Staying safe in a dangerous world.
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How to Make a Hollow Book Safe
From James Bond to The Shawshank Redemption, the book safe is a classic hallmark of the espionage and crime genres. This tutorial from The Art of Manliness demonstrates the process for making your own hollowed-out book safe. With a few hours’ work, you’ll have a hidden container in which to stash your valuables or secrets.…
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The Mythical Tricks of Magic Meet Psychology
Scientific American Mind recently came out with a wonderful article on the use of magic in psychology. In it, they break down some tricks magicians and con artists use to manipulate your mind. One of my favorite things learned was something I’ll coin TTTNTTSBT. Or, the thing that’s not there that should be there. Basically,…
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Win a Coin Toss by Volunteering to be the Flipper
The coin toss is the go-to solution for whenever a decision needs to be left to chance. But according to a study done at the University of British Columbia, it’s much easier to influence the outcome than you’d think. Participants were able to raise their chances of flipping a heads to 68% after just a…
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The Man With The Mask [Everybody’s Talking About It]
By now, you may have heard of this guy, and his unbelievable travels from Hong Kong to Canada without proper ID and wearing an intricate mask. I can’t say how he pulled it off without proper identification, but I can tell you about his mask. The mask you see below is pretty fantastic, and it…
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Unlock an Airplane Bathroom Door from the Outside and More Evil Tricks…
As part of their “Evil Week” series of posts, Lifehacker shares this surprisingly simple trick to unlocking one type of airplane lavatory door. Simply lift the little “Lavatory” sign above the lock, then slide the now exposed lock open. Hit the links for pictures. Step 1: Approach locked lavatory Step 2: Lift “LAVATORY” sign Step…
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Set Up a Simple Webcam Surveillance System
This video tutorial from Tinkernut demonstrates how to set up a simple home surveillance system. Using free software and a few webcams or wireless IP cameras, you can keep an eye on things from anywhere you’re able to access the internet. Once you have the hardware, it’s as easy as adding your webcams to a…
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False Memories
Your memory is not as reliable as you might think. Things like simply changing the wording of a question regarding an event can affect how it is remembered. David McRaney at the You Are Not So Smart blog explains how it happens, and why it may make eyewitness testimony untrustworthy. Each time you build a…
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Bulletproof Liquid Body Armor
Scientists at BAE Systems in the UK are working on a new type of body armor that uses shear thickening fluids in combination with traditional Kevlar to create lighter, more flexible body armor. The shear thickening fluids act like a liquid under normal conditions, but harden instantly on impact, forming a rigid shield. Basically, like this. The…
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Protect Yourself from ATM Fraud by Shielding the Keypad
This video shows a couple of thieves installing a card-skimmer and a pinhole camera in an ATM. It also illustrates just how effective shielding the keypad can be in defending yourself against scammers. It is a simple trick, but it still provides little protection from more sophisticated techniques, such as keyboard overlays that are capable…
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How to Spot a Fake Autograph
Forgeries and fakes are a serious issue for autograph and memorabilia collectors. Using techniques and tools such as auto-pens, stamps, and hand forgeries, fraudsters put a great deal of effort into making their work seem convincing. This Wikihow article is packed with tips and tricks for verifying the authenticity of an autograph and spotting a fake. Turn…
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