[time-nuts] While we're discussing backups...

[Neon John]

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:55:42 -0400, Mike Naruta AA8K <aa8k at comcast.net> wrote:

>Wife:  Maybe he really IS your best friend.   :)

Probably so.  Actually I had a great marriage for 25 of the 27 years.  Then
menopause hit with a vengeance.  I sure am glad I'm an outie instead of an
innie.  I'd not wish that on anyone.  We split amicably and still chat
occasionally.

>Powerful lock:  We have a big, old house safe
>that has stopped opening to the combination
>(the original factory combination).  I'm guessing
>corrosion; debating whether to call a locksmith.

Either that or the combination setting mechanism has broken or come loose.  A
locksmith is probably your best bet unless you just want a project to play
with.  He'll probably have to drill the lock.  Drilling templates is one of
the things highly guarded by the high priests of the profession.  A good
'smith can install a new lock so that the hole is plugged suitably and all
signs of the drilling are hidden.

Of course, you DO need to make sure you're memory ADEV isn't too bad :-)  Bad
memory's the most common reason for locksmith calls for safe openings. You
might take a look at Matt Blaze's paper on safe cracking here:
http://www.crypto.com/papers/safelocks.pdf

His technique near the end of the paper should work well for you if you've
either slipped a few digits in your memory or a setting wheel has slipped a
little.

>Inaccessibility:  We're about a half mile from
>an interstate freeway to an international border.
>A hazardous material spill could make our backups
>unavailable forever.  Any farm chemicals nearby?

Nah.  My place is a private inholding smack in the middle of the Cherokee
National Forest.  Twenty five miles in any direction to any other
civilization. The ranger nazis write people tickets for washing their hands in
the river.  The worst chemical here is probably the bleach that some folks use
to chlorinate their water.  Basically heaven on earth!

>My good friend Cliff's wife got angry at him
>because he was spending too much time on his
>ham radio.  She poured a bottle of glue into
>his new transceiver.  It never worked again.

That's just cause for what is known in the legal profession as "commendable
homicide"!  I had a now-deceased ham friend whose wife would do stuff like
that.  I always stood in drop-jaw amazement when I heard of her latest
escapade.  I can't imagine getting mad enough at my wife to actually tear up
her stuff.  Takes all types, I guess.

John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
There is much pleasure in useless knowledge. ?Bertrand Russell