In Today's Post We Gonna Discuss Locksmith!

Many people don’t know the finer points of the locksmith profession, and they have no idea what to expect when you call a locksmith. It is not an indictment on them (or you, if this describes you). Not a lot of information about the job is made public. This can make it difficult to get information, and very easy to become misinformed. Some people see being a locksmith as a quick way to make money. It is not always seen as a noble trade or even a difficult range of skills that requires constant learning. But there is a great deal more to locksmithing than the average consumer would guess. Taking on the title of locksmith comes with responsibilities and expectations that most shy away from. It is a lifelong investment. It is a commitment to an education that never ends. And it is not always an easy job. It takes a certain type of person that loves the work and is always striving to be better.

Becoming a locksmith requires a lifetime investment. More than a financial investment, this trade demands the never-ending necessity of your time. That time is spent learning and practicing. Getting better, refining your craft, and changing with the demands of the consumer. Many skills of the profession are perishable. That means that if practice halts for any amount of time, the ability will atrophy. Lock picking might not be called for over the course of several days, and, as a result, your ability diminishes. For instance, if you prefer manual picking over electric picking, it is important to practice. The only way to combat that is to always be practicing. Even when the job does not demand something, it is still demanding it. Lock picks, security pins, and other parts of the locksmith arsenal can be made and these will be a handy addition to any lock pick set. It is going to take time to learn and perfect the process of making some of your tools. Making these materials can result in superior supplies, but getting to that point is going to require trial, error, and a whole lot of time. There will most likely be an investment in this process too, depending on your access to free scrap metal and old locks.

Because you should never pick locks that you do not own, or you own locks that are in use, you will need ways of getting a hold of practice locks. The best way to know that you can pick and rekey a Ruko or an Evva is to pick and rekey them. High-Security locks can necessitate the knowledge of that particular lock. Finding out how certain mechanisms work is reliant on taking some time with it, and taking it apart. Getting a hold of very particular locks can get expensive or time-consuming. Online communities and meet up groups exist that pass locks around to save money in this regard. These groups are undeniably beneficial to not just monetary savings, but also the wealth of knowledge you will have access to. Sharing insights and talking about the craft will deepen your understanding and make the process more personal. It can also be a lot of fun, but it goes to show, that the job spills over into personal life. Conversation and your own free time will start to center around the job. It can be hard to escape, so it needs to be something you enjoy.

Although there are many tools that you can make for yourself, there are certain things that you might need to purchase. Tools of the trade are often very expensive. There are often cheaper products, and ways like eBay to get higher quality supplies on a budget. Finding out what you need and buying on a budget will both rely on spending time. It will also take time to sift through the many brands of lock picking tools to see which one will be the best fit for you. It will also cost to get some of the information you may need. There are many locksmith training courses and schools out there that claim to have this type of information. Some definitely do. Just be wary of courses that claim to have quick comprehensive training or include declarations of how much money the skills will make you. The classes that are cheap can also be a little shady. Often cheap training courses rely on the upsell of unnecessary or overpriced tools to cover costs. Information with the underlying purpose of selling you goods will often be flawed in favor of the sale. That means they might stress the importance of a fiber optic light or a state of the art pinning tray when these items do not represent the job. And the investment does not stop there, one locksmith says:

…over half of what I charge goes right back into the company in the form of gas, insurance, advertising, trade organization dues, license fees, vehicle maintenance, tools, supplies, and other expenses…

The licenses, insurances, and bonds you have to carry can cost a small fortune. I have a city business license, a state locksmith license, a State Contractor’s License for car door lock change and security work, two insurance policies (general liability and commercial vehicle insurance), two different bonds, and I am a member of two major national trade organizations. In California, you need to be fingerprinted and pass State and Federal background tests…

The cost of running a business like this can be overwhelming and there is always another tool you need to buy, another software update, or replacement parts/tools that need to be ordered. I am currently saving up for a high security key machine that retails for $5,800.

Always be wary of any of the information you are given, and try to corroborate everything you learn with a practical test or third party validation.

What is Boom barrier

A boom barrier, also known as a boom gate, is a bar, or pole pivoted to allow the boom to block vehicular access through a controlled point. Typically the tip of a boom gate rises in a vertical arc to a near vertical position. Boom gates are often counterweighted, so the pole is easily tipped. Boom gates are often paired either end to end, or offset appropriately to block traffic in both directions. Some boom gates also have a second arm which hangs 300 to 400 mm below the upper arm when lowered, to increase approach visibility, and which hangs on links so it lies flat with the main boom as the barrier is raised. Some barriers also feature a pivot roughly half way, where as the barrier is raised, the outermost half remains horizontal, with the barrier resembling an upside-down L when raised.



Automatic boom barrier


There are various technologies for an automatic boom barrier. One of them is electro-mechanical, which is widely used due to its reliability. The other technologies are often manufacturer specific. These electro-mechanical device comes with 24VDC drive unit which can run continuously without generating heat, so electro-mechanical boom barriers can be operated continuously and in an intensive duty cycle.

Also see: MIGHTY MULE FM200 Gate Opener System

Usage


Boom gates are typically found at Level crossings, drawbridges, parking facilities, checkpoints and entrances to restricted areas. They are also the usual method for controlling passage through toll booths, and can also be found on some freeway entrance ramps which are automatically controlled to drop to restrict traffic in the event of accident cleanup or road closures without the need to dispatch road workers or law enforcement to use a vehicle to block the way. Some boom gates are automatic and powered, others are manually operated. Manual gates are sometimes hung in the manner of a normal gate (i.e. hinged horizontally). In some places, boom gates are installed across suburban streets as a traffic calming measure, preventing through traffic, while allowing authorised vehicles such as emergency services and buses to take advantage of the shorter and more direct route.

DROBO GEN 3

There are times where I preach cloud storage and streaming, it helps especially since I have unlimited data. Yet, even I can appreciate having local storage available for quick access. For the past 2 years, I’ve had several external hard drives connect to my main computer with TBs of media for my home-viewing pleasure. Good thing about that, it allows me to have thousands of tv shows, movies, and music files available and able to use on my home server. Bad thing, multiple drives means harder to locate, and unless i wanted double the drives (or do the process to create a raid) having a backup was tough as well. This is where Drobo comes in.

Drobo ( DROBO GEN 3 )is easily one of the best storage management systems you can have, due to it’s ease and your peace of mind. Not only does it combine multiple hard drives for you into a single unit, but it also takes care of backup, protection, and expansion without you having to worry about doing too many things. Let’s go through my journey so that we can see exactly how a 3rd Generation Drobo (that’s the model I have) can help in your household.

As I previously said, I use to have 3 external drives connected to my desktop, housing all my media or other things that I didn’t want on my computer. Already that 3 USB ports taken up. I wasn’t an expert in storage so I didn’t have them set up in a RAID and was really just taking my chance on hoping they would fail — they never did for the few years I used them. They were also always in use since I had a massive Plex library spanning across the 3 drives. This setup worked just fine, along with the fact that i had a USB hub attached to my desktop also. One day though, I was introduced to Drobo and decided to give them a whirl.

I received my Drobo 3rd gen. and when you first open the box you’ll see the unit, some cords, some very simple/basic instruction and a carrying bag. The Drobo itself is a long, rectangular unit with a detachable door in the front where you can place the drives. It has LEDs everywhere for various status announcements, a single large USB 3.0 port on the back, along with power and a huge fan grill. One of the instructions said to visit Drobo.com to register and research, it was there that I learned about the split in storage management.

Using Drobo’s capacity calculator, I learned that when using Drobo you have your Raw Storage, which is the total amount of storage you have. That storage gets divided, automatically, into: available storage, storage for protection, overhead, and storage reserved for expansion. When using a Drobo with 2 or less drives, expect to use about 50% of your raw storage due to overhead used for protecting your data, more drives equal more percentage of storage available to be used. I currently have 14TB of storage covered over 3 drives and my storage looks like this.

Upon plugging the Drobo in and waiting for all the LEDs to indicate that it was ready for lift off, I was able to insert my drive, one by one (after moving my current storage off somewhere else, due to the fact that they will need to be formatted upon first use), and register my Drobo using the Drobo Dashboard app that is highly recommended you install.



Drobo Dashboard lets you maintain your peace of mind about your Drobo with an easy to use, total commander app. You can select which Drobo you want to check out (if you have multiples), you can check the status or capacity of your drives, and even do little things like rename your Drobo or dim the lights on the front of it.

You can also check the performance of your machine which can easily be alter by doing things such as putting the USB 3 cord into a USB 2 port. This is also where you’d go to find support for your Drobo or, if you ever have to, reset your Drobo and all included drives — which I had to do due to personal negligence. I really enjoyed having an ‘offline’ place, to control everything about my Drobo.



Now this wonderful product that takes all the hard work of maintaining multiple storage devices for you doesn’t come without its faults, thankfully the faults are not due to the machine itself. First off, you’ll need to be patient. It can take hours during the first setup or if you have a drive fail and Drobo needs to start restoring data to it. It’ll continue working, but you’re going to have to let it do it’s thing, which should be easy, seeing that normally you would’ve just lost your data.

Secondly, Drobo needs to work on their customer service and their time management. I had an issue with my Drobo (again it was totally my fault, I didn’t follow my first rule and was rushing) and while they were helpful and wanting to help me resolve the situation, their support was taking days!!! After about a week of “support” and no fixed Drobo, I just took matters to myself and reset my Drobo, which, like any other major factory reset, resolved my issue.

Rechargeable Battery Technology

If you've ever shopped for rechargeable household batteries before, you may have noticed that there are quite a few types on the market. In truth, there are far more kinds of rechargeable batteries (for example: SUNJACK USB BATTERY CHARGER ) than those found on shelves at supermarkets and electronics stores. Lead-acid batteries power most cars, while lithium-polymer is the technology found in many cell phones.

The most common types of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries include nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, and lithium-ion. Rechargeable alkaline manganese batteries are also available, and are often cheaper than other options, but tend to have limited life cycles. Lithium-ion batteries, by comparison, typically last the longest of any type.

Self-discharge is the phenomenon of a battery losing its charge when not in use, and is present among all battery types, including disposables. While the rates tend to be higher among rechargeable units, there are many factors involved in the rate at which a battery loses its charge. These include age, storage temperature, and the charge capacity at which a battery is stored. While it's typically thought of in terms of shelf-life for disposable batteries, it can be represented as a percentage per month for rechargeables.

Lithium-ion batteries typically have the lowest self-discharge rate of all rechargeable battery types. They tend to lose two to three percent of their charge each month while in storage, compared to four to six percent for lead-acid and 15 to 20 percent for nickel-cadmium. Standard nickel metal hydride, or NiMH batteries, have the highest self-discharge rate at up to 30 percent per month. To combat that effect, Sanyo introduced a so-called "low self-discharge NiMH" style under their Eneloop brand in 2005. These have self-discharge rates closer to those of lithium-ion models.

If your batteries are starting to show signs of wear, the BC-700 can perform a capacity test or run them through a refresh cycle, which supposedly extends their life. While users report that it does have a tendency to declare salvageable batteries with less than .9 V as “dead”, anyone who prefers this more technical charger will probably be okay with using the “paperclip reanimation trick.” Otherwise, enthusiasts rave about the reliability and flexibility, and some have even spent years putting together FAQs with more information than the manufacturer’s own site, underscoring why we think this is a great pick.


Unlike the Lacrosse BC-700, the MH-C800S only offers two charging speeds and displays a simple three-bar battery gauge instead of detailed charging information. Plus, it costs around twice the price as our simple pick from Panasonic. We also don’t like that the charger defaults to the faster 1-A charging mode, but a clearly labeled “Soft” button will slow that down to a 500-mA rate, which you should do every time to maximize the number of recharges your batteries can take.Smart chargers with room for more than four batteries are hard to find, but if you need the extra space, we recommend the Powerex MH-C800S, which can charge any combination of eight AAs and AAAs at a time. If you use a lot of batteries, the Powerex MH-C800S is worth paying extra for. But you should only get it if you really need all eight charging slots from one outlet, since it typically costs about twice as much as the Panasonic.

How to properly charge a phone battery: Battery care tips

Batteries are one of tech’s most boring subjects… until your phone, tablet or laptop dies. Also

While most of us live in fear of a fading phone battery when we’re out and about, we don’t worry too much about that battery’s eventual lifespan (probably between three and five years). But there are ways to keep your battery in tip-top shape for a long and fruitful life.

Batteries do not enjoy eternal life. Most smartphone manufacturers say their devices rate their batteries at 300-500 cycles.

Apple claims that its laptop batteries reach 80 percent of their original capacity after 1,000 charges.

After this point batteries aren’t able to hold as much electricity and will power your device for increasingly shorter periods of time. See: Best smartphones


So here’s some tips to extend your battery’s lifespan, be that in an iPhone, Android phone, Windows phone, tablet, or laptop.

The big questions about how to re-charge a battery is whether you should let it run to zero before re-charging to 100%. One reason why people are unsure is something they’ve heard of called the battery “memory effect”.

What is battery memory effect?

Battery memory effect is about batteries remembering remaining charge if you don’t let them go all the way to zero too often. So a battery frequently charged from 20% to 80% might ‘forget’ about the 40% that’s left uncharged (0-20% and 80-100%).

Sounds crazy but that’s sort of true - but only for older nickel-based (NiMH and NiCd) batteries, not the lithium-ion batteries in your phone.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries don’t suffer the memory effect so you almost need to do the opposite: charge them often but not all the way throughout the day, and don’t let them drop to zero.

See also: How to improve smartphone battery life: 10 tips and tricks to make your phone's battery last longer

Don’t charge your phone battery from zero to 100%

The rule with Li-ion batteries is to keep them 50% or more most of the time. When it drops below 50% top it up a little if you can. A little a few times a day seems to be the optimum to aim for.

But don’t charge it all the way to 100%. It won’t be fatal to your battery if you do a full recharge - most of us are forced to do this every now and again in emergencies. But constantly doing a full recharge will shorten the battery’s lifespan.

So a good range to aim for when charging a Li-ion battery is from about 40% to 80% in one go. Try not to let the battery drop below 20%.

When should I do a full battery charge?

Experts recommend that you do a full zero to 100% battery recharge (a "charge cycle") maybe once a month only. This recalibrates the battery - a bit like restarting your computer, or, for humans, going on holiday! The same goes for laptops, by the way.
Should I charge my phone overnight?

Most modern smartphones are clever enough to stop charging when full, so there isn't a great risk in leaving your phone charging overnight. But some experts recommend you remove the phone from a case if charging for a long time, as a case could lead to over heating - which Lithium-ion batteries do not like (see below).

Should I use fast battery charging?

Many Android phones have a feature that allows for fast charging, often referred to as Qualcomm Quick Charge or, in Samsung's case, Adaptive Fast Charging.

These phones have special code usually located in a chip known as the Power Management IC (PMIC) that communicates with the charger you are using and requests that it send power at a higher voltage.

The iPhone 6 doesn’t feature fast charging, but its Qualcomm PMIC is smart enough to recognise when you use a higher-amp charger (like the one you get with the iPad), and that’s a good thing because fast charging will heat up that Li-ion battery and cause it increased wear and tear.

For the same reason, you should never leave your phone in a hot car, on the beach or next to the oven. A hot battery will suffer long-term effects on its lifespan. And so will a super-cold one, so don’t leave your device in the freezer or out in the snow.

If you can, switch off fast charging on your Android phone.

Can I use any charger?

Where possible use the charger (for example: SUNJACK USB BATTERY CHARGER )

 that came with your phone, as it is sure to have the correct rating. Or make sure that a third-party charger is approved by your phone's manufacturer. Cheap alternatives from Amazon or eBay may harm your phone, and there have been several reported cases of cheap chargers actually catching on fire.

Storing battery tips

Don’t leave a Li-ion battery li-ing around too long at 0%. Try to leave it at around 40-50%.

These batteries drain at about 5-10% a month when not in use. If you let the battery discharge completely and leave it uncharged for a long period of time it may eventually become incapable of holding a charge at all (that’s properly dead).

It’s unlikely you’ll leave your smartphone lying in a drawer for very long, but some people do leave their laptop, battery packs or spare batteries unused for long periods of time. So try to keep them all at least half charged.

Fundable.com Features International Vintage Watch Company (IVWC) in $1M Capital Raise

LOS ANGELES, March 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- International Vintage Watch Company (IVWC), a Los Angeles Based Luxury and Vintage Watch Company, has announced that it has teamed up with Fundable.com to raise a minimum $ 1 Million to help expand its global e-commerce vintage watch sales.   Click here for Fundable.com Vintage Watch Raise.

Based in the historic Downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District, IVWC has quickly become one of the largest vintage watch dealers in the USA.  IVWC specializes in buying pre-owned classic, elegant timepieces in various conditions and meticulously breathing new life into their functions before making them available on several marketplaces worldwide.  Featured vintage brands include Omega, Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, IWC, Seiko, Longines and many others.

 1965 Rolex Datejust 1601 18k Gold & Stainless Men's Swiss Made Automatic Vintage Watch on leather.
1965 Rolex Datejust 1601 18k Gold & Stainless Men's Swiss Made Automatic Vintage Watch on leather.
 1990's Omega Automatic Speedmaster Michael Schumacher 39mm Stainless Steel Chronograph Swiss Vintage Men's Watch yellow dial on leather.
1990's Omega Automatic Speedmaster Michael Schumacher 39mm Stainless Steel Chronograph Swiss Vintage Men's Watch yellow dial on leather.
"Our team members each have over 25 years of experience in the jewelry industry.  Paired with our own appreciation for classic, quality vintage automatic watches, our operation is a labor of love," said Jack Abramov, co-founder and CEO of International Vintage Watch Company.

IVWC reports that 50% of its sales are International, placing the company in a position to compete with other trusted, American watch dealers in the global market.  The company expects to generate $ 3M in online sales in 2017, more than doubling its 2016 sales of $ 1.2M.

Offerings include 1930's – 1950's collector pieces, 1960's retro models, 1970's classics and 1980's – 2000's modern styles, all professionally cleaned, serviced and restored in stunning detail.

The company features collectable vintage premium Swiss and Japanese watches by the finest brands including: Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Omega, IWC, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Audemars Piguet, Franck Muller, Chronoswiss, Roger Dubuis, Universal Geneve, Bvlgari, Corum, Louis Vuitton, Tudor, Tiffany & Co., Panerai, Breitling, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hublot, Chopard, Bell & Ross, Breguet, Glashutte, Girard Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, Baume & Mercier, Sinn, Zenith, Rado, Seiko, Bulova, Gucci, Citizen, Orient, Enicar, Technos, Elgin, Richoh, Milus, Wyler, Fortis, Tag Heuer, Longines, Movado, Benrus, Tissot, Fendi, Ebel, Movado, Raymond Weil, Oris, Hamilton and others.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL VINTAGE WATCH COMPANY (IVWC)

International Vintage Watch Company (IVWC) is one of the largest vintage watch dealers in the United States.  Based in the historic downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District, IVWC is world renowned for its expert restoration and supply of fine premium authentic vintage Swiss and Japanese made watches.   The company has over 1,200 vintage watches in stock and sells its products globally on several e-commerce marketplaces including Chrono24 Germany, Ebay VividLily Store, Tradesy Online and others.

Natural look is in

Spoons made from spanners and mirrors that mute - what will they think of next? All was revealed in interiors trends at Maison & Objet - the definitive event for home décor from around the world. If you couldn’t get to Paris in September for the fair that style-watchers watch, here is a snapshot.
Handmade and eco-chic, trends which often go hand-in-hand, are not going away any time soon.
“Craft is something that’s continuing,” says Lisa White, creative director, Homebuildlife WGSN, who explored all the fair’s nooks and crannies.

From all parts of Asia, London-based textiles company Stitch by Stitch gathered a new collection of handmade patchwork quilts and organic cotton towels with the emphasis on natural dyes. Among them: hand-woven felted rugs from Nepal, and home textiles hand embroidered by artisans in Gujarat, India ­ an area famed for its ancient textile handicrafts.

Still strong are craft finishings from yesteryear, such as lace, especially in a hard/soft mix and match, such as crocheted doilies on concrete.

French artist Nathalie Lete breaks her mould with Karma for Avenida Home, a collection of placemats and coasters influenced by 1970s colours and patterns, in a deco rewind which White says is “really trending right now”.

Lilokawa produced a range of cube footstools, baskets and cushions handmade from recycled coffee bags. Even French brand Airborne, which has been making its iconic armchairs since 1951, is getting in on the act with a one-off design made from remnants.

In what White calls an eco-active macro trend, designers are creating natural materials which are not reliant on petroleum products – as evidenced by Danish Crafts’ MYX lampshade made from hemp and mushrooms (strong, lightweight and biodegradable – and being funky-looking), and a boiled leather chair by Jonas Steenfatt Thomsen, using an ancient treatment which offers a natural alternative to synthetic materials.

The use of materials at hand such as these, White says, is fresh evidence of sustainability emerging in surprising ways. Pols Potten presented bowls made from recycled flip-flops washed up on the shores of Africa; and eco-friendliness meets design in large objects such as a cocoon-shaped baby’s crib from Pearl Cork.

It’s been around for a while, but Maison & Objet can reveal that the industrial look labours on. There was the expected factory-style lighting, but also one-off quirky pieces, such as a chair made out of an old Singer sewing machine. Spanners re-used as cutlery; and delicate white, fluted-edged crockery resembling dainty machinery cogs (both part of a brand collaboration by Diesel Living and Seletti) reinforce this trend’s muscle.

British designer Tom Dixon – Maison & Objet’s designer of the year 2014 – entered the fray with “candleholders [that] again remind you of machines and tools, but in a still very beautiful and almost chiselled way,” White says.
At the fair, the industrial look also extended to pressed metal accessories. A cabinet in new-look anodised metal, which has more of a rainbow effect than the usual aged patina, was created by Sebastian Herkner for Pulpo.

“Gentlemen’s Club” is another trend identified by White, manifested in suiting fabric upholstery [such as herringbone tweed] encased in a solid wood frame; and sofas made from the softest of leathers to look and feel like a baseball glove.

A selection of high-end gaming tables, beautifully finished with detailed stitching or exotic skins, were “further reminders of a gentleman’s living room”, along with boxes to hold cigars or other bits and pieces, and various uses of football-type stitching.

Candles for men are “such a big market”, White says, with manufacturers covering the wax with different types of skin, fur or wood catering to “the male candle lover”.  Though not necessarily gender-specific, Tom Dixon also launched a home accessories collection at the fair, including mouth-blown barware and fragrance diffusers designed “to capture the scent of London”.
For the home cook, White identified new players as a cast iron baguette maker from Emile Henry, with its promise to deliver authentic Parisienne crustiness, foie gras and tagine makers, and a barbecue cooker that works with charcoal that you can use inside the house. A display by Swiss exhibitor Nouvel suggests that the fondue party is not yet over, and now there’s a smoker you can use on a regular stove.

In the “cool, calm and collected” category, Kappes of Japan introduced relaxation and mindfulness in the form of water droplets skipping across a bowl, while Nendo bottled various types of rain, presumably to encourage contemplation.

Beds, we were informed, will be dressed in the kinds of fabrics used to make clothing – including parker material – while also on the textile front, rugs are a continuing trend – both underfoot and as wall displays – and in another 1970s revival, Berber is back.

This season designers are also experimenting with that interior staple, mirrors. New styles are patterned,  “so you can see and not see at the same time”,  White explains. Changeable (up close you can see yourself clearly, back off and the vision becomes wobbly, and faceted, for viewing from all angles.
Colour-wise, White observed pastels varying from barely there to bolder; pink as a key colour (bright and powerful, or cotton candy); furniture and tableware in fuchsia, cranberry and amethyst (a vibrant purple White views as an interesting alternative to black, even seen in hardware such as sinks and garbage cans); along with jewel tones and citrus brights. Lush green appears in “every shade you can imagine”, from lime to dark pine, as do mixes of blue. Even colors that don’t normally go together – such as orange and purple – were teamed at the Paris fair.

If you’re wondering what’s hot for Christmas, cranberry is the key color. “It’s not red, but slightly warmer, with a bit more orange,” White explains. Green and copper sit companionably in wreaths and accessories which will outlive the festive season, and lighting accents in many forms – folded as origami, set into wall treatments or designed like pine needles – are a home decorator’s must-have.