This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by stokedmartin on Saturday April 05, 2014 @08:59PM (#7539150)

In some cases, going to the bathroom with your stuff is almost like leaving your place vacant for any one else to take. In crowded cafés, this may not be optimal. I wonder if cafés provide customers with pamphlets to put on the table saying `Occupied` while they are gone to the bathroom with their stuff would be helpful.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by bronson on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:06PM (#7539166)

It's like leaving your place vacant because you ARE leaving your place vacant. That's a good thing.

If a coffee shop is so busy that you won't have a place when you get back then take a break and come back when things are quieter. Or pay for a coworking space.

(I remember trying to get a table with friends at Blue Bottle years ago... each one was occupied by a loner staring at a laptop, nursing a coffee, and ignoring everything else. It was sad.)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by sk5t on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:08PM (#7539174)

At least in US bars, you can leave your glass on the bar with a napkin over the top to indicate that the seat is taken and the drink should not be tossed. I don't know if cafe patrons might honor this convention?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by dredmorbius on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:17PM (#7539210)

Depending on your gender and/or the bar's orientation, or other factors, this may not be entirely safe either. Drugged drinks are not unheard of.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by Crito on Sunday April 06, 2014 @12:04AM (#7539664)

These warnings should be given with some care, because they can create a false sense of security.

Most studies have found that most of the time that people believe a drug was added to their drink, the only drug they actually consumed was alcohol. Alcohol is by a long run the most common date rape drug; it is far more likely that your attacker will trick you into drinking more than you realize.

So if somebody is buying you unfamiliar cocktails, merely guarding your drink against adulterants can leave you vulnerable to the cocktails containing far more alcohol than you are aware.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_rape_drug#Alcohol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_rape_drug#Media_coverage_a...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by akerl_ on Sunday April 06, 2014 @11:45AM (#7541309)

I wasn't aware that date rape drugs could tell the gender of the drinker.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by dredmorbius on Sunday April 06, 2014 @01:20PM (#7541612)

Date-rape drugs are likely more often delivered to women than men. It's not the drugs, but the drugger, who is doing the discrimination.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by dredmorbius on Sunday April 06, 2014 @01:30PM (#7541652)

Date-rape drugs are likely more often delivered to women than men. It's not the drugs, but the drugger, who is doing the discrimination.

It's also not unheard of for same-sex drug- or alcohol-based assaults to occur.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by ars on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:51PM (#7539323)

Presumably the cup is empty? And it's just a marker?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by dredmorbius on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:56PM (#7539341)

I've seen this done with non-empty drinks, so no, not always.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by Crito on Sunday April 06, 2014 @12:06AM (#7539673)

I do this with coasters. However I have been told that in some areas, a coaster on top of your glass means the opposite, signalling to the bartender that you are done with your drink.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by exue on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:13PM (#7539192)

In a way, it also helps turnover of tables - it's a soft way of ensuring new customers can get seats and the people who got there first don't stay all day (short of an explicit X hour limit)

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:This girl in SF stole my MacBook Air by tzs on Saturday April 05, 2014 @09:09PM (#7539180)

If the café is that crowded, is it actually a problem if people working on laptops lose their spot if they take a bathroom break?

[ Parent | on HN ]