An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
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Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#2I get that it's trying to be funny, but is it really no longer possible to create a website with a single arrow that doesn't have to pull down all this cruft ?
window.jQuery || document.write('')
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#3I get that it's trying to be funny, but is it really no longer possible to create a website with a single arrow that doesn't have to pull down all this cruft ? window.jQuery || document.write(' ')
Gotta be #responsive
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#4http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/tsa-spent-47000-o...
"According to Mashable, the Transportation Security Administration apparently spent $47,000 on an app that is essentially a random number generator—it was briefly used to assign travelers to left or right lanes at airports.
As the website reported: “The app was used by TSA agents to randomly assign passengers to different pre-check lines as part of a now-discontinued program called ‘managed inclusion.’”
Such an app is widely viewed to be an extremely simple program to write. Many are questioning why a government agency overpaid for the app.
The revelation was published Sunday evening by Kevin Burke, a San Francisco-based developer, who received TSA documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request. The documents showed a $1.4 million price tag. However, the TSA has clarified that figure, stating that the app actually cost $47,000."
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#5I get that it's trying to be funny, but is it really no longer possible to create a website with a single arrow that doesn't have to pull down all this cruft ? window.jQuery || document.write(' ')
Meh, it's probably still less overengineered than the actual TSA app.
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#6The argument that will be made against something like this is "We can't use a product that would let the bad guys see how it works!" I know it sounds ridiculous, but in my limited experience, "Security through Obscurity" is a key feature required by everything related to the (ineffective) methods used to secure the airports in the US. I believe this fact was even alluded to in the original article related to the justification for why a PRNG hooked up to a boolean cost USD$1.4M or USD$47,000 or whatever price over an hour's wage of a government intern it actually cost.
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#7I get that it's trying to be funny, but is it really no longer possible to create a website with a single arrow that doesn't have to pull down all this cruft ? window.jQuery || document.write(' ')
Gotta be #responsive
Exactly! My first attempt was just 10 lines of HTML code, but it was a real pain to do the vertical centering on iOS. So I tried a Bootstrap template, saw that even they didn't do the centering on iOS, but was too lazy to change it back.
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#8I actually have a solution that costs exactly $0.01, per employee. It also works on any platform.
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#9I actually have a solution that costs exactly $0.01, per employee. It also works on any platform.
If you're alluding to a penny, I think you'll find that they cost more that $0.01. Probably a far better example wasteful government procurement than this app.
Re: An opensource alternative for the TSA’s $300k line assistant
#10I get that it's trying to be funny, but is it really no longer possible to create a website with a single arrow that doesn't have to pull down all this cruft ? window.jQuery || document.write(' ')
I think what your actual objection is that it's so easy to make a simple website with all that cruft. Much or all of that stuff comes in one of the easiest to find and download "starter packs" from Bootstrap. You can take the time to figure out what everything does and slim it down or just ship it.