Use the Extractor

Use the Extractor

Keys break more often than you might think, and there is actually a specific tool made for extracting broken keys from locks. Most people probably don’t have one of these laying around, though now is the time to use it if you do, but they can be purchased for just a few dollars online or at select hardware stores (call ahead to save yourself the trip in case they do not carry the tool).

To use the extractor, slide it into the keyway along the part of the key that engages the lock, also called the bitting. Once the extractor is in place, twist it slightly and pull. The goal is to use the small hook at the end of the tool to catch the teeth of the key. You might have to try a few times before it comes free, but with a little persistence, you should have your key out in no time.

In some situations, you may not need any extra tools at all. If your key breaks inside of a padlock or a car lockout locksmith with a removable cylinder, you can often slide the 24/7 key service with nothing but your own strength and a little help from gravity. However, the addition of lubricant will still help expedite the process.

All you need to do is firmly hold your lock and tap it forcefully against the edge of a hard surface, being sure not to cover the keyhole. With a little effort, the key should slide out of the lock, at least enough to allow you to grab the end with your pliers or fingers and pull it the rest of the way out.

Hardware stores may not carry many locksmithing tools, but they are sure to have a wide selection of different hacksaw or jigsaw blades that will work just as well to help remove your broken key. Since they tend to come in packages containing multiple blades, you might want to check your garage or toolbox to see if you already have a few handy.

The method for using the saw blade is almost identical to that of the key extractor tool, but you will first have to break off the end of the blade in order to remove the thick portion containing the pin on one end, allowing it to fit into the lock. Also remember that if the serrations on the blade are at an angle, you want to make sure they are pointed back toward you when you insert it into the keyhole. This will allow them to grab the teeth of the key in the same way the hook on the end of the extractor tool would as you pull it out to remove the key.

This method of freeing your broken key from the door in which it is stuck leaves room for a little variation and is a good option if you do not have access to any specific tools or the time to run to your local hardware store. If you have a purse or bookbag with you, chances are you have just the tools you need.

This approach is all about technique. Find two objects small enough to slide into the keyway along either side of the key (the two sides that engage with the warding of the lock, not the smooth side or the side with the bitting). You can use two pieces of stiff wire, bobby pins, safety pins, or whatever you can find, though the objects should not be something of great value to you because they may be slightly bent in the process.

RAVPower Filehub RP-WD02

Every now and then, an interesting accessory comes along and gets us all excited. The RAVPower Filehub RP-WD02 did just that when it arrived at our doorstep. It’s a power bank, WiFi router and media center in one portable package.

• Stream movies and view photos on any device
• 6,000 mAh power bank
• Wireless Router and Repeater
• Power: Input 1.5 amp; Output 1 amp
• Up to 2.0 TB for USB drive
• Up to 128 GB for micro SD card
• Dimensions: L 2.75 x W 2.95 x H 0.90 inch

Handy

Coming in at 2.75 x 2.95 x 0.90 inches, the RAVPOWER FILEHUB is small enough to find a place in your bag, but maybe not inyour pocket. It has a simple and straightforward design that focuses on its functions. The body of the device is made of plastic, with soft rubber caps protecting the ports. Our review unit is colored white with green rubber caps, but their website has a black variant as well. Overall, the RP-WD02 is well built and feels solid.

Functional ports

The RP-WD02 has multiple ports to service its various functions. The bottom has a USB port along with the power button. On the left side is where you’ll find the pinhole for the reset button, a microSD card slot and a micro USB port. And on the right you have the cable port (WAN). All the ports are covered with soft rubber caps to protect it from dust and splashes (and no, its not water resistant).

Portable Media Center

To fully use the RP-WD02, it is recommended that you download and install the RAV FileHub app. It is available on both Android and iOS. It acts as a gateway to access the device’s settings, and functions as a file explorer as well.

Using the app, you can transfer files between smartphones and tablets regardless of OS. All you need to do is plug in a microSD card or a USB thumb drive on the device, connect to it via WiFi, and access through the app.

I played a movie stored on a thumb drive through the app. The experience was good. The 1080p video streamed well, with no lag or slow downs. As long as the format is supported by your device, it will have no problems playing it.

Router and Repeater

If you have a DSL connection at home but don’t have a wireless router, you can easily use the RP-WD02 as a temporary WiFi router. I mentioned temporary because you might be better of with a real WiFi router in the long run. Just plug a LAN cable directly to the device. You just need to set the SSID name and password to protect the connection.

WiFi range isn’t that impressive, especially if you’re trying to get a connection from another room. But still, the convenience of having a temporary wireless router cannot be ignored.

Power bank!

This is where I think versatility comes in. The RP-WD02 has a 6,000 mAh battery. It acts as both the power source for the device and the power bank function. So basically you could charge your phone and while streaming videos, photos or music stored on a connected thumb drive.

In terms of battery life, streaming a movie through the device can give you up to 6 hours of use, most likely outlasting your smartphone.

Verdict

The combination of WiFi router, media center and power bank seems to work well for the RAVPower FileHub RP-WD02. Portability and versatility are its biggest assets. And while it’s just average-to-good in terms of the performance of its other features, having it all together in one device more than makes up for it.

Samsung's latest accessory boosts your phone battery life massively in a portable, handy package

Something that made many people fans of Samsung phones for years was how the firm clung on to the removable battery design long after everyone else was doing sealed unibody handsets. This ended, however, with the Galaxy S5; the Galaxy S6 and onwards have been sealed devices with non-removable battery cells. Naturally, this has annoyed anyone who loved removable batteries.

Portable and re-chargeable battery boosters are nothing new, of course, but Samsung seems to almost be making a nod towards this mindset with its newly launched, own-brand battery pack (for example: 

GOAL ZERO SWITCH 10 MULTI-TOOL KIT )

The Samsung Battery Pack is a particularly small and slim-line model design wise, presumably in a bid to keep it as handy as the old practice of carrying spare cells. It's a large cell in terms of charge, however, with a 5,100mAh rating, and it supports Samsung Fast Charge.

It has two USB ports, one is standard full-size USB and the other is USB Type-C, however, to make matters even more versatile it ships with a microUSB-to-USB cable and a microUSB-to-USB-C adapter included. It also has a handy strap, and if your phone doesn't support Fast Charge it will charge at standard 2A output.

Samsung Battery Pack Specs & Features

• 5,200mAh capacity keeps your device going longer, even when you are on the go
• Lightweight and portable at less than 145g and only 9.8mm thick
• Easy to read LED battery level indicator
• Rigorously tested for a reliable, safe charge
• USB port for charging any device, including tablets

The long and the short of it is a design which seems to function a lot like old hot-swapping of battery cells on the go, except in this case you plug it into your phone and boost it back up.

Of course, this is only one dimension of the removable battery appeal.

The Battery Pack doesn't solve the other perks a removable battery used to offer such as a battery pull when the phone misbehaves, or more importantly, the ability to replace the entire internal battery if it becomes faulty - AND quickly, cheaply and easily at that; you can replace a faulty battery on a sealed phone but you have to take it to a shop, it takes time, and it costs money.

This is what most people who liked the old swappable design seem to miss; the peace of mind that they can change a faulty battery with no hassle.

Still, there's a lot to like about the Samsung Battery Pack if your main issue is needing spares to boost longevity on the move.

Amazon Fire Stick Review

When Amazon launched its subscription-based streaming service Prime Video in India late last season, one of our main gripes -- apart from its perplexing position on censorship -- was the fact that there weren't a convenient means to acquire the experience on your own large screen. You either had to rely on an Apple TV because of its AirPlay attribute, or fall back on hooking your computer up to your TV using an HDMI cable - maybe not ideal whatsoever.

The reason for that is Amazon's decision to not play nice with others. It doesn't create a program for Apple TV, and it does not support Google's Chromecast on Android. Instead, the organization prefers that users buy its hardware -- the Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken with Kodi lineup. You couldn't buy one of them in India for the longest time, but that changed every week, with the coming of the Amazon Fire Stick with Kodi.

Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken specifications and attributes

The Amazon Fire Stick Kodi seems like an oversized USB thumb drive, using an HDMI connector on one end and a Micro-USB socket on both sides. You plug it directly into your TV or use the included HDMI extension cable when it will not fit. To power, it, connect the added Micro-USB cable into a number of your TV's USB interfaces (or some other charger). On first boot, even if it warns you that it can't draw enough electricity, you need to use the supplied mains adapter rather. If your TV is wall-mounted and doesn't have recessed ports, you'll have to deal with the ugliness of this electricity cable monitoring out.

If you are wondering why the device needs more power in contrast to some Chromecast - which will play fine with practically any USB port - that's because the Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken for sale includes a quad-core processor and 1GB of memory. It's sufficient processing power to play H.265 (HEVC) documents, which only the costlier Chromecast Ultra is really capable of doing. With this capability, Amazon can deliver your videos quicker -- H.265 is heavily compressed and needs less bandwidth than H.264. On our 25Mbps house broadband line, Mr. Robot jumped to 1080p -- that the maximum resolution output supported by the Amazon Fire Stick hack -- over a couple of seconds.

The heavy compression doesn't affect video quality, and ought to let other family members enjoy the Internet when you are viewing full-HD video streams, depending upon your connection speed of course. On the side, you receive support for both Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1. The latter has double benefits -- you don't need to point that the included remote at the TV for it to work, and you're able to hook up a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

The voice distant is one of the greatest things about the Amazon Fire Stick fully loaded, something that you do not get with a Chromecast. The nice curve on the back lends itself to an easy grip, and the button at the center of the navigation pad has a beautiful ergonomic feel for this. Amazon used to provide an inferior remote using the original Amazon Fire Stick unlocked, but that really is actually the second-gen version, and it contains the exact same remote as the more expensive Amazon Fire Stick unlocked.

The remote's most important feature is its voice button -- you simply hold down it, name a movie, TV show, or app, and Amazon may look this up. It is a fantastic feature but doesn't work exactly the same in India as it will abroad - more on that later. If your TV supports the HDMI-CEC standard (HDMI Consumer Electronics Control), then you may turn it on by pressing any key on the Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken for sale distant and also use your TV's remote to command the Amazon Fire Stick jailbroken for sale port.

Should I repair roof myself

The average lifespan of a roof repair Bronx is 30 years - provided it had been well-constructed with the quality product. Homes are nonetheless, prone to weather injuries because they are essentially the most exposed a part of a residence, therefore, more frequently than not, homes need repairs in certain components.

Taking care of your roof contractors Bronx NY is vital. Doing repairs when essential reduce leaks in stormy climate. Leaks lead to the advancement of humidity that could hurt the wooden construction of the home. Not waiting until it is too late to possess repairs done will even help you save plenty of cash.

For most DIY people, the most obvious action to take is always to repair the Bronx roofing contractors themselves. But roofing Bronx, it should be noted, can be quite tricky and until you are a Bronx roofing company yourself, you need to arrive at conditions using the proven fact that you might need to hire a professional roofers Bronx.

While in the following small document, you will discover practical reasons why  roofing Bronx NY must be left to the pros just, the benefits of employing roof contractors in Bronx New York as well as the 5 important things you must realize before calling the neighborhood roofing company.

In Case You Diy?

Many individuals decide for DIY repairs since it saves plenty of money, also it might be fun sometimes. However, you'll find basically some assignments that must be managed just by skilled contractors and brick pointing Bronx is one of these simples.

You will find plenty of mistakes that one who is not well versed in performing cement sidewalk repair can devote... And these errors can be definitely expensive and also deadly!

Listed here are the most frequent faults DIY individuals make as it pertains to NYC sidewalk violation:

They ignore security precautions

Roof repair Bronx and installations are one of many most risky professions of all time. There are certainly a lot of hazards involved in it such as drops, resource risks, incidents like puncture wounds and cuts, electric and fire hazards and natural risks like powerful winds, snow and lightning. Can it be worth it to reduce branch or lifestyle simply to save a little amount of cash?

1. Fasteners end up in the wrong place

Just one fastener out of place may set you back numerous dollars plus more repairs. This oversight is easily avoided if you understand what you are doing or if you employed a person who does.

2. They purchase the improper roofing systems

A poor decision in roof repair NYC process advances the challenges currently associated with sidewalk violation. Steel homes become smooth together with the slightest number of humidity and road roofs need a specified pitch to stop leaks. Talking about mountains, you can find needs that must definitely be considered and just a roofer understands these.

Mistakes in sidewalk repair Queens or installations may result in the necessity of replacing the device again, thus the need to spend more income. Added expenditures can be prevented by employing a reliable roofing company.

Why It Is Best to Employ a Professional Roofer

Apart from the reduction of errors and unnecessary expenses, there are additional rewards to hiring a professional roof repair NYC:

• the proper type of concrete sidewalk repair is employed. Since there are many various kinds of roofing components (metal, aluminum sections, wood drinks, concrete shingles, clay tiles, rubber slates, etc.), selecting the most appropriate it's possible to get complicated. By hiring a roofing contractor, you're spared from making problems that you'll soon regret.

• The old cement sidewalk product is appropriately disposed of. Most of the roofing contractors will protect everything from removing the aged concrete sidewalk, replacing it and losing the old product.

• Expert installation. You are sure that the waterproofing Bronx is fitted safely and weather tight.

• Harm To the roof system is avoided. Roofers have scaffoldings that they utilize to repair or install roofs without imposing injury to the rest of the brick pointing NYC or household.

• Your roofer will help you determine if your new roof needs to be mounted or if some repairs are it will take.

• Get suggestions on the side. Excellent suggestions about brick pointing contractors attention is a reward you obtain from your brickwork pointing contractors. An expert roofer can inform you strategies to take care of one of the most open elements of your home and make certain that it will last provided that it may.

Roof repair isn't as basic a task as much may consider. There are plenty of small facts that really must be regarded if you would like your brick masonry contractor to become good as new. A reliable contractor might help you find out what must be done and just how much everything can cost you.

The 5 What To Know Before Hiring a roof repair NYC

Now that you understand some great benefits of choosing Bronx roofing contractors and also the risks required to performing the repairs or installation yourself, there are still a few things you need to comprehend before picking up the telephone and calling your neighborhood roofer.

Upon selecting to engage professional Bronx roofing contractors, your first thought may obviously be to call the nearest contractor and obtain a quote. Not all roofers will be the same of course if you intend to get the best company for your income, you'll find items you need to consider. You'll find negative roofers and there are the reputable people. Of course like any satisfied homeowner, you'd need to be sure you offer solely using a reliable contractor.

The Best Headlamps for 2017

Even well-planned hikes can end up taking much longer time than anticipated (due to weather, injuries, blocked trails etc.) and to ensure that you don’t end up being stuck in nature in pitch-black, it is crucial that you bring a headlamp in your backpack. A headlamp ( for example: SUNJACK USB RECHARGABLE HEADLAMP also gives you possibility for planning activities in the dark, such as taking a run after sunset or simply getting an early before-sunrise start of your hiking trip. Old-school flashlights are not appropriate for hiking, mountaineering or other demanding outdoor activities as they don’t allow you to use your hands while illuminating the surroundings. When you are on the trail you need your hands free in order to do different tasks such as reading the map, getting things out of the backpack and so forth. Also if you like outdoor adventures solar power panels will help you to charge your devices, solar energy is best solution for campers.

Many hikers get confused when faced with the task of buying a headlamp as there are so many different headlamps on the market. In this review we selected the best five headlamps currently available. Our selection includes everything from the simplest headlamps for basic needs to those suitable for tough expeditions in extreme conditions. The qualities that these headlamps have in common are reliability, durability and good value for the money.

1. Buying a Headlamp – What is important?




Weight:

As a headlamp is carried on the head, it should be as light as possible. We did our best to only select lightweight headlamps – all headlamps listed in this review weigh less than 300 grams.

Battery Life:

A hiking headlamp should function for a reasonable amount of time without needing to have batteries changed or recharged. Some headlamps are equipped with rechargeable batteries while others use disposable batteries. If you are buying a headlamp that uses rechargeable batteries and plan to use it for long hiking trips in remote areas, check that it also works with disposable batteries – it’s easier to carry additional batteries with you than a (heavy) power bank or a solar charger.

Brightness and beam distance:

A hiking headlamp should provide good brightness and a decent beam distance in various conditions. Our selection consists of headlamps that offer brightness of at least 100 lumens and a beam distance of at least 70 meters.

Water resistance:

As hiking is not limited to dry weather, a hiking headlamp should be water-resistant. All headlamps in this review can withstand heavy rain.



Petzl Reactik+

The Petzl Reactik+ is a very innovative headlamp which in late 2016 replaced the highly popular Petzl Tikka RXP headlamp (still available at some retailers). The Petzl Reactik+ headlamp is perfect for hikers and mountaineers who often spend a night in nature and thus want a reliable and powerful piece of lighting equipment. In comparison to the discontinued Tikka RXP, Petzl Reactik+ features higher brightness (300 lumens compared to Tikka’s 215 lumens), longer maximum battery life (15 hours compared to Tikka’s 12 hours) and Bluetooth which allows you to adjust the headlamp’s beam pattern, brightness and battery burn time from your smartphone (the Petzl app is available for iOS and Android devices). Nevertheless, the beam pattern and brightness can also be adjusted on the headlamp without the app. The Petzl Reactik+ headlamp has a sensor which analyses the ambient light and adjusts the beam pattern and brightness automatically (reactive lighting mode). Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the brightness regulation in relation to battery consumption; the headlamp will adjust itself to achieve the optimal results. However, you can still choose between 3 different battery modes – Max Power, Standard and Max Autonomy. The battery modes come in handy as you can quite accurately predict how long the battery will last; in Max Power mode the battery will last for approximately 2.5 hours, in Standard mode for approximately 5 hours and in Max Autonomy mode for approximately 10 hours. The brightness sensor operates in all three modes. The reactive lighting can also be turned off so that the headlamp provides stable brightness despite the ambient light and surroundings. When the reactive lighting is turned off, the maximum battery life is 15 hours. As the Petzl Reactik+ headlamp features constant lighting technology, the brightness and beam distance don’t decrease when the headlamp is running low on battery. The headlamp is also equipped with a lock feature which is useful when you carry it in a backpack. The Petzl Reactik+ can be used with a night vision device as it is equipped with a red lighting feature. The battery is rechargeable by a micro USB cable but the headlamp also works with disposable batteries (adapter is required). The Petzl Reactik+ might not be the cheapest headlamp in this review but as it offers incredible performance we would recommend it to every outdoor enthusiast.

.
Black Diamond ReVolt

The Black Diamond Revolt is a simple but very effective rechargeable headlamp. It doesn’t provide as good illumination as the Petzl Tikka RXP but on the other hand it’s also half the price. The headlamp runs on 3 AAA NiMH batteries which can be recharged with a USB cable. However, the headlamp can also run on 3 disposable AAA alkaline batteries. This is a great feature as it allows you to simply replace the batteries on multiday hiking trips where it might be hard to get access to electricity. Additionally the headlamp features a three-level power indicator which shows the remaining battery life. Illumination is assured by one TriplePower LED, two SinglePower LEDs and two red SinglePower LEDs. The Black Diamond Revolt allows you to switch between 6 different modes – proximity, distance, dimming, strobe, red and lock mode. The red mode can be activated without going through the white modes, thus making the headlamp appropriate also for hunters and military personnel that require a headlamp for concealed use. In addition to that, the headlamp is water- and dirt-resistant. The Black Diamond Revolt is a great product for recreational hikers as well as for more experienced outdoor enthusiasts as it offers great performance for a relatively low price

Seven Things to Consider Prior to Launching Your Business Blog

In many ways building a business blog is like designing a rolling ball sculpture. Rolling ball sculptures also known as kinetic sculptures are so engaging because of the visual and aural spectacle -- following intricate roller coaster paths, clinging and clanging along the way. But the basic element is they are designed for perpetual motion.

The same goes for your business blog and the basic key to success is to plan for it to be a perpetual outlet for remarkable content. When planned right blogs end up with the appeal, rhythm and engagement found in rolling ball sculptures.
Here are seven things to consider prior to launching your business blog:

1) Set aside time
Blogs fail because businesses cannot keep up with them. Blogging requires frequency and commitment. You should think about how frequently you want to blog and how much time you need per week to write. Then set aside that time and stick to it.

2) Build a network or following
Your blog has a greater chance of succeeding if you have a larger community to share your content with. Plan to build up a network or following prior to launching your blog. That way it will have a wider reach from the get-go because more people can share it.


3) Keyword research
One of the biggest benefits of creating content is the search traffic it will attract to your site. Do some research so you are targeting keywords that will bring in good qualified traffic to your site. If you are struggling with what to write about this is also a great way to queue up some ideas for articles.

4) Queue up articles
It never hurts to stay ahead of the curve. If you plan to write once a week it may not be a bad idea to queue up four to five articles so you have a month's worth of content ready to go. This way you can stay consistent and keep up with your established publishing frequency.

5) Create calls-to-action
You should take the time to think about what calls-to-action should go into your blog posts and create them. If you want to derive business value from your blog in the form of leads and customers you need good, relevant offers to go along with your content.

6) Set up RSS/Subscriber feeds
If you want to grow your business blog you need to build a subscriber base. Think about how to position your RSS feeds or email opt-in on your blog and your website to maximize subscriptions.

7) Ways to promote it
Lastly, it is critical to think about ways to promote your blog. Will you tweet your articles or include them in your company newsletter? How often? How about sharing them on Facebook or LinkedIn? You might want to include your RSS feed on each of your profiles. Spend some time on figuring ways to get the word out there!


What are some of the preemptive things you have done to help the success of your blog? Please share your experiences in the comments. Thanks.