Locks have their own way

When you are hoping to maximize your travel security, one of the most obvious places to start is with buying a lock. But how secure are luggage locks? The disturbing truth is that luggage locks are terribly insecure.

What does the insecurity of these locks mean for your luggage security? How does that affect the protection of your property? In order to investigate these issues, we will have to venture deep into the terrifying truth about luggage locks.

What security do TSA locks offer your luggage?
TSA locks are not secure. The shackles can be cut by most low-quality diagonal cutting pliers, the lock cylinders can be picked open with very little skill, and the schematics for the master keys have been revealed to the public. If you are using a TSA lock, you are getting the illusion of security.

The biggest benefit to using TSA locks is that the TSA can open your bag without having to 24/7 commercial lock repair service. This still might not keep your lock from being cut off, as many travelers report having TSA cut locks off regardless of having been TSA approved. But at least there is a chance that your insecure lock will not be broken open.

A TSA approved padlock is the next step up from a zip tie. It provides the same amount of initial security if you are worried about criminal tampering. However, a TSA lock can potentially be taken off and relocked on the bag, where a zip tie cannot be reattached once removed. With a TSA approved lock, after a lawful search, there is a chance that your luggage can maintain its same level of “security”.

1. The TSA Can Remove Any Luggage Lock Without Cause
If you are checking luggage, the TSA reserves the right to open your baggage by the means required to properly carry out the search. In case you have not received a “Notice Of Baggage Inspection” letter in your checked luggage, it reads as follows:

To Protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and physically inspected. Your bag was among those selected for physical inspection.

During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for prohibited items. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag.

If the TSA security officer was unable to open our bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for the damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution.

The note goes on to suggest that the recipient of the inspection notice refer to www.tsa.gov to find “packing tips and suggestions on how to secure your baggage during your next trip…” Is it ironic for a note telling you what you just read to recommend that you use better security next time you fly? It may seem that way, but the spirit in which it is intended is that locks are not security, knowing what is going to get your bag flagged is the security you need for avoiding TSA attention.

2. Every Luggage Lock Can Be Opened
It is true that every lock can be picked, even locks that have not been picked yet can still be opened. Opening methods that travel security professionals use are almost always destructive. There is no lock that exists that can withstand every type destructive entry method given an unlimited amount of time with the lock.

Not even the best padlocks in existence can hold up to the highest level of pressure that can be applied to them. Do not expect that your security can keep out any law enforcement. Even though you may be hoping to avoid criminally minded baggage checkers, they are within their right to open your luggage at all costs.

Though there are documented cases where strong enough security has been enough to have TSA give up on trying to open it. I don’t fully understand the implications of security that has law enforcement give up, but I would not expect to be the exception to the rule that if the opening of your bag a legally sanctioned it will be carried out.

In terms of criminal threats without the full force of the law behind them, your locks can still be opened. However, when it comes to standard criminals you have to consider every aspect of luggage security and not just the security of your luggage locks.

3. No Luggage Lock Can Protect a Zipper
Any luggage lock that is placed to secure a zipper is completely useless. Anyone with a ballpoint pen can puncture the zipper track (aka teeth). This gives anyone access to the contents of your bag in seconds. Once a person has rooted around in your belongings, they can then move the zipper’s pull tab over the open teeth and reseal the bag without any sign of entry.

If you have an anti-puncture zipper, then your zipper is safe, but a lock can never protect the zipper. When you want a lock to matter at all, you have to use luggage that has hasps, not a zipper. Hasps are common on hard shell cases, which are intended to protect the contents of the luggage.

It is also unlikely that you will end up with a bag that has an anti-puncture zipper if you do not go out of your way to purchase one. This feature is not common, in spite of the fact that the method of entry is extremely popular for criminals all over the world.

4. Your Bag Undermines the Security of a Luggage Lock
Security is not the main concern for standard baggage manufactures. Unless the luggage has been designed with security in mind, the lock you place on it is not going to matter much at all. Besides zipper protection, you have to be concerned about more brash criminals that will not care about surreptitiously or even covertly open your bag.

A very common method of entry that criminals will use is to cut your bag. You made need something like a Pelican case. With a light slice from a sharp knife, a thief now has access to everything in your luggage. Unless your bag can resist cutting, having a lock on your bag is not going to truly protect the property inside.

Most likely your bag is always going to be easier to break than an incredibly strong lock. It does not make sense to have an extremely powerful lock if the case it is securing is itself insecure. Be aware of the level of protection provided by the bag before you make any investment in a lock.

5. Built-in Luggage Locks Are Not Secure
Built In Luggage Lock

This is a guiding principle more than a hard and fast rule, but it is important to think about the fact that almost any piece of luggage you buy is not going to have high-security locks. This might be something that the case claims, but you need to know better than to believe the advertising.

Even if the brand of security being used is not notorious for manufacturing subpar locks, it might still be something cheap and ineffective. A lot of times locks on cases and luggage will claim to be high-security, but they are just using a novel lock type. Such lock types that are used as built-in luggage locks include tubular locks, cruciform locks, and disk detainer locks.

If a lock is poorly made, it does not matter what kind of internal components it has. Poorly made locks are not secure. They break easier because of the lower quality metal, and that means they can be broken open easier. Mass production required to place them on luggage also change house key very simple to the point where most of these locks can be opened with bypasses or improvised keys.

What is the best way to protect luggage?
As you may have learned from the article about protecting your beach bag, the best possible way to protect any luggage is to keep your eyes on it. This is not going to be possible at every point of your trip, especially if you have to check your bags. The important thing is to take advantage of the instances where you can watch over your property.

Your locks need to take as long to open without permission as the average time you will leave them unmonitored. As has already been established, flying in the United States will be the exception to this rule. Law enforcement will have too much time with your luggage, and they will have the authority to open the lock. But for deterring criminals, this type of security assessment is a must.

Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter if you are in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, or you are sleeping over at a friends house in the next town over, when you have luggage, you will attract the attention of criminals. Luggage locks are not going to do much to protect your bag. You need to consider a lot more than just luggage locks.

Sony Platinum Wireless Headset for PS4 Review

There are a handful of wireless headsets designed for the PlayStation 4, all varying in quality and features. Sony had already designed a PLAYSTATION 4 VR HEADSET set for their own console in the Gold wireless headset, but they’ve upped the ante with the Platinum iteration. The new headset offers virtual 7.1 surround sound, a redesigned frame, and customizable audio settings. Let’s break down the Platinum Wireless Headset’s design, features, and sound quality to see if it’s worthy of the $160 price tag
Design and Ergonomics

The sleek polished aluminum band along the top of the frame feels sturdy. The thick rubber headband just under the frame rests easy on your head, and the headset’s flexibility makes it easy to slip on and off. The rest of the housing is made of plastic. The earcups slide along the inside of the frame to adjust for fitment and elbows are situated just above the earcups that allow you to fold the headset inward. Though it doesn’t fold symmetrically, it becomes compact enough to store conveniently. A small travel pouch comes packaged and allows you to easily take the headset on the go. Overall, the minimalist design is aesthetically pleasing and solidly built.




The leather upholstery would indicate that the ear pads are thick, but the padding only goes in about half as deep. The firm padding provides adequate comfort, but it should be noted that the headset tends to clamp over your head fairly tight. Regardless, it was comfortable enough to wear during a two-hour session for testing. Leather slightly limits breathability, so it may get warm inside the headset, but the ear pads don’t create a perfect seal which helps alleviate this issue. The inner audio drivers have a slanted contour, which are supposed to align flush to the user’s ears. The problem is that everyone has different shaped and sized ears, and bigger ears may press up against the inner drivers. This can cause discomfort of varying degrees. As a consequence, the ergonomics of the Platinum headset will differ from user to user.




The USB charging port is also on the left earcup, but the packaged cable is much too short to charge and use the headset on the PS4 simultaneously. The 3.5mm port allows the headset to be used wired with other devices, and a 3.5mm cable comes with the package. The Platinum headset connects wirelessly through the packaged USB dongle and seamlessly works with the PS4 and PC.

Sony has left the battery life of this headset undefined, simply saying it’s equipped with an “extended-life” battery. We charged the headset overnight and it lasted for the entire duration of our tests, which amounted to about 10 hours with the dashboard battery indicator still at two of three bars.

The integrated microphone hidden under the left earcup captures clear audio, but didn’t cancel outside noise as well as we hoped considering the dual microphone design is intended to do just that. It’s a great ergonomic design that cuts the cumbersome nature of inflexible boom mics.

Concrete Placing- Sidewalk Repair

FORM WORK-

OK, we are using wood forms with this walk. Layout your 2x4's along the walk and drop stakes every few feet. Your 2x4s will soon be installed end to end so a stake is required at each joint. Beginning on one side, install your 2x4's utilizing enough bets to firmly hold them in place. They must be right and plumb. Nail the 2x4"s to each bet but don't drive the heads all the way in. You have to remove these stakes later and it's a lot easier to get a hold of the nail head in case it sticking out a little. In case you have curves on your walk and also are using 1/4" substance to form you will, of course, need to use many more stakes. Just make sure the form is not going to move when you set the sidewalk repair contractors in Manhattan New York from it.

Now cut a piece of scrap 1x2 the width of your walk. (3' in this instance). Using this as a guide, install the opposite side of your formwork. It'll save you needing to measure over and over again and speeds up the work.

CONCRETE PLACING-

Ok, now we're ready to go. Assess your list. Are types all nailed? Not raining? Loads of help? Got all the tools you need?

And most important did you purchase the sidewalk repair contractor Manhattan? Most companies need at least two days notice for homeowners to order. Commercial accounts come first because of their large volume of requests. BE READY! Remember the truck clock starts when he gets there, not when you get started massaging. Using your garden hose, even if the ground is very dry, slightly dampen it. This can help prevent premature drying of the cement from the floor sucking the water from the sidewalk repair Manhattan NY before you get finished. Beginning in the end the farthest from the truck (you'll see why later) start placing the Manhattan sidewalk repair in the forms. One person must, using his trowel, push the sidewalk repair Manhattan into position and do a preliminary leveling over the forms. After placing a few feet of concrete, with a 2x4 for a screed, he could then level the whole width of the walk by slipping the 2x4 back forth over the top of the forms. You need one individual leveling concrete with a shovel, 2nd person using 2x4 for a screed to level DOT sidewalk violation Manhattan concrete flush with the tops of strains and an additional flip side to wheel sidewalk repair Manhattan, manage the chute, etc..

If a very low spot in the sidewalk repair contractors in Manhattan New York grows, just use the trowel to pickup some moist concrete and toss it in. Proceed and re-screed over this area. If an excessive amount of sidewalk repair contractors in Manhattan New York develops in the front of the screed only push or pull it in the area without Manhattan sidewalk repair. You will quickly get the hang of it. The people helping can watch as they pour the concrete from their wheelbarrows to make sure they don't overwhelm you. If you operate slow and steady it moves pretty fast. OK, we finally have the entire form full of sidewalk repair contractors in Manhattan New York. Place a tiny bit extra in 1 wheelbarrow and let the truck go. Now you need somewhere for the vehicle to wash out his chutes and you will need to clean your gear and wheelbarrows. Concrete stains and gets HARD! Put it somewhere that is easily cleaned later. Do not leave piles of concrete which can't be moved.

Not Getting Enough Sleep? Blame Your Job.

Are you getting enough sleep? If you’re not getting at least seven hours of sleep or more every day, the answer is likely “no,” according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.

A shortage of sleep, classified as less than seven hours a day, can result in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, depression and anxiety. Although, the amount of sleep a person gets every night is impacted by a diversity of factors, such as race, education, marital status, obesity, cigarette smoking and career. In fact, work is a major factor that can negatively impact sleep, from stress to shift hours to the actual work itself.

What Is the Purpose of a Team?

The purpose of creating teams is to provide a framework that will increase the ability of employees to participate in planning, problem solving and decision making to better serve customers. Increased participation promotes:

a better understanding of decisions,

more support for and participation in implementation plans,

increased contribution to problem solving and decision making,

more ownership of decisions, processes, and changes, and

more ability and willingness to participate in performance evaluation and improvement.

7 Things to Outsource Immediately to Scale Your Business

The hallmark of any entrepreneur is the ability to wear multiple hats, juggle dozens of tasks simultaneously and multitask his or her way from startup to consistent income stream.


Ironically, though, multitasking can actually damage your brain and decrease your productivity. Studies are rife with statistics and case studies showing that the human brain lacks the capacity to successfully perform more than one task at one time.

So what’s the solution? Tactic 1 is to grow your business slowly and give yourself the time to exclusively manage single tasks. However, if you’re like me, you love building and running your business and don’t want to scale at such a painfully slow pace.

The other solution, Tactic 2, is to immediately outsource specialized and tedious tasks to free up your time while you simultaneously scale your business. Here are seven ways to get started.