Chicagoist: Ask Chicagoist: Will I Ever See My Laptop Again?

sarahmazing

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:05:16 -0600

Who the fuck would go to someone's house, enjoy their hospitality, and then steal their laptop This doesn't really help anyone, but you'd be surprised. I don't think I know anyone who's thrown a party that involved drinking and people bringing guests and they didn't get something stolen. One of my friends used to have shows in her basement and eventually stopped because people broke into the locked house and stole a bunch of their shit, and another one of my friends let a band stay at his house once, to wake up the next morning and find the band AND his iPod gone. Lesson learned: people are douchebags.

literati

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:45:27 -0600

Don't bother with laptop locks either - they're the sort of thing that offers the illusion of security, without actually providing much. I used to work in a computer shop, and I had to move a couple machines that had been locked, and the keys misplaced. 30 seconds and a plain-old pair of scissors later, all the security cables were gone. So lock 'em in a room, folks!

HurricaneDitka

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:07:39 -0600

I threw a NYE party at my place and discovered in the morning that my girlfriend's cellphone was missing. We spent hours cleaning the place and calling the phone, figuring it was under a couch cushion or something. A few hours later, her mother calls me and asks why she was hung up on and never called back. At that point we realize that some walked out of the house with her phone and had been ignoring all of our calls and texts. At this point, I started calling everyone that had brought any unknown friends and told them the situation. Within 5 hours, someone had "found" the phone. Good luck.

Lintilla

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:37:12 -0600

There is also software that will connect to the internet and transmit useful information like the thief's IP address back to you. Of course, it will only help you if you install it BEFORE your stuff gets stolen.

YoknapatawphaTourismBoard

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:10:35 -0600

I remember reading somewhere that there is software that will wipe the harddrive if someone connects to the internet with it if you've reported it stolen. Now I can't find anything in a Google search, but it seems to me that this would be a fine idea if you keep personal/financial information on it anywhere (tax returns or bank statements). Renters insurance would cover this, less the deductable. Though if a replacement is, say, $800 and the deductible is $500, then you're only getting $300 but with a rate increase. If the replacement is $2000, obviously, time to make the phone call.

Rachelle Bowden

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:10:21 -0600

renters insurance was my first thought too... i have it and my apt was broken into the year before last.. boy was i glad i had it! it's kind of a pain, but at least i got some $$ for what was taken... not that any amt of money would make up for lost data. bleh, that just blows!

Spav1

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:32:03 -0600

Having a sober person at a party is the worst advice ever. Who would want the job of "looking after valuables"? Better just to put shit all in one room and lock it, or lock it in your car for the night. Sober at a party equals no fun equals someone who can remember all the crazy shit you did and judge you for it. No thanks.

smussy

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:31:26 -0600

i'm a hypocrite for saying this, since i never manage to get around to getting any, even after one of my roommates burned his room down ... but would this have been covered by renters' insurance? it's so cheap for the security it gives.

biscuitcleaver

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:55:00 -0600

Since Macs run on a form of UNIX you can write your own and run those scripts to sound off its IP address whenever it changes. So, if you use your laptop at home - your IP address will never change. However, when you go to the coffee shop or change location with your laptop, it'll have a new address (since now you're on a different network). So, at that point, you just have your trusty mac look for that change and then send an e-mail to your e-mail account or phone and keep you updated whenever it notices an IP address change. You can then use an IP address to help locate where the computer is. These scripts are called Cron Tabs. Your home IP address never changes, unless you specify (and pay for it). Here's a decent article on using cron tabs to track a laptop - don't install anything you don't feel completely safe about, just fyi. http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060903051225347

Hugh G Rection

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:26:58 -0600

Indeed, who knows what your computer might do. If you get a new Macbook or MB Pro, get coverage beyond the one year included. Unless, of course, you enjoy paying for flickering display repairs and the like out of pocket. (Hugh G Rection is a bitter MacBook owner.)