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The Urban Geek As A Mugger Magnet?
CGP314 writes "I live in London and whenever I travel around, I feel like a huge target for muggers. Usually I take my laptop, iPod, cell phone and occasionally a PDA around with me. As with many geeks, these items hold within them far more value to me than anything I leave behind in my apartment. So I would like to know what my fellow urban geeks do to try and keep their valuables safe while traveling with them. I've switched my iPod headphones from the distinctive white to a boring black as a means of camouflage; are there any other suggestions?"
Ditching the white earphones was a good first step - I would also suggest not using a fancy case to carry around your laptop - those leather targus bags just scream "look at me! expensive stuff here!"
Do what I do:
- cut your own hair. badly.
- get pierced a few times.
- get a tattoo or two.
- wear old clothes. don't wash them often.
- use an old bag (bookbag/shoulderbag).
Look like you might take something rather than have something taken from you. It's remarkably easy, and it helps you avoid people that judge others by their appearance...
And never carry any weapon unless you're 100 percent confident that it couldn't be taken from you if you were surprised by four large men.
Look like you might take something rather than have something taken from you. It's remarkably easy, and it helps you avoid people that judge others by their appearance...
Except maybe police and security personnel, who are notorious about that sort of thing.
Yea, not to blame the victim but the way you hold yourself goes a long way to whether you're picked out as a target (it won't stop all the shit that may come your way but it can certainly limit it). Unfortunately I can't say what, exactly, it is that works well, but I used to walk around spanish harlem at 3 am all the time and never had any real problem. The people who lived in my place before me were mugged 3 times in 6 months. Confidence, minding your own business, and a genuine lack of fear (sometimes it helps to bringing some sort of talisman or gewgaw, like a rabbits foot or a big knife or something. Myself I found carying a 40 around was nice as it provided a) beer and b) a big heavy club).
... so be a decent bloke and your neighbors will have your back.
Lastly, know your neighborhood. A lot of crime happens close to home, if you're recognized and respected (not liked, just respected) then people will look out for you. I've had help from unexpected places on several occasions
closed minded is as closed minded does
Is it really that hard to understand that the gun is a deterrent, not a 'thugicide'? The firing of a gun in self defense is literally that - self defense. When you pull a gun (hopefully after taking one or more courses in lethal force usage) you are sending a message to the criminal : this episode is over.
90% of all self defense situations involving firearms are happily resolved without the gun being fired. That's the intention : pure deterrance with the added insurance of being able to use it in an acute emergency. That's a win for everyone.
The image the gun control crowd loves is people simply pulling a gun at every possible instance and spraying. That's simply not consistent with reality - nor is the very silly 'it'll just get taken away from you' myth.
What you want to do is to carry all your gadgets in a diaper bag. Yes, I'm serious. This is a time-tested technique. Nobody wants to steal a baby-blue or pink cute little bag full of shit.
Are you adequate?
I did that. I also dress like something between a freak and a bum and I dyed my hair blue. Anyone that hassles me I make weird comments to about aliens and my fondness for anal probes and women with three breasts.
Amazingly this tactic really cuts back on the number of girls that go out with me too. Luckily there is an easy solution.. leave the electronics at home, dress nicer, look a lil less scary, and show off how much cash you're making at your nice geek job.
Showing a little confidence has the interesting effect of scaring off muggers while attracting women. Be warned though, women are much more costly than muggers. Muggers generally don't move in with you and continue to drain your finances for long periods of time.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
You do NOT EVER shoot to kill. You shoot to live. Shoot to end the threat. If one shot to the chest kills him, you shot to live. If one shot goes wild and hits him in the arm and he drops his weapon (Whether that be a gun, a knife, or his fists) and retreats, then the threat is gone and you have no further business shooting. If three shots to the chest don't stop him and the threat is still there, keep shooting until there is no longer a threat. Shooting with the intention to kill is how you get in deep shit in court. In fact, one of the things a prosecuting lawyer (even in an obvious self defense shoot) will try to get you on is whether your ammunition was specifically designed to kill someone. Some of the best self defense ammunition such as "Hydra-shoks" and "Black Talon" will make the jury think that you meant to kill someone, whereas the more mundane "Gold Dot" is less scary, and less likely to be used against you even though all of them attempt to do the same thing: Expand to avoid overpenetration and harm to innocent people while transferring as much of the energy in the bullet to the target as possible.
Perhaps Americans value liberty more than safety. (But then, to the British, perhaps safety is liberty.)
Explain the USA PATRIOT Act in that context then, please.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
Who wants to steal my books anyway?
Me. That's some really easy money. Return stolen books, get cash. No questions.
Withdrawal before climax is very ineffective and those who try this are usually called "parents."
I'm pretty sure this has all been said before, but I'll try to put it in one place. This is an issue I think about a fair bit, because I'm a computer science grad student and wannabe photographer. Which is to say that I have some stuff that's worth stealing, but am also broke enough that I'd really miss it.
1. Don't carry valuables in a way that makes them identifiable. For example, don't use computer bags, iPod cases, and whatnot. Get a protective sleeve for your laptop and toss it in an ordinary backpack. Stick your iPod (or, in my case, ancient Rio) in a pocket. A backpack crammed with expensive electronic toys looks the same as one full of books and old tin cans.
2. Don't act or look like a good victim. Carrying yourself properly is a whole discussion in itself, so I won't even really try to cover it.
3. Don't dress or act like you've got money. You should be above status symbols anyway, but if you're not, here's another incentive.
4. Remember that your data's probably worth more than your equipment. Always keep good backups, especially for mobile devices. If your data is sensitive, either keep in encrypted or don't put it on portable devices in the first place.
5. Get insurance. Find out what your homeowner's (or renter's) insurance covers, and fork over the extra for "scheduled item" coverage on your portable valuables. I do a lot of photography, and it's infinitely more relaxing to know that if something happens to my stuff, I don't have to worry. The extra cost is somewhere around a couple % of the insured value anually, and the peace of mind is worth it. Good policies even cover accidental loss and breakage, so you're protected from your own stupidity up to a point.
6. If someone *does* mug you, just give them the damned stuff. It's not worth getting hurt over. If you've done 4 and 5, it won't even be that big a deal. But even if you haven't, it's just stuff.
I am truly amazed at the careless sense of invincibility some posters have shown in this discussion. Take my sensei's advice: when someone demands your wallet, the best escape move is to slowly and calmly remove your wallet and hand it over.
Heresay: My sensei also said that another instructor he knew tried to take down a mugger who had a knife and he ended up dead with multiple stab wounds. This would explain the development of my sensei's simpler "hand it over" technique.
One of the basic rules I learned when I took a self defense course can be roughly summed up as follows: While it is better to avoid a dangerous encounter, if you are in one, do whatever it takes to get out of a dangerous situation intact. If you survive the incident unharmed, then by definition you acted correctly.
The police statements merely prove they are morons or at least out of touch (uniformed police officers don't get mugged very often, know self defense, interact with criminals on a regular basis, and are required to carry weapons when not on duty-not typical of most of the population...). Yes, going along with the demands of a criminal may work most of the time, but if you believe differently at the time, don't follow the police advice blindly-the police aren't going to save your behind...
The comment's not racist. The poster was having a shot at people who are scared of blacks and cops who don't believe they can be rich.
Just because a joke uses racial traits doesn't make it racist, or even offensive.
Cogito, ergo sig.