It certainly is nice to have the freedom to work from a place of your choosing but if you are planning on working in public libraries, coffee shops, etc. often then save yourself some trouble and pick up a laptop lock.

Like bicycle locks, there are too many variations of the laptop lock to discuss them all. We’ll cover the most common design: a shielded cut-resistant metal cable with a permanent loop at one end and a locking mechanism at the other. Check out this Google Image Search query for some examples. There are really only two questions that you have to ask yourself if you are interested in a cable-style lock:

1) Am I a key person or a combination lock person?
2) Is there a possibility that at some point I might need to lock a monitor of full-sized PC?

#1 – By my estimation, the breakdown of combo vs. key mechanisms for cable-style laptop locks is about 50-50. Personally, I’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached so I’ve gone with the combo mechanism to avoid having to deal with the hassle of losing the key. If you are a Linux user and chose the combo lock route, there is a great password management software package called Revelation that you can also use to store the combination for your lock right on your laptop. One last thing about combo locks…make sure to get one with a mechanism that requires at least four digits. It doesn’t take long to brute-force your way through all of the possible combinations on a three digit lock.

#2 – Many people have never noticed this but if you look closely at the outside edges of your laptop you’ll see that there is a special slot, often called a Kensington slot, design specifically for insertion of a lock. These slots are sometimes anchored to the internal support structures of the laptop so as to make it particularly difficult to remove the cable lock by force. That’s all well and good but I’ve often had problems with the not-quite-standard K-slots on laptops being oddly sized and thus not working well. I actually favor what is sometimes called a “v-lock”. v-lock style cable locks have a special adapter that you can insert into the VGA port or the serial port on your laptop. The locking mechanism then slides over one of the screws on the v-lock adapter. This has the benefit that it can be used not only for laptops but also for full-sized PCs and monitors that do not have a K-slot. You can see a picture of a v-lock style cable lock here.

Before we wrap things up, I should point out that laptop locks share one other thing in common with bike locks: the level of security they provide is minimal. Your cable lock should buy you enough time to hit the restroom after your third latte at the coffee shop but if you run up against someone practiced in the art of lockpicking you don’t stand much of a chance (Have a look at YouTube for more information.) But then again, our goal isn’t absolute security; it’s just enough security to make the would-be thief consider moving on to easier targets.

Hello and welcome to Escape from Cubeville!

Whether it be Tim Ferris or The Wandering Woodwards, there’s been a lot of buzz in the past couple of years about remote working/teleworking arrangements. There’s tons of great information out there on convincing your employer to allow you to telework or coming up with a business idea that will allow you to travel yet earn a decent living , the logistics of managing your business from anywhere, outsourcing of the daily grind so that you can focus on the larger business goals or your travel, etc. etc.

Another way to put it is the “Who, What, Why, and Where” have been covered but “How” hasn’t received the same level of attention. Thus we have Escape from Cubeville; a blog with tips for the day-to-day concerns of the teleworker. Topics covered will include:

• Gear – from laptops, phones, and portable storage devices to sunglasses, backpacks, and coffee cups.
• Software – operating systems, remote access software, and Web 2.0 goodness for managing your business.
• Locations – Which coffee shops in the San Francisco Bay Area are best for teleworking? Can I get WiFi on CalTrain? Did you know that there is strong GSM signal at the summit of Grand Teton in Grand Teton National Park?

Much of the content on Escape from Cubeville will be original; however, the intent is for this site to be a one-stop shop so count on seeing the best tips from all over the Internet.

Thanks for reading and please stay tuned!

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