Live data from Hacker News

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

about.bgov.com

221–230 of 255 posts

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

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't irritate the TSA agents. If they don't get you for it, they will take it out on everyone behind you. Instead, write your congresscritters. Nearly all of them fly every week, so they feel your pain.

It would have been nice if that guy had actually hit me. We could've replaced him with someone with manners.

That's what you think but the TSA has left me bloody on two occasions and despite reports supported with pictures and other passenger statements, they were still on the job days and weeks later.

They're unaccountable, ineffective, and completely useless. It's a modern day Work Project.

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

#222
post #134

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 was flying form Twin Falls to L.A. and when I went through the metal detector I set it off. So, what to the TSA people do? They don't use the metal detector wand, they take some paper and rub it on my hands and put it in a machine to detect for explosive residue/powder...

[deleted]

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

#223
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My father has stopped flying entirely. He's got a pacemaker and sometimes needs a cane and has a small list of medications that he legitimately needs to have with him at all times. He's diabetic, as well. Though he's not very overweight, he just doesn't move as well as he once did. TSA has made flying for him and people like him so incredibly difficult. He's just opted out. I don't blame him, either, though it does m…

I'd really like to see an analysis of the total number of passenger-minutes that are spent waiting in TSA lines. Divide that by the avg human lifespan and compare it to the number of people killed or injured by a terrorist attack. When looked at like that, TSA costs more total lifetimes than have ever been taken through terrorist attacks.

Check Bruce Schneier's blog, I seem to recall he did some kind of breakdown like that a few years back.

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

#224
A few years back, my 3 year daughter was asked to get out of her stroller, remove her footwear & go through the scanner. This was in Dulles, VA.

I'm in perfect health & if I have a choice I never fly. I take the Amtrak or drive even though they are more expensive options.

Looks like we'll have to concede defeat to the security theatre monsters. The terrorists have really won!!

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

#225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least every airport I've been to (Europe, Dubai and India) have provided the 1L baggies for free. I usually get 4-5 uses out of them before they start tearing.

'baggies' is an interesting development in the English language, a colloquialism that is longer than its base word.

It's just a diminutive form of "bag", ie. "small bags"?

Just like you have for instance "telefonino" as the diminutive of "telefono" in Italian, literally "small telephone". And in German you add -chen or -lein to words to create the diminutive, so "Hund" becomes "Hündchen" (adding an umlaut as well, if applicable).

Generally I think it's very common for a lot of languages to add a cutesy suffix to the base word, in order to create the diminutive.

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

#226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hrm, that's interesting. I went through Schipol a few days ago and don't recall having to go through a metal detector. Nude body scanner yes, metal detector no. Maybe I just wasn't looking?

If you went through something looking like a big gate?

Not that I recall, no.

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

#227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't buy precheck out of principal. You shouldn't have to pay extra for a less invasive security experience

I used to feel the same way. I shouldn't have to, but if the choice is paying or getting felt up, I pay. Me not paying won't stop the feeling up anyway.

I always opt for the pat down instead of going through the machine.

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

#228
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had an emergency pocket knife at the bottom of my bag -- I totally forgot about it, I went through 2 US airports and 2 European airports before it was found in London. Our screening is worthless

London is crazy though. If the most minuscule thing is wrong about your luggage they'll pass it through every security check.

Yep. The last few times I've been through London they've insisted on absolutely emptying my backpack because, and I quote, I had "carefully coiled cables in it". I'm an IT guy, I travel with a laptop, several devices for entertainment on a plane, chargers, etc. I promised them that next time I would toss the cables in haphazardly so as to prevent further issues. They were...unamused.

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

#229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t forget about express lanes for those willing to consent and pay away their rights.

$100 for five years of Global Entry is: 1) A fucking racket. 2) Totally worth it!

It is a racket. Get a nexus pass for ~US$40 and it’s good for Canada and US, including Nexus.

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

#230
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

London is crazy though. If the most minuscule thing is wrong about your luggage they'll pass it through every security check.

Yep. The last few times I've been through London they've insisted on absolutely emptying my backpack because, and I quote, I had "carefully coiled cables in it". I'm an IT guy, I travel with a laptop, several devices for entertainment on a plane, chargers, etc. I promised them that next time I would toss the cables in haphazardly so as to prevent further issues. They were...unamused.

And god forbid you had a drop of liquid inside, as they will swab every nook and cranny of you bag and put the samples through some kind of detector.
Post reply on HN