A project I posted a few years back on HN for an invisible full-lid sticker for MacBooks, so that you could both protect them _and_ keep your stickers once you get a new laptop. I finally found a cost effective manufacturing solution, so setup a shop for them!
Well, I'm back, and this time I've managed to turn this into an actual physical product! It all started with a simple blog post back in 2019, which gained enough traction on various websites that it seemed worthwhile pursuing. So, a Kickstarter[0] was, well, started – but it never gathered enough momentum to get it across the line (and looking back, rightly so), and so everything got put on hold.
Then the pandemic happened, and I’m kind of glad the idea hadn’t taken off. I did however continue to get a trickle of messages and DMs asking what happened to LidLayer, and if there were any plans for the future…
Fast-forward a year or two, and I get the opportunity to go to a conference for work – the beautiful Objective by the Sea (ObtS)[1], where I am surrounded by stickered MacBooks! The idea of LidLayer immediately pops back into my head, and I can’t help but take another look at it, to see if I can make it work (it must be good if I keep coming back to it, right?).
So, I managed to find a supplier who can accurately cut the LidLayers way more cost-effectively than I ever could, meaning I could finally bring this whole thing back to life. And, what that also means is that because the cost of producing these has gone down, I can pass that saving on to you! Win win win!
We started something similar with BreachInsider (https://breachinsider.com) to allow businesses (or I guess individuals?) to do this themselves with minimal overhead or resources. The idea being that they sprinkle these ‘users’ throughout their databases and see where they show up, and be alerted if they ever get contacted or show up somewhere unusual (Pastebin etc.)
We ran something similar, firing ‘insiders’ across many of the top 100 sites and services, to spot breaches (either in the traditional sense of security incidents, or lapses in privacy for end users).
3M 1080 is great stuff - I avoided clear vinyls however as i found they lost the metallic look due to them being a little too glossy, even with the matte ones.
So it remains sticky when removed, but I certainly wouldn't expect it to fit quite as snuggly the second time around. Interesting idea though, but my initial reaction would be no, not re-applicable.
I think that might work for certain popular brands - Dell XPSs certainly crossed my mind, as well as the Lenovo Thinkpads. Both are likely to have a vinyl equivalent available that could be used, although I'd want to thoroughly QC how the Thinkpad lid holds-up with the residue on removal.
Looks like a great write up, very thorough. I wrote up a quick guide how to make the mobile setup a little easier with QR codes within the WireGuard mobile apps - when I get the time I’ll submit a pull request to get something included. https://grh.am/2018/wireguard-setup-guide-for-ios/
A combination of cyber security, project ideas, and general ramblings.