Q: "Was that the important disk?" --Daniel Wong

A: This may seem like a silly question, but the answer was so delightfully simple, that I couldn't resist. Yes, Virginia, that was the important disk. How can I be so sure? Allow me to explain: I see two major possibilities, which subdivide into other categories. The first possibility is that the disk is empty. An empty disk has nearly infinite possibilities. The actual figure is a lot closer to 3.09512789942e3636320, the exact value I couldn't find a way to calculate, but for our purposes, we'll call it infinity. This is obviously the important disk. It's not vital, but it's definitely important. You can't honestly look at a 3.5" bundle of pure possibility and say it's not important can you? That would be like looking at a newborn, and saying they'd never amount to anything. I know a lot of heartless bastards, but nobody who'd stoop that low. Possibility two is the disk already has something on it. This possibility opens the door for many possibilities. Is the data on the disk yours? Is it your homework? Is it homework that hasn't been turned in? If it's yours, and it's not homework...odds are it's something you want (It's the important disk). If it's someone else's and it's not homework, it could be interesting, or at least good for blackmail (once again the important disk). If it's someone else's homework that they haven't turned in, we again see the possibility for blackmail, bribery, and the owing of favors. Depending on who the other party is, this could be a very important disk. The major remaining possibility is, of course, homework that's already been turned in. In this case, I'm surprised you still know where the disk is. It is still, however, the important disk. Disks have an amazing ability that we humans lack. They can start over fresh. They can take all the things they wish they didn't know, and replace them with the things they wish they did know. The Format option really is a beautiful thing. You can take a disk full of Maple assignments, and return it to its full original potential. From there you can fill it with poetry, pictures, music, or new and different Maple assignments. I was actually lying when I said there were 2 possibilities. There is a third. As grand as they are, disks are still imperfect entities. They are not phoenix's, destined to rise eternally from the ashes of their former selves. After enough rebirths, or after a particularly harsh life, they find eternal rest in the land of lost data. At this point in their lifecycle they are no longer useful, but they are still important. The data they contained is lost forever, their potential is spent. Hopefully the world continues in their absence, but it will never be the same. If your disk still has a few years in it, then put those years to use. You'll always miss them when they're gone, but you won't miss them quite so much if you put them to good use while you had 'em. So get out of here, stop reading, and if you get a chance let me know how they're doing. They're all the important disk.