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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?"
If you were to look up "dumb ass bitch" in the dictionary,
there is most certainly going to be a picture of this
woman. She's cruising around a part of town where cops are
in the process of busting drug dealers, and when they stop
her, she refuses to produce her drivers license.
Did it stop there? Ohhhhh noooooo! She gets out of the car,
disappears (how the cops let this happen I don't get), and
when she comes back she is still defiant. So they slap the
cuffs on her.
Did it stop there? Uh...not quite. As the 6'6" 300+ pound
cop is walking her to the car, she grabs the guy by the
nuts and starts to squeeze. I don't mean in the good way
either.
Can you guess what happened? He beat the ever loving shit
out of her! Busted lip...broken teeth.
Just a warning ladies - most "real" men would never hit a
woman under any circumstances, unless you mess with our
balls. Once you cross that line you are fair game. It's a
survival instinct and any gender distinction you might have
had before is just simply gone. All we see is a mass of
hate trying to hurt "the boys" and you will be dealt with
most severely.
Please steal my account!
Login: Can it run Linux
Password: slashdot
I live in London...
I guess you didn't see this? They don't trust their citizens to own guns. No worry for the muggers! They don't have to risk being shot to steal all your high tech gadgets.
I agree, but should clarify. The reason to disguise your iPod ownership is not because they're particularly attractive to thieves (they're not), but because they flag the owner as likely being gay.
And have a look here at 40 Reasons to Support Gun Control.
The chances are that you will not have the same experience with guns as the mugger anyways and prob. he will take your gadgets AND the gun.
Plus carring a gun is the best way of getting shot at.
> Here in Virginia, the concealed carry permit allows one to do an imitation of Dirty Harry.
>A lead induced lobotomy cures most criminal impulses.
And even more importantly - allows the user to feel like a well-hung man. Of course, this feeling is only temporary, but that's ok - because you can also buy an attack dog and suv to fend off the inevitable creeping insecurities.
There's nothing more pathetic than a geek with a gun getting his ass completely kicked while trying to get his weapon out of his colastomy-bag-looking hip-sack. The only upside is the entertainment that it gives everyone around him lived through years of his tough-talking. Of course, the ever-so-resourceful-insecure-geek might then become even more obnoxious, by keeping his gun in his hand at all times, so that he can 'squeeze one off' before getting throttled. Luckily at that point he's almost guaranteed to get beaten to death, and end everyone else's misery.
Seriously, every geek I've ever met that has insisted he needed a gun also lived in about the safest part of town you could ever find. Then he avoided anyplace more dangerous than a theme park. I suppose there's someone out there that actually would benefit from carrying a gun, but I have yet to meet the geek that did.
PORNSURANCE!
and got held up at gun point while developing on my powerbook.
[...]
Ever since that close call, I've stuck to my "guns" when it comes to regular backups.
What is it about you so-called Mac developers (who probably write Flash or Shockwave code) who don't believe in using a properly backed ups server, running at some secure hosting site, with SOURCE CONTROL SYSTEM on it?
Every time we'd have to contract to a shop where they use macs for something, it seems like everyone just skips around with different versions of stuff on their powerbooks with no central repository for anything.
We've made use of our source code control system (and weekly backups on ISO DVD-ROMS) mandatory in our contract, and we get a lot of pushback from Mac "developers" about this.
On my PC, I use an encrypted filesystem, and I sync my code to a server-based maintained and backed up source-code control system. If someone steals my laptop, that's all they get. No work is lost or compromised.
Best Buy can have you arrested
Sucks to be British then I guess. The mugger has no such reservations against using deadly weapons against you. I'm sure you'll feel safe knowing your government prevents you from defending yourself while the guy shoots you in the gut.
Since we all have guns here in the good ol' USA, no one is ever mugged.*
* Exceptions include California, Massachusetts, Maryland, District of Columbia, where ordinary citizens** are considered incapable of excercising good judgement with respect to their rights under the constitution.
** Ordinary citizens exclude prominent judges, politicians, and celebrities.
Yes, I know that you CAN legally own concealable firearms in some of the above, but it isn't easy.
No, he can't -- you're confusing the English with people who have basic respect for themselves and for the concept of property belonging to a particular person rather than to whoever can grab it.
Yes, it was flamebait, mod me down... yet there is wisdom in my words I tell you...
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
You could shove your ipod up your ass. That way, only your special friends will access it.
Body odor is a good defense.
Yes, because that's what the government does in our country. Doesn't yours?
You do realise that assault with a deadly weapon is frowned upon in civilised society, don't you?
Fine then. I think I probably speak for a lot of people when I say: Fuck "Civilized" society.
I don't give a half a shit who the fuck you are. Try to take my shit I'll rip your fucking throat out because, frankly, I have niether the time nor the patience to deal with people fucking around with my hard earned items of interest and my laptop's worth more than the life of any crook that would take it. And, don't give me any of that "civilized society" bullshit, either. I'm not the one that dragged the two of us out of it, so don't give me a hard time for adapting to the new surroundings.
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
It's illegal and will go away soon. You Europeans have had your rights taken away for generations, so you're used to it. It ain't gonna change, you're going to be living in a brainwashed 90% tax "utopia" for quite a while.
Americans KNOW that they won't accept this shit, and changes will be made. King George will be around for an absolute maximum of four more years. Can you say the same about your dictators?
My other car is first.
It's a PORTABLE player, idiot!!!
It always cracks me up when Europeans, particularly the British, criticize the quality of the US. You guys sure didn't criticize us much about half a century ago. When you weren't running from bomb shelter to bomb shelter and eating plates of spam, you were praising our name.
Don't forget about WWI either. Same situation, same crowd. Despite your blind criticisms, we'll be glad to help you the next time one of the countries over there gets out of line.
The saddest thing is to see this attitude coming from a demolished empire. Your country used to be famously rich and powerful. You owned quite a few far-away lands that you profited from. You only recently gave Hong Kong back. Now you see the new kid on the block borrowing pages from your playbook and you start throwing rocks.
Just face facts. The US is a world power. Britain is not. The UK as a whole is not. You guys are little more than one giant beer factory, and you turn out some poorly engineered cars from time to time *cough jaguar mgb mini range rover cough*. Your time has passed, and you rue the country that stole your legendary thunder. All you're left with is a wacky accent, some bad teeth and high taxes. And GATSOs all over the place. Welcome to Brazil friend.
Nuff said.
- Better to speak your mind than to remain silent, or someone may speak for you.
And how many muggers use guns? Think before you post.
LOAD "SIG",8,1