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Illegal Engineering

timhunkin.com

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Re: Illegal Engineering

#31

Post by pja »

ralph wrote: post #19
killa_bee wrote: post #10

What is the "DT" mentioned in this article? I have no prior knowledge of that acronym.

He refers to it again later; "Engineering apprenticeships have been decimated, and even the old metalwork shops in schools have gone, replaced by ‘craft, design and technology’, which seems to mainly involve making things of cardboard."

When I was in secondary school twenty+ years ago, we had both: Design & Technology (AutoCad !) and a full metalwork shop with everything except oxyacetylene torches. There's nothing like hands on experience when it comes to making real things.

I'd love to know whether all that stuff is still there.

Re: Illegal Engineering

#33

Post by michaelt »

rdl wrote: post #26

I was shopping for safes a while ago. It's pretty amazing how bad the low-end safes (gun safes, in particular) are -- 12-16ga steel with some concrete. You can open one (destructively) with a heavy ax or sledge in a few minutes. Even when the door is something semi-acceptable (1/4" steel plate), it's often the only part, with the body of the safe being much lighter.

To be fair, at the bottom end of the market safes are competing against Kensington lock cables and hiding valuables on the top shelf of your wardrobe.

If anyone broke into my home I assume it would be a brick through the window then in and out in five minutes grabbing any laptops, jewelery and cash rather than a planned attack with thermal lances and diamond core drills!

Re: Illegal Engineering

#34

Post by rdl »

michaelt wrote: post #33
rdl wrote: post #26

I was shopping for safes a while ago. It's pretty amazing how bad the low-end safes (gun safes, in particular) are -- 12-16ga steel with some concrete. You can open one (destructively) with a heavy ax or sledge in a few minutes. Even when the door is something semi-acceptable (1/4" steel plate), it's often the only part, with the body of the safe being much lighter.

To be fair, at the bottom end of the market safes are competing against Kensington lock cables and hiding valuables on the top shelf of your wardrobe. If anyone broke into my home I assume it would be a brick through the window then in and out in five minutes grabbing any laptops, jewelery and cash rather than a planned attack with thermal lances and diamond core drills!

Yeah, I just feel a particularly high level of responsibility when it comes to securing weapons. In addition to the financial loss, you've got moral and potential legal liability for how they're used. (I think only civil, and a lot of that would be addressed by taking reasonable precautions to secure them, plus reporting theft in a timely manner).

Re: Illegal Engineering

#35

Post by krishnakv »

J3L2404 wrote: post #16
wlesieutre wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can go anywhere in life if you look serious and carry a clipboard

And a full size video camera. I've been issued temporary press passes at a Republican fundraiser by signing out a professional grade camera at the local cable company (after a four hour course), telling security we were with CCTV (they didn't blink), and CNN let us use some of their lights!

cue the theme music for "Burn Notice" ... :-)

Re: Illegal Engineering

#36

Post by tsotha »

waterlesscloud wrote: post #29
tsotha wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The FBI says the modern bank robber walks in, gives the teller a note, takes the money and leaves within 90 seconds. He never carries a weapon and gets less than $2k, but if he's reasonably smart he can rob 30-40 banks before being caught. That's terrible pay, when you think about it. You're always on the road, and you spend a couple days on each bank. You might as well sell insurance for a living.

The key here is that you would eventually get caught. Then what? Those years add up fast.

Oh, I agree. The point was even if you don't get caught you're not doing that much better than someone with a job.

Re: Illegal Engineering

#37

Post by tsotha »

rdl wrote: post #34
michaelt wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, at the bottom end of the market safes are competing against Kensington lock cables and hiding valuables on the top shelf of your wardrobe. If anyone broke into my home I assume it would be a brick through the window then in and out in five minutes grabbing any laptops, jewelery and cash rather than a planned attack with thermal lances and diamond core drills!

Yeah, I just feel a particularly high level of responsibility when it comes to securing weapons. In addition to the financial loss, you've got moral and potential legal liability for how they're used. (I think only civil, and a lot of that would be addressed by taking reasonable precautions to secure them, plus reporting theft in a timely manner).

I'm in the same boat as you. I would like to have a safe a thief couldn't open easily with the tools in my garage.

On the other hand, my guns aren't rare or particularly high quality. A reasonably good safe will cost more than the contents.

Re: Illegal Engineering

#38

Post by rdl »

tsotha wrote: post #37
rdl wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I just feel a particularly high level of responsibility when it comes to securing weapons. In addition to the financial loss, you've got moral and potential legal liability for how they're used. (I think only civil, and a lot of that would be addressed by taking reasonable precautions to secure them, plus reporting theft in a timely manner).

I'm in the same boat as you. I would like to have a safe a thief couldn't open easily with the tools in my garage. On the other hand, my guns aren't rare or particularly high quality. A reasonably good safe will cost more than the contents.

The generally accepted solution to that problem is to buy more guns, so as to raise the value protected and thus justify a Graffunder or ISM safe.

Re: Illegal Engineering

#39

Post by gbog »

rdl wrote: post #34
michaelt wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, at the bottom end of the market safes are competing against Kensington lock cables and hiding valuables on the top shelf of your wardrobe. If anyone broke into my home I assume it would be a brick through the window then in and out in five minutes grabbing any laptops, jewelery and cash rather than a planned attack with thermal lances and diamond core drills!

Yeah, I just feel a particularly high level of responsibility when it comes to securing weapons. In addition to the financial loss, you've got moral and potential legal liability for how they're used. (I think only civil, and a lot of that would be addressed by taking reasonable precautions to secure them, plus reporting theft in a timely manner).

Ahem, and what about not owning one?

Edit: Nevermind, don't want to launch this debate. But it is so obvious a solution to me...

Re: Illegal Engineering

#40

Post by Tyrant505 »

michaelt wrote: post #33
rdl wrote: post #26

I was shopping for safes a while ago. It's pretty amazing how bad the low-end safes (gun safes, in particular) are -- 12-16ga steel with some concrete. You can open one (destructively) with a heavy ax or sledge in a few minutes. Even when the door is something semi-acceptable (1/4" steel plate), it's often the only part, with the body of the safe being much lighter.

To be fair, at the bottom end of the market safes are competing against Kensington lock cables and hiding valuables on the top shelf of your wardrobe. If anyone broke into my home I assume it would be a brick through the window then in and out in five minutes grabbing any laptops, jewelery and cash rather than a planned attack with thermal lances and diamond core drills!

Buy the cheap safe, put nothing inside and then hide everything valuable on the top shelf of your wardrobe.
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