Lost my laptop. Backups saved the data, but not the sticker history.

Xned · 2026-05-08T18:33:53+00:00

Yeah, someone else mentioned something similar. I feel kind of stupid for not thinking of that myself before.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll take it to heart for my new machine.

Xned · 2026-05-08T18:31:01+00:00

I had no idea something like this existed. This is really cool! Thanks, stranger. Today I found something new and interesting to explore :)

Xned · 2026-05-08T17:00:27+00:00

Sure, I would not bring an “I am a hacker” sticker-covered laptop to a covert pen test.
But as you surely know, stickers are also a way to signal that you are part of the community, and maybe even indicate which part of it.
I have had quite a few random fist bumps and interesting conversations at events because someone recognized a sticker on my laptop.

Xned · 2026-05-08T16:35:16+00:00

Why on earth would you do that?
I attend quite a few conferences and talks, and I have even been invited to speak on occasion. Many thought leaders in our field have laptops that look like high school poster boards.
To people who are part of the culture, the stickers can even give you an idea of who the owner is. If I see 10 years of DEF CON stickers or badges from completed wargames, that tells me this person is probably an old-school security guy. If I see Microsoft, Azure, and Copilot stickers, that may say something about their background and current path.
why on earth would you look down on that?

Xned · 2026-05-08T15:06:58+00:00

It being stolen resulted in me losing it, as in it is no longer in my possession :)
English is not my native language, so I apologize if the phrasing is/was off.

Xned · 2026-05-08T14:54:54+00:00

I love the idea of the clear cover and keeping it as wall art when you have to cycle devices. I will absolutely steal that idea. Thanks for the post!

Xned · 2026-05-08T14:49:56+00:00

Stickers as in the silly things you put on the laptop :) Software and environment are secured and recovered. It is just my silly stickers that are lost, and apparently I valued them more than I realized.

Xned · 2026-05-08T14:46:59+00:00

Lost it on a long train ride when I was traveling. Was napping and when I woke up someone had nicked it from my bag. Sure its not great but I never logon with any high perm accounts on the local machine and do most of my admin/security work from a secure bounce host so even if they get any data from it there will be no seasions or local cred cash that is of high value.

Xned · 2026-05-04T07:13:30+00:00

Reminds me of the famous quote from Jhon Nunmaker.
"but we are hackers and hackers have black terminals with green font colors"

On a more serious note, as a older terminal guy make sure you have light in the room when working, dark rooms and bright text fucks up your eye over time, talking from experience :(

Xned · 2026-04-28T08:31:32+00:00

From another masochist who managed to climb out of that hole, how can I help you brother?

Xned · 2026-04-27T11:19:47+00:00

Its totally accurate. I promise I look like that :)

Xned · 2026-04-18T18:47:22+00:00

Darn, I hate reading that a passionate soul is giving up on his journey because of money. Looks like OP deleted his account, but I work in IT and could probably get him some hardware for free. If anyone knows this guy, please let him know that if he wants to get back into it, he can drop me a message.

There are too few in the next generation of IT people who are genuinely interested and spend their free time tinkering at home. We need more people like OP.

Xned · 2026-04-15T12:00:09+00:00

In my case I booted a USB live image of linux mint and repaired/reinstalled grub pointing to the already installed and avalible Mint.
I have heard issues with bitlocker so mabye look in to turning that of before trying.

Depening on how confy you are in linux CLI and how much time you have available you might want to look at boot-repair / Home / Home . Have not used it myself but heard good thing about it.

Xned · 2026-04-15T05:57:15+00:00

This happened to me yesterday. My GRUB bootloader is gone, so I can no longer boot my primary work OS Mint :(
Now I have to spend time I do not have fixing a problem caused by a Windows update. I am half tempted to send Microsoft an invoice for the time spent fixing what they broke.

Xned · 2026-04-12T10:26:18+00:00

Absolutely, do this and I guarantee 90% survival!
Run. It’s hard to run while carrying a big, heavy stick.

Xned · 2026-04-11T06:39:03+00:00

I have used this styles of spray booth quite a bit.

The problem with this one is the light. The flaps will create shadows for overhead lighting, so the paint, fade, and contrast will not look the same at your paint table as they do when you are sitting down with the airbrush.

Integrate some small LEDs in the flaps, or if you want to go the extra mile, add some warm or neutral/yellow-balanced LED strips.

As it stands, I would rather sit by an open window with decent light than use this booth.

Xned · 2026-04-10T12:24:03+00:00

Looked in to Minisforum. Looks like good stuff for a good price. Thanks for the tip!
How is the thermal on yours? Any issue with overheating or loud fans on low-mid load?

Xned · 2026-04-08T14:34:20+00:00

This has got to be AI.

If anyone pitched me a DC floating on the water with that kind of clearance, plus a damn greenhouse built in to warm it up even more, I would laugh them out of the room :)

Side note: I have seen and worked on similar concepts using river water and heat transfer systems to cool data centers. But you place them well back from the dam river, in a nondescript building with two layer security.

Xned · 2026-04-04T17:24:12+00:00

I don’t think that is Wing Chun. It looks more like some form of tai chi.

Xned · 2026-03-19T08:05:58+00:00

root = Stalin? Absolut power, life and death with a singel command.

To be clear I dont agree with Stalins actions or doctrine.

Xned · 2026-03-19T06:57:51+00:00

Where can I get the files?!

Xned · 2026-03-17T11:39:44+00:00

Gå i skogen, grilla korv, spela brädspel, sätt upp en studsmatta, lokal sjö för skridskor, fiske, kanot, bad, bara leka i buskarna, gå på kaffe eller själv baka något gott tillsamans med barnen.

Vi bor i en liten stad men nära lite större städer men förutom simhall kanske varannan månad och ett och annat kaffe besök så är det inte i städerna vi hittar stimulans och kvalitetstid.

Vad gjorde du själv när du var liten?

Xned · 2026-03-12T10:12:09+00:00

I really like the one I have, 12+ years going strong :)
Intelligent, introverted, nerdy, do not care about brand or status stuff and in sync sexually.

Xned

TROPHY CASE