Solid State Miracle

I just put a 1GB Ativa USB stick into the washing machine, ran the cold cycle, fished it out, and you know what? It works just fine. I’m not sure if putting it into the wash while still inside my pants pocket was the secret to its survival, but I wouldn’t recommend trying. When this precious little plastic item came up as the result of my investigation into the clangy sound in the machine after the last of the clothes came out, I will admit to panic. Grades! Lessons! Ungraded student work! Most of it exists other places, but could I be sure? How long would it take to reconstruct? What would I forget? Thankfully, I won’t have to find out. I’m feeling lucky.