[MrsLarry]

Someone asked me this today...

If you were in a fire, and you could save one item, what item would you save? (excludes pets and loved ones)

i honestly think i'd take my PowerBook, what about you?

[Dark Helmet]

My cats, everything else is replaceable.

Other than that just my Dual G5 but I wouldn't even bother with the monitor if I couldn't carry it all.

Actually, I would probably just take out the hard drive so the insurance would buy me a new G5

[Dakar]

Marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate.

[Y3a]

My external hard drives. I have full backups of everything. Maybe my 4 foot diameter Hull, cast from the original Jupiter 2(Lost in Space) Special effect prop.

[Tenacious Dyl]

A few pictures, some rare coins, my two cats if I could. Harddrive (if you could unscrew it fast enough!) probably my pbook for all my papers and such on it.

[BlueSky]

Backup drive, then my girlfriend if she isn't busy.

[RAILhead]

Since pets and loved ones are excluded and you can only pic one item (I actually read your post), I'd have to say my wallet. It's got my IDs.

[Philip J. Fry]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Since pets and loved ones are excluded and you can only pic one item (I actually read your post), I'd have to say my wallet. It's got my IDs.

Ditto. I have insurance on the place; therefore, my computer is the least of my worries.

[MrsLarry]

Originally Posted by Philip J. Fry

Ditto. I have insurance on the place; therefore, my computer is the least of my worries.

True, I forgot about that, maybe i could get a G5 outta the deal! Change my answer to my purse!

[andi*pandi]

probably purse also. I would say photo album or some such, but we have a fireproof safe with some pix in there. (reminder: put backup of iPhoto in safe)

[Dark Helmet]

Does insurance cover the cost of the computer when you bought it or current market value?

[davesimondotcom]

I know you said pets and family are not included, but I would definitely make sure my wife, two cats and my great dog are safe.

Then I would be after the PowerBook (that has my life on it), the backup drive, Amy's mini and my camera.

Amy's job is to save any photos and art that she can as we get out.

[Doofy]

My gear rack (got some old Roland synths and a couple of HDs in it).

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Does insurance cover the cost of the computer when you bought it or current market value?

I'd assume that most cover what it'd cost to buy a comparable machine new. That's how mine is.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Does insurance cover the cost of the computer when you bought it or current market value?

It's a replacement cost. Look at your homeowners/renters policy though. A lot of times there is a special limit on home computers set at either $5000 or $10000, this includes replacing software.

I would recommened a Personal Articles Floater. You would get a much better coverage than a homeowners/renters offers.

[jebjeb]

Nothing really. Maybe my two external harddrives but I have offsite backups anyway. This would just mean I keep some more recent stuff. We don't really have anything irreplaceable like heirlooms of whatever. It is mainly our photos that matter to us and they are triply backed up.

Maybe my new MacBook Pro which I pick up on Friday!

[Oneota]

Originally Posted by Dakar

Marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate.

Heh...reminds me of:

http://bash.org/?349567

#349567 +(8211)- [X]
Rabidplaybunny87: Okay, so my neighbors officially hate me
GarbageStan23: why?
Rabidplaybunny87: Well, me, david and andrew were having a bonfire in the backyard, and we were making s'mores and all... and suddenly we here sirens, and see a firetruck turn into the street in front of us.
Rabidplaybunny87: So we all went running to see what was up, and our neigbor's house was on fire!
GarbageStan23: oh sh**!
Rabidplaybunny87: Yeah, and when we got there, the wife was crying into her husbands arms, and we were just kinda standing there, and then she saw us, and then like for 10 seconds, gave us the dirtiest look ever
Rabidplaybunny87: Turns out, we were still holding our sticks with marshmallows on it, watching the fire....
Rabidplaybunny87: talk about bad timing...

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by Oneota

Heh...reminds me of:

http://bash.org/?349567

#349567 +(8211)- [X]
Rabidplaybunny87: Okay, so my neighbors officially hate me
GarbageStan23: why?
Rabidplaybunny87: Well, me, david and andrew were having a bonfire in the backyard, and we were making s'mores and all... and suddenly we here sirens, and see a firetruck turn into the street in front of us.
Rabidplaybunny87: So we all went running to see what was up, and our neigbor's house was on fire!
GarbageStan23: oh sh**!
Rabidplaybunny87: Yeah, and when we got there, the wife was crying into her husbands arms, and we were just kinda standing there, and then she saw us, and then like for 10 seconds, gave us the dirtiest look ever
Rabidplaybunny87: Turns out, we were still holding our sticks with marshmallows on it, watching the fire....
Rabidplaybunny87: talk about bad timing...

[Scotttheking]

The filing case that has my records in it. And I have it setup so that I can grab it on the way out of my room.

[olePigeon]

A fire extinguisher?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Oneota

Heh...reminds me of:
http://bash.org/?349567

#349567 +(8211)- [X]
Rabidplaybunny87: Okay, so my neighbors officially hate me

Muahahah

-t

[ghporter]

Way to NOT think, Rapidplaybunny87!

Wow. Bad move.

Anyway, I have a case with passports, bank records, etc ready to go. Grab wallets, the case and car keys, and we're all three history. Better than that, my pack, which I take to school with me all the time, has my laptop in it, along with the thumb drive I use for all my school work, so all that crap goes in the pack while we're on the way out.

I'm studying very hard the possibility of a fire safe. These are physically very secure (they generally weigh about 600 pounds and are typically bolted to the floor), and they are typically rated at at least 30 minutes in a 1200 degree fire. They can protect even fairly delicate electronics, papers, jewelry, etc. Kind of expensive (a very large one I enquired about would cost about $1K with delivery and installation) but compared to the value of some items and the difficulty in replacing others, it's looking better and better. And besides, being that well prepared for a fire sort of makes it less likely to happen, right?

[ambush]

my stash

[sek929]

My G4, no question. The monitor could melt for all I care, but there are to many things I can't replace sitting on my HD....like my 2000+ photos.


In fact, I should back up those photos....I think I'll do it tonight.

So if my photos were backed up, then I'd grab the DVD they were burned to, and my Olympus camera (since not having enough time to grab both is very unlikely)

[sek929]

Originally Posted by ambush

my stash

Just inhale the smoke as your house burns to the ground,

[Velocity211]

probably my external hard drive. 700GB worth of data on it! Or my Powerbook.

[Velocity211]

Sorry, double post.

[The Internet]

I'd go in just to inhale the toxic fumes and die

[torsoboy]

I'm a pretty new homeowner, but wouldn't you need your homeowner's insurance policy to prove that you have one? Don't you need the account number or something? Maybe that is what I would grab on my way out.

If I don't need that, then I would grab my busines binder with all my corporate papers... that would be a huge pain to replace.

My wife would probably grab the family photos. Those would be 100% irreplacable, so that is probably a better choice.

[Sage]

Definitely this G5 iMac. Easily.

[rickey939]

'77 Chong Modesto A's Rickey Henderson baseball card.

[Ω]

I would take my bedroom as that has lots of good stuff in it.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Damn. That's a hard one.

I'd say my computer, simply for the incredible amount of pictures and personal crap it's got on it.

My two guitars would probably run a very close second.

greg

[Salty]

Probably my PowerBook. Though I could just grab my external drive which has the backup and get a new PB . Really though, I don't have many physical possessions that if I lost I'd be hard pressed. Actually partly because I'm a student I don't really have much stuff at all. So long as I can have the work that I've created over the past few years in digital form, I'd be OK.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Way to NOT think, Rapidplaybunny87!

Wow. Bad move.

Actually, I think that his thinking is pretty good to be able to make up such a clever story as that.

[SSharon]

As much artwork as I can hold. I have a few originals and needless to say they cannot be replaced.

[Scotttheking]

Originally Posted by torsoboy

I'm a pretty new homeowner, but wouldn't you need your homeowner's insurance policy to prove that you have one? Don't you need the account number or something? Maybe that is what I would grab on my way out.

Safety deposit box.

Originally Posted by SSharon

As much artwork as I can hold. I have a few originals and needless to say they cannot be replaced.

Yeah, that'll suck if I have a fire for the same reasons

[abe]

Maybe it helps to be a billionaire and have millions of people who are willing to do anything for you, even kill for you, but I read this account and marveled at what I consider important enough to go back into a burning building to save. And then compared it with OBL's needs.

From last Sunday's 60 Minutes broadcast.

Abu Jandal says bin Laden would have no trouble living in the Afghan mountains. He may be a billionaire, but his lifestyle has always been Spartan, almost monastic.

"Osama bin Laden can live on bread and water. Osama bin Laden can live on dates. He is a man who prepared himself to live with the minimum available means of survival," says Abu Jandal.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...59_page3.shtml

[nerd]

My cats and my backup drive for my computer. Maybe my camera if I had time since it's in the same room as the computer stuff.

[cpt kangarooski]

If my house was on fire, and I could only remove one thing, I would remove the fire.

[turbopants]

Cats, the dog, backup drive, myself. Hope it never happens.

[d4nth3m4n]

pictures/negatives of my childhood and my personal info (wallet). other than that, let it burn for all i care.

[James L]

Interesting question....

Not in event of fire, but I have my backpack in a chair next to my bed. Toss in the PB (which sits next to it often), and my keys, wallet, etc from the bedside table. Should take about 10 seconds.

My wife's stupid cat sleeps on the bed with us, so hell, toss in the cat too!

Out the bedroom window, slide down roof to ground, smash either front or back window / door, and get out dog.

Did I forget anything?

....

Right! Make sure the wife follows.

[James L]

Originally Posted by cpt kangarooski

If my house was on fire, and I could only remove one thing, I would remove the fire.

[greenamp]

Defiantly my backup drive. Insurance can replace everything else.

[Mac Bird]

Originally Posted by Scotttheking

Safety deposit box.

Finally someone gets it right. Having an offsite safe deposit box is a great idea. You should have important documents, scans and/or copies of all your ID and credit cards and any computer backups somewhere other than your house. If a fire (or tornado, flood, hurricane, etc) destroys everything you have, you can start over relatively easy.

If you don't want to use a safe deposit box, send an emergency file to a trusted relative. Things that would be useful to include in the file:

• Scans or copies of deeds, birth/marriage certs, passports/IDs, tax returns, wills, credit cards
• Photos of special items (DVD collection, artwork, jewelry, wardrobe, electronics)
• Photos of your car and home (both interior rooms and exterior wide-shots)
• Periodic computer backups (I send semi-annual DVDs to the in-laws)
• Safe deposit box keys
• House and car keys

Sorry to go on a tangent, but this is good advice. It may take some work initially, but if there is a fire, it will save you from Oh, and I would grab my cell phone to call the fire department.

[CheesePuff]

Put on some gear and go back in!

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by torsoboy

I'm a pretty new homeowner, but wouldn't you need your homeowner's insurance policy to prove that you have one? Don't you need the account number or something? Maybe that is what I would grab on my way out.

Your declarations page is mostly for your information. Your actual policy isn't in a physical form and cannot be destroyed. You wouldn't need your policy number either, as it can be found by your name.

[seanc]

probably my external hard drive. 700GB worth of data on it!

If that's got anything other than backups on it, then backup that drive too! Mine just died although I had the most important stuff backed up on my server.

[TomR]

Nothing else, it's not worth it. loved ones or pets. That's it.