Interesting Links for 28-04-2014

[andrewducker]

• The world's newest mineral is unlike anything we've ever seen
  (tags: geology )
• Exercise during pregnancy gives newborn brain development a head start
  (tags: babies exercise pregnancy )
• Paedophiles to be treated as terrorists under new crackdown
  (tags: pedophilia terrorism censorship uk )
• As a first-born, it's nice to have scientific proof of my

Comments

[bohemiancoast]

On the one hand, that bike lock is adorable. On the other hand, it has a tiny key that you have to remove from your key ring, after having a drink, while wearing bike gloves, in the driving wind and rain, and dark, without dropping it down the drain. It had better come with spares (bear in mind that bike locks often come with up to 5 spares anyway because of the general problem).

[andrewducker]

Yeah, it's a neat piece of design, but the second I realised you couldn't keep it on a key chain it seemed like a non-starter.

I can't think of a way around that at the moment...

[resonant]

It would actually be easier to manufacture if it accepted a flat standard key with a hole. Slide the key into a slot perpendicular to the axis, rotate, then rotate on a second axis. No need for a fancy hook. You'd still need to unclip it from your keychain to make it perfectly unpickable, but there are lanyards that allow that to be done easily.

[naath]

Plus, it involves masses of extra faff that you have to do - to the end of a D-lock ,that is probably tangled up with someone else's bike, likely at either knee level or above head-height (we have some double-decker bike racks in Cambridge), whilst reaching around multiple other bikes (that are liable to attempt to fall over on you).

D-locks are IME a tremendous pain to use even in ideal conditions, and conditions are rarely ideal. And this one looks to make the pain much larger.

Plus thieves don't have to "pick the lock" they will "just" saw through it (it's tough, but do-able).

[drdoug]

Yes, this. Destructive removal is way easier than picking for most bike locks, apart from the Bic-biro technique. If you forgot your saw, angle grinder, jack, or crowbar, you could try simply using the bike itself for leverage, which is alarmingly successful. (Don't try this on a bike you own and like.)

Also, all that fiddly mechanical stuff on the end of the lock is going to add a lot of cost, and also add a lot of ways for it to break, so that you can't release the bike - unless you're a bike thief!

[cartesiandaemon]

Yeah. It seems like this may be more inconvenient and no more effective for a bike lock. But I wonder if it has a home somewhere else, where unpickable locks might actually be relevant?

[ext_208701]

Battery powered Dremel did one of mine in less than five minutes. Pretty sparks though while it lasted.

[ashfae]

That sums up part of my objection, yep. That and the whole "So...if the key broke, you'd be absolutely fucked?" problem.