We had a party at my place last weekend, and it almost got me in some very serious problem academically. I’m not talking about disciplinary stuff – I’m talking about my schoolwork itself. It’s all on my laptop, which almost didn’t survive the night. Yes, I know I should have been more careful when I set up for the party, but in the end I left my laptop out in my room, where people were tossing their bags and coats. It wasn’t really supposed to be a big drinking spot, but people were wandering back there with their drinks anyway, and someone managed to spill beer on my laptop. Luckily, a friend told me right away. I wrapped it up in paper towels, dunked it in rice, the whole nine yards – I might have said a prayer or two, too. In the end, it started up fine and all of my hard work – including really important stuff for classes – was intact. But it was a scary moment, because I didn’t have anything backed up! I want to start creating some backups, but I’m not sure I trust “the cloud” (I don’t even understand how it works, really), and I don’t know the first thing about any of this. Help!