Nerd News: TSA Smackdown! Or "You Thought THAT was a Patdown?!?

[Edited to Clarify:  Since this happened in UK, it wasn't TSA, but that is name of the equivalent organization here in US so the name I used for convenience sake.]

Via Bruce Schneier, who is a well known critic of what he calls "security theatre", http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/11/on_the_ineffect_1.html

He links to this AWESOME story http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/10/search-me/

Here is a snippet teaser, trust me, I didn't snip the best part, so go read whole article:

“That search was absolutely useless.” I said. “And just shows how much of all of this is security theatre. You guys are just feeling up passengers for no good effect, which means that you get all the downsides of a search – such as annoyed travellers who feel like they have had their privacy violated – without any of the benefits. I could have hidden half a dozen items on my person that you wouldn’t have had a snowball’s chance in a supernova of finding. That’s what I meant.”

That Gizmodo article was written by Matt Delito, "a police officer in London’s Metropolitan police force."

He blogs about his work and more at http://mattdelito.wordpress.com/


I immediately followed his RSS feed  http://mattdelito.wordpress.com/feed/
after reading his story.

Great Snark!

Also very true!!

Nerd News: "Cupcake Deemed 'Security Threat,' Confiscated By TSA"?!?

From http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/30062442/detail.html

"Rebecca Hains says she was going through security at the airport in Las Vegas when a TSA agent pulled her aside and said the cupcake frosting was “gel-like” enough to constitute a security risk."

Somedays I can't tell real news from The Onion (News Parody site, Warning: some offensive material there).

We need a T Shirt that says "Bad Airline Passenger, No Cupcake!"

I mean seriously did the TSA person think it was a security issue or were they hungry?  How will we ever know?

Esports is an International sport, I don't understand issues like Seizure of some Team Sp00ky Stream gear by the department of homeland security, or  Totalbiscuit problems with Homeland Security/Customs, but I do know that these issues do have a negative impact.

Totalbiscuit can't come to the USA to see his wife and son, or to cast!  Team SpOOky lost some expensive gear & data.

Some Korean players have had Visa issues, just delays I think most of the time, and so were unable to compete in events here as well.

I am sure there are more events I have not heard about since I don't go looking for these stories, because they upset me.

I wonder if Soccer or Golf players and teams have these problems as well when they come here, or if it is more of a problem for Esports?