Shoddy Hardware (Was: Re: WW fixtures (was Re: "New" PDP-8))

From: Doc <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
Date: Wed Apr 3 23:04:33 2002

On Wed, 3 Apr 2002, Chad Fernandez wrote:
>
> Wow, that would have made me very upset. I'm all for security, but not
> them confiscating my property, just becasue it resembles a gun barrel.
> It's a working flashlight, made by the thousands, nothing special, not
> some James Bond, Man With a Golden Gun weapon.

  Well, I guess "confiscated" was the wrong term. My checked baggage
was checked, my ride dropped me and left, and my only option was to
leave it there or leave with it. So if Jim hadn't been on shift, I'd
have probably lost my light.
  It _felt_ like confiscation, and I _was_ upset.

> Arriving early, is a good idea. That's the kind of thing that I believe
> we should expect to deal with for the sake of security.

  Saw a lasy in Denver in November show up at the security check-in 20
minutes before her flight boarded. She naturally got tagged for a
thorough search, and started screaming at security about missing her
flight and her rights. It wasn't security who very quickly shut her up,
it was the looks she was getting from the other travelers. Quite
gratifying.

> > Wanna know what *really* throws security into a tizzy?
>
> Wow, thats wierd. 8.5" X 11, that would be alot of explosive material,
> I would think...... I assume the scope can't see the depth.

  Nah, I think the scope shows depth, and I usually have a stack 3/4" or
more if I have any. The experienced personnel pretty much expect that
it's foils, but the rookies, and there are a lot of rookies this year,
handle the bag very very gently. As I said, even the veterans don't
want it opened till after they check for residues.

  My sister-in-law doesn't mind any of that. It's the guys wearing camo
and carrying AR-15s that put her off. She won't step into an airport.

        Doc
Received on Wed Apr 03 2002 - 23:04:33 BST