I have a tip, on purchase of a new laptop gather together as many old stickers as you can, cover the case with them, then scribble and write, add a few coffee marks, a scratch and a scrape, you will have the world's least desirable target, it will look like shit, but it's your shit, and it's a little safer :)
About 11 months ago, my MacBook Pro was stolen from my house. I didn't keep a password on it as any of my secure files were encrypted, so the theif did use it for a bit. I had installed Prey, similar to this author, and a keylogger on the computer, so I was able to collect copius amounts of information about the theif (name, address, picture, phone number, email, usernames, passwords, etc.). I had more than enough info to catch the theif including the address of where the computer was being kept. I relayed everything I had to the police officer in charge of my case. Basically, it was an open/shut case, he just need to go and get it. To make a long story short, he did nothing. He never pursued the case at all and I never got my computer back.
After a few months of inaction by the police, I did the best thing I could and ssh'd into the computer and rm -rf'd it so the theif would have to reinstall the OS and I wouldn't have watch someone else use my computer. I would have retrieved the computer myself, but I was very aware of the theif's criminal record which mostly included assault, unlawful possesion of a firearm, attempted murder, etc.
tl;dr - If your computer is stolen there is little to no hope for retrieval, so do everything possible to prevent its theft.
One of my friends also had his MacBook Pro with Prey installed stolen. However, the police did retrieve it for him (he used wifi scanning around the area to determine the exact location). The police also didn't share any information about the person who had it, probably since it was stolen then sold. From start to finish, the ordeal was probably two-three weeks (enough for a new one to be shipped). Although this is one of the good stories, he definitely takes security more seriously now.
This works excellently. A few months ago I was on the road 24/7, including some pretty seedy airports and coffee shops all over the world. In Taiwan I got one of those clear plastic cover cases for my 15" MacBook and absolutely plastered the clear case with stickers, and over time I ehem... "applied" a few unvoluntary scratches as well. Bad news is people do tend to stare at your laptop abomination, but the good part is indeed nobody wants it. Also, being a detachable cover, I could take the camouflage off for stuffy business meetings.
I'm the author of the article. The laptop in question is a Thinkpad. The good thing about Thinkpads is they all look the same, and they don't look valuable. Well, not like a Macbook or a Sony Vaio. I don't think they look like particularly valuable targets even when they're brand new.
I use Apple products and this really annoys some people, but I let my stuff get beaten my cosmetically. I fix it up when I'm selling but no one looks at it with 'oh that looks shiny and new'.
