Thursday, August 29, 2013

Testing our HD Dash Cam When a Call Came in - the break in attempt. True Story

After seeing the meteor in Russia captured by a driver's "Dash cam" I decided that it would be a good idea to try one out, especially due to recent events. Last week as I was driving and on the phone I saw the back tire of the truck in front of me blow out - hurling pieces of rubber at me as I moved to another line and carried on the conversation.

It made me think. "What would happen if those pieces had damaged my car? How would I find the owner?  What if I was in an accident and the only proof of who had the green light was my cam? Before that I had a tire throw its tread which could have caused a wreck.

So I ordered one since I could get it "Free" by using points accumulated on a credit card. Most of these cas sell for around $60 but the "MakeIt HD Cam sold by Spy-Tec on Amazon retails for about $129. I went for it after reading a couple reviews. Check out for yourself the image and wide angle view.

So during this test after making a client visit, I got a call from someone with broken glass. I told them about a break in attempt at one of our clients when the wife was home alone. Check out the clarity of this dash cam, and listen in to a true story. Whole thing is less than 2 minutes! (The female voice is the GPS giving directions).

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

First a Knock, Then a Smash With Wife Home Alone




My CPA called late yesterday afternoon as I was traveling. I thought he had a question about a form and I almost let it go to voicemail. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The first thing he said was: “Boy, I am so glad I have Armor Glass on my house!”  He said that his wife was home alone in the kitchen when someone knocked on the front door of their house in a trendy area of Sugar Land. She ignored it. A few minutes later she was back in the bedroom when she heard a loud CRASH on the back glass!  Someone was trying to break in.

He didn’t get in! The back of Jim’s house is all glass. Jim found an area where an object had been thrown against the glass. Our Armor Glass security film stopped it from penetrating. He promised to take a photo we can post.

I shudder to think of what might have happened if the guy had broken into the back of the house with Jim’s wife there alone.  She could have been attacked, possibly raped as well as having her valuables stolen. None of it would be good. And if he had his old solar film still on that glass, the guy would have broken through it, no problem. Our security film is four times thicker than solar film, and also blocks the sun as well as providing hurricane, tornado and burglar protection.

If you don’t think it could happen to you, talk to my CPA. He wasn’t really sold on installing our film – but his wife insisted. Now Jim is a firm believer.

Are you prepared? Contact us for a FREE quote…

Sunday, August 4, 2013

New Terror Threat: Are We Protecting America’s Weakest Link?




The threats against U.S. Embassies have been described as the “most significant in over a decade.”  Are we prepared for this threat?

Maybe not.  Something happened recently that concerns me about our national security overseas, particularly in our embassies.  I own a company that sells the same security film that was installed on all federal buildings in Washington DC after 9/11 – from Congress to the Smithsonian to the Pentagon.  Yet recently we were contacted about a bid to “armor the glass” of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya.

The problem? The specifications called for a film half as thick as we normally sell for Level 2 explosion protection. We recently put our 8 Mil Solar Security film on a Drug Enforcement building in Houston. The specs included a special structural sealant to “bond” the film to the window frames – to keep it from blowing off in the event of an explosion. Yet the Tripoli bid did not require that frame bonding. It called for a 4 mil film.

That means if there is a blast, the windows could blow out of the frames, even with the film on it. They also wanted a “Clear” film – not a tinted version that would block views into the building during the day – and cut the heat and energy consumption inside the building. When I questioned the specifications, the company asking for the quote (which is based in Turkey) said “they are what they are.” I could tell that they were not pleased with my questions.

I served as a TV terrorism analyst during 9/11 and for a couple years after that. That is what led to setting up my company, Armor Glass. The technology has proved invaluable in preventing break-ins on houses where we have installed it. It prevents window blow-outs during hurricanes that lead to roof loss and structural failure. It is explosion-rated film – but if you don’t use the proper thickness of film and use a frame bonding agent like Dow 995, it won’t work.

Needless to say my company did not get the Tripoli job. I really didn’t want to do something that wasn’t going to work properly. I hope that the “chatter” about a pending attack against U.S. interests does not become a reality, but sooner or later it will. If we learned anything from Benghazi, it is that we need better security for our embassies.  Just before the Benghazi attack, Congress CUT security funding for embassies. I am wondering if that is why the specifications for the Tripoli Embassy were inadequate. Is it because of the lack of Congress funding and sequestration?

Congress has to do better in protecting American interests and the Administration should also insure that corners are not being cut. If you wonder what could happen, look at the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing by Al Qaida in Africa – or the 1995 truck bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City by Tim McVeigh’s truck bomb.

We face threats from a more hostile climate, bigger storms like the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, the West, Texas explosions that blew away houses for blocks, not to mention hurricanes and terrorists. Armoring our weakest link – the glass –is not a luxury but a necessity to protect the occupants and buildings from 21st century threats.

Michael Fjetland
Global American Series
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Thursday, August 1, 2013

It Was a Riot -

After a surf competition in Huntington Beach, CA, youths went on a rampage. These guys are putting a stop sign through a storefront window.  "Let the thefts begin!"

They would have FAILED had Armor Glass security film been installed on that window. Between the film and frame bonding they would have cracked the glass but would NOT have gotten inside or through the glass. Below is a photo of a window that had Security Film installed before hurricane windborne debris hit it. Notice that the glass is cracked but there isn't an empty frame where glass used to be...


Ummm. Burglars, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Rioters, Shooters, Solar Heat....just a few of the reasons why you should have Armor Glass Security Films protecting you and your property from scenes like this...