Slim Jim

Spicy, meaty individually wrapped sticks of unknown animal origin. 1 a day keeps the conspiracy away. Ingrediants: Beef, mechanically separated chicken, water, salt, corn syrup, dextrose, flavorings, spice, paprika, hydrolized corn gluten, soy and wheat gluten proteins, soduium nitrite, lactic acid, starter culture.

A slim jim is also a thin flexible metal bar used to open car doors. It is illegal to even posess one in some counties of the US. Well-schooled folks can open a car door in seconds. I could open my Ford Aspire (expire?) in about seven seconds using an improvised slim jim made from a metal piece from a hanging file folder. My wife had a habit of locking her keys in the car when she came home.

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    _| |  The notch can be used to pull up
   |   |  on the mechanical bar connecting
   \___/  the door lock knob to the actual lock.

To make a slim jim, find a thin strip of strong, thin, plastic banding. Fold it in two, and force the loop end down through the rubber seal between the door and the window. Feel around until you find the door button release. Fit the loop over the top, and gently manoevre upwards to release the locking mechanism. This method can also be used to open windows secured by ram-and-pin devices, and to retrieve keys left in the lock on the outside of the door.

An alternative to the slim jim is the credit-card method, whereby a credit-card is pushed down the rubber seal in order to open the window slightly, and allow a wire with a loop on the end to be lowered into the car to raise the lock.

Note that the slim jim only works on cars made before 1995. Since then, manufacturers have boxed in the door button release.