Good article Mort.
I'll plug an article I wrote here recently on
developing a personal backup strategy - to reinforce what Mort is saying. There is a copy floating round the forums here somewhere as well.
Another thing I'd suggest with respect to laptops, if you can, get them a stand to sit on so that air can flow over and under them. Whilst not proven, I've had a number of hard drive failures in laptops, and I'm fairly convinced that these were caused by the laptop running hot on a flat desk with inadequate ventilation. The additional heat buildup in the laptop dries out the circuit boards, and could eventually lead to failure.
I'm sure you've noticed how hot a laptop can get - just touch the keyboard or underneath surface. My laptop now hardly ever overheats and both keyboard and underneath surface are normal room temperatures when you touch them. It may be a small thing, but I believe that ensuring the laptop doesn't run hot all the time will extend its life, and reduce the risk of failure.
I've currently got the
Griffin Elevator.