I also have a dd reading my NAS once a month. It catches bad sectors and forces issues into the open.

I just use dd. It can take days, but it’s worth it.

I’ve used these kinds of disks in my NAS at least since 2017 with no issues. Just test thoroughly before using. I usually do SMART short and long tests, and then a bit by bit write and read of the entire disk. I’ve caught a couple that failed right away. If it passes that, then it’s usually good for years.

The ones I usually carry around to introduce people to good boardgames are: Hive Portable it can get as complicated as chess, but is really easy to pick up for kids and adults. Carcassonne chill and you can pick and choose expansions Forbidden Island (and its family) it’s a fun cooperative game that’s easy for kids to pick up.

Have you tried Wyrmspan? It’s an improved version with Dragons. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/410201/wyrmspan

Croissant, egg, and cheese, too

TT-RSS has worked well for me since Google Reader was killed.

Have you considered a 3 meter aircraft carrier?

Shibboleth

Same in Missouri. It used to be that they’d assume sweet tea, but that’s changed in the past 10 years.