Be careful! If these things happen in threes then there is still one more.

I came home from work today to find my house broken in to. My player was on the floor, unplugged from my computer. Evidently the thief did not know what it was.

To make a long story short, I lost a lot of stuff, but a neighbor saw a truck in my drive way and I think that spooked the guy that was here. He didnt take everything, and a lot of stuff he left was worth taking. I lost 2 DVD players, all my DVD movies, one stereo speaker, jewelery, my guitar (the bastard!), a brand new (still in the box) Sony flat screen LCD computer monitor, and other odds and ends.

I am insured, so I can replace it all.. given time.

My plea is to MAKE SURE your doors and windows are locked. You cannot be sure unless you look yourself. In my case it would have done little good, the thief crowbarred my backdoor open. But at least he had to work at it.

Man sorry to hear about your house... but at least you still have your empeg! I guess the other stuff can be replaced, the empeg can but not as easily. These thieves are very brave it seems, I mean they steal stuff in broad day light like loren's empeg, and your stuff... that sucks!

Craziness. It's just so easy to get away with this stuff these days, it's worth the risk to be ballsy like that i guess. Man. Sorry for the invasion (that's what sucks more than the material stuff... most of which can be replaced). Pretty soon the thieves will just rip your pants off and run instead of trying to pick your pocket.

I'm only 24 and i remember when we used to leave all the doors unlocked back home... all day long even when we weren't home. You just never had to worry about crap like that.

It makes one wonder. Does someone just roll down the street and think.. that place looks like it has cool stuff in it. I'll break into that one. Or maybe it's just sequential by address? Or maybe you left your window-shade open while working on something. My fear has always been it being someone I met who I invited into my home to find things there he/she likes more than I and is willing to break the law to have them.

I have my laptop (Toshiba) locked with a BIOS password that can only be unlocked by Toshiba (I worked at a company that went had some locked and had to go through the process). The lock message says: Please call this number before unlocking. It will not work without it. Question is, are there Toshiba employees that can be bought? I hope not - because then at least it I can't have the unit, neither is the thief.

Am I nutz... I dunno.

As I stated before, maybe some sort of lock for the empeg will at least remove the fun of the unit working for a thief. If they junk it, at least it's because they won't be able to enjoy it.

BTW, I used to live in places where I could leave the door open too. Kinda sucks the world is like this now.

-Ben

I use to live in a place (North Dakota) where our doors would stay unlocked 24/7 and I even left the keys in my car (in a change holder that was hidden from view). I wouldn't even dream of doing that now. The doors in my house stay unlocked when I'm home, but not even while running to the store down the street if I'm not there. One of the girls I work with had her downstairs neighbors house broken into - the thief just kicked the door in in broad daylight. Its getting scary nowadays.

Has anyone thought about making a nice sticker with the Kraco or RadioShack logo and placing it over the Rio sticker on the unit? Maybe a thief looking for high dollar items would leave it behind.

Just an idea,
-Hoagy.

I'm only 24 and i remember when we used to leave all the doors unlocked back home... all day long even when we weren't home. You just never had to worry about crap like that.

Yeah, I figure I pushed my luck on that last year. I lived in the middle of Toronto, and had a friend and his girlfriend staying in my living room. They were forever forgetting or losing the keys, so eventually we gave up and just left the doors unlocked (and sometimes open) for about 5 months (till they found their own place). Never had a problem, despite having about $15K dollars in mountain bikes sitting around, not to mention the computers, stereos, and CD collection.

When I moved here, the landlord kept stressing the security screen door. I was just "yeah, yeah, whatever" at the time, but about a month ago, my neighbour (that I share the steps and landing with) woke up to a noise, went to investigate, and caught some dude trying out the security door and windows of his apartment. He wigged out, started screaming, and the guy bolted. I'm a little more careful, now...

One of the ladies at work wasn't so lucky. Her and her husband had someone break into their place and rip off a bunch of stuff while they were home sleeping.

I use the same thing to protect my house and car goodies. His name is HAGAR ( after sammy of course). He is a full grown male pitbull. He eats thieves (the lowest form of human on the planet, get a job and buy your own stuf motherf*%^$s) for breakfast. Good luck to all in getting your empegs back, fixed or replaced. JAYMZ

A pit bull would have saved my ass but probably have eaten my two other pets as well. In my house and at this time, a dog is not an option.

After totalling everything up, I lost about $4700 worth of stuff. I have not yet been told by my insurance company what will happen so thats still up in the air.

The suckiest part is not knowing what is going on in my own home. I sit here at work feeling vulnerable.. I dont know that this thief will return or not to get the rest of what he left behind.

I gotta tell ya, I used to hate those danged X10 video camera ads that popped up all the time in my browser. I am rethinking that, and may set one up at home so I can see whats going on. I would have loved to have been able to call the cops on this guy and have him busted red handed.

My car is in the shop for major engine repairs. It seems the local oil change place didn't put my oil filter back on correctly, and 200 miles later there is no oil and my engine seizes.. so my empeg sits on my desk at home. I thought it was safe there.. but at least he didn't take it and it still works, even after being thrown to the floor.

I am really having a string of bad luck!

Out of curiosity what part of Dallas do you live in? So far two people at my apartment complex have been mugged by knife-wielding robbers. Cars stolen and everything.

They'll get my keys and wallet, but they've got about two seconds after that to leave the scene before the hidden pistol finds it way off my waist and in their face. I will not tolerate hoods invading my apartment or my property and endangering the lives of myself and my family for stupid material posessions.

Greg

As far as getting your pants goes ... in Greece and Italy the little kids will slash your pants legs (and the skin underneath) so your pockets open up for them.

Greg

One of my friends went with the X10 remote cams and motion sensors so if something sets off the motion sensor, it emails him at work, the cams go off and streams to his website, which he can check from work and call the police if he needs to. I don't remember how much it all cost him, but I do remember it was a lot less than he lost after his place was broken into.

I am rethinking that, and may set [an X10 video camera] up at home so I can see whats going on.

You might be interested in the open source motion project. It can watch multiple video sources and detect motion. I've always meant to take a closer look, but I've never had a camera and free time at the same time.

It seems the local oil change place didn't put my oil filter back on correctly, and 200 miles later there is no oil and my engine seizes..

I assume that you are holding them responsible and will require them to pay for the repairs?

tanstaafl.

They'll get my keys and wallet, but they've got about two seconds after that to leave the scene before the hidden pistol finds it way off my waist and in their face.

Please be careful. A bloke with a knife needs less than a second to slice your stomach open. Doubt me? Give a friend a magic marker, and see how often you can draw and aim before you get marked. A gun is only a good defense against a knife if the knife wielder is about thirty feet away. Any closer than that, and he still has the potential to reach you and slice you to ribbons.

Damn.. getting your stuff stolen really sucks. I just moved back to miami for college and am worried about all my stuff I own. Right now I will be living in an apartment on campus which has a full police force on it so I should be somewhat safe... who knows though with some of the craziness that you guys have been posting. Im going in a few days to get my windows tinted so hopefully that helps a little as my subs sit in plane view in my window. I saw some alarms on ebay that page you and show your whats going on with your car if broken into, etc... They seem to be the best idea since car alarms go off all around here and noone pays attention... they look kind of cheap though. Has anyone used one of these?
Anyways. I hope you guys get your stuff back.. or at least a replacement for it.

-Greg

Please be careful. A bloke with a knife needs less than a second to slice your stomach open

Good point, but it also depends on how good you are with a gun. Anyone in their right mind that owns a handgun should know how to use it, and practice with it at a local firing range. Plus, pulling the trigger on someone is a huge decision, but if someone is lunging at you with a knife, the decision should not take long because that is a threat against your own life.

Right now I will be living in an apartment on campus which has a full police force on it so I should be somewhat safe...

Somewhat safe is a good way to put it - but college campuses, at least the college I attended, breed all sorts of scum. Our campus had its own police force too, which helps, they were always at least a minute away since the area they had to patrol was so small. But - I still heard about all sorts of break ins, and you could read about them every week in the paper.. but a lot of the thieves were stupid and stole dumb crap. I used to drive around campus and wait for a good, well lit spot close to the dorm to open up before parking in the just the first spot that I found.

Just north, in Lewisville. I have had my house for 9 years now and have never heard of any problems in my neighborhood. Until now.

I myself dont own a gun and probably wont. I have an 8 year old at home that I dont want to tempt, or shoot on accident when I hear noise in the night.

I would have had no problem blocking the theifs truck in my driveway if I came home an caught him, but I dont know that I would have confronted him face to face. Never know if HE has one or not.

Good point, but it also depends on how good you are with a gun. Anyone in their right mind that owns a handgun should know how to use it, and practice with it at a local firing range. Plus, pulling the trigger on someone is a huge decision, but if someone is lunging at you with a knife, the decision should not take long because that is a threat against your own life.

I agree. But also this. I've had shooting practice. I've also been trained to use a pistol at close range, when somebody threatens me with a knife or something, and assuming the weapon is still in my holster.
The trick is then, when you actually pull the weapon from the holster to immediately start shooting whilst aiming. This obviously takes some training or otherwise there's a good chance you'll shoot yourself in the foot (literally here).
Overall it's a good technique. I've trained this by using paint bullets (In my actual gun, so it feels very real). My experience is you'll have to shoot no more than 2-3 times before you'll actually start hitting the person. Also, there's the scare effect which makes your opponent stop attacking you when you do this.
Of course, this is a last measure action and should only be used when you're driven in an extremely tight spot.

I wear a gun on a daily basis, and I hope I'll never have to use it. But if I'm ever forced to, I will.

I have no problem with guns, or people who own them. But for me, I prefer not to have one. And I probably can't wear a gun on a daily basis, state law prohibits the posession of fire arms where alcohol is sold or served, and I enjoy quaffing my Guiness way too much to stop visiting the local bar.

One thing I have learned from all of this.. just like the USA, its when you are most comfortable, and feel safe, that you are most vulnerable. I now have my empeg in my hand a lot more than before.. its here now instead of on my desk at home. I just cant be sure unless its with me.

On a side note, everything is covered under my insurance. I will be shopping sometime next week to replace everything, so its kinda like christmas in July at my house. I am just very thankful that I did not have to claim my empeg, it would have been impossible to convince my insurance agent what it really was, and why it cost as much as it did. Not to mention, but where would I get another!

I do like the idea of having some form of GPS tracking in certain portable equipment. They're doing it with some cell phones now, but it'd be nice to have one in my empeg/car/girlfriends car

I think I'll find out more about doing this. I'd love to track down the S.O.B thief.

Thats where the addage (sp?) 'Run from a knife, charge a gun' comes from...

Knives are scary.

I agree. And if I didn't need a gun for my job, I probably wouln't have one either. But it's just like that. I'm also very glad I got a thorough training with it. I don't like guns. But IF you need to own one (like in my case), you'd better know how to handle it.

Glad to hear your insurance will cover everything, that at least should soften the blow somewhat! Overe here insurance firms often are very reluctant of paying the full amount of what you say you got robbed of. They're always nagging about the value of things. As if the actual event itself wasn't enough already...

The university of texas used to teach a psychology class that spent some time on "the criminal mind" regarding things like this.

One of the most interesting bits out of this was the "barrier effect" and cul de sacs.

If your house is at the end of a cul de sac, it's more often broken into than any other house on the block. All the other houses are just houses. Yours is where they have to turn around while driving, they spend more time looking at it and really notice it.

The barrier effect is a means of protecting your house psychologically. Any barrier between your house and the street, no matter how tall, can provide a mental barrier to the crook. A small bush that circles the front of your house. A short fence, a little rock wall. It doesn't matter if the barrier can be scaled with ease. It's a projection of the thought that "this property behind this line is mine." Houses that had some barrier in front were less likely to be robbed.

Greg

Thats where the adage 'Run from a knife, charge a gun' comes from...

Heh. I hadn't heard that one.

Knives are scary.

Yep. I don't think most people have a good appreciation for what even an untrained guy with a blade can do. I know I sure didn't until I started doing some knife sparring (with training blades, of course). If the guy holding the knife has any decent amount of experience handling a knife, it just gets more and more scary. Even knowing that I'm sparring with training blades that can't hurt me, I've often had to make a concious effort to not show my heels. You can bet I'm not going to ignore that instinct on the street. No empeg is worth the possibility of finding myself sitting on the sidewalk holding my intestines in my arms.

Archeon's experience just adds more weight to it. Even with specific situational training, the first couple shots often miss. There have been studies done where trained policemen have emptied their guns into the dirt before being able to bring the gun to bear on the subject. Even if you hit the guy on the first shot, if he's close enough, his forward momentum can still bring him close enough to cut you up. When you consider that a guy can cover 7 or 8 meters/second, "close enough" is an obscenely large distance.

If a mugger with a knife gets the drop on you well enough to get your wallet, consider your gun gone, as well.

Obviously I'm not going to reveal the fact that I have a gun to a mugger until he's distracted. They're always scared and ready to get the hell away from you. Give them what they want, they may or may not cut you because they feel like it (disarm them at this point if it looks ugly), they turn away, out comes the pistol ... freeze jack-ass.

As for defending in a knife on gun fight, you put your non-shooting arm across your chest, elbow to guts fist to neck. This can help absorb any slashes from getting to your good stuff. (better an arm than a gut I always say). For your shooting arm, you drop it into a "speed rock" position. Your forearm should be level with the pavement and your elbow locked all the way back underneath your shoulder as far as it will go. This keeps the pistol close to your waste and body, harder to knock around. Recoil really isn't an issue since your shooting arm really can't move except side to side with your waist. This is ideal position for point-blank shooting. This speed-rock position looks gay, but it works to keep those precious guts inside your gut hole.

Greg

This can help absorb any slashes from getting to your good stuff. (better an arm than a gut I always say) ... it works to keep those precious guts inside your gut hole.

I feel like I've wandered into an alternate universe. One where Fight Club was a documentary and Scarface was the feel-good movie of 1983.

Hey, Scarface was definitely better than Cats. I loved it. I will see it again and again. (SNL)

As for alternate universes ... welcome to my world, where fancy terminology is boiled down to the bare essentials, because I can't pronounce anything worth more than two or three sylybyls (see? spelling!). Your "tummy" is now referred to as the crap factory. I always preferred "car hole" to that Frenchy "garage" anyhoo.

Greg

In reply to:

---

'Run from a knife, charge a gun'

---

And bayonets...?

ROFLMAO

Let's hope they aren't good at throwing knives.

Hahaha. The instructor never went over that

Obviously I'm not going to reveal the fact that I have a gun to a mugger until he's distracted.

I was going to say any mugger would know enough to check for guns before walking off, but then I remembered that crooks aren't an overly smart bunch to begin with...

As for defending in a knife on gun fight, you put your non-shooting arm across your chest, elbow to guts fist to neck. This can help absorb any slashes from getting to your good stuff. (better an arm than a gut I always say). For your shooting arm, you drop it into a "speed rock" position.

All well and good, but that still leaves your femoral artery uncovered, not to mention your face, and half your neck. You simply cannot cover all your vulnerable spots. You can block one, you can block two, but can you block three? My previous instructor demonstrated this one class. He chose one of the guys with faster reaction times (well, faster than me, anyway), took a training knife, and said "I'm going to stab you in the shoulder, then the thigh, then the shoulder. I will not fake. Your goal is to not let any of the cuts hit you." Once the guy said he was ready to defend, the entire demonstration took under three seconds -- the guy blocked the first, was late on the second (but managed to deflect the blow off target), was nowhere close to avoiding the third, and that was knowing exactly where the instructor was aiming. Unless I'm missing something, the only thing you can do to block is move that arm covering your gut hole -- anything else will move your waist enough to throw your speed rock positioned gun out of alignment, potentially causing you to miss -- which puts you at an even bigger disadvantage than the guy in the demonstration.

They're always scared and ready to get the hell away from you. Give them what they want, they may or may not cut you because they feel like it (disarm them at this point if it looks ugly), they turn away, out comes the pistol ... freeze jack-ass.

I don't know much about US law, but surely by this point it is no longer self defence, so isn't drawing the gun on them once they are running away getting onto dodgy legal ground ?

I don't know much about US law, but surely by this point it is no longer self defence, so isn't drawing the gun on them once they are running away getting onto dodgy legal ground ?

I believe in America (in some states anyway) you can also defend your goods with firearms as well as your person.

I still haven't decided for myself wether I think this is a good thing or not.

This is NOT true... You can only use deadly force if you are in grave personal danger. This happened a couple of days ago here and the guy that shot the robber is facing murder charges.

This link is valid only today...

http://www.wwl.com/news.asp

Yeah, but Greg's in Texas, where they try their best to execute mentally retarded people. So anything goes, I guess.

Yeah, but Greg's in Texas, where they try their best to execute mentally retarded people.

And how exactly do they tell them from the rest of the population of Texas?

The retarded ones are the ones that are only slightly more intelligent than their former governor.

Heh. I was about to say that the one's they can't execute, they elect to office...

I wish I was on that jury for the guy who shot the car thieves. Those guys were breaking the law by tresspassing on his property. And he shot at them from a second story window, it's not like he did it execuion style. He did the world a favor in my book, it's one less guy who could attempt to steal my stuff. And I'm sure the second guy will change his life now too.

I agree. In louisiana, if you're being carjacked or someone breaks into your house, you can shoot them dead. So if the shooter was in the car at the time then it would have been perfectly legal, but of course then you could say his life was in danger.

And about executing retards....He raped and murdered a girl, but they say he has the metality of a 7 year old. When's the last time you've heard of a 7 year old committing murder? It doesn't take brains to be a killer. Sharks, bears, rattlesnakes, lions -- they aren't all that bright either, but we still kill them when they kill us.

When's the last time you've heard of a 7 year old committing murder?

I seem to recall ( a bit fuzzy, but I'm quite drunk right now) 2 nine or ten year olds in the UK abducting and murdering a todller?

When's the last time you've heard of a 7 year old committing murder?

I seem to recall ( a bit fuzzy, but I'm quite drunk right now) 2 nine or ten year olds in the UK abducting and murdering a todller?

Yes, that was a shocking case. And it's pretty clear that his killers were badly mentally disturbed in such a way as to present genuine danger to the public -- just as with an adult who kills for fun. Having a mental age of seven, or ten, or thirtysomething, or a chronological age of ten, is a side issue really. In the UK we don't have the death penalty for murder, but I expect if we did that those two would have got it. Keeping people who kill for fun off the streets is the issue here; unless you allow for the possibility of reform, which some clearly do. Perhaps the answer is that if someone is ten, they'll one day have the mental age of an adult, i.e. they could still learn; an adult with the mental age of seven doesn't usually present that possibility.

Peter

In reply to:

---

I wear a gun on a daily basis,

---

I've never seen or touched a gun. (unless you count water pistols)

In reply to:

---

I have my laptop (Toshiba) locked with a BIOS password that can only be unlocked by Toshiba

---

Unless toshiba have changed things in the last year, then anybody can unlock your toshiba, you just need to short a whole bunch of pins on the parallel port and it will blank the BIOS including the password.

I agree. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same, since my life WOULD have been in danger if I were there. I dunno. Tough call, It IS still just stuff, and it COULD be a misunderstanding (someone else broke in, a person investigates, and you shoot them). I'm actually glad I was not called on that one.

you just need to short a whole bunch of pins on the parallel port and it will blank the BIOS including the password.

Oh, that's naughty.

Clever...

but naughty.

I found out that Compaq Armada laptops use the little flash chip in the batteries for more then just asset tag marking. Took me a while of working with one to finally figure out something odd was going on, so I ended up having to call support to figure out how to clear just the setup password.

Had I come home to find the thief there, and had I a gun.. I would have used it. Here in Texas it is legal to shoot and kill a thief, as long as he is in your home. Outside is another story.

I am still angry that it happened at all. But on the other hand, I am glad I did not walk in on him, no telling if he had a gun or not, and I dont think HE would have hesitated.

Insurance.. well, I got a check from them. Not for the full value of anything.. more for their idea of replacement costs. I received about half of what I was expecting/hoping for.

The real jab is I cant spend it on replacing my stuff.. I suddenly need the money for transmission work on my car. Does it ever end?!?!

Again, I am lucky that the thief did not take my player.. and even though my car is far and away.. I now take it with me most everywhere I go. Its not safe unless its in my hands. At least until I get mugged I guess!

Sounds like I'm no longer safe to hack and slash anyone I want ... My wife always said I have the mentality of a fox terrier.

On another note, Woohoo!!! I think they ought to have tailgate parties at executions, with a pep rally by Justice Scalia!

Just Kidding!

Greg

Hey ... you can't call me retarded until you meet me ... but then you'll have no doubts!

Greg

He's almost as bad as our current govenor. What's worse than a mentally deranged jack-ass in office? His replacement.

Greg