surteen

Thinkpads have a little switch under the bottom cover that will get flipped up when the cover is removed. There is a BIOS setting to require a password whenever this switch is toggled. When combined with signed BIOS updates it seems like it would be hard to bypass on a short term (like an actual "evil maid" attack).

Gosh that's a lot of discussion!

The later Epson PX-8 has a much more usable screen in a similar form factor.

That site hosts a lot of historical material that many "budget" providers would probably balk at and kick you off their network without much recourse. Having a good relationship with a provider that knows you and will go to bat for you can cost some money. That said, $100/month is not terribly expensive for dedicated hosting.