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# Good-bye, Mr. Chips
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/good-bye-mr-chips-editor/
- Published: 2007-03-03T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:11:06.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By James Zeruk Jr. Santa Monica*

My new laptop was stolen from the Santa Monica Main Library (Feb. 28). I left it on a study table (as many also do) for a few minutes. This is a habit that I urge all other laptop users to avoid. Many of us go to the cafe downstairs, or to the phone, or outside to have a cigarette. Don’t do it! There were people at the other tables I recognized from my daily visits, and I assumed their presence would be a deterrent against low-life thieves. After talking to the helpful and sympathetic security staff, I was surprised to find that I was the first victim of a stolen laptop at the new library.

The irony is that the next day, I was going to look into getting LoJack (They have a PC system, just like for stolen cars — $100 for three years of coverage.) Take it from me (pun not intended), they are waiting for you, watching you, what you look like and what your laptop looks like. Mine was new — less than a month out of the box — an HP Pavilion nx6310 with a red-and-white “heart-shaped peace sign” decal affixed to the cover (this too was something I thought would help deter low-lifes). The creep who stole it was actually sitting at my table for a few minutes, according to the witness who offered me the description of the guy. He came in when I was gone and made a cell call concerning a job at a pizza place.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 3, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/030307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)