CrashPlan has endeared itself to us with its capability to perform backups over the Internet to other copies of CrashPlan. But Internet connections are slow, and hard disks are fast, so the latest version of CrashPlan also lets you back up to a directly connected hard disk.

If getting started with backups is on your list of New Year's resolutions, Joe Kissell's new "Take Control of Easy Mac Backups" will help you make reliable backups without unnecessary fuss or trouble.

Please welcome Code42 Software, makers of the excellent backup software CrashPlan, as our newest long-term TidBITS sponsor!

Notable software releases this week include Safari 5.1 and 5.0.6, Windows Migration Assistant for OS X Lion 1.0, Server Admin Tools 10.7, iTunes 10.4, Java for OS X Lion, iWork 9.1, Apple Remote Desktop 3.5 Admin, SuperDuper 2.6.4, Things 1.5.0, MenuMeters 1.5, Cyberduck 4.1, Sparrow 1.3.1, Fantastical 1.0.3, and SpamSieve 2.8.6.

Over at Macworld, Lex Friedman writes up his backup strategy for keeping his Mac’s data secure, and the paranoia that motivates his approach. The short version: Time Machine, plus a bootable clone via SuperDuper, plus offsite backup with CrashPlan, plus Dropbox, plus Google Docs. And did we mention the heavy helping of data-loss paranoia?

Just a couple of quick links to check out this week: an article over at The Economist by Glenn about Readability, and Lex Friedman’s Macworld article about his backup strategy.

The new system-wide Auto Save feature of Mac OS X Lion is great for most people, but what about those of us who have taught ourselves to press Command-S reflexively in order to avoid losing work when applications crash? Many Tricks’s Lioness has a solution.

Thursday, March 31st has been dubbed World Backup Day, and a bunch of online backup providers have special deals in the works.

Whether you want to establish a sensible backup strategy or modernize your existing backup strategy, Joe Kissell's just-updated "Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, Fourth Edition" has the real-world advice you need to choose backup hardware and software, and set up a rock-solid backup strategy.

Notable software releases this week include iPhoto2Twitter 1.6.1, Business Card Composer 5, SpamSieve 2.7.7, and CrashPlan 10.19.2009.

Backblaze has taken the logical, if unusual, step of applying flat-rate pricing for unlimited backups to business customers as well as individuals.

Public confession time—a part of Adam’s backup strategy wasn’t fully thought out, and the end result was a situation that caused him to lose photos imported into iPhoto for two months. Read on for the gory details and for how to avoid your own clone wars.

Generosity is a virtue, but it’s possible—even easy—to go overboard in a materialistic age. This year, we’re recommending several bits-not-atoms gifts, experiences instead of objects, and quick downloads for those of you who are looking to cut down on stuff or who need last-minute Chanukah gifts.

Encrypting an entire hard drive is a great way to protect your data, but as users of PGP WDE learned when they upgraded to Mac OS X 10.6.5, whole disk encryption also brings its own risks.