6 Aug
2004
6 Aug
'04
12:32 a.m.
I went to a HP Calculator conference in England about 6 or 7 years ago
(pre-9/11) and I carried a LOT of calculators, parts, accessories and tools
with me. I was very concerned about going through security and customs but
had almost no trouble. The ONLY thing they questioned was what was the
little thing that I had hanging off of a pair wires with nothing else
connected. (It was a tiny prototype blue chip LED that I'd connected two
wires to in order to power it up). Somehow they'd spotted it via X-ray or
something buried under everything else in the case and it aroused their
curiosity because it wasn't connected to anything. When I pulled out the
calculators and told them that I was going to a calculator conference I
expected a lot of questions but they acted like they could care less.
Joe
At 09:07 PM 8/5/04 -0700, you wrote:
I just heard the very end of a TV news report, where
they said some airport
terminal was shut down for hours today due to a bomb scare. They
described the
potential bomb as a small, odd-looking box with wires
and various electrical
parts. Then they said "It turned out to be an antique microphone."
Which makes me wonder... has anyone here ever had a problem explaining
vintage
computers to airport security? When I flew out to VCF
last fall I
proactively
told the security officer that my bag contained vintage
calculators and
handheld computers, in case it looked odd to her in the X-Ray machine, but
she
looked at me with an expression of "Why the heck
do you think I'd care?"
LOL,
however that may be more of a comment on how poor the
airport security hiring
rules are.
I'd like to hear some feedback, however, please let's NOT turn this into a
rambling thread about politics or any similar B.S....