I draw all my comics on paper, but I scan and process them on my lovely Fujitsu Lifebook P1510, a tiny hybrid tablet computer (it’s the size of a hardback book). I have high-resolution versions of all the comics, which I use for print versions and shirts and such. I used to save them to my Linux desktop, but recently I’ve been moving around a lot and I got in the habit of saving the comic files on my laptop. I’d gotten lazy about backing them up as I drew them, as evidenced by this exchange with the xkcd sysadmin last night:
18:02 <davean> Also, is [the high-res backup collection] up to date?
18:02 <xkcd> nope [Editor's note: here I was recognizing how guilty I should feel about this. I was answering casually because I knew both of us knew this was stupid and we didn't need to go over it again.]
18:02 <xkcd> I’m now sending in computer for repair
18:02 <xkcd> I’ll update the files when I back up the laptop later today
My laptop has had some hardware problems, so I was backing it up before I sent it in to Fujitsu to get it fixed. I was repartitioning my Linux desktop’s drive to make room for the files, and since that was taking a while I decided to go to sleep and finish the (months-overdue) backup when I woke up. Then, files nice and safe, I could send it to Fujitsu.
I slept in until about 1:25 PM. I’m a heavy sleeper, which explains why I didn’t wake up when, at 12:55 PM, someone forced opened a window to my apartment, came into my room, and stole my laptop off my desk within arm’s reach of where I was sleeping.
So, I have no laptop now. I think I can still manage to do comics on schedule (sans tablet screen or any sort of speed) via the cheap old XP machine I set up for that purpose during the repair. And I still have the pencil-and-ink copies of everything. But I do all the editing, arranging, coloring, etc. on the computer. The full versions of, for example, the recent kite comic, the Lisp comic, the Richard Stallman comic, and everything else since around New Year’s? Gone.
Nothing else was stolen except a little cash from my wallet. The police came and filed reports. There were a couple other burglaries in the complex on the same day. If it’s picked up they’ll call me, but I’m not holding my breath. If anyone sees it for sale on eBay, it’s a Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D with an extended battery pack, off-brand charger, and all the little logos removed. Sigh.
For the folks suggesting ways of tracking it online: my cryptography-geek security paranoia was canceled out by my laziness. I set up all sorts of ideas for dealing with stolen laptops, but never actually maintained them (after all, they were just paranoia). A year ago I bought wherethehellismylaptop.com, with the idea that every time it got online it could (securely) update the site with information about where it was and who was using it. But I never set that up. I have it automatically log in to a VPN, and I should be able to see it that way. But the VPN had stopped connecting a few weeks ago and I didn’t fix it. I’ll keep an eye out in case it phones home. I had also planned to make stickers that says “CONTAINS GPS, WILL BE TRACKED IF STOLEN,” (bluffing) but that’s part of my xkcd stickers plan that’s on a back burner right now.
Other than the comics, there’s not much that’s irreplaceable. But the laptop did contain assorted xkcd shipping records from last year (before I moved to the online system). Fortunately, there is no financial information about anyone (except me), but it did have the addresses I’ve shipped shirts to. And I had just removed the system passwords so the Fujitsu guys would be able to work on it. But I expect it’s just gonna be wiped and sold anyway. It was a mess — I’d be surprised if anyone else can use it.
And lastly, my roommates got me a RoboRaptor for Christmas, some sort of mini version of the popular toy you see everywhere. And I can’t help but notice that during the burglary it sat on the shelf and did nothing but watch. Fucking raptors. I guess it should have at least served as a reminder to never let ground-level windows go unsecured.
Fortunately, the place is a huge mess, so the thief didn’t spot my digital camera on the floor. It contains the results of a physics experiment involving 50 gallons of water and a parking deck that I’ll blag about later.
Edit: I know the lost data is my own damn fault, and it’s not so bad. I’m a lot more upset about the break-in while I was here and the loss of the laptop than the — rarely used — high-res comic files. I just want to share the awful irony that it was just when I was about to get back on track with backups that it happened.
I have also, in the past, been that obnoxious backup guy — the one who insists we back things up both here and here every six hours in case there’s a terrorist attack AND a tornado at the same time. So I feel even dumber about this.
Regarding offers of donations — thank you, I appreciate the support. But I should be able to replace the laptop. I feel like if this is the worst problem you have, you’re doing okay, you know?
Edit #2:
(Thanks to Matthew.)
“you are lying, an ISP or a hosting company always has your stuff backed-uped! Are you pulling a fast one. Forgive me I am Jaded!”
Please re-read his post. You obviously didn’t understand what he said.
jdc Says:
> I don’t want a shirt. I want to give him money.
Ditto, I’m not interested in a shirt, I wouldn’t wear them and it would be kind-of a waste…
“And I had just removed the system passwords so the Fujitsu guys would be able to work on it.”
Am I the only one to whom that seems suspicious? A lot of robberies are _not_ crimes of opportunity.
What I mean is it’s hard not to correlate the fact that you were going to send the laptop to fujitsu and had presumably told them about this, and the theft happening just at the right moment. Something seems rotten in the state of Danemark.
Of course, there may be factors that invalidate this theory (you hadn’t phoned fujitsu yet, the laptop was in plain view of the street, etc), but I considered it worth mentioning.
Anyway, I am sorry to hear about this. Xkcd is my favourite webcomic. You have all my sympathy.
xkcd, I love your comic, but have never commented on a Blag Entry. I am so incredibly sorry about your computer. That blows.
I’m sending evil thoughts in the direction of computer thieves everywhere. Like other people said, at least the thief (raptor) just took material things and not your life.
Seriously though, If you’re going to have a raptor in your room, you should at least surround it with a perimeter of grapes to keep it honest.
I have a 1510 myself — best portable I’ve ever had. People’s reactions are amusing. “Nice DVD player. Oh wait, that’s a computer? It runs Windows Mobile right? No kidding, it runs full Windows? And it has a gig of RAM?” And then I flip the screen around and start dragging windows with my fingernail and their head explodes.
The silver lining is, with the insurance money you can get a 1610 — it’s quite a bit nicer than what you lost.
Oh man, so sorry to hear that. This is just so terrible. I’m another big fan of xkcd here in India.
That sucks!! Thieves are one of the lowest forms of life.
Your comic is the greatest thing ever. I hope this incident doesn’t dampen your spirits too much.
Once, I accidentally left an original comic I made in a copy machine, and when I returned, it was gone. I had copies, but the real thing… lost forever. That sort of thing makes you feel sick. The one thought that I held onto was, “Dammit, I’m going to make even better comics to make up for this one.” Mine was on a smaller scale, but… be kind to yourself. You couldn’t have known that some bastard was going to climb through your window.
Best of luck rebuilding, and remember, you’ve got a strong network of fans who want to help you however they can!
Those ‘tracked by gps’ stickers would make a nice addition to the xkcd store. I’d surely put one on my laptops, in a NEVAR FORGET (to backup) kind of reminder.
Dude, I feel you. I was at the end of my service in Peace Corps and someone broke into my home and stole my laptop, containing two years of projects, photos, letters, songs I wrote, music…blah…my whole life at the time. Dumb people suck.
“Fry’s dog”? you mean that episode of Futurama? Yeah, I feel downright sick when I watch that too.
ack! suffering now! over to CuteOverload I go!
I’m a retired Police Officer; during my time in service I had occasion to be a Burglary / Theft Detective. Daytime Burglary is often done by teens skipping school. Other suspect(s) include dopers looking for money for their next high. Generally, neither group steals “things”, rather they steal money or things that might easily convert to a bit of cash. They didn’t steal your laptop because they needed a computer, rather it’s quick cash.
Most Burglars aren’t as bold as this, taking something from right by where someone was sleeping. I’d almost say it was good you didn’t wake up as the thief might have been armed. Confronting him, without you being armed with a pistol, would be potentially dangerous.
There is also the off-chance it was stolen by someone you know; someone who’s been in your apt. and knows what you have. You might have had a party, and someone came with someone else, who you didn’t know, but they saw what you had there.
Stealing and seling on-line is very common now, but easy to search on. If it has been stripped are broken-down for parts, then you stand little chance of recovery. More likely is the thief selling your item to another kid in school (HS or college) or to a pawn shop. Check the pawn shop regularly but DON’T tell them what you’re looking for. If they know you’re looking for a stolen computer it’ll just disappear. Keep you eye open and look around. If you DO spot your computer, do NOT confront the pawn shop guy. Call the Police first; and have an Officer meet you there. Have your Complaint number and your Computer serial number & info. The pawn shop doesn’t have to cooperate with YOU or tell YOU anything at all, but they are required to cooperate with the Police. You may or may not have to pay the pawn shop what he paid for the computer to get it back. Discuss that (privately) with the Officer.
Computer repair shops are the same. DON’T tell them you’re looking for a stolen item; that laptop will be in pieces so fast your head will spin. Not to say all repair shops are thieves, just saying trust but verify; ya know ? You might mention you’re looking to buy a Fujitsu because you used to have one and you like it so much; or, what ever.
Try and get your story out as much as possible. The more people looking, the more eyes helping you. Hope this helps. If you have further questions you have my e-mail.
Regarding: “I feel your pain, and sympathise, and feel duty bound to tell you that what you did (and failed to do) is dumb. If you recognise that you’re too busy to do manual backup steps, you must automate them.”
Yes. I had done this on my Linux tower, but not on the laptop. It would have been easy to do manual backups. It was stupid. This is my own damn fault. And I feel particularly dumb because I have been over-paranoid about backups in the past, and then got lax when it actually mattered.
ravloony: A couple other apartments were broken into on the same day. My laptop is easily the most valuable-looking thing in the apartment. This is nothing more than it seems.
Jerry: Haha, yes, that reaction to the 1510 is always fun. “Wait, it’s a REAL COMPUTER?”
What did they add to the 1610, other than the $500 price increase? I saw the gig of RAM (I only got the 512 MB), but what else is there?
Frank Keough: That’s very good information — I knew a little of it.
I actually said something to one or two nearby pawn shop owners. But there are a lot of them in the area. I’ll definitely keep checking in. I stopped in to look in one of them recently and picked up a new electric skateboard for almost nothing
Really, there’s isn’t anything I can add that hasn’t already been said .. really sorry to hear about this, hope it is recovered and the thief gets devoured by raptors!
I’m in on the paypal thing. There are much worse causes out there and given that I almost spewed coffee at my boss while reading your comic this morning it makes sending $$ completely worth it
Well, that didn’t work.
Be on the lookout for this suspect.
Sorry to hear about it! But your outlook is astonishingly wonderful. Kudos to you.
I wish I’d written this earlier. Its called “Steal my laptop (I don’t care) – Securing laptop-data”
A simple HOWTO on laptop data-security:
http://ergo.rydlr.net/?p=39
It sucks to loose hardware, I’ve done that before (2 harddrives in the same day), but the one ray of good light is that you get to get new hardware afterwards.
Since you had a Fujitsu Lifebook P1510, I figured I’d suggest a similar machine (if you’re looking for a replacement) , the Toshiba Libretto U100/ U105. It’s pretty much the same machine, but not a tablet, and with a 1280×768 screen.
Also, if you really like small machines, you could check out the Sony UX series, and the new OQO model that came out, both of which are fast enough to be a useful computer, but are pocket-sized.
I heard this program might be able to help track down missing laptops. In the future, of course, when the software’s already installed.
http://www.pcphonehome.com/index.html
Sorry to hear this bum got his grubby hands on your stuff. You’ve got an awful lot of highly intelligent talent backing you up on this. Maybe they can give him hacking hell.
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Having had my own laptop stolen last week, I commiserate completely. Having it stolen while you were there would be extra creepy. I had lots of info there including my complete income taxes for the last few years, so I take heart in your comment that it will probably be wiped and reinstalled. I don’t want anybody getting their grubby little hands into my stuff.
I thought about all the things I could have done – encrypted disk volume, phone-home IP tracking, fake GPS stickers, more regular backups… and maybe I’ll do all that next time.
: ( That really sucks. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my computer. Thankfully they didn’t take too much else. And if you aren’t going to set up a PayPal for donations, maybe this will be what finally convinces me to get all the xkcd shirts that I’ve been wanting for so long.
Good luck finding your laptop, and next time, get some raptors in some sort of buffer between your window and you, so they can attack someone coming in, but they’ll be stuck and not able to attack you. It will present a few challenges, but prove worthwhile over time.
That is really terrible. I hope you find it – I’ll keep a lookout on ebay for a cpla months for you. I enjoy your comics a lot and wish we could do something to help.
The Fujitsu Lifebook P1610D has the following over the P1510D:
1) Full-size PC Card slot – nice for road warriors with Sprint cards
2) LED backlighting for the display, yielding better battery life
3) Indoor/outdoor display – legible outside and you can disable the backlight with a hard switch
4) Bluetooth
5) You can rotate the screen either way to turn it around
6) The screen is higher resolution: 1280×768 instead of 1024×600
You can still get the 1610 with just 512MB if you prefer, and it’s then about the same price as the 1510 was. (The RAM upgrade is a ripoff — I bought a 1 GB stick for my 1510 for about $230, which is half what Fujitsu wants and you get to keep the 512 MB module that came with it.)
I understand you can replace the laptop yourself, but why don’t you give us XKCD fans a chance to say how much we it? please please set up a paypal account, we beg you.
Man, that’s really bad, I hope you’ll manage to place it soon, I’d hate to be without your weekly beta humor, in case you’ll open up donations I’ll be glad to contribute.
Ouch!
Am going off to buy a t-shirt soon to help with the new laptop.
So…… If we come across the laptop, obviously we take steps
to get it back for you but,
how do want us to err, handle the thief?
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Ouch, what bad luck! Hope it resurfaces, but in fact, I don’t think so. My own experience with getting things stolen is only about backpacks and bikes (and a garden table right in front of the house), but luckily no breaking-in.
On a totally unrelated note — is the FS P1510 any good? I ask because I have an (really old) FS Lifebook B 2154, sound like the same form factor, but the tablet stopped working two or three years ago, and am looking a bit about subnotebooks as potential replacement for that …
the fujitsu p1000 series is the greatest laptop line ever created. i have a 4-5 year old p1120 that still rocks the house. its been loved and abused and covered with stickers, and it still does a wonderful job of running debian + wmii.
HOLD THE PHONE: the 1610D actually does have 1280×768? i was sure it was an engadget fuck up. does the pen have pressure sensitivity? i take it the screen wont pickup fingers?
oh man, that sucks. it’s so creepy to have it happen while you’re there. GAH!
My god man, that sucks, especially given that you were asleep right there. Possibility-for-far-worse says what?
With any luck the dude who stole it will be stupid enough to post it on eBay or Craiglist or (even better) go to a local pawn shop.
So… what do you have against people who wear hats?
First, @#)$*)#%&_@#$*!
Second, I have cursed the thief so that all his zippers break.
Third, this can happen again. Camera (with >500 photos not backed up) and wallet stolen in China Jan 2006. Wallet stolen in the Bahamas Feb 2007. Thankfully didn’t take the camera out with me that night.
The two things that suck are that I also used to have a job descrption that included the role of “freakoutaboutbackupnazi” and that I thought to myself “do I have time to back these photos up and what’s the worst that will happen if I don’t? Yeah, no time, no biggie, it’ll be fine.” Goddamn myself.
Fourth, I love xkcd.
Fifth, I love you but don’t tell my boyfriend or he might clue in to my binary heart wallpaper
Till: I know a whole slew of hackers who swear by the Fujitsu Lifebook P-series. One of them took it up Kilimanjaro, dropped it repeatedly in her bookbag, and has had both Linux and Windows running fine on it for a couple years now. I dearly love(d) my P1510, although it had a couple mechanical failures. I don’t think it’s enough to count as a pattern, though, and I tend to be pretty hard on electronics. The P7000 is the non-tablet I see them using the most. The S-series is larger but also incredibly thin — when closed, it always looks to me like someone left a detached laptop screen lying on the table. In general, I love ultraportables. If you want to go larger and want tablet functionality, there’s the T4215, but I’ve never seen one and don’t know anyone who uses them.
Yes, the pen is passive (pressure). That means it’s no good for serious art (although for some things it’s still a lot better than a mouse), but it also means I can get used to tapping the (protected) screen with my fingernail to click, which is really handy. And yeah, the P1610 seems to have 1280×768. Jeez, this thing gets better and better. Although without an increase in screen size, that could start to get squinty.
Jerry: Holy crap. That’s all stuff I missed on my once-over. Although are you sure about the two-way monitor rotation? I only see that listed in the T4215 featurelist.
Moshizzle: Aww — I hope the wallet was stolen without any harm to anyone. And thank you for the kind words. I won’t tell anyone except all the readers of this blog comment thread.
Yargh, it’s the thought of someone creeping around within a few feet of my while I slept that gives me the screaming willies. My sympathy.
For a replacement have you thought about the Samsung Q1?
http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/mobilecomputing/ultramobile/np_q1_v000suk.asp
I think they are pretty bitchin’ little micros.
Either way, good luck and best wishes!
(And I agree the Frye’s dog episode of Futurama is one of the saddest things ever aired on TV. But you have to keep in mind Frye still has the dog fossil and is kind of fickle and the professor can always clone him sooner or later. He’s not dead, just in a holding pattern. Schroedinger’s Dog.)
Condolences from another xkcd fan.
You should check out the Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t. They’re great laptops for either Linux or XP Pro, and Ubuntu Linux 6.10 installs flawlessly on them; even WiFi “Just Works” and it’s a particularly effective combination.
I’ll kill him if you’d like.
Although are you sure about the two-way monitor rotation?
Pretty sure — I’ve seen it mentioned in some forums. Surprised it’s not on Fujitsu’s spec list. If it’s not actually on the unit, it wouldn’t really bother me much.
To enhance the digitizer on the P1510D, I made a little utility that lets you tap-and-hold for a right click. This is sort of the unofficial support thread for it over at Leog.net.
That sucks. It seems like everyone is getting robbed of late (two of my friends, one of my professors, and now a random web-comicker on the internet). As far as replacements are concerned, IBM makes a handy little convertible tablet that is built more solidly than many cars. I’ve got an x41 and despite my propensity to destroy all things electronic (in the space of a year I killed an iPod, a Motion Computing Tablet PC, a graphing calculator, and a cell phone), it lives and thrives.
Holy shit, the idea of a thief coming into my bedroom while I’m asleep is horrifying. You get the dubious award of being one of the soundest sleepers I’ve ever heard of. That said, I’d probably assume it was a cat crawling on my desk and swear weakly before going back to sleep. It’s a really good thing they weren’t violent! D:
It sucks that you’ve lost all that data, too. I’m sorry to hear it! Best of luck to getting a new one.
On a slightly different note, your recent Cat Proximity comic is taped to my printer where I can admire it daily, because it sums up a great portion of my life. YOU’RE A KITTY! It’s perfect. Do you have a cat (or cats)?
Ditto to what Jess just said, except the Cat Proximity comic is on our kitchen pinboard right next to the Dalekmania calender and above the unpaid bills (indicating the comic’s status in the scheme of thing). Just thought you might like to know.
Sorry to hear about the laptop. Bummer, dude.
What we seriously need is some sort of product that can securely lock a laptop to a desk. (Of course, it will need some sort of key or combination system so that the laptop can be removed, as there’s no point otherwise.)
http://us.kensington.com/html/1434.html
these all look too flimsy to protect from Raptors, though…
That second edit is the funniest thing I’ve seen in quiet a while
PS: bad news about the laptop.
Man, that sucks. Seriously. I’m the same way right now–I’ve fallen way behind on backing shit up. Best of luck in all this. Love the webcomic.
What is your general location? If it’s ebayed, it’ll probably be from near where you live. eBay allows displaying auctions by location so it would be easier to spot.
It’s a long shot but it can’t hurt to edit your post to include that info.
Ooo! 100!
scary you didn’t wake up, sucks the laptop is gone. Cool that you can think of something better to do for a living than sneaking into someone’s freakin’ bedroom to steal gadgets for a living. Keep doing that.
Amgine