There's a great (but short) piece on the Top 10 data disasters revealed on the BBC website. As the article points out, the storage of critical data is becoming more important now that consumers store their photos, music and other files electronically.

Some of the stories (well, short summaries) here are disturbing. I can't imagine how you would accidentally run over a laptop, or decide that spraying WD-40 into your laptop was a good idea.

It highlights, however, some simple truths. Backups are vital. Having to use mine recently (and I'm really meticulous about my backups), even I found some faults and flaws in the methods used, and curse myself for not verifying the process sooner.