logoalt Hacker News

chao- • today at 4:17 AM • 6 replies • view on HN

Even more consequential and terrifying is to check how quickly and easily you can rake or bump the lock on your home door (only attempt if you know that you're doing, so as to avoid damaging it). Tends to be far easier than accessing car. It may also run counter to expectations: The nicest (and second most expensive) place I have lived at had the worst locks.

Makes you reflect on how, most of the time we rely on a baseline trust placed in most of the people around us.


Replies

meindnoch • today at 10:07 AM

>only attempt if you know that you're doing, so as to avoid damaging it

If you mess with your front door lock, make sure to do it with the door open, to prevent locking yourself inside when the pins get jammed into the keyway as you turn the lock 180° (don't ask me how I know this).

kube-system • today at 3:22 PM

> Even more consequential and terrifying is to check how quickly and easily you can rake or bump the lock on your home door

or sometimes, even just shim it open.

briansm • today at 5:49 AM

Makes me think of Max Fisher's latest video where he makes the case that the 'domestication' that ancient human-to-human trust provided is what allowed us to genetically adapt to spend less energy on survival and more on brain-power.

Literally all of civilization is built on the back of that, and if it erodes then We're doomed.

➕ show 1 reply
dabinat • today at 8:25 AM

Are door locks actually intended to deter professional thieves though? I thought they were intended to add enough friction to deter crimes of opportunity.

➕ show 2 replies
mnw21cam • today at 11:57 AM

The lock on my front door merited a 15 minute video from the LockPickingLawyer. He could pick it, but it required some time and tools that the average lock picker wouldn't have available. 15 minutes has to be a record for him, but still it's only 15 minutes.

JumpCrisscross • today at 6:03 AM

> nicest (and second most expensive) place I have lived at had the worst locks

Did it have an alarm system?