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08/14/2007: "Transportation Stupidity Agency"
Been a while since an update, but since I sent this off in an email, I may as well repeat this here...
Reading an article of Christopher Elliot's articles "Airport security: there's no backing out", made me recall some of my own experiences.
One was about laptops and the TSA:
When I use my computer, and am going to use it again shortly, I generally just put it in standby mode - for example, when I am planning on going to the President's club. Well, I was going through the security line at Newark terminal C, and the X-Ray screener asked one of the other TSA people to send my laptop through again. It goes through again, and then he says "something still isn't right, let's try this," and pops out the battery, and sends the battery and laptop through in separate bins. While this seemed to address whatever problem they were having, they left me with a laptop that had to do a full reboot, and attempt to auto-recovery whatever I could afterwards.
Just something to be aware of - apparently if it's out of your possession, you better assume they can do what they want with it.
Another case was a screener in Bangkok, who took my _empty_ water bottle away from me, saying they weren't allowed, even empty... Apparently I might fill it up with unapproved water from the drinking fountain, rather than buying a new one.