Grad student John Boldt had his laptop (which held his thesis) stolen. But he backed everything up, so no big deal, right? Well: His backup hard drive was stolen too, and now he may have to drop out.

Poor John Boldt! Not only is he a grad school student—which we wouldn't wish on anyone—he may soon be a grad school dropout. Boldt left his laptop in his car while going for a run last week. The computer was filled with research and notes, and a thesis only three chapters away from being done. Can you see where this is going? The laptop was gone when he got back from his run, and now Boldt says he'll have to drop out of school if he doesn't get the computer back. He's offering a cash reward for its return. (This is all assuming he hasn't concocted some elaborate scheme to buy himself time on his thesis or get out of school, which isn't out of the question—you never emailed it to your advisor, dude?)

So what's the lesson here? Well, for one thing, make sure you back up your important data. But more importantly, keep your original and your back ups in different places. (Like, say on the internet.) You never know what might happen! A hard drive and a laptop right next to each other are easy targets for thieves—not to mention susceptible to fires and, like, hammers.

The other lesson, obviously, is that you should never "go for a run," because only bad things can happen when you exercise.

[CTV via Reddit]