October 9th, 2011 
lizbaumann
On Saturday September 10 we held a lockpicking workshop. This was our first workshop in the new space (well, actually also our first workshop in general) and while there were a few bumps, including an overheating projector, overall it went very well. Traveling lockpickers extraordinaire Jamie Schwettmann and Eric Michaud put on the workshop and started by giving us some background on lockpicking: history of locks, why pick them (there are competitions for this stuff; also it’s just rather fun!), when not to do it (like noses and friends, you should only pick your own), and then of course how to do it. For more info on our event see this earlier post. A comprehensive resource about the security and compromise of locks and safes can be found at lockwiki.com.
Most of the attendees purchased the 7-piece set of tools that Eric and Jamie assemble together themselves based on their experience of which implements work best. Next came the hands-on fun of practicing on handfuls of locks which they also brought. All attendees picked at least one lock and most of us picked several. We learned that you don’t need your eyes for this skill and once you get over a little initial impatience it can be a rather relaxing exercise. Also it was really gratifying feeling a lock release after a few minutes of successful picking!
Eric and Jamie have been on the road sharing their love of locks for the past year, putting on workshops in hackerspaces and other places. Before that they resided in the Chicago area. It was a pleasure having them visit and share their enthusiasm, knowledge and skill with us!
Lockpicking later on at the Laughing Goat
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bump lock sets ftw… ohh wait.. wasn’t supposed to say that
😛