to check the allowed thickness and weight to qualify as a letter. Jiffy 
> bags work OK especially if you put the USB thumb in a hole cut into a piece of 
> thick corrugated cardboard to protect it. Amazon often send them in thin card 
> "frustration free" packaging and most survive OK. I have had some nearly fall 
> out of their delivery box.
> 
> You might want to cut the size down to 32GB since they are presently about the 
> sweet spot for cheap USB drives. I quite like this Sandisk blade for 
> distributing bulky content. Smaller than most.
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-SDCZ50-032G-FFP-Cruzer-Blade-Flash/dp/B007PYBNSC/
> 
> If you know the recipients can handle them then sD card cuts the size and weight 
> down to something you can include inside a Christmas card.
> 

Martin, Thanks for the reply! I thought about the SD cards. I'll check on the 
peoples
hardware and skill level. I can cut the size down. You'd think most people would 
know a nerd that could help with an SD card. Thanks for the packaging tips.

gray_wolf wrote...
>
>> If you know the recipients can handle them then SD card
>> cuts the size and weight down to something you can
>> include inside a Christmas card.
>
> Martin, Thanks for the reply! I thought about the SD cards.

 Some USB drives are really thin.  The Kingston Digital
 DataTraveler SE9 has a strong metal case, costs only $6.


-- 
 Thanks,
    - Win

gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote in
news:NgYrF.60704$VU2.36039@fx12.iad: 

> On 10/23/2019 5:42 AM, Rob wrote:
>> gray_wolf <g_wolf@howling_mad.com> wrote:
>>> I need to send 40GB of photos to several people. My upload speed
>>> is .230 MB/s. It seems to me my best bet is to mail them a flash
>>> drive. Any tips on mailing them 1st class mail? Any problems
>>> mailing them to Mexico and Canada?  I live in Texas. Nothing
>>> illegal just common family type images. Thanks
>> 
>> Often people's download speed is much higher than upload.
>> In cases like this, files are often uploaded to some cloud
>> storage or file transfer service, so you need to upload it only
>> once, you can send them an e-mail containing the required info to
>> download the files.
>> Of course 40GB is still an appreciable amount of data, some
>> people may have download caps that prevent them from downloading
>> it. You can consider to shrink the photos using one of the
>> available programs that can do this.  Today people often have
>> photos in native camera resolution that take several MB per
>> photo, while a simple snapshot for family usage can be compressed
>> to 200kB easily without anyone noticing.  When you upload both
>> versions as a separate collection, those that want high quality
>> can download the large one. 
>> 
>> Mailing flash drives in a normal envelope usually leads to
>> disaster, due to mechanical processing of the mail.  You will
>> need to mail them in a sturdy envelope (carton, tyvek) and be
>> sure it is handled as a package, not a letter.
>> 
> 
> Rob, Thanks for your reply!  My down load speed is 2.7 MB/s on a
> fast connection. Thankfully I don't upload much. I did spend 36
> hours sending some stuff to my brother's NAS ftp server. Got some
> mail from Google Fiber yesterday saying high speed fiber is coming
> but didn't give a firm date. 
> 
> That's what I was looking for safe packaging info. I only need to
> send three at the moment. The thought occurred that perhaps I
> could rent some tine on a fast ftp server but search didn't turn
> up any thing. Thanks again. 
> 
> 
> 
> 

  You can use a smaller, free server, and simply upload a partial 
archive (some of the files).  Tell the recipients to let you know 
once they have them, then delete those and upload the next block.  
Lather, rinse, repeat.