To: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com>, Clark Robinson <robinsonchicago@gmail.com>
Barrett, I think I may have mentioned this to you before, but depending on how often your laptop may be susceptible to theft, I'd consider investing in LoJack for Laptop. They recover 75% of laptops which "phone" into their system. Copies may be found online at retailers for about $30. For many it's not the cost of the laptop but rather what's on it. http://www.absolute.com/products/lojackforlaptops
Clark, I don't know how common T-storms are where you live, but if you don't have one already then I would consider getting a decent-sized surge protector. Tripp Lite is known for their good trade-off between quality and cost. I've purchased products from them on Amazon for $30-$35 which come with a money-back guarantee including the cost of failed hardware i.e. laptop. http://www.tripplite.com/