Question for jon
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Hi, jon.
You're well traveled to say the least.
Well, I've been deep into home security videos now that I have a home to secure, and the same with personal security videos, now that I'm living alone.
I watched a video by ex-CIA (these videos are a dime dozen) last night.
I want to run what the man said by you.
He said- keep one hand free at all times. Choose ahead of time. I don't see how he couldn't have meant the dominant hand.
To be complete, he said scan the terminal on a schedule of your own making. He said look everywhere but nowhere specifically, at nothing specific, at nobody specific. Only make sure you do it routinely every x minutes.
So, his theory is that if you're in public and you have something to carry (e.g. a bag), and you are using both hands, you can easily get distracted by what you're doing, not be aware of your surroundings, and drop things on the ground very easily (e.g. a cellphone- I know this part to be true after losing 2 cellphones over the past 1 1/2 years- that you can lose a cellphone or wallet- don't want to Jix it but haven't done that).
So, when I go anywhere, my wallet and keys are in a bag in a zipped pocket, inside a zipped main pocket. My phone and reading glasses are more of a problem because I have to use them almost constantly.
I'd like to know your thoughts on all this, and what you think of doing everything using one hand while having the other free.
I don't see how I could use only one hand but maybe.
In any case, I'd like to improve. I feel like I do get distracted. I know I drop stuff on the ground, even if not recently.
So, do you have any security tips for traveling?
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I’ve never thought about the one hand thing. I don’t think I do anything special except keep my wallet and phone in my front pockets when I’m in cities with pickpocket issues.
I have occasionally left things in hotels, usually a sweater or piece of clothing. But to prevent my OCD from making me check a hotel several times before I leave, I’ve developed the habit of making sure I have my wallet, passport, phone, and computer on the theory that anything else I could replace easily enough.
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I had never heard of the one hand thing either.
I have a similar thought about dividing what's important from what not so much.
So- wallet, phone, and keys.
I have one of those rubber things to hang glasses around your neck.
I need to stop thinking of them as being in the same category.
I'm near sighted but I could function without them if I had to and replacing them is easy.
I lost 2 phones in a short amount of time. It freaked me out.
To set up a new phone with the same number took me an hour on the phone (my neighbor's) the 1st time, and 3 hours on the phone at Best Buy the 2nd time.
The 3 hours was with no break, although the call randomly disconnected after an hour; then the 2nd call took 2 hours.
The 1st "agent" failed. The 2nd succeed. I have a feeling it's because it was a side job- he was studying electrical engineering. Even he only made it work at the last minute. Hence, the need to stand there forb 2 hours.
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I’ve never thought about the one hand thing. I don’t think I do anything special except keep my wallet and phone in my front pockets when I’m in cities with pickpocket issues.
I have occasionally left things in hotels, usually a sweater or piece of clothing. But to prevent my OCD from making me check a hotel several times before I leave, I’ve developed the habit of making sure I have my wallet, passport, phone, and computer on the theory that anything else I could replace easily enough.
… developed the habit of making sure I have my wallet, passport, phone, and computer on the theory that anything else I could replace easily enough.
Very similar here, sometimes add the keys, sometimes minus the computer. Also developed a “pocket system” where I have a certain way of keeping certain things in certain shirt/jacket/pants pockets that’s easy for me to quickly track and check what I have or not have with me; I almost always travel with ensembles of certain number and types of pockets.
No, I have never been conscious of the “one hand” thing.
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I agree with what Jon and Ax said. Stay aware of where on your person you are storing each of those items.
Seems obvious, but keep your keys separate from anything with your address on it.
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I usually keep my keys on a sprung&screw caribiner clip, which I clip onto my trouser belt loops. Keeps keys safe and easily accessible.
The clips are cheap (3 for£5), lightweight, and work well once you find one that suits.....
They are neither the proper bulky climbing caribiners nor flimsy toys.Also, my phone holder is my wallet with four slots for credit cards, and my phone inside is my timepiece.
So that means one thing to be careful with, keep in an inside jacket pocket. -
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I haven't cared much about keys for an unusual amount of time. I had the key to my old place and would... well I'm not going to want to remember it in detail...
Suffice it to say I locked the place when I left.
I've told the story about the electricity being shut off.
So, yeah. This was in winter. Just a fact.
It stayed off in the spring.
It stayed off in the fall.
It stayed off a 2nd winter.
It stayed off in the spring.
It stayed off a 2nd summer.
Then I moved the 2nd week of last August this year.
There were countless nights the back door and porch door stayed open all night because of the heat. There were countless days both these doors were left open all day. So day and night.
Dying of heat stroke didn't seem like an option.
It was dangerous. Being born here, I know how dangerous it was....
Then x, y, and z happened, and I don't have doors or windows left open.
Everything is kept on lock down 24 hrs a day and if I am working outside (and this is often), I'm always aware of what doors are open or shut, and if they are or are not locked.
I like my new locks and deadbolt.
I like my new keys.
They have an oval shaped top. You inset the key, and then turn it with your thumb and/or index finger. Your fingers have a place on the key where you can turn the key and apply pressure at the same time.
One set of keys is on my old lanyard and it's somewhere inside where I know where it is at all times.
I like my old landward keychain. It's Stitch merchandise from Disney. This set is waterproof. I'll point out one impractical thing about it. The attached charm (Stitch's face) gets in the way of using the door key. This is a distraction and wastes time you want to be using to unlock the door. But NBD.
I bought a second keychain with a clip. I might later but haven't used the clip. The keys are in this keychain. Also linked through this keychain is a second one that's big enough to fit in the hand and heavy enough to balance the house and car key.
I like my new keychain.
It's a disc and the disc hangs between two "arms". It can be spun around 360°. The disk is an LED flashlight. You turn it on- high, low, flashing red, and finally off with a button in the center.
I'll post a link to an image.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/67fk6VWpzBasFsYy5
I don't know why the picture has what looks like a plastic pull tab with an arrow. It doesn't exist IRL.
I had the locksmith take the aftermarket key fob receiver that was creating havoc with my electrical system out of my car and threw the fobs away.
So my keys are just old fashioned keys.
BTW, I strongly advise not adding aftermarket key fobs to older cars. This is asking for trouble.
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