I was hit with some cruel reality while writing this article: Im an old fuck.

But, before we get to this realisation, lets get allDavid Copperfieldand backtrack.

Lets consider the fundamentals.

A love letter to my beloved NAS Drive, the WD PR2100

Inside is just a small computer and a couple of hard drives.

It’s free, every week, in your inbox.

Its become a companion, a compatriot, afriend.

WD PR2100 NAS drive side angle front

And Id die for it.

But its something beyond just the convenience of the NAS drive that makes it so special to me.

Theyve been a constant.

Article image

Now, Ive been collecting media for years and years.

A bootleg CD of Queens greatest hits bought from a roadside Bosnian piracy shack when I was nine?

In a box at my folks.

WD western digital PR2100 front view right side NAS drive

Thats in another box.

Thats actually over there in my record collection.

Theres probably a ten to fifteen year stretch of my computing life that has disappeared.

Callum Booth

Nowhere to be found and unrecoverable.

Now, I know what youre thinking: What about Google Drive or iCloud or DropBox?

Those services exist precisely to stop that sort of digital loss, right?

Theyre also nowhere near as customisable, or as flexible something my WD PR2100 has in spades.

I can digitize my physical media and store it on there.

I can ensure my current digital files are always there.

Its everything I need it to be.

And I love it.

Oh god, do I love it.

Should you get your very own NAS drive?

This isnt cheap, but consider that 2TB of extra iCloud storage a month will cost you $10.

If you have to use that for the next decade, it adds up quickly.

But once youve bought a NAS drive, its just there.

This doesnt feel like the right argument though, as youll probably still use a cloud back-up service anyway.

No, a NAS drive is an investment in yourself and in your media.

If youve got this far in the article, youll already know if you want one or not.

For a lot of people, a Netflix and Spotify subscription is enough and thats cool.

Ive had it over a year now and havent encountered a single problem.

I love it, and think you will too.

Im not sure what that proves, but its something.

This post includes affiliate links to products that you’ve got the option to buy online.

If you purchase them through our links, we get a small cut of the revenue.

Also tagged with