
Whiteboard sticker for your laptop - codeinterview
https://sketchcase.com
======
SiVal
I'm not being glib here, but after experimenting with many such solutions over
the years, I've found that the best solution for me is to always carry a
cheap, paper notebook--like one of those black/white-spotted composition
notebooks with cardboard covers and unlined paper--that is about the size of
my laptop lid. I just slide the laptop and notebook together into whatever
backpack or bag I'm using for the laptop.

I always have a variety of pens and pencils with me, and writing/drawing with
high-quality pens & pencils on real paper is better and more convenient in
every way than writing on an equivalent-sized whiteboard surface. I then have
100 pages I can keep or give away instead of one that I have to delete and
reuse, and without all the mess. Plus, I always have a couple of pens in my
pocket, even when I don't have my laptop, so I never end up with a whiteboard
but no markers.

The only time I've found whiteboards more useful than paper are when I needed
a very large surface. If a small surface is good enough, paper works better
for me.

~~~
welpwelp
I agreed but these are different mediums. With paper you can't erase
obviously, so you use significantly more space when free scratching. Hence the
usefulness of the whiteboard.

On a different note, notebooks are great. I converted my wallet into thin
Moleskine notebooks that fit in my pocket super easily. I put my cards and
bills in it. And I always have a pen in me. Archival pens are great. It's good
for doodling too :>

~~~
SiVal
_With paper you can 't erase obviously_

I can, and do, quite easily. I have a twist-out eraser on the end of my pencil
plus an artists' eraser in each pen/pencil bag, so I can make pretty quick
work of some portion of a page, but if I really want to erase the page, I can
do it faster with paper than with a whiteboard: I turn the page.

------
sixdimensional
Actually, this just gave me a crazy idea... what if laptop manufacturers
included something low powered like a boogie board device on the outside of
the screen, which could write / save directly to some small internal storage
of the laptop, and then the resulting notes could be accessible via the laptop
when turned on? Kind of like.. a poor man's tablet on the outside of a laptop?
I wonder the cost of that vs. touch screens / digital pens.

~~~
sumitgt
But, in that case, how would it be different from just drawing on my Surface
with my surface pen?

It's kinda exactly what you need.

~~~
ageofwant
About $1000 dollars last time I checked. Add to that the cost of mental health
issues associated with the use of Microsoft products and its a non-starter.

~~~
mb_72
What experience do you have with using Microsoft products and resultant mental
health issues? I'm guessing none, and it's just another throw-away remark that
is anti-Microsoft, ignorant of the interesting and - in my experience at least
- pro-good-mental health work they've been doing recently.

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fluxem
I think it's a terrible idea. First, marker ink would be smudge all over
backpack. Second, it's on the other side of the laptop! You wrote an algorithm
on sketchcase and want to implement it. Well, now you have turn your laptop
around every time too see it.

~~~
hota_mazi
Pfft, use a mirror.

devlos melborP

~~~
akovaski
You could also use the front-facing camera on a phone as a mirror in a pinch.

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mcescalante
I think this is a really good idea, but if you look on eBay you can buy a
200cm by 45cm (~ 78.7 in by 17.7in) vinyl whiteboard sticker for $5. You could
buy this, trim it down and use it on a handful of laptops at a significantly
cheaper cost. There are lots of other listings for "whiteboard vinyl sticker"
but here is the $5 one:

[http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Vinyl-Wall-Sticker-Removable-
Whi...](http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Vinyl-Wall-Sticker-Removable-Whiteboard-
Decals-200X45CM-/361620804352)

Also, I wonder if a "whiteboard magnet" would stick well to a mabook or
aluminum bodied portable - wouldn't leave any residue:
[http://www.ebay.com/itm/17-x-11-Dry-Erase-Magnetic-
Refrigera...](http://www.ebay.com/itm/17-x-11-Dry-Erase-Magnetic-Refrigerator-
Flexible-White-Board-Planner-
Message-/222314810254?hash=item33c2fecb8e:g:Dk8AAOSw4GVYKfWR)

~~~
tgb
Aluminum won't attract the magnet usefully, unfortunately.

~~~
pklausler
Maybe a real hard disk drive will, though.

~~~
Gracana
It'll just slide down slowly. Try it, it's a cool experiment that showcases
eddy currents.

~~~
hathawsh
I like the suggestion for a fun experiment, but I think pklausler was
referring to the fact that strong magnets tend to wipe spinning hard drives,
making magnets a bad idea for non-SSD laptops.

~~~
Gracana
Oh, duh. You're right, I totally misread that. :)

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Null-Set
Now you can tell applicants that yes they will be coding on a laptop during
the interview.

~~~
devoply
Yes and that's when I walk out of your interview. Some time ago I did an
interview with elementary coding questions, like 2nd year of university stuff.
Was a developer with 15 years of experience. Rage quit. They're like oh, you
got 100% percent on the stuff you attempted, here is a new link to finish it.
And I am like no thanks, have contract work, please send it my way. Not
interested at a job at a place that interviews like this.

~~~
nakovet
I've met several 10+ years developers that couldn't code basic stuff, why
instead of rage quitting you did not say "I don't want sound cocky but this
stuff is really easy for me, do you have anything else?" by rage quitting I
wouldn't trust you contract work, what would prevent you from rage quitting in
a different scenario!?

~~~
hliyan
I agree wholeheartedly. On the flip side, when I interview such candidates, I
usually prefix baseline questions with "This is probably a piece of cake for
someone of your calibre, but please bear with me because it's a part of the
process we got to get out of the way"

~~~
rimantas
A clear indication of process over people.

~~~
pavel_lishin
You gotta weed people who can't code somehow.

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chris_7
Stickers on laptops usually make Jony Ive sad, and he's sad enough already
being locked in that white room with one set of clothes.

But this one is much better, because it occupies the entire laptop!

~~~
donarb
Stickers on laptops make ME sad. Like Run-DMC sang "Calvin Klein's no friend
of mine, don't want nobody's name on my be-hind!"

~~~
Neliquat
And then followed it up with "My Adidas". But I agree in spirit.

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asteli
When I had a non-unibody Macbook Pro, I would actually doodle with a dry-erase
marker directly onto my (glass) screen. This was handy for making small
annotations as I was pondering designs, PCB layouts, etc.

Unfortunately for my screen-doodling habit, new MacBooks have some kind of
coating (AR? Oleophobic?) that causes the marker's fluid to bead up, ruining
the effect.

~~~
component
> Unfortunately for my screen-doodling habit, new MacBooks have some kind of
> coating (AR? Oleophobic?) that causes the marker's fluid to bead up, ruining
> the effect.

I can confirm, my mid 2014 MBP screen is _ruined_. Tried alcohol, screen
wipers (which actually made it worse)

I am this close to using a detergent (I know I shouldn't). Any suggestions?

~~~
achow
'Staingate'

Apple is replacing the affected screens for free, I had mine replaced few
months back (late 2013, 13" Retnina Macbook Pro).

[https://9to5mac.com/2015/10/19/staingate-retina-macbook-
scre...](https://9to5mac.com/2015/10/19/staingate-retina-macbook-screen-
repairs/)

~~~
dhimes
Why is this being downvoted? Is it incorrect? If not it seems useful.

~~~
felipebueno
Staingate is a real thing and @achow's comment is correct and is very useful
and that's probably what is happening with @component's mbp.

~~~
component
Sadly, yes it is "staingate"

Did a bit more digging and found a site [1] which has a gallery of affected
MBP, showing the different levels of "staingate"

[1] [http://staingate.org](http://staingate.org)

------
snarf21
I think this is pretty neat and love all things whiteboard but the one
annoyance is that I now need to carry around a whiteboard marker and eraser
(if you don't want crap all over your fingers from erasing). Note: I don't
think you can solve that problem.

And now I probably am carrying a backpack which makes paper + pen better. I
think the #1 benefit of a whiteboard is the size. I can draw huge diagrams and
everyone in the room can see and not have to huddle around a piece of paper.

I still think it is interesting....

~~~
incongruity
Marker? No, you need that. Eraser? Kleenex is a good add to any bag – but you
could also figure out some way of having a removable plastic overlay to
preserve the diagram...

But, ultimately, your point about pen & paper was my thought too... And then I
decided that ~$16 after shipping was cheap enough to try, even if I later
decided paper was indeed better – so I ordered it.

------
DonHopkins
You can get a quart of chalkboard paint for $15.

You can even recycle broken laptops by painting the screen!

[http://www.target.com/p/devine-color-by-valspar-1-quart-
chal...](http://www.target.com/p/devine-color-by-valspar-1-quart-chalkboard-
paint-coal/-/A-16654685)

~~~
riebschlager
Ha! Kinda related, I made my niece and nephew wooden MacBooks based on that
same idea.

[http://the816.com/wooden-macbooks/](http://the816.com/wooden-macbooks/)

~~~
solipsism
"oh... Thanks uncle riebschlager... a wooden MacBook..."

~~~
riebschlager
Yeah. That's pretty much how it went down.

------
cnojima
Hasn't this been created already? [http://gizmodo.com/the-best-laptop-sticker-
turns-your-comput...](http://gizmodo.com/the-best-laptop-sticker-turns-your-
computer-into-a-whit-1685194189)

~~~
JoBrad
Looks like they owe you some commission: every size of both models is sold
out! ;)

------
Cshelton
This has been around for awhile now and you can actually order them today:
[http://www.drawattention.co/](http://www.drawattention.co/) (aside from them
being sold out...)

~~~
ChristianGeek
Those have a logo on them though (although the blackboard one is cool too).
Fun sales copy!

~~~
stablemap
It seems to me that the logo is a second sticker.

------
glibgil
The smallest whiteboard combined with the dirtiest laptop? No thanks!

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cconcepts
I dont get the indicators that its a new product. These guys look like they
have been doing this since 2014:
[http://www.drawattention.co](http://www.drawattention.co)

------
jasonwilk
Instead of waiting, you can just order a small Writeyboard now which is
exactly the same thing.

[http://www.Writeyboards.com](http://www.Writeyboards.com)

------
chiefalchemist
What I'd like to see is a stealthy monitor with case (or just a universal case
for monitor or laptop). The case, fully open, could latch open and the back
flat side would be a whiteboard or even clalk board. Kinda like an artist's
portfolio case, but for devs.

In addition the case, if laptop size, would be semi drop proof. The point
being, I'd travel more by bike if I didn't hear a fall would total my
hardware.

Finally, big ask here, make it insulated. Leaving my machine in a cold car
while snowboarding means I generally like to wait a bit til the machine comes
back to room temp.

Yes. I've seen hardened cases (a la for DJs & musicians) but they're often
overkill, AND I want the outside to serve a purpose (I.e., whiteboard).

Keep it in the $100 range and you have a winner.

------
RUG3Y
I think it's a neat idea but personally, I'll stick to a legal pad. I use them
quite a bit, but not enough to justify switching to something like this and
then taking photos of my work.

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nirav72
So basically I have to either flip it down to see what someone drew on the
whiteboard or turn it around. Pen and paper work just as well.

------
Uptrenda
Ive been using my laptop like this for years. I just bought some white plastic
film you use to protect text books with and stuck it to the back of my
Thinkpad. Works great for todo lists. I also agree that they should build a
laptop like this where every free surface can be written on as a white board.
It is surprising just how much I use this.

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mansilladev
Comes with free erasers: your shirt, arms and backpack.

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keithpeter
I liked the roadmap on the OA's page.

Others have mentioned the stick-on dry wipe vinyl whiteboards that are
available. For walls there is also 'magic whiteboard' \- a roll of plastic
material that sticks to the wall using static electricity.

I'd mention the 'mini-whiteboards' sold for use in classrooms - usually
A4/Letter size. These are about 2mm thick and can be used as clipboards as
well with a suitable bulldog clip. My final idea would be to get a map case
like the one that hikers use to keep their maps dry and put completed
whiteboards in that for reference.

Personally, I prefer paper/pen &c

------
jacek
Looks like a solution to a non-existing problem.

~~~
stephengillie
Looks like this submarine advertisement has surfaced.

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King-Aaron
We used to make whiteboards at a printing company I worked for. It was mainly
just white SAV (self adhesive vinyl) with a laminate over the top.

Ten dollars is an awful lot to pay for that, when you're talking about just a
laptop size. You'd be looking at much less than a dollar in materials.

Edit: Though the fella obviously recognises this, and has a DIY on the page...
And I can see people buying them for the convenience element. Still though...

------
bostand
Or you can use a laptop with touch screen and/or a digital pen...

And Google and microsoft have note taking apps that makes your hand writing
searchable.

Edit: wow, some people on HN _really_ dislike touchscreens...

~~~
codeinterview
I have those as well but they're used for different purposes.

~~~
bostand
But from my experience this is exactly how people are using touchscreen
laptops in meetings.

I don't see the point of adding a sticker to your laptop when it already can
be used as a whiteboard with the added benefits of digitalisation (backup,
share, undo, search...)

------
blauditore
Ideally, this could be done on the screen itself. Using a 2-in-1-laptop like
Lenovo Yogas you can position the screen directly in front of you, and it has
a touchscreen (obviously).

I guess the problem is that even with digital pens, haptic feedback and maybe
precision are not up to par with the real thing. But those things might
improve a lot in the next 10-20 years, there seems to be a decent amount of
research going on for the former.

------
mrmondo
I used to have a similar whiteboard stick on my old MacBook back in 2011 - it
was really useful as long as I remembered to bring a whiteboard marker with me
to meetings. It'd be nice to have an eink boogieboad like wrap instead but the
problem with those it's it's erase all or nothing so, I'm sticking with
ordering a new whiteboard wrap from here as they're so cheap.

------
choult
For the past five years I've been working at white-veneered desks - and for
the vast majority of that time I've actually been using my desk as a dry-wipe
board. It doesn't make too much of a mess when it rubs off on my hands, and
it's a fantastic way to quickly sketch out a to-do list or draw a diagram for
a colleague.

------
knieveltech
Google reports a 75% increase in searches on the terms "how to get dry erase
marker out of clothing"

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jgord
I wonder about the low-tech use case of :

writing on this wb surface on laptop, then re-covering with clear plastic to
make it semi-permanent [ preventing wipe off with handling / slipcase /
backpack ]

Does the original peel-off wb material cover would re-adhere ? .. if so,
handy.

------
gthtjtkt
You can get a giant roll of this stuff on Amazon for $6 less than your shipped
price.

And they even include a marker...

------
groby_b
Just what I want to do - draw private info on the back of my laptop and lug it
around. Anybody got a way to print CC numbers onto my shoes?

(IOW: I think it's a cool hack that fails to consider actual implications
outside of the immediate problem solved.)

------
I_am_tiberius
My fear would be that my notes are being erased when putting the notebook into
my backpack.

~~~
codeinterview
A lot of people actually share this concern and you are right if you're
planning on keeping what's written. I personally use it for practicing coding
interview questions and brainstorming.

~~~
I_am_tiberius
I bought a whiteboard 2 weeks ago for my home "office". Thinking about it, it
would have made sense to buy a big sticker instead which I can stick on one of
my windows. For sure that would have been much cheaper. Plus, I would not have
needed to drill holes in the wall.

~~~
cr0sh
I hope by "whiteboard" you meant a 4x8 sheet of melamine bathroom/kitchen tile
underlay sheet - and not one of the more expensive kind with the fancy
aluminum borders (which, if you wanted to replicate those, you could find the
parts in the hardware aisle of the home improvement store)...?

~~~
I_am_tiberius
No unfortunately I bought one of those expensive ones.

~~~
cr0sh
Well - maybe next time?

The 4x8 sheets of melamine backer board is cheap, cheap, cheap! Where I
currently work, we have 80 linear feet of the stuff on our walls in our dev
area (held up with nails and construction adhesive). It isn't fancy, but my
employer believes more in results than being "impressive" (plus, we don't get
any clients back here anyhow).

------
apapli
Cute. But impractical, not to mention messy. They should allow you to put your
company's logo on it, as it would be a cool alternative to branded coffee
cups, pens and mouse pads.

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socialentp
Cool idea, but you might want to revise your messaging: "I could make one for
them but making them by hand is REALLY time consuming." "Handcrafted by
Charles Han"

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chewxy
Fascinating. Other people has come to the same conclusion I see. Here's mine
posted on reddit a few days ago :
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/5q8evm/comment/d...](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/5q8evm/comment/dcxeuf3)

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wattt
Just get a touchscreen already. Then you can draw like on every other device
you currently own.

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vans
I love having pen marks on my shirt when i'm carrying my laptop

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amingilani
I'm so excited. Ordered this, exactly what I needed!

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5706906c06c
I use a pencil on my MacBook, and then erase it.

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rubyfan
This is a fantastic idea.

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codeinterview
Woah!
[https://www.producthunt.com/posts/sketchcase](https://www.producthunt.com/posts/sketchcase)

