Now that the police have all gone (they were extremely nice and *someone* remarked that they were also extremely handsome), we thank you for your kind words.
Fortunately, all the laptops that were stolen were not our primary computers and they didn't touch our desktops. The police said that our building has a bad history of this type of thing and that there were a large number of break-ins over the weekend in this precinct.
The worst thing is the feeling of unease it gives us (we now need more security - which we HATE) and the loss of SKGR's backup harddrive that had nearly 10 years of photographs, music and poetry on it. All of that is lost. She even said that she knows it is a virtue not to be too attached to material goods, but it just really hurts.
We had prepared the following post over the weekend, which we will now post. We will then be back tomorrow.
In the meantime, you can visit AT:Los Angeles, AT:Chicago, AT:San Francisco and even a little bit of AT: The Kitchen.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Sara Kate, I know how painful it can be to lose backed up creative work, and the violation you all are feeling. I am really sorry! I hope they can find the jerks who would be so mean.
Sorry to hear about the break-in. It's awful; I know about the sense of violation in the aftermath of a robbery.
My best wishes to you.
I'd be shocked if the case isn't already closed. They don't do much for burglary cases. My place was hit in '99. The cops taking the report indicated the case was already closed. It took a few years to get over the feeling that someone had just been there before I walked in.
Did someone say "handsome cop"?!?
(sorry... just a feeble attempt at humor to lighten the spirit!)
But, um, wouldn't it have been nice to know "bad history of break-ins" BEFORE you moved in? Is there actually a way to find that out when relocating an apartment or office?
But hopefully, "large number of break-ins over the weekend" may work in your favor in finding the creeps.
ps: Just re-read my post, and it sounds like I am saying YOU should have known about the area's break-in history.. that's NOT what I meant!!!
There's a show on the Discovery Channel everyday at 5PM called It Takes A Thief. It shows how easy it is for a thief to break into a home and what can be done to make it impossible. Sounds like it's time to sit in front of the TV for an hour and get great advice on security.
Sorry again for your loss!!
My condolences, M and SK.
I know the feeling; every familiar object in your home now will feel... violated and dirty. I wouldn't rely much on ever seeing your missing things again, unfortunately.
When my apartment was burglarized, in 1999, the cop "consoled" me with "be thankful you still have your TV; when thieves robbed my apartment, they didn't leave me mine".
Again, sorry this happened...With regards to researching a building, I think you can call local police precincts and ask...and sometimes there are police reports online that you can try to do searches in..but unfortunately, it's hard to know for sure.
I hate it when this happens to anybody, but when it happens to people I consider friends, I feel utterly helpless. I'll say a prayer to St. Anthony that you can recover the lost stuff particularly Sarah Kate's computer. Reminder to myself: backup.
P(2): I can't remember the details, but I've read somewhere recently (NY Times, perhaps?) that one can (and should) research the crime statistics for one's neighborhood and building before one moves in. I'm not sure if it applies for rentals as well as purchases (the context in which I saw it discussed), but if it's possible for residences, it ought to be possible for offices. It's probably something people pay more attention to if they're going to be raising a family there and/or coming home late at night.
Another thought: I vaguely recall reading a long time ago that one can "register" the serial numbers one's most "thief-tempting" posessions with some agency (perhaps the local police precinct) to better track them if they are stolen. Even if it's not true, perhaps having an "official-looking" sticker on them to that effect might be a future deterrent.
OH NO! That is so awful! What a horrible end to your delightful weekend.
I guess it's an unfortunate reminder to us all to do that tedious but necessary task of backing up, whether to discs or hard drives (preferably both, to be extra-safe). Also we should remember to have current photos of our homes and it's possessions for insurance purposes. Engrave laptops and other items if possible so you can prove your ownership. Even though it's hard to retrieve stolen items, you have a better chance if it's uniquely marked. Getting a custom paint job on my laptop has always been a thought - it would be easy to spot on Ebay if a thief tried to sell it.
This has also reminded me to start scanning my parents old photo albums. Not only so the whole family can enjoy them on their own DVDs, but simply for safety's sake in case the originals are ever lost/destroyed.
"Also we should remember to have current photos of our homes and it's possessions for insurance purposes."
And don't keep those home photos on your computer without backup. Otherwise, the thieves have the info and what good it that to anyone but the thieves?!
Am so very, very sorry to hear about the break-in and your loss.
Reminds me that years ago I had a friend who, while moving from Southern California to Northern, had her car broken into and everything taken. Including her thesis-in-progress. But what she actually missed the most was her address book, which had contact information for people she'd met all over the world and which she had no way of replacing.
Losing stuff like that is awful and virtue is not at issue here, it seems to me.
Sarah Kate you have my sincere condolences.
My condolences. That is the pits!
Ugh. That is no fun. I dread the day someone steals my laptop. I guess I should keep an offsite backup.
I am really sorry to hear about your loss! After I had my jewelry stolen, the police said that some thieves are "specialists" and that the jewelry thieves might tell the stereo thieves who might tell the computer thieves. I'm not trying to be alarmist, but would like for you to not have this happen again!
Everyone watch their stuff... it's going around today...
I just saw someone try to steal boxes off a dolly as the guy was loading the truck. :(
(((((AT Crew)))))
I'm so sorry - I have total empathy. When our not-for-profit organization was broken into (they tore off an air vent on the roof to get in), they realized we had nothing of real value to steal. So after scattering the contents of our donations jar (all loose change) all over the floor, they left our only PC and took all of our food instead. And our toilet paper!
I am thinking of sleeping with my laptop under my bed from now on, though.
How painful, especially losing the photographs and poetry. Pole sana (what we say in Swahili to offer condolences).
So sorry to hear that happened to you, and since we're talking about thieves -- I'd like to invite anyone interested to read up on the apartment hunting scam that ripped me off on craigslist. The con-artist escaped the US when the NYPD was investigating her and now she's posing as a NYC real estate broker selling apartment guides while in the UK. As an added bonus, I've put together a free No Fee Landlord and Management Company list so you don't have to support this fugitive felon or any other list peddling scammers.
http://scamhunters.blogspot.com
oof. I never want the object back -- it's always the data that's important. It's unfair that the object is the thing they take when it's your work and family photos that you miss.
I've been uploading pictures to flickr -- maybe you guys should use that as a backup from now on?
Ironically, the nytimes has an article about data backup today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/business/yourmoney/14backup.html
Data backup is important. If your data is considered important. I didn't think I had anything worthy of backing up. My computer was a Macinstein anyway, jumble of old parts. The hard drive died. Couldn't be brought back. That's when I realized my collection of favorite places, all the links I'd saved were lost.
Used an older computer until a suitable replacement could be found. Bought it. The hard drive in that computer failed and died within a month. A week later the CD-RW drive failed too.
The new (used) hard drive is smaller than the one that died. The only CD drive the guy had was Read-only, so I never got the chance to burn a CD (unless I do it manually by flicking my BIC).
Apple doesn't make parts for the public to just BUY, no, they want people to take it to their overpriced techs. They wanted $300.00 to replace the hard drive in this new-to-me used iMac, when the whole thing only cost $200.00.
So, there are many reasons to back up. I just don't have any place to back up stuff to. But I still don't have anything worth backing up.
Andree you can buy drives that work in Apple machines from several reputable sources like OWC on the web. If you are in the NYC area you can go to TechServe on 23rd St. to have them install it if it's too tricky for you. But you're still going to have to pay something for the part and service - there's no getting around it. Buying a used computer is a gamble. Mac minis start at $599, and might be worth considering if you've already got a monitor. It can be even cheaper if you buy a refurbished one directly from Apple, which includes a one year warrantly. I bought my niece a Mini & Apple display - both refurbished - and they've been running like a top.
Sorry I misspelled it: it's Tekserve.
Trish M. Thank you. I think I ordered memory from them when I first got my Performa in the early 90's. My good old Performa IS my backup computer. I can get online, but I have to turn off images in the browser. MSIE memory leak.
Anything NEW new would be wasted on me. I can't afford it for one. I wouldn't use all the features. I'm on dial-up. I don't have TV cable and I don't watch TV and I don't have a cell phone either. Until a friend gave me a monitor with an adapter, I was using a monitor I'd literally dug out of the dumpster. Works good. Only 640x480 resolution, but worked.
Basically I'm at the "rub two sticks together for fire" stage, and it works okay. The only new software I have is OSX 10.4, which doesn't even work on this machine...no DVD! It's at my neighbor's apt, he has a DVD. I used his OSX 10.3 for my computer.
All I do is come here, try to be helpful (most of the time failing miserably), do some browsing. I restart in OS9 to do pictures for people for their rooms. I'm not good at it. It's old OLD software. Not only does the application no longer exist, but the company that made it is kaput.
There is a limit to technology. It's called a pocketbook. I not only don't have the book, but I don't have the pocket to put it in either.
i'm so sorry that you have had this experience. i wish you all the best in jumping back into your lives.
-h
Take solace, if you can, in poetry:
Allen Ginsberg reading "What Would You Do If You Lost It?", http://tinyurl.com/kdwqb
"The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster...."
--Elizabeth Bishop, "One Art," http://tinyurl.com/gk5ch
xoxo, Shannon
not the news I would have liked to come back to after a day or so away from the computer. Is there anything we posters can do to help?
actually the "AT crew" is in a better position to get some action from the police than others. Celebrity helps.
Of course you have my sympathy.
When my hard drive died beyond recovery, I was relieved that I had backed it up the month before. Then I realized that I *hadn't* backed up my photos. So I lost years of stuff, including pics from a once-in-a-lifetime trip with my mom & sister... I feel for Sara Kate. It's not the "material goods" of the hard drive, it's all the information/memories/work/etc. that was on it.
Be especially good to yourselves...