So, the guy who made the 2005 video about how easy it is to steal a bike in NYC in broad daylight just updated his project:
obligitory video of hal grading bike locking
its informative and entertaining. there are two more videos linked from the first. its nyc based too! i even wandered past his shop, bicycle habitat when i was last in manhattan and got to meet him.
'riga moatis!'
On a related note, anyone see this? I just noticed the tags at REI today: http://www.kryptonitelock.com/Pages/KryptoniteBikeRevolution.aspx
How much were they?
You can also make your own QR code for free and put whatever text or link you want in it.
For example:
which I made at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
Hey, Hyla -- back at you.
Worked with my android bar code scan of the computer image of your QR code (on screen).
oh, sorry for the typo
?
When another droid said something in human-unintelligible language, C3PO responded "how rude!"
It was a lot funnier in my head.
ah, got it!
(now lol)
reddan++
that was a good one
i really like the idea of those tags, but they have more than a few drawbacks:
-they seem kind of expensive for what they are
-they claim to be tamper-proof, but they can probably be sanded off or painted over at the very least
-it requires active pariticipation from people to know to look for these codes and scan each one, and i would imagine that there are way more qr codes on non-stolen bikes than stolen ones.
Hey, thanks! Now if I had some of that super heavy duty adhesive, and could print on self destructive (when removed) plasticized paper, I wouldn't have to go through REI or Kryptonite! I'd just print and go.... well, sort of....
Prety cool!
@Dan. I think even C3PO would have trouble with my last name. The spelling is a tad counter intuitive for just about anyone not born into it.
national bike registry has been doing this forever (sans qr code)
@melange396, I think it has potential but only if all bikes started to carry such a tag from the factory... in which case, you would instantly be suspicious of any newer bike with such a sticker missing. It may not stop bike thieves, but it would be a great way to verify ownership before buying from someone on craigslist!
On that note, If I ever see anyone apparently stealing a bike I will certainly take their picture. Most cyclists would be grateful and the thief would be in a fix.
