For several years I’ve been taking my private laptop to work, like most of my colleagues. Often I’m asked to set up a laptop for a guest talk, and many times I had to provide my own computer for the presentation.

Frankly, I hate to share my own, private laptop, however for a long time it was inevitable. Over that time people lost respect and thought it was OK to use my computer, just to look something up real quick.

It annoyed me to no end, so I unconsciously developed a few strategies to make it very unattractive to use my laptop. Let me share…
1) No Desktop Icons

Let’s say you are sitting around your local StarBuck$ interneting on their Wi-Fi on your shiny new overpriced Alienware laptop. You have had three or four coffees and you are eye-balling the bathroom something fierce. You notice some sketchy looking dudes around you. What do you do to secure your precious lappy? Do you shutdown and bring your laptop into the bathroom with you? Do you have a Kensington lock and do you chain that machine to your table? Do you have some other gadget type alarm? Or do you trust the other patrons to stop a thief? (HA! Good luck with that!)