Huh. This is back on the front page after a hiatus of many hours. A bunch of people here question why I'd use a paper bag to carry a laptop from one place to another. As I said in the post it is "inconspicuous". That can be interpreted in a couple of ways.

One is simply not carrying something obviously containing expensive electronics which might be a target for theft. But having thought about this for a while that's not my biggest motivation. I hate ostentation. That's the reason I wear a Casio watch, would never wear clothes with a brand name plastered all over them, and drive a very boring car.

I do have a laptop sleeve that I use to protect the laptop and it slips easily into a bag. Prior to my silent bag purchase I did use random shopping bags (including canvas bags that seem to have sprouted like weeds in my cupboard), but after the board meeting situation mentioned I decided I'd try to find a long-lasting "paper" bag for the hell of it.

And I stumbled upon movie prop bags! Oh, and I hate backpacks.

> I wear a Casio watch

I only wear counterfeit Casio watches.

Not a joke... but I see the humor in saying it which is why I did. It's is a loss leader, counterfeits Casios tend not to be as waterproof. YouTube video can help you ensure you buy counterfeits.

> A bunch of people here question

Sucks you have Hacker News talking about you. Just remember they are not real life... of pretend that's true at least.

Cool blog post.

I also stay off the branded clothing and I took rock the Casio watch.

But part of me wants to spend at least one day wearing the team outfit for a team on a sport that I know nothing about, for example, rugby or just normal football (not American 'foot ball'). With this outfit would be desirable footwear, maybe with a Nike swoosh, which is something I have never worn.

Maybe add some fake gold jewellery to complete the look. How would my interactions differ with just a simple change of attire? Would I be drinking lots of beer by the end of the day?

I liked the post. I had a Waterfield shoulder bag for my 12” MacBook that I loved because it just didn’t seem like a laptop bag (maybe because of the size), but in the same vein I also took a seamripper to it to remove the brand label (did you ever follow the old SDR Traveler, uh, luggage? A little overwrought but I liked the no-branding aesthetic).

i used to slip mine in a manilla envelope whenever i needed to take it home from the office and i hadn't brought my backpack with me. our stationary cupboard was well stocked with these!

ostentatious : "characterized by pretentious or showy display; designed to impress."

You think when people see you get your laptop from a "paper bag" that doesn't create an impression? I'd say a regular laptop bag would be far more inconspicuous. Your solution just makes you seem like you go out of your way to be special. Same as if all your colleagues wore suits and you choose to wear cargo pants and a t-shirt. At least in that case you can argue comfort. This bag isn't as comfortable to carry, not as functional nor as inconspicuous as a regular laptop bag

What bothers me is the hypocrisy not the attention seeking.

Sometimes HN confuses me. I'd use a laptop sleeve with any other bag too, but all the 'smart' comments never think of that before posting?

It's like all power has been diverted to the Criticism Drive, with none left for the Self-Reflection Array... but only for oddball ideas of course. Conventional ideas and reasoning only.

For (supposedly) a hacker community I expect we can do better, and thanks OP for sharing! I'll be grabbing one of these bags even just to experiment.

Blogging about this makes you seem ostentatious about not appearing ostentatious. You might want to stop worrying about bags and start worrying about how you actually present yourself (or stop - depending on where your issues lie :P).