10 Mac 911 resolutions

• I resolve to back up my data. Regularly. Thoroughly.

• I resolve to purchase a copy of Alsoft's Disk Warrior if I haven't already, because I understand that it will save my bacon should my Mac experience the worst sort of low-level corruption.

• I resolve to seriously consider purchasing AppleCare for my new Mac because Macs, like anything, break, and some of those breaks can cost a small fortune. Much as I view extended warranties with suspicion, AppleCare is often a good investment.

• I resolve that if I'm going to open up an expensive hunk of hardware with the notion of improving it in some way, I'll have the proper tools at hand (and this means more than a Swiss Army Knife) and a clear enough appreciation of my true skills that, if necessary, I can back out before I do The Bad Thing.

• I resolve to be polite when speaking with any tech support person because I understand that my problems were not caused by the person I'm speaking with.

• I resolve to sit in a healthy position when working at my computer and get up and walk around every so often because I don't want to be mistaken for Quasimodo when I'm 42.

• I resolve to responsibly panic when my Mac's hard drive begins to squeak and take immediate action along the lines of backing up my data and obtaining another drive from which I can boot my Mac.

• I resolve to not repair permissions on each day with a Y in its name because I mistakenly believe that it's like giving your Mac a daily vitamin.

• I resolve to tag and rate my media-photos and music-when I first import it with the idea that two years from now I might want to find it.

• I resolve to rein in any condescension and smugness when talking computers with a PC user, understanding that not only do I not want to be one of those people, but also that my attitude may prevent a fellow human being from moving to a Mac for fear that they'd become one of those people.