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Slashdot Asks: Do You Label Your Tech Gear, and If So, How?
At last month's CES, I mislaid a microphone that I'd just bought: too many items in little black pouches, and that one disappeared on a patch of dark carpet when I got something else out of my bag. A few minutes later, when I realized this, I walked back to find (no shocker) that it had walked away, and the lost mic somehow never made it to the Lost & Found office. Dumb as I felt for having let it get away, the real sting is knowing that I didn't so much as have my name on it, which I like to think might have nudged a morally ambivalent finder into returning it. My question is this: How do you personalize, label, or mark your expensive tech goodies, so it's harder for them to be innocently or less-innocently taken away? Even at a LAN party, it's easy for items to get swapped around and confused. I've sometimes put my name or initials (in permanent ink) on any flat surface I can find that will fit it, but even the "permanent" ink of Sharpies seems to fade on many surfaces. Stickers degrade with heat, time, and bag jostling, but they certainly help. Is engraving the best permanent option? Have you used one of the physical tag services, like Boomerang, and has that ever actually come in handy for you? There's theft-deterrent (or at least post-theft tracking) software, as we've mentioned a few times on Slashdot, but many things aren't suited to it, like my lost mic. What do you do to keep your stuff yours?
Really, guys...
some of us have grown up, and longer go to either trade shows or LAN parties 8D
on a more serious note, get an engraver
Wrist straps work well since they keep the object(s) connected to you.
Factories don't consider "permanent" marker permanent. It comes off too easy. They use paint markers instead. Available at all better hardware stores.
Then you're a fucking thief. It's not yours. Either fuck off or get it to a Lost&Found.
Stickers can easily peel off. Engraving is easy to overlook unless the lighting is right. High-contrast "permanent" ink sticks around. Yes it fades over time, but it only takes a few seconds per year to freshen it up.
For electronics I also try to put contact info somewhere obvious - My flash drives all have "IF YOU FIND THIS.txt" as one of the few files in the root folder, and my phones all have _Me as the very first entry on the contact list.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
If I found something, even with a name on it, I'd keep it. Finders keepers and all that.
That's unethical and you contribute to making the world a worse place by doing that.
Sharpies are disallowed at my lab because the writing is so easily removed. They're expensive, but writing with a VWR lab marker doesn't come off even when treated with most solvents.
"Contains Contaminated Body Fluids" usually keeps people from touching my stuff.
I like microcars
Engraving is the only (mostly) unremovable way to mark things, and I have found in the past that the simple phrase "Reward If Found" and a phone number have gotten me and several friends some of their items back. Either that, or "Stolen From (insert Name)". That way, even if the thief doesn't think better of his acquisition, he'll at least be reminded he's a morally corrupt shitbag every time he picks it up.
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
How about these they have drawbacks but would have alerted you more quickly http://www.thetileapp.com/
The first several replies here aren't too useful. If that continues, ask band roadies on an appropriate forum. The band I used to do lights for did up to three shows per weekend, so there was plenty of opportunity for an expensive cable to end up in the wrong person's case and that sort of thing.
Something as simple as a stripe of blue paint on ALL of your gear will really help avoid accidents. For intentional theft, if you want the pawn shop to _maybe_ notice it, engraving is probably the only way to go.
Splotches of unusual colors are easily identified. Amongst piles of gear.
I can't change others' morals and not make them thieves. But I do label stuff simply so it doesn't get confused. We all have so many big power transformers to power every device and, well, I end up moving every 2-3 yrs. How will I know what all they go to? Some look identical and even have the same plugs! But not the same wattage or amperage, which makes equipment go bananas. So... for at least THAT reason it's wise to label stuff.
This is good general advice for life, too.
Bic Mark It Marker or White Out
Let Dry 3 or more days
Apply one or more coats of clear nail polish, increasing the circumference with each successive coat. Expect longer drying times on surfaces which are not fingernails.
About all I do is mark my dead hard drives with a big D-E-A-D and an 'X' with a ballpoint pen before throwing them into my dead-hard-drive pile (I use them to test disk driver error handling code paths so they don't get thrown away). Actual hardware... no point labeling it, really, it's just a waste of time.
Oh wait, I do use those cool Intel and AMD cpu stickers on the cases, helps me keep track of which cpu is in which computer :-)
What I do find useful is collecting together all the extra tidbits that come with a product (motherboards in particular) and throwing them into a small labeled box. Ultimately when it comes time to recycle the HW after it has gotten too old, I throw the box away at the same time or, if a friend can use the old HW, I dig into it to refurbish as much as possible and then hand it and the box over.
-Matt
There's an added benefit of making the thing you label less attractive to others (depending on where you put the engraving).
Product page says "BoomerangIt Packs and Subscriptions are no longer available for purchase." I can't find anything written about it in the last seven years, except this: http://boomerangit.wordpress.c...
Even its offshoot the National Bike Registry seems a it moribund.
I use a dedicated label printer to print small tags that I attach to cables - it wraps around and sticks to itself. Most of the label printer labels are plastic and very hardy. The adhesive will stick to lots of other things really well.
For larger items (like a monitor) I'll tape a business card to it.
Labeling cables is a good idea anyway, especially for saying what device a power cord from a wall-wart goes to.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I use simple labels from a PTouch labeler with my name and phone number, to make it easy for honest people to find me. For the dishonest, they can peel off the label.
I do put sticker right on the apple logo side of my macbook air, but not for the sake of the security. I use it as simple ad. I dine and meet to huge number of people in caffees and places like that so why missing a chance to advertise to a passing crowd?
That's unethical
Thanks for your personal opinion.
You lose your shit and I find it, it becomes my shit.
I was actually intrigued by BoomerangIt, until I noticed that a) "BoomerangIt Packs and Subscriptions are no longer available for purchase." and b) the cart indeed does not exist.
I'm a little fuzzy on how you a) start a business selling labels that promise long-term lookup&return, then b) stop selling new labels and thus getting new income, while c) still being required ("nominally") to provide the lookup&return service, without d) running out of money and imploding.
Am I missing something with either their site or their apparent lack of business model???
GStreamer - The only way to stream!
My eyes are bad.. I use paratrooper cord in dayglo colors. Mch better than blacl bag on black carpet. And you can organize your cables.
Thieving twat
I have labels on some of my more expensive They are very durable as well, the labels on my laptop have been on there for three years.
My solution is to just not lose stuff.
I always pack my things the same way, I put things down in the same place.
That way I don't forget things usually.
It's been working so far.
Generally the only time I can't find something is if someone else takes something, and that really isn't going to be solved by having my name on it.
Careful, some of us nerds can deadlift three times your weight. Bring it on asshole. You are a thief, period, and should be treated as such.
You're either very young, in which case hopefully you'll grow out of this selfish attitude and develop respect for other people, or you're an adult, in which case you're probably going to have a lonely dissatisfied life. Peace out, motherfucker.
If I get a device that uses a generic unlabeled power supply I'll mark it with a silver Sharpie to remind me what it goes to.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
If I find your car, even though it has a license plate on it, can I keep it?
Actually it is. According to the law you have a responsibility to attempt to return found items and money to the original owner and failing that to turn it in to the authorities.
But obviously you don't care because your an AC troll just trying to swear a lot because you think it makes you sound more like an adult (hint: it doesn't).
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
Shut the fuck up and go back to bed, junior.
And of course one more springs to mind. A self-portrait displayed prominently when someone first opens your gadget - be that as your account image on your laptop or the lock-screen background on your smartphone. Give a stranger in the crowd a chance to spot the person they should hand it back to.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Then you're a thief, and a twat.
Hint: Grown ups don't write like that. Stay in school, kid.
Seconded. We had spray painted stencils on anything larger than 12". For mics and cables we used colored duct tape and wrote on that with a Sharpie. Every gig ended with a "dummy check" at the end of the night: even if you think everything is in the truck, it never hurts to make one last check (onstage, backstage, etc.). You'd be surprised how many times something turned up in a dummy check.
Designate one person as the gear wrangler. Teach him the Roadie's Creed:
If it's wet, drink it.
If it's dry, smoke it.
If it moves, fuck it.
If it doesn't move, PUT IT IN THE TRUCK.
-k.
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
Depends on the item, but stuff that looks like junk doesn't walk away. Don't break it just add a ding or two, use sand paper, or add duct tape make people less interested in grabbing stuff for some reason.
Paintpens and label makers, depending on what the unit is. Also always labeled with my FCC call sign.
I'm a musician as well as a hacker. I adopted the rock climber's trick of two bands of coloured electrical tape wrapped beside each other on the cable like a little flag, done at both ends of the cable. Works like a charm for speedy tear downs without losing gear.
- you can tell your cable at either end, greatly speeding up tear down
- unlikely anyone else has your flag because you are say "yellow red yellow"
- hard to peel off in a hurry (for theives)
- easy to see in the dark if you use bright colours
HTH
Laptop(s), tablets and phone I travel with have Lojack (or equivalent) service installed. Best case scenario is I can find it, worst case is I can reach out and turn it into a brick. I put laminated business cards in packages. Zip tie laminated business cards to some items and my bags. There's also a laminated business card or two tucked into my laptop behind covers so I can prove ownership, down the road, even if it gets wiped. Cables, etc. of any value get labels. Tools and small items get run through my employer's laser engraver. Still, small items occasionally go missing, either misplaced or stolen. Had a beard trimmer disappear out of my bag once, who'd want a used beard trimmer? It's not a perfect world, just do the best you can.
Did you know there are two kinds of Sharpie markers? Did you ever get the impression that Sharpie markers don't work as well as they used to?
The real ones are now called Sharpie Industrial and they still work.
You're so fucking wrong. Possession is 9/10ths of the law, stupid faggot. I find it, I keep it because the loser gave it to me tacitly. Don't want that to happen? Then don't be a careless moron, losing your shit and then whining and crying like a little bitch because the world isn't fair and you're an entitled little shit.
Now get the fuck out, n00b.
I'm glad you have such a simple outlook. Then you'll understand when I say, if I find you with my shit, and you don't hand it back over, you're going to wake up, broken, in a hospital.
Sure, if I were so stupid to lose my car then that would be fair game. Too bad for you, I'm not a fucking idiot and I don't lose stuff.
Fuck, what are you Slashdot losers? A bunch of fucking retards perpetually losing your shit?
Massive douchebag. I often wonder to myself how people like you actually exist in life. Where do people like you come from? How were you formed into the piece of shit that you've become in life?
Shut the fuck up, little dweeb. People like you live because people like me ALLOW you to live.
Tenacious D - Roadie : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3BamIKUnZ0
These are great, and I use them on all my gear. The kit includes a variety of sizes and shapes. The adhesive is very strong and will stick to virtually any surface, and the label is protected by a transparent plastic coating that makes it very resistant to scratches. The printing is rated for fade resistance after several years in the outdoors, and the price is just right.
http://www.mavericklabel.com/p...
Disclaimer: I used to work at this company. They're good people.
HAHAHAHAHA! That's some hilarious shit right there.
Yeah, come waste me little dork. I could end your life with a single punch.
Like my cat, I just pee on everything that's mine. Or that I want to be mine. Works like a charm.
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
Clearly a child there. Doesn't realize assault caries a prison term. Adults with that attitude end up spending quality time in our penal system.
Someone obviously picked it up and decided NOT to bring it to the reception or Lost And Found. How would a label on the item matter? How were you thinking when you wrote this up, Tim?
Had an iPod stolen with my name and phone number engraved. One of the first thing they did was scratch that off.
you're funny. and sad. and clearly barely into your teens.
I mark all of my IT and electronics kit with permanent ink that is only visible with a black light. Pens were given to me by the local police.
Actually all of the above posts were all by me (AC) I was just having an internal debate about what to do with this crappy microphone I found and didn't realize I was typing out loud.
I work for a small touring company, mainly ballet's and some Choirs we use a Hi- tech solution, RFID tags and a scanner on everything, when it goes into the truck or a bag gets loaded its scanned (only takes a second and you can scan packed bags and it pick up everything) end of the night/gig the generated list is checked for missing items. WE haven't lost a thing in 3 years (broke a few but thats to be expected)
This is some fine comedy right here. I wish you the best of luck in your future career as a bouncer or a prisoner. Do try to finish junior high school first.
I use labels.
I mark my cables with colored hair ties just like one would use to tie a pony tail in their hair. The are cheap, Easy to find in many colors, and are easy to put on. Sadly they are easy to remove too but I haven't encountered that problem yes. Also good for marking long cables in the house. I know the blue tie on the ethernet cable goes to the master bedroom and the green tie to my daughter's room. Simple markings.
--- Always remember. 99.36% of all statistics are inaccurate.
It might have, because it's a more personal kind of "stealing" than from some unknown person.
Though some would in either case and some would in neither. No prizes for guessing which group you fall into though.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
If I found something, even with a name on it, I'd keep it. Finders keepers and all that.
That's unethical and you contribute to making the world a worse place by doing that.
Not to mention that whole 'legal' thing. All states have "receiving stolen goods" laws on the books... which usually includes possession.
There is even a federal receipt of stolen goods law (18 U.S. Code 2315) that applies to anyone who "receives, possesses, conceals, stores, barters, sells, or disposes of" anything worth $5000 or more.
But, it is more likely you would be charged at the State level.
A $10 / month Amerinoc hosting account for their web site will include MySQL. If that MySql allows finders to query just one item per second, that's tens of thousands of queries per day. Their PHP script then emails the registered owner. I don't see anything here that requires more than a few dollars per month, so leaving the service up until subscriptions run out shouldn't be a problem.
I'm assuming they don't get a large volume of phone calls every day for some reason.
Engraving with a highlighting color written into the engraving. It shows well and rubs off/out more slowly. Renew as needed. With a little work anything can be removed. You can hide it inside but then people can't see it, you can only use it as proof later if you find it. So the question becomes how much work do you want to do or how much do you want to spend?
I worked in a computer forensics lab and we had several road kits. I labeled all the power supplies, devices, etc with a P-Touch so they didn't get mixed up on someone else's kit. It at least cleared up confusion as to what belongs to who when we went on big collections. :)
As a photographer I routinely walk around with a couple of grands worth of camera gear.
I don't label.
Many years in the submarine service taught me to be organized and to pay the hell attention to what I was doing. Labels are like locks, while they're somewhat better than nothing, all they really do is keep honest people honest. They make you feel better because you're Doing Something, but really they're only a small part of the solution.
I was always sober at CES and kept my wallet in a tight pocket and my stuff is a large briefcase. Never put anything down where 100,000 people are roaming around.
A friend of mine who is a mechanic got tired of his tools being stolen around the garage. Even ones that were engraved. He found a company that made tools that were fluorescent pink. He hasn't had a single tool stolen since.
Panasonic with Viera, Samsung with Anynet+ (monitor) -HDTV's, Denon Home Theater, and a PS3 that I watch NetFlix on. Four controllers I use all the time, and none of them talk to each other; the monitor mentions it's going to power down if there's no controller activity in 15 seconds; I have find that one fast.
Colored duct tape is how I find them fast, well after I manage to get them all together and that can be a chore.
The special Sony controller is suppose to control the PS3, Home Theater, HDTV, but alas it's a Sony Home Theater you find out in the manual - it will control the Panasonic but only the channels and volume not enough to be that useful.
You left your car in a parking lot so I took it, it's mine now.
I was never a fan of re-labeling anything. It makes it obvious it's being tracked and is another layer of complexity in tracking the item. Most serial numbers are embedded in electronic device bios / firmware so this makes it easy to query using remote management (e.g. WMI, SNMP) as well as tracking software. The serial number is usually printed on the device and bar coded for your convenience. Most small claims courts (if it goes that far) won't argue with you if you have a record of the serial number in your possession.
...Finders keepers and all that.
Ah yes, "finders keepers" the law of the elementary school playground...
Here in the grown-up world, there are other laws. If you were a grown-up, living in the Silicon Valley, instead of "finders keepers" you would be charged with something called "Possession of stolen property" penal code section 496. Depending on the value (@ $400) it would either be a misdemeanor or a felony; with penalties of one year in county jail, or three years in state prison, respectively.
Although "possession" means that you have the stuff on you, you can also be charged with "constructive possession of stolen property" which means that they find the stuff in your house or room or car.
If you are in possession of something that isn't yours, you have a duty to notify the police or the owners.
My pliers have a sticker on them that says "pliers." My diagonal cutters have a hang tag that says "diagonal cutters" since a sticker that said "diagonal cutters" would not fit on the handle. And so on for all of my tools.
Then on the wall, there is a picture of some "diagonal cutters" where the diagonal cutters go, and there is a picture of some pliers where the pliers go. There's a box drawn on the desk labeled "oscilloscope" where the oscilloscope goes, and there's a box drawn on the desk labeled "isolation transformer" where the isolation transformer goes.
See, I'm seriously retarded, and I need 5S to keep me organized, because I would have no idea where to put these things were it not drawn out for me like I'm 5.
Pink zip ties. Works fine in small groups.
You must be a christian they do things like that!
until someone claims it was stolen (because the loss could never be due to their incompetence) and you end up with 5 years in the pen for the fall back crime when they cannot pin theft on you but find you with the goods "receiving stolen property".
But hey, you might be able to spend enough money to have a lawyer argue your way out of it. But then you have problems with the legal definition between lost and misplaced and various requirements to report found property which differ from area to area.
In the situation described in the article, the item would likely have been deemed misplaced and not lost and taking the item could be considered theft. Do as you want, just be prepared for consequences should they arise.
Can we mod this whole article (-1) Flamebait and move on? I see enough troll food here to keep them fed for weeks.
/. might just be a little too advanced for you. Even so, this is a community that openly discusses stealing copies of Windows and other legally questionable acts. The advice may be good, but we also know how to work around most of the preventions you put in place (and if we don't Google probably does).
/. is to keep the trolls fed here so they don't interfere with actual insightful comments elsewhere.
Seriously, if you don't know how to label your stuff as yours and/or keep track of it,
But really, the only reason this article should exist on
Give your gear a proper branding. Yeehaw!
How to I label maker? Really?
Be more careful and don't lose your shit. If I found something, even with a name on it, I'd keep it. Finders keepers and all that.
You are "what's wrong with the world today". You probably text in movie theaters and while driving because, you know, it's all about you. Right?
... with my DNA.
In the case cited, a business card slipped into the case/box/etc can be a quick identifier. Folded if necessary for a smaller item. For people who don't normally have business cards, then make some for such instances out of card stock or printer paper, and cut along the lines. Most office or publishing programs will help you design and print cards. A hand-written card is also okay, and might even be better in the instance mentioned.
Looking at space, radio, science and computing from a 'down-under' amateur enthusiast perspective.
Damn, you traded the Blues Mobile for a microphone, then you lost the microphone. Pure fail, all 'round.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
In some countries this would be theft by finding.
Even an AOL cd
You can keep them!
We all lose stuff. The real question is what inconvenience was caused. If it is not very high, just buy another and move on. It might irk you if you think it's expensive, but after a while the cost will fade into the background. Not worth obsessing over.
yes that "lost iphone" caused a but-load of hurt for a number of people - at at least gawker could play there "we are journalists card" to mitigate some of the legal come back a member of joe public not so much.
I mostly label cables whenever there are a lot of them or it gets complicated.
Every ethernet jack is labeled with a number. The same number is written on the cable at the switch.
It lets me do things like disconnect a given jack by unplugging it from the switch. Or diagnose issues by substituting different appliances.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
A group of Anonymous Cowards playing the Internet Tough Guy game together is honestly pretty funny.
That judge will surely be convinced if you dismiss the law as their personal opinion.
I used to come to Slashdot not only for great stories but also solid comments... Seems things have changed these days and Slashdot is letting kids post ridiculous comments... Call me grandpa, but we're better than this.
I use a Brother P-Touch labeling machine, with 1" black print on white background, extra strength, non-laminated label tapes. These label tapes cost less than $0.02 per foot for intelligent geeks, and $1.00 per foot for marketing idiots. (Which are You?)
I label every cable in my place, on both ends, with where it goes. This is not an "it's mine!" thing, rather it's an "this goes here" thing. I tore down my entertainment center (3 rackounts, plus screen, plus other stuff) and rewired it in a new set of cabinets in one try. Every single thing worked on the first try.
I use the same labels to identify items that might be "mislaid" like laptops and cell phones. One label is very prominent. It has my name and a way to contact me. There are many other labels, on the internal HDD, under batteries, and the like. I had to use them once against one of my students (I'm a teacher) who tried to make off with my cell phones. She got sent to the alternative school.
A label with Your name and phone number on a USB flash drive will most likely get You a text message saying "USB drive in room A159." It saves my students' butts every day.
Engrave your info into the item, then go over it with a high-contrast permanent-ink marker. Sure, the surface ink can be removed, but a lot of it will settle into the grooves and be pain to get out completely. Also, add some bright neon orange, red or yellow duct tape to the item so that it won't blend in with the background so easily. If you want it recoverable, you could add a boomerang tag (or any of the other services like it) but that will require the person(s) that find your devices to actually have some degree of morals. If you think the item may eventually work its way into a pawn shop or police evidence locker, then you could go with something less visible like Cop-Dots etc. Each of these things can increase the possibility you will either not lose the item in the first place, or get it back when you do lose it. But, sadly, nothing can guarantee it...
What do you do to keep your stuff yours? Simply as this... We should have to be really taking care of the things we have. We know the fact that Its not all the time we can manage to think, see or check it every once in a while. I think! It doesn't matter though if we put name, sticker, or markings to let everyone know that it's ours. If someone wants to steal it? then they really wanted to do it! because it's a sickness from them that they'd like to steal without the knowledge of everybody. On my own Opinion, If I were to asked? why not keep it myself, hand it carefully or after using something keep it. But still just be watchful of your belongings.
With none other than my Brother P-Touch PT-2710!!!
-- Daniel R. Blair Senior Software Architect/Unix & FreeBSD Guru/DJ w: http://unixcoders.org t: @freebsd_hacker
But even if you're a fine upstanding citizen, and return the lost property to the "lost and found", wouldn't the holders of the lost and found also be possessing stolen property? What protects them from the same fate as a thief?
This whole discussion mixes legal and moral issues. All that aside, the article is asking "What's the best way to write my name on my stuff?". Maybe there is no one simple answer, but there are many alternatives. How about claiming the lost item on your insurance?
I wonder if your roadies have the same creed as above....
I pee on my equipment so that it has my DNA all over it :)
Then a "morally ambivalent finder" can have the items checked for DNA, and *BANG*, the item is returned to my door step by a smiling courier :)
If it doesn't move, PUT IT IN THE TRUCK.
This explains some of the 'wake up in a strange place, without a clue' scenarios I used to experience frequently in the 1960's and 1970's.
I'm not sure I whether I should be relieved, or more frightened now.....
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
Not recommended for use on co-workers.
I would beg to differ with you on this point.
Since I started roping and dragging co-workers to the fire, then branding them, no one comes in my office and disturbs me anymore. I find I am much more focused and sane now. ;-)
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
For me I don't usually label my things, It's just I Don't Like. Because I really take care of them. Actually it only depends on the owner how he/she will took care of the things they have so that it will not be stolen. If you will just be mindful and watchful of your things it will not be stolen. Unless if you let that someone!
At home I always label AC adapters (chargers and power bricks) with the name of the device.
I use a marker on a piece of paper fully covered by transparent duct tape.
It turns out to be a very good habit, many times I've been glad to have done it.
I also add my name for the cell phone chargers, as they can be brought here and there in other places.
This isn't against thieves but to avoid that someone makes a mistage and tage mine, or just in case I forget it somewhere.
If I were afraid of being robbed by some people I have to be with, I would etch my name on the device and its parts.
Any steel spike do the job. On visible areas as well on concealed or internal spot of the device.
Possession of stolen property requires that the property was stolen in the first place.
To steal something requires (among other elements) an intent to deprive the rightful owner of enjoyment of the property.
If you take something for the purpose of turning it in, that intent is not present and thus the property is not considered stolen.
yeah yeah, I'm sure you were the top the class in navy seals and have over 500 confirmed kills...
If it's wet, drink it.
If it's dry, smoke it.
If it moves, fuck it.
If it doesn't move, PUT IT IN THE TRUCK.
Really? Advocating rape en passant like this?
Someone please moderate this.
Lowest priority - ROTN
Med priority - ROTN2
High priority - ROTN3
Holy shit! We're fucked now! - ROTN4
Well that's how I do mine at least.
Varnish! (Works a treat for colour coding things like laptop PSUs.)
John_Chalisque
Cheap label maker for me - wall warts (what they go to), external hard drives (size etc), phones (contact info if found), hell even ski boot with my name because I sometimes end up in a house with 20 other people. Just make it easy for me to tell what things are, and easy for others to return junk to me. Not theft deterrent.
They come from Pabst-guzzling white trash.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
I've been putting StuffBak (http://www.stuffbak.com) stickers on all of my tech stuff (and other things like suitcases) for a while now. Since then I haven't lost anything, but I think it's a good investment.
Don't believe in IP either, I'll bet.
... "finder's keepers and all that" ... yeah, right.
Try reading Pirate Cinema . Absent evidence to the contrary, I think the hero in this book is a self-centered solipsistic me-firster who is more than a little representative of the type
But then again, the evil-doers in the book are front-page news today IRL as they try to write their ownership tags on infrastructure items like the internet. Sort of as if I were to go paint a great big "This road is mine, pay toll at the stop sign", which I would back up by standing by said stop sign with a squeegee and a can of spray paint, so I could deliver the appropriate thank you to the people who deign to drive "my" highway.
"There is no god but allah" - well, they got it half right.
It's been about 20 years since I did this, but back-in-the-day, I worked for a school district that hand-engraved every single piece of equipment that it purchased. I was responsible for deploying a few hundred PCs, from receiving from our vendor to physical setup and software installation. Somewhere early in the process, I had to write down a serial number, assign and put on an asset tag sticker, and then use a Dremel to "neatly" (as good as I could do at 15 years old) engrave the school district's initials into the chassis somewhere (usually the underside or rear). Looking back on it now, I probably could have saved myself a lot of headache if I had engraved every single device in a similar fashion at all of my employers since then. Yeah, removing small chunks of plastic or metal may not be the ideal solution, but it certainly is one of the more permanent solutions. I haven't looked at laser engraving, perhaps that's a bit "neater".
Now I have a sudden urge to carve my initials into my belongings..
Don Head
UNIX/Linux Administrator
I find I am much more focused and sane now
I would beg to differ with you on this point. :-)
John
Handheld diamond engraver for Laptops, cameras, phones. Sometimes wipe in white or black marker to make obvious. :-)
Sharpie WHITE paint marker on larger items like Kayaks, dark microphones etc.
Email Address. If you see terry@terryking.us it's MINE
Regards, Terry King
You need xylene to wash that shit off.
I dunno about you, but I get address labels every freaking day from a wide range of charities. Apparently recent research has shown it ups their take if they send you this stuff (along with a note pad, nickel, cards...). Unless you send out a lot of snail mail (more than one a month, for me), what else are they good for?
Paint pens work well too. Better than sharpies.