In reply to UKC Articles:
Good article and some interesting points in the thread.
One thing I would add to the 'Don't be a Hero' subject is if the cracks (for example) don't look great it's sometimes better to just continue climbing rather than spending time getting pumped while placing shit gear. Of course this again requires judgement and hopefully evidence of good holds / a rest point above.
I think some of the above anecdotes are good reason not to make the abseil tail too long, along with the fact that it's more likely to get caught in a crack or something.
I think the only near misses I've had whilst abseiling/lowering off have been due to a breakdown in communication. One time I shouted down to my (inexperienced) partner waiting at the foot of the crag to check if the rope had reached the ground. I thought it was obvious I meant BOTH ends of it!
Another time was while climbing on a crag which topped out on a ridge without any obvious sign of a belay. My mate lowered me down the other side, using himself (at the bottom) as the anchor. This worked fine until I reached a ledge halfway down. He assumed I'd reached the ground and took me off belay.