Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Transoms that Protect

Okay, you wonder - suppose, just suppose the bad guys have figured out that my ADT sign is a dummy and was installed by the previous owner? It's not that hard to get full-access to the house in that case - get in through the transom, unlock the door to the garage and then open one of the garage doors. The really smart crooks will wear some kind of uniform to make it look like they're delivering something and bring in a large box with straps as if they're leaving a dishwasher or something. How about, if you could spread a spider-web across your transom - material so thin it doesn't detract from the aesthetics, yet, when someone tries to go through the web, the web just sticks. You've had this happen to you at some point - a spider's dropped from the ceiling - the start of his new trap - and you're the first prey - and you're cussing and getting that stuff off you. Except, in this case, you can't break the web - because the material is so strong for its thickness that, if you try mechanical force to break it - you just end up extruding more out of the source - which is something your homely spider can't do. For one thing, the brash bandido might not even be aware of this new whisker and still be tethered by the time he gets back to his car - in which case, he's left some evidence there as well. Once he starts driving of course, the mechanical force will overpower the extrusion rate and he'll be free. But, maybe you can throw in some property that'll make the stuff flouresce under a black-light. All we need is a revolution in materials. How unsafe I suddenly feel in my own home.

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