Opening a MasterLock

Don't you hate it when you lose a lock combination? I always feel wasteful throwing 'em out and getting a new one.

There's a website that shows you how to crack a MasterLock.

Use the info on that page to get the third digit, then there's an algorithm to figure out the 80 possible combinations... or you can use this spreadsheet to figure them out. Then just try them till it works... there are only 80 possibilities, so on average it will take only 40 tries.

I was able to open my lock that I hadn't used all summer, woohoo!! I <3 my internets.

Fixing cell phones and where to get the parts

So, I went camping at Lake Erie a couple weeks ago, and cracked the glass protective cover over my phone's screen:

My phone with the broken protective glass screen cover

It didn't really affect the phone functionally, but it was pretty ugly and I figured it would eventually fall apart with so many cracks in it. I called Sprint, and they wanted $125 to fix it!!! And I'd have to mail in the phone and be without it for several days.

So I did a little Googling... and apparently this glass screen cover is literally just a sticker. It has an adhesive backing and just sticks down on top of the LCD. Making it extra-ridiculous to pay someone $125 to fix it.

I've always thought it was annoying how you can't buy small parts for cell phones. But it turns out you can!!! There's a great online store at CNN.cn where you can buy small parts for zillions of different phones and the prices are very cheap. I got a new glass screen cover for $5 + $5 shipping from Hong Kong. It arrived in about a week very well-packed. I basically just pried the old screen cover off with a thin blade, and put the new one on. Now my phone's back to its original state:

My phone with the protective cover replaced

So... if you need any parts to fix your cell phone, and don't want to pay the ridiculous prices of the cell phone companies, definitely check out CNN.cn. I'm not affiliated with them or anything, just a pretty happy customer.