You can use everyday items to solve some big problems. Break into locks, disable security cameras, and more. This is way more legit than walkie talkie spy kid kits. So whether you wanna be like Michael from Burn Notice, Sydney on Alias, Annie on Covert Affairs, or Veronica Mars from her titular show, just be ready to learn.

In support of the recent Burn Notice season premiere, a press release with spy tips and tricks has been released. These are the tricks that will help you break into your own house, play hooky at work, and disable pesky surveillance cameras.

When you’re locked out of your house:

“Freon is available at most computer stores. Buy a can of screen duster, turn it upside-down, and you’ve got it in liquid form. It’s cold enough to crystallize the metal in many commercial locks. A hammer can take care of the rest.”

Small Screen Scoop says: You can also pick a lock using a safety pin, paper clip (or for the less improvised) a pick. Of course, a tension wrench is needed for any of those items, which is not something you ever see being used in movies. Kits are available on Amazon. If you use the scrubbing or raking technique you might have it happen faster than using Freon. The better part about picking a lock is that the person won’t know you’ve been there.  Of course, you should only ever break into your own house if you’ve lost your keys. Knowing how to do this doesn’t mean you should.

When you need – ahem – privacy in an elevator:

“Take surveillance cameras, for example — you can disable one by shooting a laser at it and overloading the light-sensitive chip.”

Small Screen Scoop says: Speaking of lasers, the FroliCat Bolt is one of the bet cat toys I’ve ever had. Works great if you have more than one cat, they’ll watch it dance on the ceiling.

When you want to skip work:

“If you want to empty a building, pulling a fire alarm is useless; no one pays attention unless they’re actually on fire. A bomb scare next door to your target strikes the right balance — everyone clears out and then pays attention to the other building.”

Small Screen Scoop says: Uh, you probably get in a bit less trouble for pulling a fire alarm than calling in a bomb threat.

When you’re feeling jealous:

“To build a listening device, you need a crappy phone with a mic that picks up everything. But you want the battery power and circuits of a better phone. It’s a trick you learn when the purchasing office won’t spring for a bug.”

Small Screen Scoop says: But who only wants to bug a phone? There are all sorts of computer programs you can use, too.  Look for parental/remote/employee computer monitoring software like this one called Family Cyber Alert. If a program has keylogging, you’ll be able to see exactly what someone else is typing, searching, saying, etc. You can also just download an invisible keylogger onto someone’s computer.

When you realize your only friends are on Twitter:

“If you wanna make a friend, solve a problem for them. No problem to solve? Create one.”

When you need Proof:

Small Screen Scoop says – Then you need a camera. Remember all the long nights Veronica Mars spent with a camera? IT cant’ just be a cheap camera phone. You need the ability to zoom and instantly take tons of photos.

When you have to hide something:

Small Screen Scoop says: Hide it in plain sight! You may not be able to build a safe in your wall like Annie Walker on Covert Affairs, but what about two books that are joined together? Tip: the covers should be of books people can imagine you’d actually read, or else they’ll stick out instantly.

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