DIY Life

I can imagine that cracking a safe under pressure would be somewhat frustrating. If you are unsuccessful, though, it is probably not a good idea to leave an angry note.

News of the Weird reports that not only did the amateur thieves express their displeasure at being unable to cut into the safe ("[expletive] you and your safe"), but that they were caught speeding away from the scene, license plate in full view of the on-the-ball security officer.

Now, I'm not saying it is easy, but I wonder if this father and son team did their research before they tried to break into the safe at the Iowa golf club they attempted to rob. A simple Google search will get you videos on how to crack a safe and a complete guide on how safe-cracking works.

Perhaps these would-be robbers should have started small, and read Francesca's post on how to crack a combination lock in twelve seconds. They might have gotten away with at least a cool bike or something....

The PopSci guys take on a fun little project with this musical stash for your cash. They turn an Altioid box and a musical card into a theft-detering money box. I'm not sure why exactly you'd need this, hopefully it's not because your coworkers are actually stealing from you the way these guys suggest! Still, you could hide anything in there and the musical alarm would let you know if somebody was breaking into your tin. Personally, I don't want a silly song playing every time you go to pay for coffee, but I could find other uses for it I'm sure. It's a simple, clever idea. It's not hugely practical, but it only takes 5 min to put together and it could be fun setting somebody up.

Do you keep that shiny-n-thin iPod nano in the car a lot for listening to tunes from your car's aux-in connection? Perhaps you use an FM transmitter to get those iPod tunes from your iPod to the car stereo (like in a leased car or SUV).

Long gone are the days of toting around a CD case full of music for many of us. And CD changers in cars? That is sooo 1990s. But, if you leave that iPod in the car when you park, are you afraid of snooping eyes and possible window-break-theft? I am.

Police nation wide are reporting an increased incidence of stolen portable navigation systems. Would be thieves have discovered that the GPS units which retail anywhere from $200 to $1000, bring a quick hundred bucks or more at most larger city pawn shops.

In an effort to curb "smash and grab" type thefts of GPS units, which involve punching through your car's side window to liberate the unit, police and security personnel are informing vehicle owners that simply removing electronic devices from view may not be enough deterrent to wily thieves.

Okay, kids. The name of the game is Keep your Identity and you've just won the first round. Truth is though ... this is one game you don't want to lose ... ever!

Follow these three steps to lock up your data and keep tabs on your credit and you should be able to keep your good name forever.

1. Dry up junk mail. Thieves use your pre-approved credit-card offers to open accounts in your name, which is the hardest type of ID theft to detect.
2. Go paperless. Shredding will eliminate your paper trail. Even easier is to receive and pay bills online, which ensures that info can't be lifted from stolen mail. Plus, with 24-hour account access, you'll see an unauthorized charge on your card right away.
3. Watch over your credit. It's easy to request a free report from one of the big three bureaus every four months at annualcreditreport.com. Want more oversight? For $5 a month, Triple Alert will monitor your credit and alert you to any changes.

Tip: Even better is a credit freeze, but just 25 states currently allow it, in some cases (ironically) only for ID theft victims.