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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 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 room 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.

Review: Goal Zero ‘Sherpa 100’ Solar Kit

The Goal Zero Nomad 100 battery pack and Nomad 20 Solar Panel form a reliable system to generate electricity anywhere and store it for later use. Touted to be able to charge “all the gear in your kit,” this package product is a high-price, high-power option with USB ports and a “wall-outlet” AC inverter plug. At $600, the product is aimed at pro photographers, explorers, and anyone in need of lots of electricity far off the grid.

I put the combination to a test on a road trip last month and found it effective, although with some limitations. Read the following review for the details.

The Goal Zero Sherpa 100 is a 20-amp battery with an array of ports, including two USB ports for phones and tablets, a 12V port for lights, a port specifically for laptops, and a detachable AC inverter to plug in small electronics that run off AC 110 (like U.S. wall outlets). Note, this inverter will be overpowered by even small appliances, so don’t plan on operating power tools with it.

The power pack can be recharged from a solar panel, a wall outlet, or a 12V car outlet. Color-coded ports make it easy to figure out which plug goes where, an otherwise confusing task with the bundle of cords included.

An easy-to-read power meter shows how much juice is left in the pack in 20% increments. A small LED light is on the front of the pack for illuminating dark spaces.
Goal Zero Sherpa 100 Road Trip Test

We used the Sherpa 100 over a five-day van trip up the California coast. The sun was plentiful, which was nice because most of the spots we chose to pull over for the night didn’t have power.

During the day, we would plug in the solar panel and let the sun go to work. In the evening, the Sherpa provided more than enough power to run an array of LED lights in our camper van.

We also charged laptops, phones, and a Bluetooth speaker from it during the days and evenings and never got the pack to drop below 20% power capacity.

Oculus Rift Bundle superb review

When the OCULUS RIFT BUNDLE first launched, it fell behind the HTC Vive for two crucial reasons: there were no motion controls and it couldn’t handle room scaling.

Add to this the HTC Vive’s ties to the more popular and established Steam store, and it was impossible to fully recommend the Oculus over its admittedly more expensive rival.


Since then, however, things have become a little more interesting in the world of VR. For starters, we’ve seen the arrival of the PlayStation VR. While the headset doesn’t match the tech specs of either the Vive or the Oculus Rift, it’s significantly cheaper and works with any PlayStation 4, which makes it far better value. The Oculus and Vive still requires a gaming PC with at least an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU and 16GB of RAM to work.


We’ve also seen the arrival of the Oculus Touch remotes, which make things significantly more competitive in the top-end VR market. The Touch controllers are Oculus’ answer to the HTC wands and let the headset match, if not beat, the HTC Vive when it comes to immersive gaming.

The controllers use twin sensors to track and detect gamers’ movements and are easier to set up than the Vive, which requires a wee bit of DIY to get working. I found the system worked best with the two sensors around a metre apart on a flat surface, pointing at the centre of your desired play area.

The controllers are significantly more ergonomic than the HTC Vive’s Wands, thanks to the fact that they use a more traditional joystick and button layout. The Vive Wands have a slightly atypical trackpad system that takes a while to get used to.


The Oculus Touch’s twin sensors offer limited room scaling, which means they can track your movements in a desired play area. This makes fast-paced shooters, such as Supershot, an absolute blast to play. The only downside is that with the setup out of the box, the controllers don’t work too well when you have your back to the sensors, which is an issue in games where you have to explore, or move around a lot, such as Arizona Sunshine.

To match the room-scaling experience of the HTC Vive, which has three sensors out of the box, you have to shell out for a third Oculus sensor. This makes it one of the most expensive VR options and results in setup being a little trickier too. To get it to work you’ll have to trail a wire from your PC to a point at the back of your play area, which isn’t ideal.

What’s compatible with Kodi?

Amazon Fire Stick fully loaded is available on nearly every device you can consider. The media center software is simple to obtain, and compatible with Windows, OS X, Linux, Android -- as well as the Raspberry Pi microcomputer.

For individuals using iOS, the method is a little more complex: iPhone users will want to be certain their telephone is jailbroken prior to downloading it.

Is it lawful?
The straightforward answer is yes. In its simplest form, Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi is a parcel of streaming applications designed to display articles on an array of devices, which means it is perfectly legal.

But much like a browser, torrent customer, or some other computing instrument, it is possible to utilize Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken for sale for less cut and dry functions.

Amazon Fire Stick for sale open-source character means that it is possible to obtain an assortment of add-ons -- and also a number of the applications' most well-known extensions do input ambiguous territory.

Streaming add-ons that allow users view an array of movies are often frowned upon, but it is important to not forget that it is just like using an internet browser like Safari or Chrome to come across a stream to get a movie or sporting event.

As a rule of thumb, if you suspect that an add-on provides coverage or a movie library that's too good to be true, odds are it probably is.

What's Amazon Fire Stick with Kodi posture?
As you'd expect, Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken programmers are eager to distance themselves in the murky world of add-ons but keep that in its first form, the computer software is just as valid as an internet browser.

To conclude, Amazon Fire Stick Kodi in its unaltered form is absolutely valid, but sure add-ons do blur matters.

If you are already familiar with seeing streams on sites like Amazon Fire Stick free channels, then utilizing Amazon Fire Stick hack with specific add-ons is not any different.

If you are not, it is well worth steering clear of several of Amazon Fire Stick unlocked very well-known extensions.

2017 Spypoint Solar Review

Pros
Almost unlimited battery life
Fastest trigger speed/recovery we have ever tested
Bright, colorful pictures
Internal picture viewer

Cons
No built-in python bracket
Blurry night photos

Trailcampro Analysis

Ever seen a camera like the Spypoint Solar? Neither have we. Spypoint has always been known for innovative trail camera products, the Solar trail camera is the latest innovation.

MOULTRIE A-30 GAME CAMERA  is a Force 11D with a solar panel permanently attached to the top of the camera.

Picture Quality: 73/100

Photo resolution: 12 mpxl (interpolated)

Video Resolution: 1280 x 720 w/ audio

Flash Type: Red Glow Infrared (very faint)

As expected, the picture quality is identical to the Force 11D. Daytime pictures have been very impressive. Bright color, good clarity and plenty of depth whether the camera was placed in bright sunlight or heavy timber.

Night pictures have pros and cons. There is a decent amount of flash range, but the pictures do have a slight halo (more light in the center of the image - less on the edges of the photo). We also have a high number of blurry photos. The Solar has three modes in the settings that control night image quality:
IR Boost - Max flash range but higher frequency of blurry images
Blur Reduction - Less flash range, but better clarity on moving animals
Optimal - This is a compromise of the two modes above.

Our sample images are a combination of all the modes the camera allows. Overall, the night photos are a mixed bag. We consider the Solar's night photos to be very average.




Battery Life: 85/100*

Resting Power (on): 0.61 mW

Picture Daytime & Nighttime Power Consumption: 1.38 Ws | 2.26 Ws

Video Daytime & Nighttime Power Consumption: 17.9 Ws | 2.25 Ws

This is silly battery life. The draws are so efficient, this camera lasts forever before you even start to consider the solar panel.

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35-day pictures and 35-night pictures every 24 hour period, this camera would last 15 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries. This does not include the solar panel.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15-day and 15-night videos (10-second videos) every 24 hours, it would last 2 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries. Once again, considering the camera is only using 6 batteries, 2 months is very respectable video battery life. This does not include the solar panel.

*Solar Panel

How does the Spypoint Solar work with internal batteries and how does it know which battery source to draw from? The camera pulls power from the solar panel until the charge goes below 25%, at that point, it pulls from the 6 internal AA batteries. We highly recommend lithium batteries, as they do not have a daily self-discharge like alkaline or rechargeable batteries do.

Spypoint claims that if you buy the Solar trail camera you will "Never buy batteries again." In our opinion, if the camera continues to operate as it has to this point, that could very well be a valid statement.

Tenergy rechargeable batteries do not fit in the battery compartment. The batteries are too thick. For that reason, we only recommend lithium batteries with this camera.

Detection Circuit: 93/100

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.05 s. / 0.50 s.

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.58 s. / 0.7 s.

Detection Range: 70 ft.

We had to test this several times just to make sure our eyes weren't lying to us. Fast doesn't even begin to describe the Spypoint Solar. Instant trigger and recovery - even when in video mode. This is still hard to believe.

When we first tested video detection, the times were really good. Spypoint took a look and said they could do better. A week later we had cameras in hand that can start a video in half a second and recovers in under a second. This is unheard of in terms of speed. Spypoint put a lot of time into their R&D for the Force Solar and it paid huge dividends.

The 70 ft. detection range is above average.

Overall, this is on of the best cumulative detection circuits we have ever scored.

Quality of Design: 89/100

Dimensions: 7" x 4.25" x 3.25"

Battery Type: 6 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack: 12-Volt

The solar panel immediately drew our attention. We talked to Spypoint extensively about this and they had some interesting things to say. We were worried that 90% of consumers would put the camera under a tree, negating the benefit of the solar panel. However, this particular solar panel doesn't need direct sunlight. It charges with any light that is present, even in thick timber. In fact, it was charging in our office just from our inside lighting.

"This solar panel doesn't need direct sunlight"

Better yet, on the internal menu, it shows a percentage that the camera is charging when you are positioning the Spypoint Solar. You can immediately see the benefits of angling the camera one way or another. The solar panel does not detach, it is fixed permanently on the camera. As this incredible technology is very new to us, we are continuing to test and evaluate this panel to learn more about how it works.

The Spypoint Solar is very small and would be easy to conceal in almost any environment. The camera has a detachable bracket for mounting or removing quickly from a tree. There is not a built-in python lock bracket, but there is a 1/4" x 20 threaded insert on the bottom of the camera for a tripod or Slate River Mount. It would have been nice to have a python bracket built into the case design.




On the back of the camera, there is a cover that unscrews to reveal the battery compartment (it requires 6 AA batteries). The batteries are easy to insert/remove and are held firmly in place. There is no chance they would become dislodged on their own. The battery cover feels a bit flimsy, but it attaches in a way that removes that as a concern. It is perfectly flush with the back of the camera and is not exposed to anything that would risk damaging it.

It hasn't been an issue, but it would have been nice for Spypoint to have a bigger, beefier latch. The internal viewer quickly scrolls through any pictures or videos the camera has taken. This is an underrated feature on the Solar trail camera, internal viewers make setup so much easier and ensure you walk away from a camera knowing it is monitoring the terrain exactly as you want it to.

Programming is incredibly easy and intuitive. Whether this is your first camera or 21st, you will enjoy the programming options and fluid navigation. All programming is done on the internal viewer, so for those of you that do not enjoy squinting at small LCD screens, you will appreciate the bigger font on the viewer.

The Solar trailcam has custom start/stop time, which is useful for anyone looking at this camera for security.

Durability has been outstanding. In the last 12 months, Spypoint has had one of our lowest warranty rates.

Overall, the case design could be beefed up to feel sturdier, however, we gave the Spypoint added points for having a solar panel that can charge without direct sunlight. That is pretty cool technology and could potentially save you a ton of money over the life cycle of owning this trail camera.

Child custody services

Employees of each child care centre should be qualified enough to supply the providers essential to focus on the person requirements of the kids. The amount of employees of the daycare centre should be ready to supply the providers required and should be commensurate using the quantity of kids being looked after. The amount of the team will be based on the next supervised child centers:

- Requirements of the customer kids.

- Degree and types of solutions supplied by the daycare supervised child services.

- Bodily administration of the daycare centre.

- Existence of a crisis or catastrophe.

The daycare centre might get of the providers of volunteers to be able to meet up with the employees require so long as such volunteers are monitored and certainly will not be left alone using the customer kids. Volunteers who'll supply any section of treatment to kids should be atleast 18 years old.

All personnel of the daycare centre should endure an on-the-job-training and should get related expertise and abilities within the following places child custody services:

- Concepts of diet, selection planning, and preparing food and storage. Kids within the daycare centre should be given in the recommended period with particular food needs, personnel of the daycare centre should have a functional understanding of preparing food and food-handling supervised visitation centers near me. They must be provided fundamental instruction on dinner planning and got to know basics of diet which is extremely important within the health insurance Supervised Visitation Centers and bodily wellness of the kids they take care of.

- Common health precautions. Personnel of the daycare centre should be provided instruction on simple housekeeping and sanitation concepts supervised child visitation services. They must be acquainted with the generally accepted concepts in health safeguards in order to not reveal the kids to health problems like illnesses and attacks.

- Child-care and guidance. Daycare visitation centers employees should be supplied learning order to create them qualified in managing and taking care of kids within the service. They have to understand how to manage issue kids, particularly individuals with problems along with other health issues.

- Help With treatment. Daycare centre workers should be educated on the best way to offer help the kids once they need to consider home-given medicines. They have to be educated to understand the correct doses of medicine the kids may be getting child visitation services.

- Reputation of early indicators of disease child visitation centers. Personnel should be educated on the best way to identify indicators once the kids are ill plus they ought to know when it's time for you to demand skilled or disaster help.

- Accessibility To community assets and solutions. Workers of the daycare centre should be educated just how to make use of the aid of the city if you find a such. In instances of catastrophe or natural disasters, they ought to understand where you can request aid or help or where you can proceed in the event of an evacuation supervised visitation services.

A well-created on-the-job-training may make daycare centre personnel on how to deal with various circumstances that would be include a lifestyle or death scenario for that kids. Working out may make the people of the team for almost any scenario that may occur within the daycare centre.

How to Create Sales Incentive Programs That Work

Have your past sales incentive programs been a disappointment to both you and your salespeople?

The Carrot

The dangling of the proverbial carrot is an ancient art that is commonly understood to be at the heart of human behavior, psychology, motivation, and, in particular, business. Manufacturers and distributors commonly use this technique with their channel partners in an effort to add unique motivational value to move specific products or services.
The reason this technique has stood the test of time is because, for the most part, it works! At times, however, elements of the technique are executed improperly. Sales incentive programs under perform or fail as a result.