Subscribe to RSS feedTo the jerk, or jerks, who broke into my car and stole my laptop and passport while parked in downtown Vancouver. Pfffft! You stink! And just what do you think you're going to do with all those LaTeX files? Maybe you should try to sell them to D-wave! (For the humor impaired: that's a joke.)
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Dave Bacon is a theoretical ski bum who is also a pseudo professor. His research is on quantum computing, his scientific passions extend to everything in physics, mathematics, computer science and beyond, and his personal pleasures include making wine, playing poker, skiing, camping, and daydreaming (although not all of those at the same time.)
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Broken Glass Everywhere, If It Ain't About the Money, Puff Just Don't Care
Category: Self: Meet Center. Center: Meet Self. • Society
Posted on: March 18, 2008 5:34 PM, by Dave Bacon
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Sorry to hear this. I've got a bunch of LaTeX files on a laptop and I am paranoid about getting it stolen out of my car. Hearing this doesn't calm me down any.
I back up stuff, and I now keep copies of the latest changes on the web.
At least Tex is free. And you get to buy a new laptop!
By the way, I loved Eater by Benford, but I knew him when I was a grad student at U. Cal., Irvine and that may be a bit of a bias. I just picked up one of his early Ace paperbacks at the price of $0.30 at the local 1/2 price books and am planning on blogging the book when I get properly bored.
One of Benford's best unheralded books is Foundation's Fear, if I recall.
Anyway, sorry to hear of the destruction and loss. Crime is an expensive way to make a living. Is that Vancouver, WA or BC?
Posted by: Carl Brannen | March 18, 2008 10:25 PM
As a former resident of Vancouver, BC, I can only say that I'm not surprised. Vancouver apparently has the highest property crime rate of any major city in Canada or the US. Car break-ins are particularly common. Don't waste your time talking to the police unless you (a) need a police report for insurance purposes or (b) have the perpetrator on video breaking into your car. Anything less and the police won't bother checking it out (Hard to believe, but it's true--it happened to my parents. They even had the guy on video walking through their "high security" building's parking garage towards their car and elevator logs to prove it couldn't have been anyone else, but because the camera wasn't angled directly at their car, the police didn't care)
It's really too bad about the crime, because Vancouver is otherwise a wonderful city.
I do hope you have a good backup system. If not, and you're looking to start, I recommend JungleDisk. Also, if you're looking for LaTeX-friendly laptops, go Mac. You won't go back.
Posted by: Travis | March 18, 2008 10:34 PM
Oh, dude that's really not cool.
At least now you have a good reason to get a shiny new laptop...
Posted by: mick | March 19, 2008 5:14 AM
Another former Vancouver resident here. Three separate car break-ins in the first six months of living there, which stopped after getting BC plates on my car to replace the Oregon plates.
(Then I had another break-in with the BC plates on my car when I was in Syracuse, NY, in the process of moving to the east coast. Damn hippies.)
Posted by: Tom | March 19, 2008 9:06 AM
I should also mention that the hotel where I stayed, the Metropolitan Hotel, which is NOT where I parked my car, was absolutely awesome in helping me out, including vacuuming up the glass, and constructing a very nice plastic barrier for the window. Highly recommended.
Posted by: Dave Bacon | March 19, 2008 11:08 AM
A pity about your laptop and passport. I hope the latter isn't too much of a problem. If it is, at least there is a US consulate in Vancouver.
I've never lived in the Pacific Northwest, but as a frequent visitor to the region (my mother and sister both live in the Seattle area) I agree with the ex-Vancouverites that Vancouver is a lovely city.
Posted by: Eric Lund | March 19, 2008 1:53 PM