Three-armed cyborg drummer

Left: Gil Weinberg (left) created a robotic prosthesis for Jason Barnes, who lost his right arm two years ago; Above: A close up of the prosthesis while playing the drums

A robotic drumming prosthesis that lets an amputee play the drums, adding a third stick to the mix that plays according to the music could help surgeons or astronauts in the future to complete complex task in synchronisation with helper robots.

Professor Gil Weinberg has already built a band of robotic musicians in his lab at Georgia Tech. Now he's created a robot that can be attached to amputees, allowing its technology to be embedded into humans. The robotic drumming prosthesis has motors that power two drumsticks. The first stick is controlled both physically by the musicians' arms and electronically using electromyography (EMG) muscle sensors. The other stick "listens" to the music being played and improvises. 

"The second drumstick has a mind of its own," said Weinberg, founding director of the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology. "The drummer essentially becomes a cyborg. It's interesting to see him playing and improvising with part of his arm that he doesn't totally control." 

The prosthesis was created for Jason Barnes, a drummer who was electrocuted two years ago and lost his right arm below the elbow. The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media student built his own prosthetic device shortly after the accident. It wasn't very flexible. He could bang the drums by moving his elbow up and down, but couldn't control the speed or bounce of the stick without a wrist or fingers. That's when Weinberg stepped in to create a single-stick device with sensors that responds to Barnes' bicep muscles. 

"Now I can flex and send signals to a computer that tightens or loosens the stick and controls the rebound," said Barnes. Weinberg, who has already built a robotic percussionist and marimba player that use computer algorithms to improvise with human musicians, took the prosthesis a step further. He added the second stick and gave it a "musical brain." 

"Jason can pull the robotic stick away from the drum when he wants to be fully in control," says Weinberg. "Or he can allow it to play on its own and be surprised and inspired by his own arm responding to his drumming." 

Regardless of how he uses the extra stick, the new prosthetic has already given Barnes capabilities he hasn't had since before the amputation. It's only the beginning for Weinberg. 

"Music is very time sensitive. You can hear the difference between two strokes, even if they are a few milliseconds apart," said Weinberg. "If we are able to use machine learning from Jason's muscles (and in future steps, from his brain activity) to determine when he intends to drum and have the stick hit at that moment, both arms can be synchronised." 

Weinberg says such robotic synchronisation technology could potentially be used in the future by fully abled humans to control an embedded, mechanical third arm during time-sensitive operations. For example, Weinberg's anticipation algorithms could be used to help astronauts or surgeons perform complex, physical tasks in synchronisation with robotic devices. 

For Barnes, it's all about the music. Because an embedded chip can control the speed of the drumsticks, the prosthesis can be programmed to play two sticks at a different rhythm. It can also move the sticks faster than humanly possible. 

"I'll bet a lot of metal drummers might be jealous of what I can do now," he said. "Speed is good. Faster is always better."

Plastic ring prevents pregnancy and HIV

Biomedical engineer Patrick Kiser holds a first-of-its-kind intravaginal ring that reliably delivers an antiretroviral drug and a contraceptive for months

Researchers are clinically testing an easy-to-use 5.5-centimeter intravaginal plastic ring that can release antiretroviral and contraceptive drugs for 90 days at a stretch.

Women's reproductive health may never be the same, thanks to Northwestern University biomedical engineer Patrick Kiser and his first-of-itskind intravaginal ring that reliably delivers an antiretroviral drug and a contraceptive for months. 

Kiser's one ring delivers two drugs that do three important things: the device is designed to protect against HIV and herpes as well as unwanted pregnancy. 

The easy-to-use ring delivers controlled doses of tenofovir (a common antiretroviral drug) and levonorgestrel (a contraceptive) for 90 days. The rings are being manufactured now, and the device soon will undergo its first test in women. 

Details of the development of the ring appear in PLOS ONE. 

According to the World Health Organisation, 35 million people live with HIV, and 222 million women would like to delay or stop childbearing but are not using any method of contraception. 

"I suspect women will use the ring primarily for contraception, but they also will benefit from protection against sexually transmitted diseases," said Kiser, an expert in intravaginal drug delivery. 

"And for women in the developing world in particular, unwanted pregnancy can have significant health, economic and cultural consequences. We want to motivate women to use this ring." 

The ring, 5.5 centimeters in diameter, is simple yet complex. Kiser and his team worked for five years, engineering the three materials that make up the ring and optimising the device to reliably deliver fixed and efficacious doses of two medicines over a long period of time. 

The ring is easily inserted in the vagina and stays in place for three months. And because the tenofovir is delivered at the site of transmission, the ring utilises a smaller dose than pills. The levonorgestrel released by the ring is the same drug as that used in certain contraceptive pills and in an intrauterine device. 

"This system represents a significant advance in vaginal drug delivery technology and is the first in a new class of long-acting multipurpose prevention drug delivery systems," say the authors in the study. They also report details of the ring's engineering, safety, stability and drug release. 

"The differences between the two drugs are huge, which presented us with a design challenge," Said Kiser, the senior author of the paper, who is also a faculty member at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

"Tenofovir is highly water soluble while levonorgestrel is highly water insoluble. And the daily dose is different: the ring delivers about 10 milligrams of tenofovir and 10 micrograms of levonorgestrel. Our scientific hurdle was finding a way to manufacture a dual-purpose ring that got the device into the clinic." 

Tenofovir is taken orally by 3.5 million HIV-infected people worldwide, and it also has been studied as a gel. The drug inhibits HIV and HSV-2 (herpes simplex virus-2) replication in susceptible cells. 

Previous studies have demonstrated that antiretroviral drugs can prevent HIV infection, but existing methods for delivering the drug fall short. Pills must be taken daily and require high doses; some women may prefer a longer-lasting method, such as the ring, versus methods used at the time of sex, such as a gel. 

Kiser's combination ring promises much more. The strength of the device stems from its unique polymer construction: its elastomer swells in the presence of fluid (such as that found in the human body), delivering up to 100 times more of the tenofovir than current intravaginal ring technology, which have release rates that decline over time. 

The antiretroviral drug section of the ring is made of one kind of polyurethane, and the contraceptive section of the ring is made of another polyurethane. Each material needed to be engineered with the correct diffusion rates, so the encapsulated drug is released into the body at the desired rate, providing the correct dose. A third polyurethane material between the two sections keeps the drugs separate. All the parts are welded together to complete the ring.

How I Made $13,490.50 With Adsense Last November

Black Friday: Thanksgiving’s Annual After-Party

It’s almost here--the shopping party that consumers have been waiting for since last Christmas! As the unofficial opening of the holiday shopping season, the Friday after Thanksgiving or “Black Friday” is hands-down THE most promoted day of the year. For decades Black Friday has been recognized by retailers as the point they begin to turn a profit, or move from the red into “the black.” According to the National Retail Federation, Black Friday and holiday sales can account for up to 40% of annual retail sales for many business sectors, making it crucial for them to have valuable deals for shoppers. More recently the annual shopping party has expanded to “Cyber Monday,” when consumers jump online and grab holiday bargains from their computers, tablets and smartphones.

It’s also the day that retailers finally announce their absolute best deals of the year, offering their hottest savings on toys, electronics, apparel, jewelry, housewares and more. But more than that, it’s the time of year when consumers want to know about each and every door-buster and early-bird sale, ASAP. They fervently begin the hunt, hoping to find deeply discounted Black Friday ads as soon as they are leaked.

How I Leveraged Black Friday Fever and Made $13,500 in Just One Month

Recognizing a profitable opportunity, I created a website that gives people what they want: early intel about Black Friday discounts and hot items.

Meet ThanksgivingBlackFridayAds.com (TBFA), a website focused solely on publishing leaked Black Friday ads and circulars weeks before they are printed and distributed in the media. Traffic spikes at TBFA every year just after Halloween, when shoppers start thinking about holiday sales. Visitors flood the site hoping to get an early peek at the ads to plan their Black Friday shopping day. In its third year (last year), TBFA continued to gain strength. It’s a healthy site through the holidays and sits basically idle other months of the year.

The year-over-year growth of TBFA had been extraordinary until this 2012 Black Friday because of a Google penalty. (Yes, I tried removing bad links, uploaded a disavow list, apologized and then resubmitted the site for reconsideration, but I have a feeling Google is putting off the reconsideration until they know it's too late for me this year... I submitted the reconsideration request on Oct 19th and followed up again on Oct 31, but still have not heard a word from Google.) This year, organic traffic is down 95% due to the penalty. It doesn't help either that Yahoo/Bing decided to globally deindex almost any site that had the words "Black Friday" in its domain name too.

For the past three years I had consistently tracked a 500 to 1,000% boost in site activity, each year attracting more visitors than projected. Wisely, I had decided to implement the most optimized tools and technology to meet the growing demand. Last November TBFA easily served 5.9 million pages to 413,458 visitors within the 30-day month. At the height of our traffic surge, it served approximately 600 concurrent users up to 900 pages per minute. I was prepared for the traffic rush. Visitors never saw an increase in average page load times, even when the site was under heavy load, as documented here: https://pagodabox.com/case-studies/scale-wordpress-case-study.

Anyways... having a strong, established site with a growing audience, the next challenge was to quickly and efficiently monetize the opportunity. I implemented Adsense--a free Google product that allows a site like ThanksgivingBlackFridayAds.com to earn money when visitors click on Google ads. Ads compete in an auction, and Google automatically selects and places the ones that have the best revenue potential for each site. Earnings are determined on a Cost Per Click (CPC) basis, where the site is paid when a visitor clicks on a display ad. Not all ads earn at the same rate. Payouts vary daily due to advertiser budgets, site content, and the actual ads that visitors click.

My Best Performing Ads

Fact: The ad with the most impressions had the most clicks, earning the most revenue.

By far, the 468x60 display ads placed in the middle of the blog posts made the most revenue, followed by the 728x90 leaderboards placed at the bottom of each page displaying Black Friday ad scans. I was surprised to find that a 160x600 skyscraper ad with the best Clickthrough rate (CTR) didn’t generate the most money. Most likely, this was because of daily variances in ad pricing.

Another Success Metric: Ad Request RPM

Revenue per thousand impressions (RPM) projects the estimated earnings a site can accrue for every thousand ad impressions it receives. An RPM doesn't show how much a site has actually earned. Instead, it calculates the approximate value of ad impressions by dividing estimated earnings by the number of page views, impressions, or queries received (a.k.a. ad requests), then multiplying by 1,000.

Ad request RPM = (Estimated earnings / Number of ad requests) x 1,000

Example: if a site earns an estimated $60 from 15,000 ad requests, the Ad Request RPM would be ($60 / 15,000) x 1,000 or $4.00.

My best-performing ad, measured in RPMs, was a Skyscraper along the right column sidebar, appearing on only a handful of the pages. This ad spot definitely stands out from the rest, since it had the highest Ad Request (CTR), the lowest CPC and the highest RPM. With more experimentation, I’ll be able to bring about the maximum ROI for that ad placement.

I Made Even More Money Working With Affiliate Sales

My revenue stream for TBFA wasn’t limited only to Adsense. I also made plenty of money working with affiliate advertisers who gained sales from exposure on my site.

Google Affiliate Network

Whenever a visitor clicked on an offer and purchased from a Google-placed affiliate advertiser, I earned performance fees for helping those quality advertisers drive conversions, or sales. This revenue is above and beyond what I earned from Adsense.

PepperJam, LinkShare, Commission Junction, Skimlinks & Amazon Associates

Similar to Adsense, publishers put text links, banner ads and coupons codes on their sites. With PepperJam and Skimlinks and such, I earned a commission with each placement on my site that led to a sale. Amazon Associates is basically the same, but works on a lucrative sliding commission scale. The more an advertiser sells and ships as a result of the ad on my site, the higher the commissions I’m paid. Of all the affiliate programs, I made the most, by far, from Amazon.

You Can Do It, Too

The holiday season is prime time to maximize web traffic, engage with your audience, and make some money. Sites are seeing plenty of traffic from several sources like email, referrals from links and ad placements, organic searches and more. And, those referrals are looking to buy, so it’s an optimum time to cash in on those ad clicks and commissions from affiliate sites. Working with affiliate programs is an easy process and doesn’t take much time. Give it a shot, test the ad placements, and tweak your system as you go to up your performance level.

So, was this blog post helpful to you? Did my $13,490 payout make you want to monetize your website as a new revenue stream? Anything you think I could have done differently or added for better performance? I’d love to hear your thoughts and am happy to answer any questions. Just leave a reply for me in the comments section below.

How To Recover Hacked Google AdSense Account

Now a days youngsters do hacking for leisure and don't hesitate to practice their skills on innocent people online accounts. They do their illegal practices to get short term targets and give them priority over damages that owner usually face. So, if you are also victim of such acts and have lost access to Google AdSense account. Then, this article is dedicated to you to learn how to recover hacked AdSense Account.

AdSense account hacking is usually a result of jealousy from competitor. Which obviously give nothing (money) to hacker because of different payee name except, relax to his devilish desires . But, obviously the actual owner of AdSense account face quite difficulties in form of lost of revenue and chances to face problems to recover old one or to get a new AdSense account because your already have an account on same name and address.

Well, AdSense account hacking has not been easy because of two step verification system. But because of owner carelessness intruder take advantage and do change account details once they break security walls.

Visit Google Sign in page and do click on can't access your account. Mark tick on I'm having other problems in signing in. Enter the username you use to sign in to Google. This can be your Gmail address, or it may be another email address you associated with your account. Hit continue. Mark check on I think someone else is using my account. Click link to visit Password resetting page to reset password by use of new old password. Submit your username or email id and enter the last password which were using before account hacked. Select mobile option or recovery email option to retrieve password.

In case hacker smartly changed your recovery information then give a try to verify your identity(link on same page) by answering multiple questions about your account. This is quite tough to recover Google account via this method because owner usually don't remember exact dates and information. But the good thing is that you can recover your account smoothly in minute if you remember the year in which you have created your account, last access month and year and, recovery email address (the one which you used before hacker alteration).

If unfortunately you could not get success to verify your identity then the only available option are contact Google AdSense officials via email and provide them all possible proofs.

I hope by following the mentioned methods you can recover access to your Google and all linked products easily. Once you do so, please don't forget to add more recovery options, enable 2-step verification and take backup codes too. Wish you best of luck. Thank you!

Ways to Break Into a House

There are many ways for people to break into your home. Knowing how it's done can help you prevent them from succeeding.

Comstock/Thinkstock

When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door.

There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].

If your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in their own homes.

The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.

There are many ways for people to break into your home. Knowing how it's done can help you prevent them from succeeding.

Comstock/Thinkstock

When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door.

There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].

If your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in their own homes.

The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.

Take precautions to avoid leaving signs that you're not at home.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.

Signs of life are likely to put off would-be thieves. They can be fooled by strategic lighting and loud broadcasts (radios consume less energy than TVs, and talk shows sound like conversations in the home). At night, lights and a radio or TV on timers keep homes looking occupied into the wee hours, deterring burglars and keeping families safer long after bedtime.

Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.

To keep a house safe while on vacation:

• Place lights on timers. Lights burning 24/7 scream, "Empty house!"
• Ask neighbors or friends to perform daily checks and collect newspapers and mail.
• Given last names, anyone can find most phone numbers. Names on mailboxes and un-retrieved packages encourage possible thieves to park outside, dial the number and see if someone picks up. Any time the house will be empty (vacations, workdays), best use call forwarding so someone always answers.

Remain Inconspicuous

There are many ways for people to break into your home. Knowing how it's done can help you prevent them from succeeding.

Comstock/Thinkstock

When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door.

There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].

If your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in their own homes.

The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.

Take precautions to avoid leaving signs that you're not at home.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.

Signs of life are likely to put off would-be thieves. They can be fooled by strategic lighting and loud broadcasts (radios consume less energy than TVs, and talk shows sound like conversations in the home). At night, lights and a radio or TV on timers keep homes looking occupied into the wee hours, deterring burglars and keeping families safer long after bedtime.

Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.

To keep a house safe while on vacation:

• Place lights on timers. Lights burning 24/7 scream, "Empty house!"
• Ask neighbors or friends to perform daily checks and collect newspapers and mail.
• Given last names, anyone can find most phone numbers. Names on mailboxes and un-retrieved packages encourage possible thieves to park outside, dial the number and see if someone picks up. Any time the house will be empty (vacations, workdays), best use call forwarding so someone always answers.

Adding flood lighting to your home is a good way to dissuade thieves from breaking in.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Most burglars aren't looking for trouble. The typical burglar avoids confrontation, has scant interest in an arrest and fears physical harm. Homeowners can use these concerns to their advantage, using lighting, alarms and dogs to discourage thieves from breaking in.

After dark, the best first defense for single-family homes is lighting, and lots of it. While interior lighting implies people are home, blazing exterior lights discourage a closer look. Undeterred daredevils may dash toward sides or back doors obscured from view. Those hidden areas, characteristic of houses at ends of cul-de-sacs, are best secured with bright lights and extra security measures on doors and windows. Motion-sensor lights save energy costs and deliver effective, flee-inspiring startles to jumpy criminals.

Next, imply a threat. Lawns and window signs advertising alarm systems deter many break-in attempts. Should burglars ignore warnings, the resulting sirens will prompt quick and possibly empty-handed exits.

The third line of defense (and one of the best) is the barking dog. Dogs chained outside in a fenced yards offer little threat. Burglars' encounters with unanticipated indoor canines, however, add factors out of burglars' control. No time or energy for pets? Many homeowners swear by their fake four-legged friends. Imagine a motion sensor triggering a bright light accompanied by the loud barking of up to five angry dogs.

Ever wonder how burglars actually enter homes? Next, we look at the number-one point of entry.

Find a Good Opening

|

There are many ways for people to break into your home. Knowing how it's done can help you prevent them from succeeding.

Comstock/Thinkstock

When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door.

There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].

If your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in their own homes.

The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.

Take precautions to avoid leaving signs that you're not at home.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.

Signs of life are likely to put off would-be thieves. They can be fooled by strategic lighting and loud broadcasts (radios consume less energy than TVs, and talk shows sound like conversations in the home). At night, lights and a radio or TV on timers keep homes looking occupied into the wee hours, deterring burglars and keeping families safer long after bedtime.

Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.

To keep a house safe while on vacation:

• Place lights on timers. Lights burning 24/7 scream, "Empty house!"
• Ask neighbors or friends to perform daily checks and collect newspapers and mail.
• Given last names, anyone can find most phone numbers. Names on mailboxes and un-retrieved packages encourage possible thieves to park outside, dial the number and see if someone picks up. Any time the house will be empty (vacations, workdays), best use call forwarding so someone always answers.

Adding flood lighting to your home is a good way to dissuade thieves from breaking in.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Most burglars aren't looking for trouble. The typical burglar avoids confrontation, has scant interest in an arrest and fears physical harm. Homeowners can use these concerns to their advantage, using lighting, alarms and dogs to discourage thieves from breaking in.

After dark, the best first defense for single-family homes is lighting, and lots of it. While interior lighting implies people are home, blazing exterior lights discourage a closer look. Undeterred daredevils may dash toward sides or back doors obscured from view. Those hidden areas, characteristic of houses at ends of cul-de-sacs, are best secured with bright lights and extra security measures on doors and windows. Motion-sensor lights save energy costs and deliver effective, flee-inspiring startles to jumpy criminals.

Next, imply a threat. Lawns and window signs advertising alarm systems deter many break-in attempts. Should burglars ignore warnings, the resulting sirens will prompt quick and possibly empty-handed exits.

The third line of defense (and one of the best) is the barking dog. Dogs chained outside in a fenced yards offer little threat. Burglars' encounters with unanticipated indoor canines, however, add factors out of burglars' control. No time or energy for pets? Many homeowners swear by their fake four-legged friends. Imagine a motion sensor triggering a bright light accompanied by the loud barking of up to five angry dogs.

Ever wonder how burglars actually enter homes? Next, we look at the number-one point of entry.

HOUSE KEY IN A HAYSTACK

If you must hide a spare key, try this: The key under your flower pot opens a storage shed on your neighbor's property. Among the many items inside the shed is toolbox, at the bottom of which are a dozen spare and random keys, one of which opens your home. The key under your flower pot is unlikely to be tried on the neighbor's shed. Your key is hidden among what appears to be a pile of old spare keys, which are typically deemed old keys of unknown origins. Your key, hidden in this fashion, is not likely to be linked to your house and provides an effective, albeit time-consuming, method for hiding a spare key.

Warm spring days and crisp fall air make open windows irresistible -- especially to burglars. Thieves think nothing of walking the circumference of your home, trying each door, window and cellar opening until one relents to prying hands. Of course, first-floor windows and doors are more susceptible, but climbable trees and tables used as makeshift ladders place second-floor windows in as much risk.

Even when home, families should ensure their doors and windows are closed and locked; unattended or dark parts of the occupied homes are vulnerable. Consider bustling dining rooms and kitchens during dinners, when second floors can become targets for quiet burglars. Or consider the dark second-story bedroom where someone is sleeping near a wide-open window.

More about easy entries:

• Knob locks are easily jimmied using credit cards; deadbolt locks aren't. All doors need deadbolts.
• A word about hiding spare keys: don't. Burglars know to examine flower pots, ledges and bushes. Best to stash spare keys is in the hands of neighbors.
• Heavy rods in tracks prevent opening of sliding glass doors fully. Other professionally installed mechanisms prevent tampering with screws that secure doors and frames.
• Burglars break windows, so keep yards free of bricks and heavy rocks.
• Security companies can help with kick-resistant doors, window mechanisms that limit openings and break-resistant glass.
• Check access when workers leave. Even with an alarm, workers may open doors or windows from the inside in preparation for a later break-in.

Find a Good Opening

|

There are many ways for people to break into your home. Knowing how it's done can help you prevent them from succeeding.

Comstock/Thinkstock

When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door.

There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].

If your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in their own homes.

The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.

Take precautions to avoid leaving signs that you're not at home.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.

Signs of life are likely to put off would-be thieves. They can be fooled by strategic lighting and loud broadcasts (radios consume less energy than TVs, and talk shows sound like conversations in the home). At night, lights and a radio or TV on timers keep homes looking occupied into the wee hours, deterring burglars and keeping families safer long after bedtime.

Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.

To keep a house safe while on vacation:

• Place lights on timers. Lights burning 24/7 scream, "Empty house!"
• Ask neighbors or friends to perform daily checks and collect newspapers and mail.
• Given last names, anyone can find most phone numbers. Names on mailboxes and un-retrieved packages encourage possible thieves to park outside, dial the number and see if someone picks up. Any time the house will be empty (vacations, workdays), best use call forwarding so someone always answers.

Adding flood lighting to your home is a good way to dissuade thieves from breaking in.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Most burglars aren't looking for trouble. The typical burglar avoids confrontation, has scant interest in an arrest and fears physical harm. Homeowners can use these concerns to their advantage, using lighting, alarms and dogs to discourage thieves from breaking in.

After dark, the best first defense for single-family homes is lighting, and lots of it. While interior lighting implies people are home, blazing exterior lights discourage a closer look. Undeterred daredevils may dash toward sides or back doors obscured from view. Those hidden areas, characteristic of houses at ends of cul-de-sacs, are best secured with bright lights and extra security measures on doors and windows. Motion-sensor lights save energy costs and deliver effective, flee-inspiring startles to jumpy criminals.

Next, imply a threat. Lawns and window signs advertising alarm systems deter many break-in attempts. Should burglars ignore warnings, the resulting sirens will prompt quick and possibly empty-handed exits.

The third line of defense (and one of the best) is the barking dog. Dogs chained outside in a fenced yards offer little threat. Burglars' encounters with unanticipated indoor canines, however, add factors out of burglars' control. No time or energy for pets? Many homeowners swear by their fake four-legged friends. Imagine a motion sensor triggering a bright light accompanied by the loud barking of up to five angry dogs.

Ever wonder how burglars actually enter homes? Next, we look at the number-one point of entry.

HOUSE KEY IN A HAYSTACK

If you must hide a spare key, try this: The key under your flower pot opens a storage shed on your neighbor's property. Among the many items inside the shed is toolbox, at the bottom of which are a dozen spare and random keys, one of which opens your home. The key under your flower pot is unlikely to be tried on the neighbor's shed. Your key is hidden among what appears to be a pile of old spare keys, which are typically deemed old keys of unknown origins. Your key, hidden in this fashion, is not likely to be linked to your house and provides an effective, albeit time-consuming, method for hiding a spare key.

Warm spring days and crisp fall air make open windows irresistible -- especially to burglars. Thieves think nothing of walking the circumference of your home, trying each door, window and cellar opening until one relents to prying hands. Of course, first-floor windows and doors are more susceptible, but climbable trees and tables used as makeshift ladders place second-floor windows in as much risk.

Even when home, families should ensure their doors and windows are closed and locked; unattended or dark parts of the occupied homes are vulnerable. Consider bustling dining rooms and kitchens during dinners, when second floors can become targets for quiet burglars. Or consider the dark second-story bedroom where someone is sleeping near a wide-open window.

More about easy entries:

• Knob locks are easily jimmied using credit cards; deadbolt locks aren't. All doors need deadbolts.
• A word about hiding spare keys: don't. Burglars know to examine flower pots, ledges and bushes. Best to stash spare keys is in the hands of neighbors.
• Heavy rods in tracks prevent opening of sliding glass doors fully. Other professionally installed mechanisms prevent tampering with screws that secure doors and frames.
• Burglars break windows, so keep yards free of bricks and heavy rocks.
• Security companies can help with kick-resistant doors, window mechanisms that limit openings and break-resistant glass.
• Check access when workers leave. Even with an alarm, workers may open doors or windows from the inside in preparation for a later break-in.

Find a Good Opening

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There are many ways for people to break into your home. Knowing how it's done can help you prevent them from succeeding.

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When we think of a burglar, we think of a stereotypical ski-masked man dressed head to toe in black, crouched down, creeping in the dead of night, carrying a professional break-in artist's ideal toolkit. As common a culprit, however, is the average-looking person dressed in average street clothes on your average workday, entering via an unlocked door or a brick-induced hole in a glass door.

There's no time of day in which your home is immune from burglaries; there are no standards of practice when it comes to how a burglar breaks in. Of the reported 2 million commercial and residential burglaries reported to the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009, most (61 percent) were forcible entry. 32.6 percent of burglars found the easy way in, and the balance represented foiled attempts [source: U.S. Department of Justice].

If your home is burgled, the financial losses you'll sustain are bad enough. The trauma and unease in its aftermath, however, is a bell that can't be un-rung, and many burglary victims never again feel safe in their own homes.

The best way to handle burglars is to pre-empt their plans with proven preventive measures. Burglars look for, and sometimes create, specific characteristics and situations when choosing where and how to break in. In the sections to come, we will look at what stamps a bull's eye on your home, methods used for break-ins and 21st century tools that burglars use for finding their next victims.

Take precautions to avoid leaving signs that you're not at home.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Burglars aren't going to bother with targets they don't think will allow them to get in and out undetected, loot-rich. Ideal targets are homes with indications no one will return soon. A plastic-wrapped phone book left all day on a driveway, a note left on a front door for an afternoon package delivery -- these are examples of the types of things burglars look for.

Signs of life are likely to put off would-be thieves. They can be fooled by strategic lighting and loud broadcasts (radios consume less energy than TVs, and talk shows sound like conversations in the home). At night, lights and a radio or TV on timers keep homes looking occupied into the wee hours, deterring burglars and keeping families safer long after bedtime.

Bold burglars peer through windows hoping to spy silver services, plasma TVs and baseball card collections. Best bets: Move valuables out of sight, and keep stashes safe by closing window coverings while away.

To keep a house safe while on vacation:

• Place lights on timers. Lights burning 24/7 scream, "Empty house!"
• Ask neighbors or friends to perform daily checks and collect newspapers and mail.
• Given last names, anyone can find most phone numbers. Names on mailboxes and un-retrieved packages encourage possible thieves to park outside, dial the number and see if someone picks up. Any time the house will be empty (vacations, workdays), best use call forwarding so someone always answers.

Adding flood lighting to your home is a good way to dissuade thieves from breaking in.

iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Most burglars aren't looking for trouble. The typical burglar avoids confrontation, has scant interest in an arrest and fears physical harm. Homeowners can use these concerns to their advantage, using lighting, alarms and dogs to discourage thieves from breaking in.

After dark, the best first defense for single-family homes is lighting, and lots of it. While interior lighting implies people are home, blazing exterior lights discourage a closer look. Undeterred daredevils may dash toward sides or back doors obscured from view. Those hidden areas, characteristic of houses at ends of cul-de-sacs, are best secured with bright lights and extra security measures on doors and windows. Motion-sensor lights save energy costs and deliver effective, flee-inspiring startles to jumpy criminals.

Next, imply a threat. Lawns and window signs advertising alarm systems deter many break-in attempts. Should burglars ignore warnings, the resulting sirens will prompt quick and possibly empty-handed exits.

The third line of defense (and one of the best) is the barking dog. Dogs chained outside in a fenced yards offer little threat. Burglars' encounters with unanticipated indoor canines, however, add factors out of burglars' control. No time or energy for pets? Many homeowners swear by their fake four-legged friends. Imagine a motion sensor triggering a bright light accompanied by the loud barking of up to five angry dogs.

Ever wonder how burglars actually enter homes? Next, we look at the number-one point of entry.

HOUSE KEY IN A HAYSTACK

If you must hide a spare key, try this: The key under your flower pot opens a storage shed on your neighbor's property. Among the many items inside the shed is toolbox, at the bottom of which are a dozen spare and random keys, one of which opens your home. The key under your flower pot is unlikely to be tried on the neighbor's shed. Your key is hidden among what appears to be a pile of old spare keys, which are typically deemed old keys of unknown origins. Your key, hidden in this fashion, is not likely to be linked to your house and provides an effective, albeit time-consuming, method for hiding a spare key.

Warm spring days and crisp fall air make open windows irresistible -- especially to burglars. Thieves think nothing of walking the circumference of your home, trying each door, window and cellar opening until one relents to prying hands. Of course, first-floor windows and doors are more susceptible, but climbable trees and tables used as makeshift ladders place second-floor windows in as much risk.

Even when home, families should ensure their doors and windows are closed and locked; unattended or dark parts of the occupied homes are vulnerable. Consider bustling dining rooms and kitchens during dinners, when second floors can become targets for quiet burglars. Or consider the dark second-story bedroom where someone is sleeping near a wide-open window.

More about easy entries:

• Knob locks are easily jimmied using credit cards; deadbolt locks aren't. All doors need deadbolts.
• A word about hiding spare keys: don't. Burglars know to examine flower pots, ledges and bushes. Best to stash spare keys is in the hands of neighbors.
• Heavy rods in tracks prevent opening of sliding glass doors fully. Other professionally installed mechanisms prevent tampering with screws that secure doors and frames.
• Burglars break windows, so keep yards free of bricks and heavy rocks.
• Security companies can help with kick-resistant doors, window mechanisms that limit openings and break-resistant glass.
• Check access when workers leave. Even with an alarm, workers may open doors or windows from the inside in preparation for a later break-in.