Advice From A Really Hot Female Cop
I thought that would get your attention. She's very smart (scholarshipped to one of the top colleges in the country back in the day), and very street-smart. And, she dresses like she stepped out of the fashion pages -- in a classy/sexy way -- on the job, on days when she isn't wearing her cop suit. You've gotta love a hot blonde in a sleek Italian designer dress, Manolo Blahniks, and a gunbelt.
Naturally, we met at the designer resale store. I overheard her chatting with the store manager about identity theft, so I came up and pretended to be eyeing a sweater right nearby. I liked what I heard, so I introduced myself and invited her to join my friend Jill and me for drinks. We've been friends ever since.
Cathy Seipp would've loved her. The principal at my friend's kids' Brentwood public school practically had a seizure when she came to a school dance recital dressed as above -- chic outfit complete with gun belt.
The principal pointed to her gun. "Are...you...(cough, sputter, gasp!)...allowed...to have that thing in public?"
My friend: "I'm a police officer."
(Like the 6-year-olds are going to disarm her and take over the school.)
Anyway, I'm posting about her because she bugged me once again yesterday to get Lojack for my computers. She e-mailed me:
Hey, they just recovered a computer that had Lojack on it. You should definitely get it.They literally were able to monitor the burglar's every key stroke.
Here are a couple of the plans: Lojack For Laptops Standard - 3 Year
Comments
""Are...you...(cough, sputter, gasp!)...allowed...to have that thing in public?"
Although the subject is computer security, that one sentence should tell anyone all they have to know about what form of government we really have.
So long as you can say what you want, you can be fooled into thinking you are in charge.
Posted by: Radwaste at October 18, 2008 7:24 AM
Hey I'm jealous. I used to be a hot female cop, back in the day. But I don't get why she was wearing her gun unconcealed (is that a word?), off duty I presume, at a school dance. If she's off duty, it should be concealed. But that Lojack thing for computers is pretty cool, I never heard of it before.
Posted by: Susan at October 18, 2008 12:19 PM
I believe she was on her lunch hour and ran out to the recital.
I hadn't heard of Lojack for computers before, either. My four-year-old iBook isn't worth much in dollars, but it's worth a whole lot to me.
Posted by: Amy Alkon 
at October 18, 2008 12:22 PM
I'm too paranoid to use something like Lojack - how do I know that they aren't monitoring me when I don't want them to?
My solution - I don't keep any valuable information on my laptop. If I'm traveling, I put what I need on it (sometimes encrypted, if it's proprietary), and I back it up to my home network over VPN.
But then again, I'm a computer consultant, so I have a setup that the typical home user had no reason to invest in.
But you should still keep your data backed up on a couple external devices, and don't keep anything on your laptop that you cannot afford to lose.
If it gets ripped off, that's what insurance is for.
Posted by: brian at October 18, 2008 8:29 PM
http://www.download.com/KeyScrambler-Personal/3000-2144_4-10571274.html
I had this on my Windows XP for years. It's also available as a Firefox plugin.
The basic personal use download is a freebie.
Posted by: opit at October 18, 2008 8:35 PM
Here's a review. Note that after a System Restore or a reload of the OS from any source, LoJack will be deactivated. Activity Monitor will identify it, as will Little Snitch or a third-party firewall.
And Amy, OS X's FileVault has very good encryption. Most of the pros I know do a complete wipe and reinstall every year or so to make sure the hard disk is OK and to clear up crap. I just got a 20% speed increase on the iMac G5 doing that, too.
So, use a good password, and nobody trivial's getting anything off your iBook, stolen or not.
I keep telling myself to get a new 'book Pro, but this guy is 8 years old and still steaming!
Posted by: Radwaste at October 19, 2008 4:37 PM
I think it's great that you're considering LoJack! It definitely offers peace of mind, knowing you can track your laptop if it's stolen. Every step you take to protect yourself is great.
Brian's advice is good too - keeping back-ups and using encryption are two ways you can also secure your data. Laptop locks can also be a good visual deterrent to theft.
Posted by: Arieanna at October 22, 2008 3:15 PM
On Macs, as an alternative to Filevault, set up an Encrypted Sparse Disk Image, and protect it with a decent password -- not even the NSA will be able to crack it.
To set one up: Disk Utility > New Image. The rest of the process is pretty obvious.
I picked 650mb size to make for easy back up to CD-ROM.
To mount the ESDI, double click on the icon, then enter the password. You will then see a disk drive icon, which you can treat like any other drive. Ejecting the drive to keep the contents from prying eyes.
That's where all my sensitive info goes when I'm on the road, which is a lot.
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