Re: Airport security [no such thing]

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On Tue, 14 Jan 1997, Lucky Green wrote:

> I recently took a domestic flight from the Oakland, CA airport. While
> waiting for the airplane, I spent some time observing the security measures
> at the X-ray machine.
>
> As most readers probably know, laptops are often subject to manual
> scrutiny. From my non-representative sample, about four out of five tote
> bags clearly containing laptops will be manually searched. Typically, the
> attendant requires that the laptop is powered up. In none of the 20+ manual
> searches I witnessed did the security personnel wait past the RAM check
> before clearing the passenger. I could not help but contemplate how much of
> the insides of the laptop could be replaced while still obtaining an
> identical display.

I have had the same experience. I am sure that removing all components of
the laptop not required for its functioning would yield a significant amount
of room inside, especially for larger (non-"notebook") machines. I'm not
an expert on explosives, but I would imagine a laptop-full of whatever could
be pretty nasty. Someone with determination could even make it look like
it had a floppy, a CDROM, etc, just by replacing the devices themselves with
facades. Not that the airport security would notice, but anyway.

But wait - won't the all-important "did you pack your bags yourself" and
"did anyone give you bags to take on the plane" stop them? ;-)

It just obviates the fact that airport security is really useless against
a determined attacker, but manages to be extremely annoying to everyone else.

Krenn



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Krenn wrote:

> But wait - won't the all-important "did you pack your bags yourself" and
> "did anyone give you bags to take on the plane" stop them? ;-)

  If your friends or family are a little late catching the same plane as
yourself, then just answer, "No, my son packed them."
  This, on the average, gives your companions an extra 10-15 minutes
to catch the plane, since regulations require them to do a complete
check of your baggage (and they are 'supposed' to take them to a 
secure area to do so).
  Since you are ready to board the plane they cannot legally detain
you and let the plane go on, in order to process you and your 
baggage according to proper regulatory procedure. They must,
instead, detain the plane.
  They may jump up and down and tell you this is not so, but I have
never missed a plane, and neither have most of my tardy companions.