For some time now the Transporation Safety Authority (TSA) has required air travelers in the USA to only use locks on their baggage which can be opened by one of their special keys. Apparently this makes the world a safer place since baggage can be searched without having to ask the owner to open it.
Lock manufacturers therefore sell special locks which have an additional keyhole allowing them to be opened by a TSA key. You can even buy a special "indicator" lock which shows if your lock has been opened by a TSA key during the trip.
The indicator does work: on a recent trip I found that my baggage had indeed been opened by somebody - hopefully just the TSA - with a TSA key.
What used to bother me is that now the criminals only needed to carry around a few TSA keys, rather than a giant key-ring containing common suitcase keys. This seemed like an increased security risk.
But I wasn't thinking clearly. Criminals don't use keys. They just need a ballpoint pen. Watch this video:
There's a great temptation when looking at security to only look at the lock. But the lock - even the nastiest cheapest suitcase lock - is rarely the weakest point.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A Short Cut from Power?
Most people think they know about power cuts.
They happen. They last under an hour. Then the power comes back on.
Only sometimes it doesn't.
Downtown Vancouver is making the news at the moment with a power cut due to a transformer fire which has lasted a couple of days. Unlike most transformer fires, this one is underground. It can't be repaired quickly, and businesses in the affected area are (mostly) shut down.
Does it make sense having a backup generator? That depends on how likely this sort of disruption is (not very, which is what makes it a news item), what the economic effects are on the business (loss of current customers, loss of future customers), and the practicalities and costs of siting a backup generator in downtown Vancouver.
However, every business should still have a written plan for what they should do during a short or extended power outage, even if it only says "put a sign on the door, change the answering machine message, lock the doors, and send everybody home". You'll be lucky to think of everything at the time, and if you forget the sign or the answering machine message, customers might just think you've locked the doors for good.
They happen. They last under an hour. Then the power comes back on.
Only sometimes it doesn't.
Downtown Vancouver is making the news at the moment with a power cut due to a transformer fire which has lasted a couple of days. Unlike most transformer fires, this one is underground. It can't be repaired quickly, and businesses in the affected area are (mostly) shut down.
Does it make sense having a backup generator? That depends on how likely this sort of disruption is (not very, which is what makes it a news item), what the economic effects are on the business (loss of current customers, loss of future customers), and the practicalities and costs of siting a backup generator in downtown Vancouver.
However, every business should still have a written plan for what they should do during a short or extended power outage, even if it only says "put a sign on the door, change the answering machine message, lock the doors, and send everybody home". You'll be lucky to think of everything at the time, and if you forget the sign or the answering machine message, customers might just think you've locked the doors for good.
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