In reading about an author losing his work when his laptop is stolen, we are naturally inclined to lecture long and loud on the importance of backups. But close study of the story also leads us to reflect upon the dangers of leaving your computer in the garden shed. Offering two pieces of advice will surely lead to confusion, but we can’t choose one over the other. Thus we’re stuck with strongly (forcefully, violently, passionately) suggesting that failure to backup work should be punishable by public ridicule (you must accept that computer failures do not limit themselves to the other guy) while reminding our readers that due to the dirt (and, apparently thievery) rampant in the gardening world, it’s not the best place to play with delicate equipment.
- Laptop stolen from Corelli author Louis de Bernieres: The author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin has offered a reward for the return of a stolen laptop containing the first 50 pages of his next novel.
