I've never felt more like I was living in a prequel to Idiocracy than I did while reading that.
One imagines the Idiocracy intro showing how TSA evoled into TGB (Things Go Boom).
TTGB (things that go boom) to be precise
FTFY :)
Viral Video About Body Scanners
81–90 of 204 posts
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
The spelling and grammatical errors tell you within 5 seconds that this person is not very intelligent. For obvious security reasons, we can’t discuss our technology's detection capability in detail, however TSA conducts extensive testing of all screening technologies in the laboratory and at airports prior to rolling them out to the entire field. This is a run-on sentence. Imaging technology has been extremely effec…
Thinking that you can judge someone's intelligence by their spelling and grammar is so incredibly wrong. And I don't mean wrong in a moral "don't be that guy" way (though that too), I mean wrong as in technically inaccurate.
Can you elaborate on how this is technically inaccurate? Is there something like a Flesch-Kincaid test for intelligence?
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#83Wow. This blog post makes me WAY more afraid of the TSA than the original video did. I can't wrap my head around the language used. "Things that go BOOM" ???!?!?! Are you fucking kidding me? These are the people that are supposedly acting in the interests of our safety? Disgusted. Whoever wrote or approved this post ought to be fired. Fast.
I hate the TSA as much as anyone, but this type of gallows humor is pretty common - in private, it's common for doctors to joke about dying patients, etc, because keeping things deathly serious all the time is emotionally impossible.
But as you said yourself, there are situations in which this 'humor' is appropriate. The official blog of a government agency is definitely not the place. I would expect this type of language from a no-name blog by a person with the grammar of 16 year-old.
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#84OK, I will play the devil's advocate. Yes, he does not deny or dispute whether the method works as claimed. The otherwise hip language is not helping nor does it sound sincere, I agree. But, if we want to stay objective: 1) He describes the demonstration in the video as a "crude attempt", which is in certain ways true. Neither is the attempt too sophisticated, nor the documentation of it, or should I say especially t…
the % would not matter if you can fool it 100% in a well defined flow...
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#85Wow. This blog post makes me WAY more afraid of the TSA than the original video did. I can't wrap my head around the language used. "Things that go BOOM" ???!?!?! Are you fucking kidding me? These are the people that are supposedly acting in the interests of our safety? Disgusted. Whoever wrote or approved this post ought to be fired. Fast.
I hate the TSA as much as anyone, but this type of gallows humor is pretty common - in private, it's common for doctors to joke about dying patients, etc, because keeping things deathly serious all the time is emotionally impossible.
Yes, but that's the key - in private. There are jokes I use with my friends, that I would NEVER use in public situation.
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
The spelling and grammatical errors tell you within 5 seconds that this person is not very intelligent. For obvious security reasons, we can’t discuss our technology's detection capability in detail, however TSA conducts extensive testing of all screening technologies in the laboratory and at airports prior to rolling them out to the entire field. This is a run-on sentence. Imaging technology has been extremely effec…
Thinking that you can judge someone's intelligence by their spelling and grammar is so incredibly wrong. And I don't mean wrong in a moral "don't be that guy" way (though that too), I mean wrong as in technically inaccurate.
"too" ;)
I think there actually is something to be said for PR people having good spelling and grammar.
The way this blog post is written might give the impression that the TSA is not a professional organization. It reflects poorly on the agency. It might lead one to the conclusion that if the public face of the TSA can't communicate effectively, the organization might have other problems as well.
edit: I just looked at the blogger's bio (http://blog.tsa.gov/2008/01/meet-our-bloggers_29.html), here's the interesting bit for context:
> I started with the TSA in September 2002. I worked at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) for 5 years and am currently residing at TSA headquarters. I started as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO), and have since been promoted to a Social Media Analyst with the Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs to manage and write for the Blog.
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#87"things that go BOOM"
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#88> For obvious security reasons, we can’t discuss our technology's detection capability in detail... The way I read it: For obvious job security reasons, we can’t discuss our technology's detection capability in detail... Anyway, I sure feel safe knowing that the security of my life is entrusted to obscurity, and I'm thankful for the trolling TSA blog posts that remind me of this.
> For obvious security reasons, we can’t discuss our technology's detection capability in detail...
Yes, because security through obscurity is an effective policy.
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
On a flight last week I overheard the TSA agent joke about the "torture" procedure he was about to inflict on my son when he opted out of a body scan. I don't find anything about the TSA to be humorous.
But remember! If you joke about carrying a weapon, about violence, or anything the TSA does not like... Immediate grounds for (at best) a thorough pat-down. Or being added to a no-fly list. Or being tossed out of airport security. Or being detained away from your family.
Exactly....remember those two friends that got barred from the US for joking over Twitter:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3528138
Now the TSA makes an even more incendiary joke about "things that go BOOM" and it's all dandy from their perspective. Talk about hypocrisy.
Re: Viral Video About Body Scanners
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thinking that you can judge someone's intelligence by their spelling and grammar is so incredibly wrong. And I don't mean wrong in a moral "don't be that guy" way (though that too), I mean wrong as in technically inaccurate.
"too" ;) I think there actually is something to be said for PR people having good spelling and grammar. The way this blog post is written might give the impression that the TSA is not a professional organization. It reflects poorly on the agency. It might lead one to the conclusion that if the public face of the TSA can't communicate effectively, the organization might have other problems as well. edit: I just looked…
> "too" ;)
ARGHH. Despite what I said I fucking hate typos, to the extent that most of my friends now correct their own when texting/IMing just so I don't do it for them.
To the rest of your comment: I completely agree that it reflects badly on the TSA, just not that it means the individual is stupid. Much the same as a company that has a website that looks like it was designed literally by a 6 year old in MS paint has clearly done something moronic, but the fact that they aren't artistic doesn't mean the person who made it is not intelligent.