Remember last month when I got the free upgrade from the sub-compact I'd reserved to a 2016 Mustang convertible? That was fun. It was also my first experience with the "proximity key" system that's standard equipment on most new cars.
If like me you're years, or decades away from owning a 2016 anything and don't know about proximity keys....
It's not a key, just a fob that puts out a signal the car receives when you're within range, typically a few feet. Walk up to the car with that fob in your pocket or purse and the door will open via the latch handle even though it's locked. Get in the car, put your foot on the brake, press a button and...magic!...the car starts. No more fumbling to fish out your key, no more frozen door locks, and no more dangling key rings.
Ain't technology grand?!
Except technology can be hacked. Thieves have figured out a way to capture the signal constantly being put out by that fob. The device that captures the signal then transmits it to another unit held close to the car, thus tricking the car into thinking the fob is nearby.
And look how powerful that capture device is!
The solutions include anti-theft devices like the steering wheel bar/lock from 20 years ago or a Faraday bag. Put your fob in there and the lining of the bag blocks the signal so it can't be intercepted by the bad guys. When you get to your car you just take the fob out of the Faraday bag and...bingo!...it works normally.
So basically it works just like getting a key out of your pocket.
Other options include: buying old cheap cars or just cheap cars that nobody would steal anyway.
I wonder if they'll come up with (or already have) proximity "keys" for home doors locks. That seems like a really bad idea.
The NFL network has suspended three analysts, all former pro football players, for inappropriate sexual behavior.
Imagine! Three guys who spent the better part of each day since adolescence in a locker room with a bunch of other guys turn out to be ill behaved boors.
Who could have anticipated that?!
The mystery of the $250 life insurance charges to our checking account has been solved.
(heavy sigh)
We're both on Medicare and both have the supplemental insurance that would save us from the poor house if something went seriously wrong. (Right now we're just down the street from the poor house.)
For reasons no one can explain, including the very good guy who sold us the supplemental policies, Aetna bills those premiums through a subsidiary that primarily sells life insurance. And because mine was purchased in AZ where we lived when I turned 65 and Pam's purchased here, the policies and billing comes from two different Aetna subsidiaries.
The good news: nobody has been scamming us.
The bad news: there won't be any refunds coming.
I got the fraud investigation shut down and we're back to status quo.
We're down to 8 hours and 55 minutes of daylight each day. But instead of dropping about two more minutes each day that number is now only going down by 39 seconds as we approach the shortest day of the year next Thursday.
I'm looking forward to our trip to AZ to see the kids in January, not the least because I need me some sunshine and warm.
I don't know why it only occurred to me this morning.
The people in Alabama are reliving what I felt at our last presidential election. Two really bad choices with no "lesser of two evils" option.
Pam and I went to the Verizon store today to see what they'd charge if we switched over from AT&T, our current carrier. Verizon plans to build a tower 1/4 mile away that would (finally!) give us cell coverage here on Baker Rd., but I learned yesterday that tower won't go online until sometime in 2018. She said it takes a long time to get all the engineering and construction work done, including running a whole bunch of electrical power to the site. Plus, they're having trouble negotiating with the land owner over some specifics and don't yet have a signed contract. But if we can get a cheaper rate than the $125 a month we're paying AT&T, why not do it now and be ready as soon as that tower is working?
The poor gal who talked to us was suffering from a miserable cold. I felt sorry for her.
I also didn't retain all the numbers she spit out. I think it would be marginally cheaper, but I need to go to their site and double check.
I really hate numbers.
3 comments:
For a really bad idea, check out (this one is safe for work) https://www.amazon.com/b?&node=17285120011&tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=228628430593&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15829473692136616120&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030164&hvtargid=kwd-376441192008&ref=pd_sl_5fxf05bgzx_e
I saw the news stories when that came out. I suppose it's a calculated risk some are willing to take. If you've had deliveries stolen often....? Not me. I'd find a neighbor who's home and willing before this!
My guess is that they are putting it markets like here where you don't know your neighbors
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