MetaFilter posts tagged with airportsecurity

An Unclear Future

mattdidthat — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:41:18 -0800

Clear, the "security service" that allowed travellers to bypass TSA security lines, offered a Father's Day discount if you purchased a one-year membership by June 21. On June 23, Clear ceased operations. Sorry, no refunds.

TSA gets Xray goggles. No, seriously.

allkindsoftime — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:54 -0800

Scanners that see through clothing installed in US airports. Good news! No more testing. Time to roll these puppies out. It's OK though, seriously guys. See we're gonna blur the faces when we look at their sexual organs, so everything's cool. K? Prev.

Do you 'av your papers? Vhere are your papers?

FunkyHelix — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 19:19:15 -0800

Selkie Goes to the Airport "This morning, I arrived at the airport with an hour to make my flight. I kissed my fiancee, wiped off the tears, and queued up for the TSA checkpoint with my laptop out, my shoes off and my identification in my hand. There were three people in front of me; I had plenty of time." It goes down hill from there.

Osama Fin Laden

Dreama — Mon, 29 Dec 2003 21:48:30 -0800

The fish that threatened national security. Lara Hayhurst, a student at Pace University, needed to take one small thing through the checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport: her pet beta fish MJ. This was, however, an apparent threat to the security of the airport and Lara's flight home to Pittsburgh for winter break. Flush the fish or become a felon? Read about Lara's decision and how the TSA forced her hand. Remember, when 2" long tropical fish can freely gain access to our airliners, the terrorists have... yada yada.

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limitedpie — Fri, 04 Apr 2003 13:16:57 -0800

"What can escape the eye of God all seeing?" Milton asked. The impossibility of escape from "the eye" is often the very root of what it means to be, like Kokusai Omocha, a "cyborg." The inescapable eye fantasy powers brilliant, archetypal designs of prisons, low brow toy sales and the scourge of the Internet. 108 years ago, the fear of "the eye" induced entrepenuers to invent lead underwear to foil newly invented X-Rays from seeing too much. Today, in the name of security, these metaphors, fantasies and fears all are coming together at a few airports near you.

dogmatic — Mon, 05 Aug 2002 09:43:52 -0800

2" GI Joe Rifle Confiscated in Airport Security Crackdown Airport security staff confiscated a TWO-INCH plastic gun from a toy soldier. "They examined the toy as if it was going to shoot them . . . Then they asked me if there were toy grenades as well. I thought they were joking, but they weren’t smiling — they were deadly serious." Have the terrorists already won?

Sinner — Thu, 06 Dec 2001 14:34:05 -0800

Terrorism is always disgusting, but this is just plain gross. Wired wonders if terrorists will start carrying explosives inside their bodies. They don't explain whether they'll, uh, "remove" them before detonation. Will Argenbright start issuing rubber gloves? And on a more serious note, does this underscore the fact that planes can never be fully secure, meaning I can get my plastic lunch knife back? (I think so.)

Ty Webb — Wed, 26 Sep 2001 16:29:19 -0800

In the case of airport security, the free market has failed to provide for the public good.