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How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

theultralinx.com

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Re: How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

#61

Post by enneff »

As a kid, I learned how keyed locks work by playing the video game ZZT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZT In "Town of ZZT", one of the built-in worlds, there is a board where you have to move what are effectively tumblers to clear a path through which a column can move freely.

Ah, here's a screenshot of the board! http://tf2tags.com/dr_dos/img/zzt/town/zzt_036.png

This board is show as a whole, but in the game the board was "dark" and so you could only see what was within about 5-6 blocks from your character.

Re: How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

#63

Post by dougk16 »

I recommend "Practical Lock Picking" by Deviant Ollam for those whose interest was piqued by this. Besides all the technical goodies, it contains some interesting moral views on locks and lock picking that apply to the digital world as well.

Re: How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

#65

Post by quasque »

tokenadult wrote: post #58

How blogspam works. This is blogspam upon blogspam. I dare not say that this link http://delima.soup.io/post/295576131/how-keys-work is the original link, but it's at least two links closer to the original source than the link submitted here to HN. AFTER EDIT: Many thanks to the HN reader who found the original source, which deserves traffic much more than blogspam. I flag blogspam relentlessly since another HN user…

Yep, looks like it's originally from here (and in much higher quality): http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43120

Re: How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

#66

Post by derleth »

brianpan wrote: post #42
shocks wrote: post #34

Old but still relevant. I learnt about locks here. http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/MITLockGuide.pdf

> ...it is worth pointing out that lock picking is just one way to bypass a lock A sobering insight after a break-in and a conversation with a locksmith. A lock is only as good as the latch, and door that it's sitting in, and the hinges attaching the door, and the molding surrounding it, and the wall it's in.

... and the person who is responsible for locking the door, and the person who is responsible for following up on reports of suspicious behavior near that door, and the person who is called out when someone finally discovers the lock must have been picked at some point in the past, and the legal system surrounding all of them, and the civil society that gives that legal system authority and legitimacy, and the broader cultural scope that gives the civil society a foundation and a sphere in which to act confidently, which depends on people believing that, if they do wrong in that society, someone will punish them.

So picking a lock in Compton might be perfectly safe assuming you don't get shot outright, unless Compton's been gentrified while I wasn't looking.

On the flip side, you won't even get close to Fort Knox with bad intent, largely because you know you won't get close to Fort Knox with bad intent.

Re: How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

#67

Post by saranagati »

Cushman wrote: post #40
epochwolf wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Like when I cleverly managed to mail my apartment keys to myself, including my only mailbox key... If my mailbox key was locked inside my mailbox, I would just wait for the postal person to show up. They have keys that open the entire wall of mailboxes. Just wait in the distance until they open the wall and then go get the mail out of your box. Just act like you don't see anything wrong with grabbing your mail and…

That did occur to me, but I realized I have no idea when our mailman actually shows up at our building, since our schedules have never crossed. I decided I would feel too silly staking out our building all day :P Although now I realize that I could have done a binary search over the course of the week by checking if mail was there or not...

kinda hard to check if the mail is there if you don't have a key to check if they mail is there.

Re: How do keys work? Explained in one Gif

#69

Post by pasbesoin »

brianpan wrote: post #42
shocks wrote: post #34

Old but still relevant. I learnt about locks here. http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/MITLockGuide.pdf

> ...it is worth pointing out that lock picking is just one way to bypass a lock A sobering insight after a break-in and a conversation with a locksmith. A lock is only as good as the latch, and door that it's sitting in, and the hinges attaching the door, and the molding surrounding it, and the wall it's in.

And the window in the wall (if not the door, itself).
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