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Lock

geeks vs locksmiths

Locksmiths Hate Geeks

Why would the noble locksmith have a bone to pick with geeks? Because they are beating them at their own game, that's why. A growing number of amateur lock picking enthusiasts are intimidating the professionals with their skill—a group comprised mainly of computer geeks who draw parallels between network hacking and lock busting. According to Paul Bentley, president of the Association of Ontario Locksmiths: "This is a skill that can do a lot of harm, that's why we kind of protect it." More »

gadgets

Schlage Z-Wave Door Locks Can Be Controlled Remotely Using Internet Magic

Schlage is planning on taking door lock security into the internet age with a new lineup of Z-Wave devices that can be locked, unlocked and monitored from a cellphone or other web enabled device. By connecting a Z-Wave gateway to any broadband router, users will be able to take complete control of up to 256 locks—including creating and disabling passcodes as well as monitoring who accessed the door and when. More »

design

Brightdoor: Well, the Door is Securely Locked, But I Haven't Slept in Days

Remember those Brighthandle Alfa Door handles that would glow green or red depending on whether or not the door was locked? Yeah, that was a pretty clever idea—and clever ideas often don't need much improving. It appears that the folks at Lervik Design don't subscribe to that philosophy considering that they have "improved" upon the concept to include the entire door. My guess is that this concept won't ever see the light of day for many reasons—not the least of which being that it would waste power and make a good night's sleep damn near impossible. [Lervik Design via DVICE]

shocking

How An Electronic Lock Helped a Crazy Austrian Man Keep His Daughter as a Sex Slave For 24 Years

To be honest, I wish that I never learned of the Josef Fritzl story in the first place—but it was hard to avoid given the severity of the crimes committed. However, the fact that a man could imprison his daughter in a basement for 24 years and father her seven children is too horrifying and baffling to ignore. Over the last few days we have learned the full magnitude of the events that transpired—three of his incestuous offspring (aged 19,18 and 5) had never seen the sunlight until their release and one of the seven children died due to inadequate care. We also learned that he managed to keep the whole thing a secret—even from his wife. The question is...how?

More »

gadgets

USB CapsLocker Is Pure Punishment For Data Entry Clerks

This USB CapsLocker is slightly less cruel than the phantom keystroker, but the base idea is the same. Plug the USB device into one of the back ports of someone's computer and it will randomly hit the caps lock key at intervals between 30 seconds to eight minutes. The best part is how cheap and relatively easy it is to make, meaning that you can replace the ones you lose after your victims discover and break the old ones. [Macetech via Everything USB]

samsung

Samsung Luce Lock is the iPhone of Doorware, Apparently

Fans of Jonathan Ive's work may find the EZON SHS-5200 lock, aka Luce, from Samsung just a little bit crispy. Built to US standards, and with an emergency keyhole, this slimline digital door fastening has been hailed as being better-looking than the iPhone. Made of aluminum, its tempered-glass, touchscreen pad only lights up when you press the start button and there's a built-in fire alarm that goes off when the temperature hits 55ºC. Given how hot my MacBook gets after a day's work, that's a feature that Apple should maybe think about installing in their machines. [AVING]

smartlock

Kwikset Smartkey System is Unbumpable, Can Learn New Keys

The everyday front-door lock has had a bit of an overhaul with Kwikset's Smartkey system. First, it's designed to be unbumpable, so you can feel more secure when you leave your home unoccupied. What's bumping, you ask, innocently? More »

cycle gear

Bike Cuffs Bring Security, Kinkiness, to Your Cycle

Made of hardened, laminated steel, and based on the design for police-issue manacles, the bike cuff is all kinds of wonderful. You can lock up to three bikes at the same time, and the ring is big enough to secure to signposts to deter would-be tea-leaves. The heat-treated lock is pick-proof and there's a hardened pivot link, which means no busting your bike using leverage. There is, however, one downside to the cuffs: price. Expect to pay $158.50 for them. [Firebox]

locks

Master Lock SmartTOUCH Biometric Garage Door Opener

The Skinny: Opens your garage via fingerprint of up to 20 others. Survives in extreme temps from -30 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit and wet weather. Costs $130 bucks.
The Catch: The preferred way to open a garage is still the good old janky wireless remote from inside your car. [Smarttouch via Gearlog]

booze barrier

Liquor Lock Keeps the Non-Resourceful Kids Sober

This just in for parents who want to control every aspect of their teenagers' lives: The Liquor Lock secures your Christmas spirits under a three-digit combination. Supposedly, the stopper within expands when you engage this $15 device, but we're hoping the glass on that bottle is stronger than that muscular kid down the street with a penchant for hard liquor. At least it'll send a message to those drunken-sailor kids of yours. [Sporty's, via Wired]

peripherals

Apple's New Aluminum Keyboard Features Built-In Anti-Caps Lock Bias

If you picked up a wired version of Apple's new thin aluminum keyboard you may have noticed that the caps lock function is all but useless. Only a good long press of the key will activate the function, and if you so much as breathe on it, caps lock disengages. So, is Apple spearheading an anti-caps lock campaign? Discuss. [Wired]

usb

USB Security Lock Prevents People From Shoving Stuff Into Your Ports

We're not sure who would really have a use for this other than paranoid sysadmins trying to lock down everyone's computer, but this USB Security Lock inserts a USB stub into a port so nothing else can go in. Sure, it's good for corporate security, but if you don't trust your own family members enough not to stick strange USB drives into your ports without your permission, you need more help than a $9.99 USB port can provide. But hey, it's only $9.99. [Think Geek]

korea

Touchscreen Samsung Door Lock Looks Better Than Most Cellphones

Although normal locks are fine for the 20th century, these Samsung touchscreen door locks show that you're a man that doesn't settle for last year's technology. These locks, which come in black and silver for $180 (170,000 Won), have a Samsung cellphone-esque touchpad for easy number entry, plus aluminum alloy and tempered glass for that extra bit of style. If we ever have anything worth protecting, we'd use one of these padlocks to do it. [AVING via Korean Gadgets via Coolest Gadgets]

exclusive

Philips and Swarovski Launch Active Crystals Luxury Electronics in US


I always look at boring old USB drives and ask, "Why can't these be jewel-encrusted?" Ditto for my run-of-the-mill earbuds, which seem to lack some kind of large embedded crystal. Believe it or not, the Philips-Swarovski Active Crystals collection is due to arrive in the US this August, and we've got the exclusive first look at the lineup. More »

security

Controller Lock Keeps Your Paused FFXII Game Safe From Evildoers

Of all the things that you need to keep locked up and secure, how far down the list is your console gaming controller? Is it even on the list? Yeah, it's not on mine either. But hey, apparently some people are really concerned about their controllers getting used when they aren't around, and that necessitated a new product. More »

heavy metal

Lock Pick Business Card: Sweet Form, Solid Function

We collect a LOT of business cards throughout the year, and while most of them are far from memorable, every now and then one stands out. But even of the few cool ones I've been handed, none of them are quite as awesome as this lock pick card, which is loaded up with fully functional tools besides looking incredibly sleek and modern. Just don't show it to Patrick Bateman. More »

gadgets

Locking Wallet for Gambling Addicts

You know when you go to a casino, and you're up up up up up?! And then you keep playing, until you're so bust you can't even afford a milkshake at some crappy Reno Diner? And then you make out with the 60-year old cougar waitress for her tip jar, just so you can afford gas for the drive back home? No? More »

home entertainment

Wii Definitely Region Locked

Sorry to disappoint gamers who planned on importing Japanese games to play on their consoles, but Nintendo's Wii is definitely region locked. It's not enough to just take our word for it, so here's a video of a guy trying out a US Zelda game in his Japanese machine. We haven't seen choking this bad since Buckner. More »