As re the weirdness with your front door (and I’m pulling this straight outta my fundament, as I’m uncertain I fully understand how the Flip Action Door Lock functions):
You mentioned you’d noticed the Flip thingy seemed loose. Further, the item description mentioned it can only be engaged from the inside and that it’s child-safe due -- presumably -- to some way of disengaging it from the outside.
So my wild-ass guess is that for some unknown reason (the looseness?), it (perhaps only partially) engaged when Mrs. Sven closed the door to join you at your neighbors’.
While your repeated solo attempts to enter were unsuccessful, something occurred which caused the flip lock to disengage, thus making it unexpectedly easy to open the door when you tried again a few minutes later with Mrs. Sven.
Your putting a shoulder to the door the first time might have caused the lock to get bent out of true and had something to do with the lock disengaging. Perhaps having to do with the “child-safe” mechanism?
I know the above is pretty-much a useless non-explanation. 🙁
Based on your description of clearing the house such as nothing being out of place, a calm cat, etc., it seems unlikely you had an intruder; ditto that they would have engaged the lock while they were inside which would have required them 1) to notice and, 2) use the lock, impeding their ability to beat a hasty retreat with any loot.
Sorry I missed Sven’s comment last night, though I don’t really have any help.
Fatwa, I believe the “childproof” aspect is just that you can mount it high enough to be out of reach. The only way I know of to disengage from outside is to slip a card between the door and frame and lift the gate up out of the locking notch so it swings open when the door is pushed.
I can easily see it accidentally falling into the locked position, but not coming out then. I could see it wearing enough to pop out of the locked position, but then it would not have held so well to the first attempts and opened so easily to the last.
I have had the knob type locks get wonky with wear but it had to do with not unlocking to the center part, not the key.
I could imagine a person having just entered and flipping the lock, then hearing you try to enter and waiting for you to leave before running. If he had just entered and was listening for someone inside, then heard you come up to the door, he would not have had time to look around and disturb anything (or the cat). Not likely, but possible.
It is very disturbing. My first wife and I arrived home late in a remote and dark location in Los Banos and found the back door wide open. We were not the type to leave a door open, especially that one. Clearing the house before letting my wife leave the car was tense. Found nothing but that was strange and unnerving.
Wish I had a better notion of how that device works. My -- admittedly poor -- understanding is that it wouldn’t be possible to use a card to defeat the thing.
As you said, perhaps “Mr. Science” will be more helpful than I. 🙂
I thought on this last night and don’t have any better ideas than you, Mac. I’m very familiar with that type of lock and while it’s possible the friction of the closing door caused the plate to rotate and fall into position, that doesn’t explain the latch coming undone. If it was bent enough from prior attempts to force it open then it might be possible for repeated short bursts of pressure to allow it to work its way upward, the rotate open, but unlikely. I’d look at the corners of the “ears” to see if there were any rounding. If the metal was too soft, there could be some wear, which might allow the plate to cam out of position.
Just watched a short video about it; I think it’d be very hard to defeat from the outside. And, as Mac alluded to, seems highly unlikely it could somehow “undo” itself.
(Sven didn’t mention if they were missing any shoes…in which case it might have been Mossad.) 👿
I wanted to make some kind of joke about “Naruto runners” on their way to area 51 running so fast that they ended up in your house. Perhaps, after leaving a shadow clone inside the house, they were able to engage and disengage the lock without leaving a trace.
And… cats love ninjas--kindred spirits--so of course the cat was calm when you arrived back home.
Then I decided against making light of this strange situation.
I am badly out of touch so I was not surprised I had never heard of the Surströmming challenge, but someone posted a link to this and it had me laughing out loud so bad I was afraid I would wake up Elena in the other side of the house. There were many videos of this so it seems to be a thing. I guess it is some Scandi fermented fish. Of course I had to see Texans trying this. Probably NOT SAFE FOR WORK.
I also loved this one. It seems to be German soldiers, maybe special forces? They do not look like hot house flowers or someone I would want annoyed with me. My German is just not good enough.
Thanks, boys, for your thoughts. I don’t know what to think, but I think some extra security measures won’t hurt even if I’ve gone way down the wrong path with this.
Oooooh…it’s Dusting Kitteh Monday, GN!
Odd to have daylight so early today.
Sven --
As re the weirdness with your front door (and I’m pulling this straight outta my fundament, as I’m uncertain I fully understand how the Flip Action Door Lock functions):
You mentioned you’d noticed the Flip thingy seemed loose. Further, the item description mentioned it can only be engaged from the inside and that it’s child-safe due -- presumably -- to some way of disengaging it from the outside.
So my wild-ass guess is that for some unknown reason (the looseness?), it (perhaps only partially) engaged when Mrs. Sven closed the door to join you at your neighbors’.
While your repeated solo attempts to enter were unsuccessful, something occurred which caused the flip lock to disengage, thus making it unexpectedly easy to open the door when you tried again a few minutes later with Mrs. Sven.
Your putting a shoulder to the door the first time might have caused the lock to get bent out of true and had something to do with the lock disengaging. Perhaps having to do with the “child-safe” mechanism?
I know the above is pretty-much a useless non-explanation. 🙁
Based on your description of clearing the house such as nothing being out of place, a calm cat, etc., it seems unlikely you had an intruder; ditto that they would have engaged the lock while they were inside which would have required them 1) to notice and, 2) use the lock, impeding their ability to beat a hasty retreat with any loot.
So there you have my pointless $0.02.
=====================
Best version of the Epstein Meme I’ve seen so far. Although you had to be alive in the 1970ies to get the reference.
Sorry I missed Sven’s comment last night, though I don’t really have any help.
Fatwa, I believe the “childproof” aspect is just that you can mount it high enough to be out of reach. The only way I know of to disengage from outside is to slip a card between the door and frame and lift the gate up out of the locking notch so it swings open when the door is pushed.
I can easily see it accidentally falling into the locked position, but not coming out then. I could see it wearing enough to pop out of the locked position, but then it would not have held so well to the first attempts and opened so easily to the last.
I have had the knob type locks get wonky with wear but it had to do with not unlocking to the center part, not the key.
I could imagine a person having just entered and flipping the lock, then hearing you try to enter and waiting for you to leave before running. If he had just entered and was listening for someone inside, then heard you come up to the door, he would not have had time to look around and disturb anything (or the cat). Not likely, but possible.
It is very disturbing. My first wife and I arrived home late in a remote and dark location in Los Banos and found the back door wide open. We were not the type to leave a door open, especially that one. Clearing the house before letting my wife leave the car was tense. Found nothing but that was strange and unnerving.
Maybe Paddy has an idea.
G’monin’, Mac --
You raised several good points.
Wish I had a better notion of how that device works. My -- admittedly poor -- understanding is that it wouldn’t be possible to use a card to defeat the thing.
As you said, perhaps “Mr. Science” will be more helpful than I. 🙂
I thought on this last night and don’t have any better ideas than you, Mac. I’m very familiar with that type of lock and while it’s possible the friction of the closing door caused the plate to rotate and fall into position, that doesn’t explain the latch coming undone. If it was bent enough from prior attempts to force it open then it might be possible for repeated short bursts of pressure to allow it to work its way upward, the rotate open, but unlikely. I’d look at the corners of the “ears” to see if there were any rounding. If the metal was too soft, there could be some wear, which might allow the plate to cam out of position.
Or maybe it’s just aliens.
Happy Monday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Fatwa, and Mac!
It’s Monday, so that means another day filled with meetings!
Heya, Paddy --
Just watched a short video about it; I think it’d be very hard to defeat from the outside. And, as Mac alluded to, seems highly unlikely it could somehow “undo” itself.
(Sven didn’t mention if they were missing any shoes…in which case it might have been Mossad.) 👿
Mossad? Did Jack Tatum lick the lamb’s blood off the door posts again?
I wanted to make some kind of joke about “Naruto runners” on their way to area 51 running so fast that they ended up in your house. Perhaps, after leaving a shadow clone inside the house, they were able to engage and disengage the lock without leaving a trace.
And… cats love ninjas--kindred spirits--so of course the cat was calm when you arrived back home.
Then I decided against making light of this strange situation.
Then I did it anyway.
Hiya, DV8!
Glad you re-reconsidered. 🙂
I did not know that cats love ninjas; ya learn somethin’ every day.
I am badly out of touch so I was not surprised I had never heard of the Surströmming challenge, but someone posted a link to this and it had me laughing out loud so bad I was afraid I would wake up Elena in the other side of the house. There were many videos of this so it seems to be a thing. I guess it is some Scandi fermented fish. Of course I had to see Texans trying this. Probably NOT SAFE FOR WORK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfiGmcQFiDY&t=3s&fbclid=IwAR30C-hqN8vILnZxQGRDgLR3fVP5PJOSfPowzUVVnjDE56deI_Afsa24OS0
I also loved this one. It seems to be German soldiers, maybe special forces? They do not look like hot house flowers or someone I would want annoyed with me. My German is just not good enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAdZPSSiu3w
The title is “Swedish specialties meet German soldiers”.
I should have known they were rather plump for special forces. Thank you. Still makes me laugh.
The one smart one in the group is the guy with the cell phone. He let’s everyone else eat the rotted fish.
I’d never heard of the “Surströmming Challenge”, either.
I don’t know why those were funny to me, but they were.
Teh interwebs are a deep dark place. I sometimes chase the rabbit for hours.
Oh God, I watched it again. So glad I am alone. It is perfect to illustrate “Talking to Ralph”. It works in German too.
I won’t say how many I watched last night but I will say, some Asian girls really put these guys to shame.
“…but I will say, some Asian girls really put these guys to shame.” Uh, something I never expected to read from Mac.
Deep dark place indeed.
Thanks, boys, for your thoughts. I don’t know what to think, but I think some extra security measures won’t hurt even if I’ve gone way down the wrong path with this.