> prison tattoos

Pretty much. They reveal what tribes you’re a part of and your history, allowing others to identify and categorize you. And they’re inappropriate in a traditional professional setting, requiring sleeves to cover them up.

True that. I usually put stickers on just to identify my laptop if everyone is using the same model. A small one in particular corner isnenough. Once I used a large corporate logo sticker diagobally across one corner and cut everything too large. Looked quite nice. My boss wasn't so happy as it turned the sticker I used should have been used for one of the meeting rooms. Not my fault if people are leaving it lying aroung for at least two months, is it?

Tattoos are in most West Coast tech companies, so don't worry.

Nope, they are a way to show that your are indeed different and special.

(since everyone in SF have the exact same laptop)

And usually the exact same unrelated tech company stickers...

Ah, the "I grabbed a handful of stickers from a conference / meetup" look.