
The Peril of the Laptop Sticker - ohjeez
https://callercallsback.com/the-peril-of-the-laptop-sticker-8e15a8b274ff
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dewey
I just have random stickers as it's easier to find your laptop in a pile of
uniform MacBooks in security lines or at work. Also sometimes it's a good
conversation starter if you are at a conference or cafe and people recognize
one.

Mine: [https://i.imgur.com/pb074g0.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/pb074g0.jpg)

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navs
Mine is easily identified in a tech conference as the only one without
stickers.

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userbinator
It's only a personal observation, but I've always associated laptop stickers
with the same sort of demographic that likes to plaster their cars with bumper
stickers.

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geebee
Could be. But there is a much lazier laptop sticker demographic. It is by far
the lowest effort way to tell one MacBook from another. The people who do this
with stickers they got at a meetup are the same demographic as healthcare
researchers who use pens and writing pads with the name of a prescription
medication. It is the lowest effort way to jot something down.

These people don’t have bumper stickers because a bumper sticker isn’t a low
effort way into o do anything. They do tend to have a permanent layer of dust
on their car as well as parking stickers that expired six years ago, though

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iFred
To me, stickers layer on a laptop like history. When I retire a laptop, it
takes on a character seen outside a theater with layers of posters for bands.

Here’s mine -

[https://imgur.com/a/BzweZEQ](https://imgur.com/a/BzweZEQ)

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dbenhur
I agree, and I work to preserve the historical timeline... The seed for my
next pristine macbook:
[https://photos.app.goo.gl/h3Fx2DEe5cD7Mkqw6](https://photos.app.goo.gl/h3Fx2DEe5cD7Mkqw6)

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markovbot
>No matter how ugly the sticker is, you pretty much have to put it on your
laptop

what world is this person living in? If your sticker is ugly, I won't put it
on my laptop and I'll probably say "no thanks" when offered. If asked I'll
explain what problem I have with the sticker. Maybe i'm just an asshole.

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finnthehuman
>Stickering a laptop is a social dance with its own moves and behavioral
expectations.

Every time I think there are no more possible ways to be surprised at how
strict cultural conformity in the bay area is, you guys manage to show me
something new.

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kjeetgill
I wouldn't read too much into it. I don't think I've had a conversation
concerning those stickers other than asking about a conference attendance or
questions about their place of work.

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nayuki
I'm not a fan of seeing corporate logo stickers on laptops. Instead, I go for
full-page custom artwork, for example: [https://www.nayuki.io/res/patchouli-
knowledge-laptop-sticker...](https://www.nayuki.io/res/patchouli-knowledge-
laptop-sticker/patchouli-201703-sticker-perpendicular.jpg)

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inawarminister
Hey, nice patchouli!!

On topic, I always prefer getting an aftermarket lid case before putting on
all the stickers. Easier to change.

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classichasclass
I liked how the PowerBook 1400 did it. I kept the clear cover on it and
swapped out the picture regularly, or put inserts in it. No muss, no fuss,
change as much as you like.

Great keyboard on it too.

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watersb
Good catch.

I had a few 1400s in our fleet of laptops. The clear double-covers kept
getting lost, they didn't last very long. As corporate business loaners, to be
checked out for travel, they came with extra battery etc in a huge Targus case
the size of a carry-on suitcase.

But it was a fun idea. I feel like we lived in a watered-down idea of what
that product was supposed to be.

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firic
I guess the author and I come from different cultural backgrounds. I have a
few stickers on my laptop to mark big accomplishments, such as after passing a
very difficult course. Whenever someone offers me a sticker I put it away and
if requested to put it on my computer I politely say that it does not fit my
style.

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llampx
Where would I be without my npm sticker? How would anyone know that I'm a
legitimate bona-fide hacker?

I only have one rule for stickers on my laptop - nothing tech-related.

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bluefirex
I currently have these on my MacBook 13":
[http://bfx.re/sy1c](http://bfx.re/sy1c) I'm upgrading in a few weeks, though
so I'm curious what I'll do with the new one... Might go for some full-size
artwork.

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ChrisRR
Are stickers on laptops an American thing? I'm from the UK and I don't think
I've ever seen more than one or two stickers on laptops.

Could it also be because be we don't have bumper stickers either?

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crtasm
Everyone I used to know in the UK DJ/VJ/festival/tech crew sphere had plenty
of stickers.

The pics on this thread with lots of big company logo stickers do look odd to
me though.

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el_benhameen
Seeing my name in Kenneth Reitz’s handwriting on the envelope of Requests
stickers that I ordered may have been the moment that I finally felt like a
real programmer.

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vortico
My laptop churn rate is so high, if I put stickers on my computer, I'd have to
remove them in 6-12 months. You can use this argument if you want. :)

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HumanDrivenDev
What are you doing to your laptops!? Have you considered something rugged or
at least semi-rugged?

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vortico
I'm a cross platform tester for my own company. I spend a couple months
stabalizing software for say, MacOS 10.14, until it's to satisfaction, and
then I move on to say, Windows 10 with a touch screen. And then an ARM and AMD
machine, etc. I keep maybe the last four around before selling them. I have a
personal laptop as well, but I often replace that one as well as I discover
new laptops that I like as I'm testing them.

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seandougall
My 2015 rMBP runs both macOS 10.14 and Windows 10 just fine. Are you testing
different hardware configurations as well?

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vortico
Yes, and different hardware that they connect to.

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squozzer
I rarely put stickers on my laptop, but when I do it's not for the latest tech
fad.

