DO NOT TRY THIS TODAY. During the mid/late 1980's I worked for a firm that made MIL-STD-1153B devices and test systems. AS some of you may know that standard is for a serial communication protocol used on many aircraft. Most of the time I would hand carry the items I was transporting if they were small to avoid any issues with "lost baggage". On one trip (domestic US travel), I was carring a portable test fixeure that was built into a ruggedized briefcase. This device was capable of running on battery and had lots f blinken lights and indicators. I had opened it up to give a demo to a fellow passenger [engineer for Boeing] and had left it on when a stewardess came by nd asked what it was. Without thinking I said "It is a device for controlling all of the electronics abort a modern airplane". She gave me a VERY strange look, and quickly dearted for the cockpit area. About 90 seconds later on of the light crew came back and sterny demanded I explain myself. Fortunately he was up to date and knew was MIL-STD-1553 was. He was actually interested and had me give him a quick demo (after he made a quick trip back to the cockpit to calm down the rest of the crew). While this incident turned out to be rather funny in retrospect, I shudder to think of what would/could happen in the post 9/11 world. [Or in travel thorugh other countries independent of era [don't even ask about the German Camera Incident....] David

Don't try this either.... About 12 year ago I took a DEC rainbow on a train in England. This involved putting the LK201 keyboard in the inside pocket of my raincoat, stuffing cables and floppies into the other inside pocket of said coat, carrying the CPU box under one arm and carrying the VR201 monitor in my other hand... I ahd checked that there were not rules preventing me from taking such a device on the train. Said rules didn't actually mention computers, but portable TVs were OK, and there was nothing about the 'bow that was more dangerous than a TV (the most dangerous bit, IMHO, was the CRT, which would be the same in both the VR201 and a similar-sized TV). Anyway, I noticed that the VR201, carried by its handle, screen-down looked a bit like a mine (the explosive type). So I made up some signs which read 'Danger Implosives' and stuck them on the sides of the VR201. I got some very odd looks.... As I said, don't try this today... -tony

Jerome Fine replies: December 30th, 1997 - Too much before even the Y2Y scares. I was flying from Toronto to Seoul via Chicago. The 4 PDP-11s (naturally - why else would I be going) were being used to check the fuel rods during a shutdown and the computers had been in a trailer over the winter. Since it was not an option to be missing anything needed to get the systems up and running, I had 2 small suitcases FULL of boards and disk drives, etc. Everything except the power supply in a BA23 box. I guess that each suitcase must have weighed about 30 lb. Since I had to hand carry the suitcases (not even any bubble wrap inside) and I was concerned that x-rays might affect the floppy media and perhaps even the hard drives, I asked for a visual inspection at security. While I had a letter stating my contract with AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.), I don't think security even asked to see it. In any case, I opened both suitcases and helped them look through all the junk, explaining that the floppy media and hard drives, let alone the EPROMs were sensitive to x-rays. There did not seem to be any real concern and the checking took only about a minute or two. Since there was virtually no electronics except for the PCB boards (which even these days are easily recognizable), I doubt that it would cause any more of a problem - as long as I had MUCH better documentation of who I was working for, etc. An employee would be expected to have some company ID, but I was on a one-time contract which would make identification more difficult. Can anyone comment as to what level of ID is helpful, in addition to a Passport and Driver's License, both with picture ID? Is company ID helpful as well when electronic stuff is carried? What about letters explaining the reason for the equipment? Since letters are easily made up, what about pre-clearance with security? How do security people get through security? Or maybe I should not even be asking that question? Sincerely yours, Jerome Fine -- If you attempted to send a reply and the original e-mail address has been discontinued due a high volume of junk e-mail, then the semi-permanent e-mail address can be obtained by replacing the four characters preceding the 'at' with the four digits of the current year.

On Fri, 6 Aug 2004, Ed Kelleher wrote: Interesting! Thanks for the tip. -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]

At 10:30 AM 8/6/04 -0400, you wrote: I used to travel frequently for my job as an aerospace engineer for Martin Marietta. When I traveled outside the US I was given security briefings and warnings that were much more in depth than what the general public gets. One of the things that I was specificly warned about was NOT to carry anything that would identify me as an employee of a military contractor or any id from any government agency. They were afraid that if we were hijacked and the hijackers found the id then we'd be in for a LOT of trouble. In addition if we were taken to a not so friendly country we could be held by that country while they tried to pick our brains (forceably!) I used to carry my Canadian birth certificate as well as my US one and the Canadian one would usually get me into (or out of!) any place that the US one wouldn't. I generally found that a company id didn't help much with customs. They never seemed to be impressed. They were more receptive to the idea that I was a computer or calculator collector and that was why I was carrying around all that odd junk. Joe

On Fri, 6 Aug 2004, Joe R. wrote: Which makes me wonder: are there so many nerds running around the world loaded down with suitcases filled with old computers, calculators, and electronics that the security personnel are unfazed by it? Or are they just numbed by sitting there 8 hours a day looking at the personal crap of thousands of people every day? -- Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org [ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ] [ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]