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Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

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Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#61
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's always up to the whims of the underpaid TSA agent who happens to be there that day. Back when iPads were new, I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart.

> I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart. You are describing the the usual daily cluster-fuck of life in the military, and in fact, government service in general. I don't know why it is that way, but it is. I have not experienced it in my now 20 years of life in the private sector, but back when I was in the militar…

If I had to guess about the military, it would be a combination of the fact that doing it wrong gets people killed, a constant need to optimize, improve, or respond to changing conditions, and a lack of sophistication to tell the two apart.

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#62

But now TSA has started asking me to remove any food items from my bags for the scanner. Does anyone know why?

Explosives usually look similar to organic matter on xrays

Twizzler is not organic matter is it?

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#63
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's always up to the whims of the underpaid TSA agent who happens to be there that day. Back when iPads were new, I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart.

> I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart. You are describing the the usual daily cluster-fuck of life in the military, and in fact, government service in general. I don't know why it is that way, but it is. I have not experienced it in my now 20 years of life in the private sector, but back when I was in the militar…

This is what happens when you compensate people with authority rather than, you know, money.

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#64

About a year ago I was at an airport (Boston? New Jersey?) outbound that had a sign or TV monitor saying "Great news, you no longer need to take your laptop out of your bag!" I read this sign as a TSA worker shouted every 30 seconds to the shuffling line about how everyone needed to take out all laptops, "ipads", cameras, etc. I wonder if it was a pilot program. Or more likely, just part of the constantly shifting fa…

It seems every airport has its own different security theatre just to keep us on our toes.

In Newark, I put my backpack in the plastic bin. Vegas, put the bag directly on the conveyor belt. LaGuardia, stack the bins after picking up your items. Vegas, do not stack the bins.

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Explosives usually look similar to organic matter on xrays

Can confirm. I often travel with a big Ziploc bag of stickers (life of a Developer Evangelist). Have started removing it from my bag for security because it usually triggers a search.

Why not stick them on your back and just peel one off when you need to give one off?

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#66
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's always up to the whims of the underpaid TSA agent who happens to be there that day. Back when iPads were new, I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart.

In the last 8 days: CMH->MCO ‘remove your belts please’ MCO->SEA ‘keep your belts on’ SEA->CMH ‘i’d recommend you take your belt off’

Yeah they told me to leave my belt on before going through the metal detector at OAK a few years ago. That worked out about as well as expected. More recently I flew out of JFK T4 a couple times (protip: don't) and on one of these trips all hell broke loose when someone's pet cat escaped. Security theater indeed.

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#68

About a year ago I was at an airport (Boston? New Jersey?) outbound that had a sign or TV monitor saying "Great news, you no longer need to take your laptop out of your bag!" I read this sign as a TSA worker shouted every 30 seconds to the shuffling line about how everyone needed to take out all laptops, "ipads", cameras, etc. I wonder if it was a pilot program. Or more likely, just part of the constantly shifting fa…

Maybe it was for TSA Pre-Check

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#69
post #61
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I got scolded for taking it out of my bag, and scolded for leaving it in my bag, by agents at the same airport on two trips a few weeks apart. You are describing the the usual daily cluster-fuck of life in the military, and in fact, government service in general. I don't know why it is that way, but it is. I have not experienced it in my now 20 years of life in the private sector, but back when I was in the militar…

If I had to guess about the military, it would be a combination of the fact that doing it wrong gets people killed, a constant need to optimize, improve, or respond to changing conditions, and a lack of sophistication to tell the two apart.

It's more because military is a jobs program for unemployables

Re: Laptops to Stay in Bags as TSA Brings New Technology to Airports

#70

It's fascinating how the security theatre has gotten so big that now it basically just rolls forward under its own momentum. It's been around long enough that people accept it as normal, it serves no other purpose than to employ the unemployable and fill contractors' coffers, and it seems that no entity is able to stop or dismantle it.

I'd say the last 15+ years of air travel has been pretty safe in the US. To say the security has accomplished nothing is a stretch.
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