Earlier quoted context omitted.
VeraCrypt (f/k/a TrueCrypt) is your friend!
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_false_statements
Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
31–40 of 124 posts
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#32The secrecy issue has gotten out of hand.
The classic military view of secrecy is time-limited. "Where the ship was last week is unclassified. Where the ship was yesterday is confidential. Where the ship is now is secret. Where the ship will be tomorrow is top secret." The opposition will eventually find out what you're planning on doing. The goal is for them to find out the hard way, when incoming fire starts hitting them.
The intelligence community has a longer-term view. "We know, and they know. We think they don't know that we know they know. We hope they don't know how we found out that they know." This protection of sources mindset leads to things being kept secret long after all involved parties know.
The anti-terrrorism community has adopted the intelligence community mindset. This is a problem.
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, a stateroom on a cargo ship sounds like it would be fun. Something to try one of these days.
No longer available. Considered a hijacking risk.
This doesn't seem to be true. This site [1] lists many agencies (based in the US, UK and other countries) that will sell you a passenger ticket for a cargo ship.
Availability is probably limited though, as each ship can only take a few passangers: "Cargo ships can carry a maximum of 12 passengers although most vessels only have accommodation for 4 to 6 passengers" [2].
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are not opaque to X-Rays, much less the ludicrous penetrating power used in baggage inspection. Baggage X-rays can happily penetrate inches of metal, nothing short of lead brick will obscure contents and that's going to raise other questions. Where did you get that nonsense from?
>Where did you get that nonsense from From the article: "since lithium batteries are completely opaque to x-rays"
I probably should have been more clear that they are completely opaque to the x-ray systems commonly in use in airports for carry-on screenings at their standard intensity setting(s). But that's a mouthful.
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#35As lithium batteries are opaque to X-Rays, perhaps a ban on laptops with batteries should be considered. This will surely push for standard swappable batteries and standard power supplies so the laptops could be used on board without batteries.
What? No, that's a wholly unnecessary solution (though more standardization of batteries would certainly be nice). Swab the outside of the laptop for bomb residue, which would be especially difficult to clean from a laptop because the stronger solvents to clean with (like acetone) would mark the plastic. Or hire more dogs. Or make a "puffer machine" for laptops (blasts with air and then samples the air for explosive…
Is the puffer machine a thing? Or you just came up with it?
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#36ya right, fuck off TSA. They're just trying to pretend they're relevant.
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_false_statements
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Amendment_to_the_United_...
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#38One of the sad things about airport security is that there is no scope for private innovation. It is a military industrial complex of using substandard solutions for potentially non existent problems while wasting insane amount of money. May be there is a need for the security theatre but then we can at least get good at it. Can Elon Musk design a better airport security ?
Fuck Elon Musk, can you design a tool that would make airport security better? I bet in 15 minutes, most HN readers could come up with something that would be cheaper, more effective, and faster to use than the current tool set. There's indeed money to be made here (and good to be done), even if the easiest way would be to patent your idea and sell it to the military industrial complex you speak of. Fun fact: the par…
Penn Jillete's "Bacon and a Kiss" airline screening.
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#39This article seems to miss the fact ISIS took over Mosul international airport in 2014. Surely they got luggage screening machines in hand by then already.
Re: Laptop Ban a Reaction to X-Ray Equipment Stolen by ISIS
#40>So why was the stolen x-ray equipment kept a secret? I asked my source if there was some security reason for keeping the stolen x-ray equipment from the public, and was told, unequivocally, no. “It’s because the mom from the midwest planning to fly her kids to Disney would freak out. They are worried that people would stop flying if they knew.” Kind of ironic, because I've already stopped flying - not because I'm af…
Next time I'd really appreciate it if folks didn't automatically disparage an entire REGION of the country as ignorant of the risks of a) living b) driving to the airport c) flying once at the airport. As far as I can tell, DHS are the ones not properly managing risks here, not the mom traveling to Disney.
I will let my source know your feelings when I next speak with him or her. :)
I think the implication that he or she was trying to make is that statistically, those on the coasts travel by air more frequently. As someone with a mom who was very afraid of flying and terror related risks thereto, I know that fear largely dissipated when I finally got her to fly a few times. It's not an allegation of ignorance but that of relative inexperience (was my take, anyway).