Gizmodo: key

Before Your Next Crime Spree, Be Sure to Print Your Own Handcuff Key

Rosa Golijan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:30:00 EDT

Whether it's "Officer, I was only going 90MPH" or "Honey, I can't get 'em off," sometimes you just lack a handcuff key. Fortunately, you can print one—if you happen to have a 3D printer, that is.

Using a 3D printer and a high-resolution image of the official handcuff key of the Dutch police, Ray, an SSDev member, printed a functional handcuff key. Scary and awesome at the same time. Best of all? You can get all the details on printing your own on his site. [ke.y.nu via BlackBag via Make]

Someone Get Ricky Gervais This Crunching Elmo With USB Penis

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:20:00 EDT

Come on, I could get the whole Rocky Third Leg USB Drive thing—since he used to be a porn actor—but frikkin' USB Crunching Elmo Elmo and his metal junk?

It's wrong. It's $22. [Craziest Gadgets]

So This Was Obvious

Mark Wilson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EDT

I don't even want to hear your lame rebuttals about structural integrity. Why we're using centuries-old key/keychain technology in 2009 is beyond me. Buy this real working blank key and join the future for just $7/pair. [Amron Exptl via DVICE]

Instructables: Copy a Key Using a Coke Can

Brian Lam — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 14:57:41 EST

Instructables has a neat if dangerous tutorial on how to quickly make a key copy by tracing the metal from a Coke can. It's pretty obvious, and with that seed planted in your mind, there's probably no need to read the instructions.

Let me go one step further and remind you that you can copy a key for like two bucks at the hardware store, and that combining scissors, a key, and the edge of a shiv of aluminum can, this tutorial might as well be titled "How to lose a finger." Also, entering someone's home with a key copy is probably still considered unlawful entry, regardless of the lack of shattered door frame. Having said that, I will try this later and let you know how it goes. [Instructables]

Key Rings

Jason Chen — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:00:02 EDT

What's more embarrassing for Charlie Murphy than having "Unity" indented on his forehead? How about Ctrl Alt Delete? It's too bad Rick James wasn't a geek, or else that story would have went down slightly differently for Darkness. $89 each. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Marchenoir via Neatorama]

Key Buoy Saves Your Keys From Nemo

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 May 2007 14:40:41 EDT

We're not big boaters around here—we can kinda swim, but don't know how to breathe correctly—but the key buoy would still be super useful for us. Why? Because even though we don't go in boats, where this keychain has the most benefit by keeping your key on the surface of the water, we still manage to drop our keys in the pool, the tub, and the toilet more often than you'd imagine.

When unsubmerged, the key buoy looks like a normal fob, but once it hits water it pops up and lifts your keys to safety. That is, unless you've got some special keys—like if you were a janitor or you had the key to the city. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Firebox via Random Good Stuff]

SpongeBob USB Drive Expands When Full

Jason Chen — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 19:45:53 EDT

Unfortunately not a real product, this Russian-designed SpongeBob USB Drive looks like your kids' favorite character when empty, but fills up to a gigantic blowfish when full. Although cool, the concept doesn't make any sense. SpongeBob is a sponge, not a blowfish. Otherwise he'd be called BlowfishBob. Get it together, Russians.

It's of the same design as the flashbags, which get full when full. Neat, but ultimately unusable because your drive will spend most of its time somewhere inbetween, which takes up unnecessary space. – Jason Chen

Design Page [Plusminus via Dailygadget via Nerd Approved]

First Look at the PayPal Security Key

Jason Chen — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 16:15:41 EST

For those who are the least bit curious about the PayPal Security Key, take a look at Popken's video on the thing. Between throwing out racial slurs and making AIDs jokes, he shows you how the thing's supposed to work. Does it actually protect you against phishers? Watch and find out. – Jason Chen

ORIGINAL VIDEO: PayPal Security Key First Look [Consumerist]

Delete: The New Erase

www.gizmodo.com — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:35:37 EST

Want to be a total ~~nerd~~ badass while gunning through your written computer science exam? Then cop one of these Tersumus delete-key erasers.

The palm-sized eraser will help you fix your sloppy coding mistakes and give you a second chance on your poor formating and syntax errors. They're not in stock yet, but you can get your pre-order on at $10.50 a pop, shipping in around mid-July. Mistakes can be costly.

But just remember this—real haxorz don't need the delete key. –Alexander Yoon

Tersumus [Via Digg]

PayPal Security Key Available Now

Jason Chen — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:30:56 EST

Remember that PayPal security key we told you about last month? The one that generates a random key every 30 seconds you're supposed to type in with your login in order to prevent fraud? Yeah, that's available now.

Just login, click order, and you'll get your $5 Security Key in a couple days. We assume they take PayPal. – Jason Chen

Product Page [PayPal via Consumerist]

mTrust USB Drive Management System

johnb — Tue, 02 May 2006 17:11:12 EDT

USB drives are handy—but dangerous. Drop one on the subway and the next day all of your naked pictures of you with your dog are on the Interweb, complete with snarky commentary. mSystems doesn't want that to happen to you.

The mTrust allows IT shops to shut down and erase lost drives and maintains an audit trail of data transfer. Might be overkill, but man is it hard to get pictures of Scruffy licking whipped cream off of your delicate places out of Google's cache.

mTrust Can Remote Terminate Lost USB Drives [EverythingUSB]

Mimobots goSeries

Noah R — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 16:40:21 EST

The previous set of Cosmos Mimobots were cute enough to kill kittens and puppies. That's why the goSeries, along with having the ability to make sad clowns happy again, has its own backstory:

we are peaceful and joyful creatures essentially made of electronic silicon providing us with an extraordinary ability in memory. we love to live excessively and to embrace all pleasures that bl h, friendship, and our electronic components can offer.

As usual, these were designed by a serial killer—the famous graphic designer Yahid Serial Killer Rodr guez to be exact—because only someone who aspires to be Manson could craft something so disturbingly adorable.

The goSeries comes out in December pre-loaded with mini-games from Peskimo, and is available in 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB capacities—but only in limited quantities of 250 to 500 units (the Cosmos series is nearly sold out). They are all hi-speed USB 2.0, and prices range from $69.95 to $189.95 depending on the size.

Mimoco [Product Page]