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Author: Iain Carlin

Ubuntu remote backup – rsync

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Iain Carlin

I needed to backup a Ubuntu virtual server from the cloud before I deleted it (it was replaced by a new server). The hosting service didn’t allow downloading backups etc. but I wanted to keep a copy for historical/auditing purposes (and in case I’d missed something building the new server).

ChatGPT told me about rsync so I used that from my Windows WSL instance to copy all the files and folders to my local system, then compressed that with tar.

rsync -avzP -e "ssh -p 22" user@remoteip:/ /mnt/m/Backups/backup --log-file=/mnt/m/Backups/rsync.log --exclude=/proc --exclude=/sys --exclude=/dev --exclude=/tmp --exclude=/run --exclude=/mnt
cd /mnt/m/Backups
tar -czvf backup.2026_01_22.tar.gz backup/
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Books I read in 2025

Posted on January 20, 2026January 22, 2026 by Iain Carlin

Not as prolific in 2025 as last year, but still managed at least one a month:

  • All Systems Red – Martha Wells
  • Brain Rules for Ageing Well – John Medina
  • Guide to Guitar Making for the Small Shop – George S Leach
  • Artificial Condition – Martha Wells
  • Rogue Protocol – Martha Wells
  • Exit Strategy – Martha Wells
  • Network Effect – Martha Wells
  • Fugitive Telemetry – Martha Wells
  • System Collapse – Martha Wells
  • Authentic Happiness – Marting Seligman
  • The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
  • Going for Broke – The Chrysler Story
  • Anger Management Workbook for Men
  • Unstuck – Dr Emily Musgrove
  • Scotland A Concise History – P Hume Brown
  • Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor E Frankle
  • Juice – Tim Winton
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2024 was the best year for our solar system

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Iain Carlin

We made 6.712MWh this year. Previous best was 6.658 in 2019. Must have been sunnier than I thought!

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Books I read in 2024

Posted on January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 by Iain Carlin

I really kranked on with the book reading in 2024. I had planned to read at least one book a month and I almost managed two. I rediscovered my local library and have been borrowing quite a few books rather than buying them.

Here is the annual list of books I read in 2024:

  • Old Man’s War – John Scalzi
  • The Last Emprox – John Scalzi
  • Sarum – Edward Rutherford
  • The Ferryman – Justin Cronin
  • The Happiness Advantage – Shawn Achor
  • The Ghost Brigades – John Scalzi
  • The Last Colony – John Scalzi
  • The Coming Wave – Mustafa Suleyman
  • Dirt Music – Tim Winton
  • The Turning – Tim Winton
  • In Ascension – Martin McInnes
  • Eyrie – Tim Winton
  • The Riders – Tim Winton
  • That Eye, The Sky – Tim Winton
  • Shallows – Tim Winton
  • The Finest of the Three – Gavin Farmer
  • Sapiens – Yuval Harari
  • Another Now – Yanis Varoufakis
  • Just Don’t be a Dickhead – Kasey Chambers
  • Retirement Made Simple – Noel Whittaker
  • Ultra-Processed People – Chris van Tulleken
  • Warlock – Wilbur Smith
  • A Periodic Tale – Dr Karl Kruszelnicki
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