Rule of Life #3: There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Rule of Life #4: Lessons are repeated until they are learned.
I suspect Rule #4 will not be repeated in this case!
I have definitely learned!
:o])
Well, I made a mistake while setting up the filesystem when installing Kubuntu on this machine. My home user directory has 18 Gigs of stuff (mostly photos) I don't want to lose -- but I didn't partition it into its own filesystem, so a new install of Kubuntu Linux will wipe it out. It looks like my only workable route is to either back it up onto the MP3 player or haul the house server machine (with its 250G drive) up from the basement so I can backup at 100 Mbps instead of 11 Mbps.
I've learned a lesson.