Hal is back with a third and final warning about how to properly lock your bicycle in New York City. If you missed the first 2 segments, you can watch part 1 here and part 2 here.
Thanks for the heads up, Clarence!
Video embedded above
Kryptonite Lock keyhole covers falling off easily
May 2, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
I have a New York Fahgettaboudit Kryptonite lock and it is great. It’s big and heavy but that’s to be expected from a chain that protects against the hardest of thieves who are out to steal a bike. If I’m out with my bike, you can bet I carry my Kryptonite lock with me.
And while Kryptonite locks are known to be incredibly strong and resilient against attacks, there’s gotta be something said about the lock’s construction quality. In plain words, it sucks. The black plate that covers the hole where the key is inserted is falling off and it doesn’t seem to be an isolated case as my brother who also owns the same lock has had his plate completely snap off. While mine hasn’t snapped off just yet, it’ll be a matter of days before I know my Kryptonite lock will be without a plate covering the keyhole from the weather (thus increasing the potential for rust, etc.).
The problem it seems stems from 2 very weak screws that hold the black plate onto the lock body. Without much abuse, these screws seem to just fall right out of their holes.
So Kryptonite, if you’re reading this, please find a way to remedy this problem. While not essential to the actual protection of a bike, the fact that your locks fall apart so easily makes me have a bit less faith in your product.
Lock your Mac with the Locker Dashboard Widget
April 20, 2009 @ 9:28 am
I really hope the next big update to Mac OS comes with some sort of hotkey for locking your computer. I’ve mentioned how you can use the Mac app LockTight to implement a hotkey for locking your computer, but it seems silly that this isn’t a native and standard keystroke on all Mac systems.
Until Apple gets their stuff together on this, you can also try this handy Locker Widget that makes locking your computer as easy as double-clicking an orange icon. The app sits in your Dashboard and acts the same way as the fast user switching menu. I find this particular app to be more pleasant to use than LockTight.
Finally! Somebody makes an app that locks your Mac using hotkeys
January 21, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that Mac OSX doesn’t come with a hotkey combo to quickly lock the computer. In Windows, all you had to do was press the Windows Key + L to get your computer locked. This was useful for those quick moments when you had to get up from your desk and you didn’t want prying eyes to look at what was on your screen.
In OSX however, if you want to lock your computer (not log out), you have to put the Keychain Access icon in the system menu and then use the drop-down menu to lock the computer from there. It’s not the quickest option and it really clutters up the menu bar at the top. So when I found out from Lifehacker that there’s now an application for Mac OSX that mimics the Windows way to lock your computer, I immediately downloaded it and installed it. Now, I lock my computer with LockTight andall is good.
But really, I think it’s so stupid that this option had to be included via a third-party application.
Kryptonite New York Legend chain and lock
November 7, 2008 @ 2:57 am
I currently own the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit chain and lock and it’s the most important part of my daily biking routine. As a cyclist in the city, there’s nothing more devastating than having your bike stolen (and I’ve already had that happen once), so when I heard that Kryptonite makes the strongest lock and even named the lock after the city with some of the highest bike thefts in the nation, I splurged and got me one just in case.
But pretty soon, my Fahgettaboudit chain and lock will be replaced by an even more robust product from Kryptonite called the New York Legend. The 15mm rounded links made of 3T tempered steel provide the utmost security from bolt cutters, saws, chisels, filers, and hammers, among other traditional chain-cutting tools.
The New York padlock itself sounds impressive, as it comes armor-plated to deter the craziest of thieves who might even bother to try and break this lock and chain combo.
But perhaps the best thing about this new chain is that it comes with hook-and-loop retention strips to keep the nylon chain casing from slipping away. I sometimes find it very annoying that the chain sleeve slips off so easily and this small addition to the sleeve is greatly appreciated.
Like all Kryptonite locks, the New York Legend comes with a theft insurance guarantee as part of the $160 pricetag that comes with owning the 3-foot chain (5-foot version is $210).
Wooden combination lock shows you how it works
April 21, 2008 @ 12:45 pm
Matthias Wandel, the genius behind the previously posted binary marble adding machine has once again amazed me with his outstanding woodwork.
In the video above, you can see Wandel’s wooden combination lock. He explains the details of how the lock works and how it compares to other popular non-wooden combination locks.
Support this site
