Pull out the iron…

So apparently laptop related crime is on the rise. For various reasons, probably. The article’s a bit alarmist, mind you. But it makes sense.

1. There are simply more laptops around. That means that more of them will get stolen, and let’s not even start talking about how people treat ubiquitious devices with less care than, say an executive might his sensitive laptop and its information.
2. WiFi is concentrated in places, and much like animals concentrated around a watering hole, WiFi hotspots have a much higher concentration of people with laptops.
3. It’s easy to unload hot laptops. Ebay, classifieds, friends.

The solutions are quite simple, I think.

1. Be vigilant. Criminals hate attention. They don’t want to be seen, and a lot of laptop thefts are probably crimes of opportunity. So don’t give them the opportunity.
2. Make it harder to unload the items. Not sure how this could be done.
3. Make WiFi access more widespread so you won’t have to converge on hotspots.
4. Let your average joe carry a concealed or unconcealed handgun. How many people would want to steal a laptop if, for instance, anyone watching would just pull his piece?

dan (not your ordinary Canadian)