re: Thumb drives
Couple weeks ago, I found an 80-G portable hard drive for around $85+tax at Best Buy. It draws power through the USB port, is about the size of a standard postcard by about 1/4" thick, and its case is reportedly designed by the same folks who bring us the Lamborghini. I'm not using it to back up my system, but I could: my home box's HD is 80G, and I've only filled about 1/3 of it.
For the curious: the office network contains, among other things, a huge bunch of shared music files ripped from CDs by many of my co-workers (and me, too). Suddenly, my personal music collection is voluminous and tiny. Sure, I need a PC to play it on, but I've got one in both of the places I spend any time in. (In the car, I listen to NPR.)