Without a funky sticker nobody would know they are from me. Some have older windows versions to use with older equipment.
They become humanized this way and people treat them with respect and don't throw them away.
In case you lose the laptop (and no disk encryption) people might be more tempted to look into the files if they think it is a company laptop.
Those boring people may not be boring. And those stickers that you use as a signal may just be part of a persona you are trying to project. But we don’t really know because we are staring at each other’s laptops across a void and judging based on that. :-)
Of course. I've already stated that I allow for that possibility.
I tend to instinctively think of them as kinda boring (until proven otherwise).
Note "think of" not "know" and "until proven otherwise".
You seem to be taking a much stronger stance though, in saying
I know they are compensating for lack of personality by displaying flair in the lamest way possible.
So somehow you "know" all that just based on looking at a laptop lid across the void? shrug
Anyway, different strokes for different folks and all that. I'll keep rocking stickers on my laptop, and you keep rocking your plain laptop lid and I guess we can all be happy. :-)
I even removed the IBM logo from my Thinkpads, at the times I used them. Where that isn't possible, outside of the lid, like DELL, duct tape, silver or black, or black Edding for other stuff, like HP.
But now, it's to "peacock", too. I appreciate when others do it because I have an idea of who I'm dealing with. I've met some cool people from it and cut to the chase on other things where you work with someone new and have to subtly feel each other's technical ability out.
Perhaps a single "shiboleet"[1] sticker would suffice.