Slashdot Mirror
USB Swiss Army Knife
finno writes "The Register has a heads-up on a new Swiss Army knife by Victorinox. As the article says, 'Given that you can buy a Victorinox Swiss Army Knive with just about
every gadget known to man, from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space
Telescope lens polisher, it's no real surprise that the company - in
association with flash memory outfit Swissbit
- is now offering cutting tools plus USB flash memory stick.' In my
home state of New South Wales, it is illegal
to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the
lawful pursuit of the
person's occupation'. I got me a reasonable excuse now!"
Nice, except flash memory is just a start.
What I would really need is a combination pendrive, wi-fi, and bluetooth adaptor, and MP3/OGG player.
Currently I carry a seperate USB flash drive, and MA401 pen-style wi-fi transceiver. The lack of built in memory on the MA401 means I need to plug in the pendrive every time I need to load the drivers.
I need a 3 1/2 or a 5 1/4 disk to move my files around.
Maybe in the next version they can add this and DAT disk support.
Now I can be stopped at the airport for security violations AND supposed music piracy!
I have to use my pocket knife to operate the RO switch on my USB stick. Will this new knife have a detable device for setting it's own RO switch?
And if you thought that was boring you obviously havn't read my Journal ;-)
I want a Leatherman version with at least 512MB and it's bootable. I would pay decent money for that. Swiss Army Knives are toys, Leatherman's are tools. Never trust a tech without one.
I take it you work in technology? Then there is an easy way to prove you need a pocket knife for you job. I am constantly using my pocket knife to open boxes with parts, shrink wrapped software, and new computers. I also use my pocket knife to cut zip tie bundles and the like.
;)
Not being allowed to carry a pocket knife? In AU? Don't you need one to keep off all the crocs?
But I want to know why the SwissFlame isn't allowed for sale in the US.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Amazing how much we hear about the US trouncing civil liberties from people on that side of the pond, when they refuse to look around and realize they have NO rights left!!
..Is what I get when I try to load Victorinox at school. What are they afraid of, me attacking other students with Swiss Army Hubble Telescope polishers?
HEHE, silly NSW person!
Anyway the only concern I have is a) I already have a Swiss army knife and a pen disk and b) the pen disk I doubt would put up with the beating it would receive on a camp. (Though my pen disk recently survived a trip through the washing machine and dryer so I might revise that above thought later.)
I ate your fish.
Not only can you use the blade to hijack an airplane, you can store Vital National "Nucular" Secrets with the same tool!
-------- In Soviet Russia, "Soviet Russia" sigs hate Slashdot.
from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space Telescope lens polisher
They located these two attachments too close, if you ask me. Why, when I was cleaning the Hubble Telescope last week, I got the two mixed up. I hope no-one notices that huge gouge on the lens. The horse sure has shiney hooves, though.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
This reminds me of the USB Foreman Grill April Fool's Joke. However, this seems equally useful/useless depending on how you look at it. So, I guess my real question is, how do we know this is for real?
Well, this silly rule doesn't apply in my jurisdiction, but in my network rounds I always carry my trusty CyberTool. Bought mind at an airport in Belguim. Haven't met a machine this knife couldn't take.
Boy Scouts always taught me to carry a pocket knife, either in your car or pocket, you never know how useful it will be.
I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.
Now that's what I call cutting edge technology!
You know the author said in New South Wales it was illegal to carry a knife unless you need it for your job. God knows how many stores are held up annually by someone with a pocket knife. I mean really what would someone do? "Give me all your money, or I'll pick your teeth." Lighten up Parliment, I doubt that people with pocket knives will overthrow the throne.
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
Wow. I like that ad for that new product "Internal Server Error". Good use of whitespace in the design. ;P
Un-news
Are you referring to the Windows 2000-enabled version of the Leatherman, affectionately known as the "Blue Knife of Death"?
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
...the blade mades it impossble to take on a plane. As someone that's about to travel with only 128MB of flash RAM (no laptop, no iPod), I'd think it would be handier if it looked to the Cybertool for a whole bunch of blunt(ish) stuff like the screwdrivers, pen or pliers.
I'd bet that devices like these give security officers, IP hoarders, and trade secret people the willies. The idea that someone (employee, vendor, or confident hacker) could walk into any office, stick their keychain USB drive into a PC and transfer files to/from an internal network is not too pleasant to contemplate. Seems like a great way to introduce trojans or snarf sensitive files. I wonder if some companies disable USB Mass Storage on their PCs to prevent this type of unauthorized access?
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
Passes that kind of a law banning any kind of blade in any public place? It's the kind of law that can almost only be there to provide an excuse to throw more charges at someone - "He jaywalked, and he had scissors! Because this is his second offense, we'll be seeking the maximum of 12 months in prison."
fencepost
just a little off
At last weapon for true Code Warrior... Mod me down but I can not resist...
...or does the photo accompanying the Inquirer article look photoshopped?
I'm not saying it's not a real product, just that the image looks a little suspicious.
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
uhh, it's a drive..of course you can put linux on it.
... is the lack of a kitchen sink.
/. joke based on moving from Windows to Linux)
(Sorry, bad
They link to a product called a USB watch...
Apparently the plug is on a cable that slides out of the watch. I can't imagine using a USB storage device that physically tethers me to the computer.
I prefer to psychologically tether myself.
By lcd i mean least common denominator. The knife is substandard (my knife), and the memory is substandard (personally i tote about 256mb cf cards). But the combination is still intriguing. Now, the altimeter swiss army knife is more interesting to me.
It looks great, but for a PC technician, I hope they make one with a philips blade rather than scissors.
To a politician, one email equals one voter.
I don't know if it would be an issue or not, but how heavy is this thing? Generally it's not a good idea to plug things into your PC ports that are anywhere close to having a significant weight. I'd hate to bend or break my USB ports from plugging this thing in...
Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
I don't know. Could this be an early April Fool's hoax?
If the picture is accurate, it looks like the USB connector won't fit folded up. Looks like a bad cut & paste to me.
My Swiss Army Knife is with me constantly because it's so useful. Had it for years. I've lost the toothpick and the spring in the scissors, but it's still indispensible.
So, with the recent crackdown in the USA on small scale implements of terrorism such as nail clippers, I try to remember to put my knife in the glove compartment before a flight.
I forgot once. And I sure didn't want to give away my knife. The TSA inspectors must have 10 million pocket knives by now. What to do before getting in line for the security scan?
I found an fake potted plant in an isolated corner of the airport and hid the knife under some bark chips.
When I came back 3-4 days later I just picked it up on the way out.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
I could see adding a USB memory stick as really helpful - though I wouldn't give up the screwdriver bits for it.
"The most sensible request of government we make is not, "Do something!" But "Quit it!"
... but does that picture look fake? It looks like a usb mem stick photoshopped onto a swiss army knife? Plus I don't think I would like the idea of 128MB being subjected to the crap that I put my pocket knife through (though I guess in reality, like SUV's, the majority of owners only use their SAK to trim their nails and open the occasional UPS box).
I saw an old guy at Ozzfest using it as a roach clip
I think that was Ozzy himself. Nothing helps take the pain of remembering that you destroyed your brain through drug-abuse than a little more self-medication.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Apparently you've got enough exceptions to keep yourself out of trouble:
Hopefully wood carving and popping bottle caps aren't illegal yet.
or even a way to 'burn' information onto an 'optical drive' of some sort - boy would THAT be a great way to smuggle data in and out of places.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
- Blade -- Every knife needs one. A combination large and small blade is nice but not necessary on this knife
- Scissors -- From cutting down labels to just about anything else, the Scissors are mandatory
- Phillips head screwdriver -- Or replace this with the socket set
- Flathead screwdriver -- Or replace this with the socket set
- Inanimate carbon-steel rod -- In place of the useless tweezers, for ejecting stubborn CDs or rebooting PDAs
- Micro-flashlight -- Built into the case, a small white LED bulb at one end is activated by pressing on a certain spot on the handle. The battery is stored in the case. I don't think any knife has this yet, but I know I've wanted it for ages. The light switch should be a toggle, so you don't have to keep holding it down while you're working.
That's all I'm looking for in a knife. I'd pay $100 for one like that, especially if they called it the Geekman.I read the internet for the articles.
and the Swiss all flock to our side of the ocean to buy Leathermans... (no, really, they do!)
The grass is always greener... :-)
Last I checked, New South Wales was in Australia, not Europe....
www.wavefront-av.com
I've fixed more than a few computer problems with just this tool and the knowledge in my head. I suppose in New South Wales, I could justify carrying such a dangerous item, since it does relate to my profession. That having been said, I despise these sorts of overzealous, zero-tolerance type laws. Go to www.endzerotolerance.org to see how this sort of thing is out of hand in US schools. Look at the State of Vermont - no permits needed to own a handgun and to carry it openly or concealed. And guess what - they have a very low violent crime rate.
Some time ago the gov't passed a law requiring all lighters to be at least somewhat child proof. At first the cheep bick lighter had a little catch on the fule valve so you had to press the red button in before it would go down. Not sure if that is still the case but I am certain there is something done to make the lighter harder to opperate to keep small children from burning down the house.
In my home state of New South Wales, it is illegal to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the lawful pursuit of the person's occupation'
I fail to understand how a society can function without pocketknives. I'll be sure to use paper shipping tape on the next thing I send to Australia.
who are those slashdot people? they swept over like Mongol-Tartars.
You can't carry a pocketknife?!
I knew New Zealand was full of sheep, but I didn't know that was refering to the people.
/me shakes head in amusement and pity
Hmm, the swissbit.com site seems to be slightly b0rked. How can that be, it's has "smartsite" installed???
t site_231/tool/dbTools.asp, line 48
/Default.asp
FEHLER AUF DIESER SEITE
* Fehlertyp:
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers (0x80040E4D)
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Zu viele Client-Tasks.
D:\IISWEB\SWISSBIT\_INC\../../../../../../../smar
* Browsertyp:
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.4) Gecko/20030821
* Seite:
GET
* Zeit:
Donnerstag, 11. Marz 2004, 15:02:56
* Der Fehler wurde an den Systemadministrator weitergeleitet.
The law is similar in the UK. As in New South Wales, an exception is if a knife is a tool used for one's occupation. This is quite useful, since if I'm stopped by the police, I can explain that I'm a mugger and therefore the knife is a tool of the trade.
FEHLER AUF DIESER SEITE
t site_231/tool/dbTools.asp, line 48
/Default.asp
* Fehlertyp:
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers (0x80040E4D)
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] Zu viele Client-Tasks.
D:\IISWEB\SWISSBIT\_INC\../../../../../../../smar
* Browsertyp:
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.5a) Gecko/20030905 Mozilla Firebird/0.6.1xpto
* Seite:
GET
* Zeit:
Donnerstag, 11. Marz 2004, 15:02:49
* Der Fehler wurde an den Systemadministrator weitergeleitet.
I used to carry a swiss army knife, but found it difficult to get leverage and even more difficult to get to small, recessed screws and the like.
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
how does it match up to the USB Toothbrush???
The "blue knife of death" version is similar to the "Lord of the Rings" tie-in "Sting" version.
In the "Sting" version, the knife blades glow blue when orcs are near. Pretty hard to test, this feature is. As a bonus, the "Sting" version includes an audio chip that plays "Fortress Around your Heart".
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
It's a "hoof pick".
Ignore it when it's needed, and you'll find out that tech is cheap compared to large-animal vets bills.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
That way you can listen to your favorite Death Metal while out at the shooting range.
Totally American. Rock on, Moses Heston!
... or a pointy stick?
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." -- George Orwell
10. DRM-enabled so you don't cut anything you are not licensed to
9. Large surface area on side with room for the Trump logo
8. "Martha Steward" edition. It slices, it dices, it puree's, and it has a file for jail bars.
7. "Matt Helm" special: knife inflates into full-sized bedroom complete with bed.
6. Built-in $29.99 cell phone backup battery
5. Special iPod opening tool for those rare occasions when you need to do battery work.
4. Linking feature to enable a Beowulf cluster of swiss army knives
3. "French Army Knife" version; opens wine with ease and aids in an easy retreat.
2. "Rush Limbaugh" attachments: knives only on the right side, contains secret compartment that holds up to 80 pills (one morning's supply).
1. FCC compliant - prevents carving of profane grafitti with its blades; and contains needle and thread to repair wardrobe malfunctions
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
I really hate the TSA. The ban on nail scissors is ridiculous. Any of my friends that are serious about martial arts could hurt someone much more badly with their hands (or a nice, heavy, blunt object, which *is* acceptable) than a dinky half-inch blade. I'll bet that if I was intent on smuggling a blade in, I could hide a much larger blade in something metal (come *on*...if there's a metal plate normally in some electronic device and someone slices the thing at a diagonal to produce a *big* blade, then puts the halves together, who is going to notice on an X-ray machine?).
Plus, I forgot about the nail scissors that I carry in my travelling case. It wasn't until the fourth flight that the TSA guy grabbed my scissors. Of all the pointless laws...
I can understand having to not have guns in carry-on. I can even consider large knives reasonable (You don't need your machete in-flight). However, taking pocket knives/keychain knives/nail scissors is just plain annoying. I'm sure the respective industries have done quite well, though...
May we never see th
"Sure, the right to carry weapons around for no reason is more important than keeping your privacy"
It is at least as important. What a hypocrite you are: isn't carrying a weapon part of privacy? Someone's "reason" is not your business.
According to the page you linked to, you don't need to buy a boring USB drive to let you carry the knife. Just keep a supply of beer bottles with you at all times and say you neeed the knife to open them!
Homme petit d'homme petit, s'attend, n'avale
Can't carry a knife? I always leave a rather large knife in my truck/vehicle, and most of the time I have a folding pocket knife on my belt. I've used it several times outside of work, even as a makeshift screwdriver.
:)
Well... I guess that's not as important as the 9mm hole punch I keep on the other side of my belt whenever possible.
-- Liberalism is a mental disorder.
In fact, that was the reason I had to check my bag. I flew from Boston to Las Vegas with my Boker Titanium/Ceramic in my carry-on. They didn't see it. Las Vegas, however, saw it. Rather than surrender a nice knife, I checked my only bag. Fortunately, it was there when I got back to Boston.
It's a shame that I have to be treated like a 3 year old and have pointy objects taken away from me for the placebo of the nation. If someone wants to hurt somone else, they'll do it.
Frankly, I wouldn't stab someone with my knife because I care more about it than other people. But I'm also respectful of other people, so I wouldn't hurt them regardless of a samll sharp object that's within reach.
"No fair, you changed the outcome by measuring it!" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
What this thing really needs is a tiny little rod to stick those manual floppy-disk drive eject holes.
One of the permitted reasons is for: "the preparation or consumption of food..."
Problem solved: any time you want to carry a knife, carry a hard salami.
The point about legal carrying of sharp edges raises another interesting point. I mean, have you ever tried stabbing anything with most penknives? You'd have more joy sticking a biro through someone's chest. (Yes, I realise there are some very high-quality penknives out there too.) Yet there's no attempt by many law-enforcement agencies to differentiate between a useful basic tool and a dedicated weapon. Rather similar to the data/MP3/filesharing situation.
Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Gates M'dna wgah'nagl fhtagn.
If they'd put the USB drive in my shoe soles, at least I'd have gotten it back... The shoes probably wouldn't have worn out before the drive was obsolete anyway, right?
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Now if extortion for the pictures I have on my flash stick doesn't work I can just stab the guy. Thanks Victorinox.
Wow - they have stiff penalties way down in Antipodes ! Just for carrying a pocket knife?
Gosh - glad I can carry my gun, knife AND secret decoder ring all at once.
Is this what they mean when they advertise a blade server?
If you're going to carry a knife, carry one that you abso-fucking-lutely KNOW will cut whatever it is you want to cut, in extremis, and not simply break or saw away uselessly....
I've carried Buck 110's for more years than I care to think about now, it is the only knife I'd be prepared to trust my life to, and it has in fact already almost certainly saved my life on two occassions (both times from drowning) when quite simply there was about 5 seconds to cut something or die.
Yes, it is now illegal to carry a knife such as a buck in the UK, doubly so when one's sole method of motorised transport is a motorcycle, but it doesn't stop me, because apart from it's every day uses opening packaging and so on, I know one day I will once again REALLY need to cut something and only uncle buck is good enough for me...
http://www.buckknives.com/
peace
http://slashdot.org/~GuyFawkes/journal
Take a look at These pics of items apparently confiscated in Sacramento.
guess what OS my company uses ;)
"You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention...science has it all."
"In my home state of New South Wales, it is illegal to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the lawful pursuit of the person's occupation'. I got me a reasonable excuse now!"
That is terrible. I wouldn't trust any politicians who think you aren't even able to be responsible for a knife. Do they cut up your food for you and make you hold their hand when you cross the street too? Get rid of those meddlers and replace them with people who will be public servants instead of trying to be surrogate parents to their fellow citizens.
The result of that vote was not a all fair. The then and curent PM worded the referendum question as to make it difficult to vote for a republic. It was not a simple YES/NO Answer. ie. Do you wish Australia to become a rebublic, which is what the question should have been the model could have been worked out later.
The referendum stated that:
The wording of the referendum thus skewed the voter as there were two models for an Australian republic. The one above and one for a popularly elected president. Thus the republicians themselve were split and the latter did not want to vote YES on the ref.And I must admit this was much to my disgust.
For the record the referendum on November 6, 1999, Australians voted 55% to 45% against a proposed model to make the nation a republic.
This and more info can for found at AustPolitics
coming out this spring or summer. You can see a picture of it here. Nothing about it at victorinox.com which is pretty lame for info on their own products. Nothing on swissarmy.com even though they have the the SwissTool Spirit in a printed brochure. The nice thing about SwissTool is the bit tool. The attached tools in a multi-tool are pretty much useless as far as I am concerned due to the awkwardness of using them. The bit tool, which uses standard 6mm or 1/4" bits, pretty much solves that. The redesigned bit tool for the Spirit not only looks like it could take more torque on the right angle socket but you could use a short bit of hex stock to make it a T handled socket tool. Sweet.
...and was considering buying a Leatherman.
Ergonmically the Vic is useless, too wide to be a screw driver, to hard to open the blades. I managed to wreck the wirecutter part, and parts of the pliers are starting to rust.
I'm not saying you are wrong about the Leatherman, just that I was hoping they were better, and if not, I can save some serious $$$
(Slashdot eats Euro symbols. Take $$$ and divide by ~1.2 to get what I was really trying to express)${YEAR+1} is going to be the year of Linux on the desktop!
As for the pocket knife, that would be great but you can't carry it on an airplane anymore. I bet that sales of Victorinox have gone down since 9/11. I don't even know where mine is anymore, I used to carry it with me everyday.
Lasers Controlled Games!
You just made me realize that, as far as geekiness goes, I am really not that bad. But you sir, are the master.
Crushing my karma one post at a time.
Let`s just give everyone in the country a pocket knife, and then forget about it.
Yes the guv'emnt is out to get me!
Thanks for the info. From my perspective (opposite side of the globe, rooting for a republic) it looked like the republicans in Parliament lost the campaign themselves - I'm not going to support a system that allows politicians to select the President. Anyway - totally off-topic for me: not a citizen, not a resident! (Kiwi/hobbit, resident in Scotland)
This is where the serious fun begins.
When the hell is smith and wesson going to come up with an American response?!
"anyone who says that obviously does not live in a city where knives are a problem."
Knives are not a problem unless criminals missuse them. Crack down on the criminals, and you solve the problem.
If knives are outlawed, only outlaws will have knives.
Have to admit, I hadn't heard about this law before. I carry a Gerber multitool-whatever-they-call-it. It has a knife blade, but more importantly it has a #2 Phillips screwdriver tip, perfect for opening just about every PC case made. I already have my excuse.
Sleep is just a poor substitute for caffeine, anyway. -Bob Lehmann
We have a guy here who smokes and always uses his cell phone for the calculator function. I thought he could really use a lighter integrated into the phone too.
And this sort of foolishness is why I'm a Wenger man. Those other folks have turned the Swiss Army knife into a joke.
"Hey, let's add a file cabinet!"
"Even better, a thermos!"
"How about one with a bedroll the size of an ant, complete with bedside reading in one point type!"
"Yeah! that's the ticket!"
Clowns.
When I buy a pocket knife, I don't want a gimmick. I want a tool. Admit it folks, most of you would do far better to have a box cutter, one good pair of pliers, and a driver set with compact head.
You're gonna carry the Minimag anyway.
Me? These days I carry a P-48 on my keyring, an LED flashlight in my bag, and *maybe* a mini set of screwdriver bits and compact rachet head. Add in the fifties heavy steel compact stapler I always have and I guarantee that I'm better equipped for the real world then almost any of these gadget-happy ninnies.
Three inch thick pocket knives are for wannabes. Real geeks use real tools.
Rustin
Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
Click here for more info on the USB Swiss Army Knife.
This sounds like a good product, but I don't know what "FEHLER AUF DIESER SEITE" means in English... :-(
-Rob
Marriage doesn't have to suck!
Kalashnikov is now offering an AK-47 complete with 120GB firewire hard disk. Never be caught off guard again! Not only is this weapon the choice of counter-government revolutionaries around the world, but now it stores over 15,000 MP3's.
bash-3.00$ uname -a
SunOS panda 5.10 Generic sun4u sparc SUNW,Ultra-2
I'd bet that devices like these give security officers, IP hoarders, and trade secret people the willies. The idea that someone (employee, vendor, or confident hacker) could walk into any office, stick their floppy disk into a PC and transfer files to/from an internal network is not too pleasant to contemplate. Seems like a great way to introduce trojans or snarf sensitive files. I wonder if some companies disable Floppy Drives on their PCs to prevent this type of unauthorized access?(bold=changes)
The point is, portable storage isnt new. And disabling it, is relativly simple.
It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
If you don't like concealed weapons, don't carry one. It is that simple. Let people make their own choices on this.
"Americans are just plain scary."
This is coming from someone on the continent that produced Hitler and his comprehensive gun-control plan.
That's why there will be a version without the knife, only containing the USB stick, a pen and a lamp.
The full version will be sold for 59 Euro, the non-terrorist version for 55 Euro, as the German computer magazine Golem.de reports.
That might be the reason why they start selling pocket knifes without knifes...
In my home state of New South Wales, it is illegal to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the lawful pursuit of the person's occupation'. I got me a reasonable excuse now!"
Tell me, do the people there, by and large, enjoy being prey to crooks who ignore laws about weapons, as they do every other law?
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
Not a word you should use around here.
Better act quick, before she dies and you're
stuck kissing a king.
Where might the king want you to kiss him?
Personal recommendation (I am in no way affiliated):
If you are looking for just a folding knife, with a single blade, check out these guys http://www.spyderco.com/.
Forget the high-end military versions, look for the most basic low-end models, like the Delica or Endura.
- Can be opened with one hand easily and quickly (no breaking of nails in the groove of Swiss Army knives)
- Can be carried on belt with clip
- Legal to carry depending on your local laws - its not a switchblade or butterfly, but opens just as fast
- The steel of the blades is damn good, and stays sharp for a long time
- Some versions have serrated blades, you can cut through a 1" branch in a single swipe (not joking either, its my favourite gardening tool)
WARNING: Knives are like guns, if you draw them in anger, be prepared to face the consequences (jail, death, dismemberment).
Not confused enough? http://translate.google.com/translate?u=www.slashdot.jp&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=ja&tl=en
The "Sting" version glowed blue when it was near any Microsoft product?
A friend of mine brought back knives as gifts from his trip to Amsterdam in 1996. The knife he gave me I still use and I've never seen it for sale in the US. It's a Victorinox, but has a liner lock, and a 3.5" blade. It's also green. The only other features it has are the standard can opener, bottle opener, corkscrew, toe picker/ bar brawl weapon, toothpick, and tweezers. I can't find it for sale on the Victorinox website, but I wonder if anyone else has come across these. The blade steel is fantastic; it holds a polished razor edge for months, and I have to sharpen it maybe once a year.
However, I still want a Benchmade Osborne. They're pretty.
This has nothing to do with anything other then one comment made by the sender...
In Wales you can't have a pocket knife on you? Is this for real? That just surprised the hell out of me...
Wow. I lived in England for three years and did not know that. Now, granted, Wales is "technically" its own place but still.
Later,
Greg
Well Windows NT 4.0 doesn't support USB, so you can sleep well, knowing your system is safe ;-)
Too bad they are not included in the Swiss Army knives :/ (ie. the knife you get when you enter the recruit school (which is mandatory)).
You can order one from Germany and have it shipped. I did this 6 months ago and love it. Light candles, start up the fireplace, always a good tool to have!
In my home state of New South Wales, it is illegal to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the lawful pursuit of the person's occupation'
That is one of the dumbest laws I've ever heard of. I'm assuming that you all aren't insane criminals, so why not be able to carry a knife? I always have one in my pocket (unless I'm going to an airport or concert). I found a nice little folding knife that uses utility knife blades - disposable!
Tackett
If it wasn't for all the country music, cowboy hats, and hatred for mexicans...I'd probably move there.
Blar.
'cause even a tiny paring knife could end your sad, cowardly life.
Blar.
These days I carry a P-48 on my keyring
I think your FDIV-bugged Pentium-60 keychain is underclocked.
They probably wouldn't be persuaded by your kung-fu argument. Just because you can't keep all dangerous devices off an airliner doesn't mean you shouldn't minimize them. But you might try pointing out that it's no longer really possible to hijack a passenger airliner. How do you control the passengers? "Cooperate and nobody gets hurt" no longer has any credibility.
You could also point out that Israeli airliners, which have been terrorist targets as long as I can remember, don't ban sharp objects. They do check the luggage very carefully. Rather more carefully than the TSA does.
But you're probably wasting your time. The main point of most "security measures" is to make people feel safer.
Nah, the Throne's safely far away from New South Wales, I think.
Why would a knife one could put in a pocket be illegal? Swords I could understand, but a pocketknife?
Hope they don't find my copy of Catcher In The Rye.
"...you'll never go back to Leatherman"
With me it is a toss up between the Indian and the Construction Worker.
Y-M-C-A!
Picture people sneaking into government offices and sneaking off with incriminating emails on their USB memory sticks! Then they leave 128MB of pr0n on the system and make a call to the Mirror and the Sun telling them about government machines being used to store nudie pix and show them the emails.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
1.) it's a "knife" not a "knive"; but "knives" is correct.
2.) it's illegal to carry a knife in Wales? WTF? what kind of crazy ass-backward law is that? isn't Wales a "free" state? jesus remind me not to ever go there. i wonder what other crazy laws they have. how about as an excuse: "i like knives, i like to whittle, and i've never stabbed anyone in my life -- now get off my back, government!"
"wouldn't it make more sense to train flight attendants in some kind of martial arts/self-defense, tailored for use within the cramped confines of a crowded airplane?"
I cringe every time I hear someone make that kind of suggestion. It takes serious practice and lots of time to get to the point where you can not only move reflexively but also make the movements correctly. A small error in an attack can be the difference between one that is effective and one that leaves you exposed and vulnerable. Sure you could simply try kicking someone in the groin but most people can't do it without "telegraphing" their intent (making it obvious what they are about to do).
Training flight staff like that may make them feel good but it could be a false feeling of security. A botched attack would elminate any chance of surprise as the attackers would now be on guard more than before. People are probably just better off mobbing the attackers and getting in their face. Most criminals don't want any sort of fight, even a crude one.
"the 9/11 terrorists also took advantage of the standard practice of placating terrorists"
I don't think anyone placated the terrorists, there was never any negotiating going on (nor was any intended) and as you mentioned, the terrorists started slashing staff to terrorize the rest of the passengers.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Yah, now just TRY to make me put my tray up!
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
I'm not joking ... read the PDF on swissbits.com, it's a Swiss Army knife ..with no knife !!!? Perhaps it's a Virtual Swiss Army knife.
Floppy, USB and CD's are ALL disabled on some of our "sensitive" machines here. It a user wants to access them, they have to call us at the helpdesk to send a tech who will enable the device till they're done and then disable it before leaving.
one of the excuses was the preparation of food and drink... I use my Swiss Army Knife to cut cheese to make sandwiches--- and since it's stainless steel, I rarely clean it, so it's full of the evidence.
It's illegal. To carry. A POCKETKNIFE.
That is freakin' absurd. Is it illegal to carry a screwdriver? I'd have a much easier time maiming somebody with a screwdriver, but it's not as useful for the things I use my pocketknife for on a daily basis that have nothing whatsoever to do with my job.
Stop the world. I want to get off.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
There are already rules in places I know of against bringing in outside laptops, and even camera phones....won't be surprised if these get the ax soon...
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Don't know about this particular model, but frankly their "cybertool" I picked up about 3-4 years ago is the best tool I've ever bought.
:)
I've lost count of the number of times some tech at work has been looking for a Torx screwdriver and I've simply pulled out my knife - with 3 sizes of Torx bits
Not to mention the handiness of always have a bottle cap opener with you.
The only feature that would be useful would be magnetic bits, but I guess that's not so useful if you're trying to work on a hard drive.
The UK division of the organization I work for has already done this (banned USB memory devices), although they admit that enforcement of the policy is practically impossible. The US folks (where I work) haven't done so, and in fact, handed out "thumb drives" to all participants in a recent multi-country meeting that we had. The (non-geek) US folks thought the things were the greatest thing since sliced bread; the UK folks didn't quite know what to do.
So the political beliefs of tens of millions of people are unworthy of being considered human? Fuck you, Adolf.
I think W is going to crush the limousine-liberal loser like a bug, and that Kerry's supporters are dangerous fools. But at least I am willing to grant them membership in the human race.
-ccm
Too much Law; not enough Order.
My favorite multitool is the Gerber. Number one feature (and what singlehandedly pushes it over the top)? Single hand opening. With the flick of the wrist it's open and ready for use. I can't tell you the number of times I only have one hand available when I end up needing the multitool. With the Gerber, I don't have to stop what I'm doing to take it out and open it.
Sounds like it is time to move out of New Soth Wales. I would not get laong there. I currently carry my thumb drive, mp3 player, KBar and Barretta 9MM. Every once in a while I throw my AR-15 in the mix, just to see what people say. God Bless America! (unless you're in California)
If I were to be attacked by a gun carrying or knife wielding maniac, I wouldn't be legally allowed to put up the slightest defense at all aside from maybe putting my arm out to get slashed.
I can understand, in a way, not allowing people to carry guns. But I can't carry even the most basic form of defense? Are you banking on the criminals following the law on this one?
Or is Wales some kind of utopia with no violent crime?
I'll second this. The Gerber I bought 3 years ago gets used every day and is none the worse for wear. The two things I like most? 1) Scissors that don't feel like they'll break when cutting anything thicker than paper and 2) Pliers that don't feel like they'll break when used on anything. The Gerber was the first multitool that I've had where the pliers don't feel flimsy. It's heavy but I don't mind--I've used it as a last-resort hammer on occasion.
AMEN. I was starting to look at all the "Victorinox vs Leatherman" comments, and wondered if people had sampled the goodness that is Gerber (cutlery, not baby food :) )
1 0.jp g) as opposed to the outside (a la old leatherman tools - http://completedbike.hypermart.net/images/leatherm an.jp g) so that when you use the pliers, your hand applies pressure to a nice flat surface instead of the back edges of all the tools (which can hurt when you need to apply constant or intense momentary pressure using the pliers)
One-handed quick-flick opening is where it starts, but also the tools open from the inside (http://www.excaliburcutlery.com/art/multitool/gb
Swiped first GIS examples of what I mean.
I've owned all three brands. With locking accessories, accessories that open from the INSIDE, and quick-flick plier opening, Gerber gets my money. I install Dish and DirecTV satellites, and this thing gets used every single day without fail.
-m
In my home state of New South Wales, it is illegal to be carrying a knife without a reasonable excuse such as 'the lawful pursuit of the person's occupation'. I got me a reasonable excuse now!
.45 semi auto. I got me a reasonable excuse too!...
NSW is also my home state. However I carry a cut throat razor and a Colt
I'm a hit man.
War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
christ, I usually have a big knife in my pocket or clipped to my belt. I can't imagine them being illegal, I use mine at least once every day and don't need any excuses to have it. I've never killed anyone with it. I also usually have other weapons nearby, but those are probably illegal, and for a good reason. I wonder what they would say about the two handed sword I like to carry around in New South Wales. If I install a USB flash ROM in the hilt, do you think they would let me carry it in public?
TallGreen CMS hosting
Sure is nice with this combination, but a nail file?! I mean, which geek out there regularily needs and uses a nail file? I would much rather have those small pliers to pull jumper tabs with.
Truth is, my combo of choise is a Swiss army knife, Space Pen (HP schwag), a LED Lenser flash lite and a USB memory fob that plays music. The USB memory will be outdated in about a year and a half and the flash light has already dropped the little rubber thingy on the switch. But i have had that same Swiss army knife for ten years, used it and abused it (and happily pulled little jumper tabs with the small pliers) and i won't leave home without it. Well, except for the plane.
I have no idea what the postage rates are like, but I'd think that if you really want one, it'd be something to look into.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Why? Most never banned floppy drives. Also, with almost any computer having internet access, you could just as easily hotmail yourself any document you want.
-CowboyNick
You forgot lightsaber... honestly what good is such a device without a lightsaber?
While the usb devices are easy to get in...the webmail can easily be blocked for the most part...and if they lock down the email ports...unless you can ssh out the firewall to by pass these measure..they can lock out info going out via webmail.
With the USB memory devices getting bigger and bigger..you can put an OS on it...and I'm thinking you could get the box to boot to say..linux..and that would give you freedom to do as you please with a 'locked down' machine.
I'm just guessing that something like this is possible...that's my reasoning.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Seriously, I'm not going to say that Bush supporters are inhuman, or even that they're stupid. I do, however, think that most of them are seriously misguided. A small percentage of them are actually well served by his administration (to the detriment of everyone else, and indeed our very nation), but most of them are not. Why they think the Bush administration is somehow good for us, I don't know. I expect they just don't (or won't) think about it. I like the recent news about how hunting organizations are finally realizing that our current trajectory is going to leave them with nothing to shoot pretty soon. Doh!
Time to realize what you're taking for granted.
[javac] 100 errors
Dunno... been carrying my Swiss Army Knife
on my keyring for the last seven years
(that's how long I've been in Oz). Never
been a problem.
Just for those who are a little confused, New South Wales is a state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Wales is a small country sitting right next door to England.
Hey kid. If you know what's good for ya, you'll quit kicking my seat.
JET Program: see Japan, meet intere
With the USB memory devices getting bigger and bigger..you can put an OS on it...and I'm thinking you could get the box to boot to say..linux..and that would give you freedom to do as you please with a 'locked down' machine.
I'm just guessing that something like this is possible...that's my reasoning.
To a degree. In most environments where that is an issue, the boot sequence in the bios is changed to "C only" and passworded meaning that you pretty much have to open the case to do anything but boot to the approved environment. Given that said environment is invariably Windows, its usually easier to just let it boot THEN crack it (of course having access to the software on your memory stick would help...).
In a garbage bin in LAS. I still can't believe that, of all places, the former land of the free has made it illegal to carry a penknife or a pair of scissors in public. I can think of hundreds of things that would easily get past security that would make far more effective weapons than a pocket knife. Heck, it is very likely that current security practices wouldn't even catch the box cutters used in 9/11.
I guess another checkpoint is cheaper and more visible than sky marshals. Who cares if it works?
I mean, come on, if you're gonna have a swiss army computing device, it's got to run Perl!
(insensitive clod ducks as Python users hurl their knives at *him*. However, as they are dull, he is unharmed)
Yow! I'm supposed to have a plan?
Leatherman tools always struck me as the Windows of tools: OK for lots of things but not the best tool for anything.
Me, I'm a Unix kind of guy. I'll take a nice compact case with a selection of good tools over an all-in-one every time.
UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, South Africa are places I have been recently where there is no chance you can carry one of those with you.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.