If you like what you do (i.e. develop in .Net), getting up to speed isn't that hard. The differences between .Net 2.0 and 4.0 aren't all that great. If you're worried that doing it on your own won't be enough, take a class. There are tons.

But your tone suggests that really the problem is you don't want to make the effort. I understand that. I'm 43, and often when confronted with the need to learn some new technology, I feel loathing rather than excitement. If that's your problem, then maybe it is time to switch careers. Congratulations on deciding you're not a good manager. Now find something else.

Yes, set up a test environment. And implement some kind of versioning system, even if it's just "cp current_code old_code". You should always be able to fall back if you have a botched deployment.

But one of the best things you can do is to start writing documentation. I like to write my documentation assuming it will be my replacement reading it, and so I try to include everything. Justify every unusual implementation detail, explain why each task was down the way it was. List bugs, and any code you had to write to work around it. The best part of documenting your project will be that as you work through it, you'll find things that no longer make sense and make them better.

I spent a lot of time looking into this, and went with the new Lumix GX1. For several years I've had a small point and shoot, and found that I simply didn't want the bulk of an SLR. Smaller camera bodies and smaller lenses was the big selling point, especially now that the Micro Four Thirds cameras generally have the same picture quality as entry-level SLRs. For me it came down to the Lumix G3 and the GX1; I decided I didn't need a viewfinder and tilt-and-swivel screen, and so went with the GX1. I used to be a big SLR fan when I took pictures with film, but I find now that I have to wear glasses having a viewfinder is a nuisance.

"...[A] four-layered structure"?!?

Seriously?

Everyone knows a Big Mac has five layers. What they created was a McDouble. Or, if you're in California and parts of Arizona, a Double Double.

I used to track down the people who were using my address and set them right. I took a certain delight in contacting people and saying "You don't know me, but you're using my email address and you should stop." In fact, I have an amusing story about it.

Years ago, my home email address was [my first name]@[big isp].net. This was around 10 years ago, and fairly often someone with the same first name as me would sign up and merrily start handing out my email address.

One day I logged in and check my email, and find several email messages clearly meant for someone else. Included in the messages were receipts from online shops, which included the other man's home address, though not his phone number. At first I wasn't going to do anything about it, but then I found a message from a gentleman that this other person had met at a gay bar.

I didn't mind that someone was giving my email address to various vendors online, but now it was a little more personal, so I took action.

Having the person's street address, I tried the phone directory, but found that his home number was unlisted. So I called a friend of mine who worked at a law firm, and asked them if they could do any searches on scary privacy-invading databases and get the man's home phone number. My friend couldn't promise anything, saying "unlisted phone numbers can be pretty hard to get".

A couple hours later my friend called me back. "His number is unlisted, and I couldn't get it. But his wife's number was pretty easy to find."

I called the number and left a message "This message is for [first name]; you've been using my email address, and given the sensitive nature of the email messages I've been getting, you probably don't want to do that."

The misdirected emails stopped immediately.