978th Friday Blog Roundup

I scrolled past the original image from @princeandprincessofwales on Instagram without thinking much more than, “Oh, nice photo.” That night, I saw the news stories about how someone altered the image, and I went back to the photo and zoomed in. I could see what they were referencing, but it didn’t seem like a big deal, especially because the photo was so small on my phone. Who bothered to enlarge a family portrait to see that?

And you know how the rest goes. I don’t care that she pulled together images to create a good one for her Instagram feed. It’s not like she edited herself into a place she wasn’t or edited herself out of a place she was. If I knew how to edit photos, I would love to pull the best version of person X from photo A and the best version of person Y from photo B and bring them into photo C, which has the best version of person Z. Again, an image capturing an event of world importance — I’d probably rather see all of the outtakes. An image capturing an everyday family portrait… I’d probably rather see one version where they all look at the camera.

But what struck me was what a terrible existence. She did everything right: Announced her absence, gave a reason, and stated when she’d return. And people (not her boss; just the general public) couldn’t stop asking where she was a month before she was set to return — not just asking but hounding and critiquing.

Would William get the same commentary, questioning, and scrutiny if the roles were reversed and he was stepping back to take care of his health? I sense not.

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Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

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And now the blogs…

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “No Kidding Voice Count” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Finding a Different Path has a post about IVF terminology in the media. This is my pet peeve, and I once wrote the NYT’s about it in 2009. (The opening of my note: “This isn’t the first time I’ve read this in the New York Times but I truly felt compelled to write this time. Doctors can transfer embryos. They cannot implant embryos. If they could, IVF would have a much higher success rate.” Their response: “I hear you, but knowing this beforehand we made the conscious decision to use the word implant. The average reader doesn’t understand what a ‘transfer’ is.” Grrr…) This part in Jess’s post blew my mind: “Bryce just said that if the phrasing is that the embryo is ‘implanted’ in the uterus, then the failure falls on the woman when it doesn’t continue. Which I never thought of before, and adds to the insidiousness of the self-blame I felt (and I’m sure others did too) when cycles failed.” So true and so frustrating that I was writing the NYT in 2009 about this, and it’s now 2024, and nothing has changed.

Apron Strings for Emily is back with a discussion about reproductive rights in the US. There was anger after the Roe v Wade reversal, but she writes: “But this time … this IVF issue really hit too close to home. Which is why I finally picked up the pen – err, dusted off my keyboard – and decided to write again.”

Lastly, Scientist on the Roof has a post about visiting D.C. I love hearing what people do when they visit here, and I’m glad they got to the Portrait Gallery because it has the best atrium in the world. But I also thought it was sweet to read about the time together with her child.

The roundup to the Roundup: I would not want to be Princess Catherine. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between March 8 – 15) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.