Here’s a fun little musical experiment from The Gregory Brothers. They flipped major and minor keys in popular songs to transform previously happy songs into sad ones and turn old depressing sad songs into happy ones. It sends your brain in a tizzy when you hear the words of songs you recognize but see them in a whole new light.
You can learn the basics of lock picking from a GIF
If you take a picture of a car or house key, could you use that picture to get a copy made? Yes—quite trivially, actually. I have a folder on my laptop that is filled with photos people have taken of their keys and put onto the internet. Every few weeks, I take some idle time and associate one of those keys to an address (lot of Googling, mostly) and then I decode the cuts in the key.
In addition to opening doors, that set of keys in your pocket also serves as makeshift knives, prybars, and even ice scrapers. But why risk accidentally bending a key and losing access to your home when this key-sized multi-tool can do so much more?
The makers of the ChargeCard
Korg’s KR Mini rhythm controller puts a backing band in your gig bag (video)
Posted in: Today's ChiliSometimes a metronome just won’t cut it when you’re playing an instrument alone. That’s where Korg’s KR Mini comes in, providing the galloping metal beat that bridges into a poppy chorus for your bass, guitar or keyboard jam session. You can even chain the unit’s nine presets — 8-beat, 16-beat, dance, jazz, Latin, metal, pop, R&B and rock — together with a plethora of fills to make your own backing tracks to shred along to. The box’s 16 velocity sensitive-pads do double duty too, allowing for finger drumming if none of the onboard loops do the trick.
If you need inputs to run your existing effects pedal-board or foot controls into, the KR Mini has you covered there too. No monitor? No problem. The built-in speakers can provide the sound you need at a moment’s notice, with a trio of AAs providing the juice if you aren’t near a wall outlet. Considering the company’s storied drum machine-heritage, it’s cool to see Korg honoring that legacy with this latest KR model. The Mini ships in November for $79.99, and while it may not be the ego-free backing band of your dreams, it probably comes close.
Via: Create Digital Music
Source: Korg
We all know the world’s going to end at some point, and sure, maybe it’s not entirely "likely" to happen anytime soon—but better safe than sorry. So assuming you’ve already been working diligently on your underground, radiation-proof bunker, what’s going to happen when you need extra keys made with nary a (non-zombie) locksmith in sight? Fortunately, as Hack A Day shows us, there’s an easy, accurate enough way to make your very own spare keys with nothing more than some plaster, the sun, and a giant fresnel lens.
Long before prison guards started carrying tasers, tear gas, and other non-lethal deterrents, they apparently relied on these cell door keys that also functioned as tiny one-shot pistols. They probably weren’t lethal, but there’s no doubt they packed enough of a punch to make an inmate very uncomfortable if they tried anything while a guard was unlocking their cell.
We’ve all been there. Staring forlornly at a locked door, keyless, with Gandalf’s rumbling voice echoing in our heads, telling us that we would not pass. It’s a sorry sight, and the people behind the iOS app KeyMe are determined to make it a thing of the past. The app (available at the link below) takes photos of your keys and scans them to translate the images into diagrams. If you’ve locked yourself out, you can simply waltz into your local locksmith’s shop with your diagram or find a KeyMe kiosk near you to have an identical key cut. It’s free to store your keys in the cloud, but accessing them comes with a $10 charge (which is pretty small potatoes when you consider the cost of an emergency locksmith). While the app is strictly iOS for now, an Android version is in the works, though KeyMe cautions users not to expect it anytime soon.
Via: Popular Science
Source: iTunes
A self-defense course will teach you how to use your keys as a weapon, but in practice, when you’re under attack and panicking, protecting yourself with a keyring isn’t as easy as it sounds. So the Hit, from Unikia, combines a loud audible panic alarm with a pop-up holder that turns a key into a switchblade that’s easier to wield as a weapon.