It’s a little odd to have to provide this as a Tip of the Week, but apparently it’s necessary. If you monitor the “chatter” out there you’ll hear the occasional story of a laptop theft brought about by a common situation: the infamous “potty break.” The laptop owner is at his local hangout, often a coffee shop, and needs to visit the restroom. These places never accommodate extra “baggage” very well in the restrooms (I can’t blame them) and so the usual dilemma arises: take the laptop with me or leave it here at my table?

The laptop owner decides that, hey, people are essentially “good,” right? I’ll just ask the nice-looking stranger sitting near me to keep an eye on my laptop. Truth be told more often than not this works out OK.

But then again, more often than not I arrive at my destination in the car without having a car wreck. Way more often than not.

More often than not, my flights arrive back on the ground safely. Way more often than not.

I still wear a seat belt, and I still hope the pilot and the plane are in good working order.

The laptop owner comes back and, lo and behold, this time it was the “not” instead of the “more often.” Laptop’s gone.

Can you really trust a stranger to “keep an eye on” your precious data, which is on your laptop? Even if the stranger himself doesn’t take it, how often will he not just walk away if it’s time for him to go, leaving the machine unwatched?

It’s a hassle to take the laptop to the bathroom. But what’s it worth to lose it?