The OpenKey system works! I would link to all the old posts, but it’s very late and I’m very tired. Browse the categroy.

Long story shorter, my keys were locked in my car since yesterday, and it seems I had given a key to everone but the people I live with (sometimes called my family) so I couldn’t get in, but key holder Sarah W. (who will have a photolog soonish) drove over and opened the car for me, and all was good.

I’m thinking of starting a gallery of people with their photomatt.net key to collect all the pictures in one place (when I have many people their key it was with the stipulation that they take a picture with the key and send it to me) and also to test out some new WordPress photolog stuff. Soon.

Also, keys are sexy.

The pics are up, it’s official. Sarah, Sarah, Josh, and Iram now all have keys. I feel better already. 🙂

If you remember the plan was to distribute keys to my car to as many people as possible. Today I got started, giving keys to my parents, Sarah, Sarah, Josh, and Iram. Tomorrow (I guess today, dang it’s early/late) I’m going to mail out ones to Yale (Rachel), Berklee (Rene), NYU (Julie), and my favorite artist-whose-show-I-haven’t-seen-yet-but-will-ASAP (Elissa).

I personally test all the keys before sending them out, and I squeeze some writing onto them. If you want one I’m still taking requests.

I could write about many things, but instead I think I will relate the fact that for the second consecutive day, I locked my keys in the car. The details are inconsequential, and it’s a story everyone has heard before, so let’s start discussing solutions. In computing the key [pun] to failsafe systems is redundancy, so I have decided to take the same approach with the entry system to my car.

I’m going to allow anyone who thinks they would be willing to hold on to a key to my car to apply by email to receive a copy free in the mail. Only requirements are a name, phone number, and meeting my secret requirement which I will not disclose here.

Now I’m sure many of you are concerned with the security model of having numerous copies of my car keys floating around, but the manufacturer (Chevy) of my vehicle already thought of this, separating the entry and ignition functions into two separate keys. This has its advantages and disadvantages, as evidenced by the Saturday lockout when I had my ignition key but not the entry key. Access to my vehicle is something I’m willing to allow because trustees of the keys will be people I trust not to steal something from my car in the first place.

I have a number of people “pre-approved” for keys, including my parents, Grandmother, sister Charleen, Josh, Sarah, Sarah, Rachel, Rene, Rebbecca, Elissa, Iram, Mat, Chris, extended family, and selected staff at Kaveh Kanes, Tropioca, and Get Wired, but like I said before anyone is eligible. These people have been carefully selected for proximity and accessibility—at any given point in my life, I am never more than 5 minutes from at least one of these people. So there you have it! A trade-off of security versus accessibility in real life. We’ll see how this goes…

These limited edition PhotoMatt keys will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity and will be available in several styles to complement any key ring. They will also be hand tested by yours truly to verify that they truly work. Get yours while they’re hot. (Limit one per person.)