RIM takes a cue from Gloria Estefan. Rhythm is going to get you and get your phone unlocked.

RIM has a patent to unlock BlackBerry phones with rhythm. Tap out a tune, unlock your phone. I hope no thieves like the Barney Miller theme, because I’m pretty sure they would guess my code. Bow, buh-buh-bow, buh-buh-bow, buh-buh-bow-bow-bow-bow-bow-bow-buh-bow. That would actually be a pretty secure code, as Engadget reports: “Rather than just sensing rhythm, [RIM engineers] reckon a phone’s accelerometer could also detect the magnitude and location of each tap, which would make it harder for eavesdroppers to mimic.”

Super secure passwords

Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Late-era John Coltrane

The Surfaris – Wipeout

And for public radio nerds – most of Steve Reich’s oeuvre