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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.
..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?
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.
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.
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.
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
... is the lack of a kitchen sink.
/. joke based on moving from Windows to Linux)
(Sorry, bad
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.
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."
Ah, dude, NSW is kind-of not in Europe. It's on the other side of the other pond - across the Pacific, not across the Atlantic.
Though here in sunny Glasvegas, Scotland, carrying knives is a pretty big no-no. Carrying alcohol in public is vorboten, too.
This is where the serious fun begins.
- 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.
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.
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???
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.
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.
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.
Now if extortion for the pictures I have on my flash stick doesn't work I can just stab the guy. Thanks Victorinox.
Haven't you heard of PKML? Pen Knife Markup Language. It's a mechanism for allowing you to describe the layout of your penknife.
(I can't seem to indent the above. Bummer.)
The knives use Bluetooth to announce each other to the other pocket-knife fans in the vicinity. This is useful because frequently you find that you don't have quite the right tool for the job --- but with wireless networking you can find a fellow knife-wielder who happens to have to right one. (It's also useful to try and find someone who hasn't lost their tweezers.)
It's a great way to pick up... uh, guys, too.
And it's encrypted, of course, because otherwise They will find out you have a pen-knife and confiscate it (US versions only).
Take a look at These pics of items apparently confiscated in Sacramento.
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!
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
Click here for more info on the USB Swiss Army Knife.
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
Wenger does offer one with a laser pointer built in. For a comparison of the two companies, see http://outside.away.com/magazine/200007/200007disp 3.html.
Argh. I meant New South Wales of course. I realize we're talking about Australia here :-)