{"id":189,"date":"2005-07-01T02:06:46","date_gmt":"2005-07-01T07:06:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/07\/01\/189\/"},"modified":"2005-07-04T15:09:02","modified_gmt":"2005-07-04T20:09:02","slug":"harmonicas-still-a-major-terroristic-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/07\/01\/harmonicas-still-a-major-terroristic-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Harmonicas still a major terroristic threat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/knett\/21739112\/\"><br \/>\n<img src='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-content\/images\/PoemsBooksAndBluesByHippieDude.jpg?w=840&#038;ssl=1' alt='Peoms books and blues by Hippie Dude (from Flickr)' align='right' hspace='10' vspace='10' data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/a>In breaking news, your reporter has officially determined that <a href=\"http:\/\/unhinderedbytalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/05\/15\/yattns-yet-another-threat-to-national-security\/\">my earlier strange interaction involving airport security and harmonicas<\/a> was not a fluke.  Flying back from <a href=\"http:\/\/unhinderedbytalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/06\/27\/a-big-howdy-from-gecco-and-washington-dc\/\" title=\"Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference 2005\"><acronym title=\"Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference 2005\">GECCO<\/acronym><\/a> today my backpack got flagged for hand inspection at Washington National Airport.  I got wand searched, including getting to unbuckle my belt in public so a strapping fellow could pat down my waistline.  (I love how the Bush administrating continues to provide me with new and exciting opportunities!)  Both my bags were rummaged through at some length by a nice lady, and once again she focussed on my harmonicas, pulling out all three of them and running them separately through the x-ray machine.<\/p>\n<p>Wow.  Who&#8217;d&#8217;ve thunk?  Especially since I&#8217;ve <em>never<\/em> had problems with harmonicas before last month, and I&#8217;ve been traveling with them like this for years beyond counting.<\/p>\n<p>I actually worked up the nerve to ask (in my best, lighthearted, I&#8217;m-a-good-citizen-not-an-evil-terrorist sort of voice) if the harmonicas really were the problem.  And she nicely let me in on what I must assume is a Major Air Traffic Safety Board Secret:  They were the problem.  Presumably they look confusing or bad or generally disreputable in the x-ray, especially when jumbled in with other stuff.  Her (very helpful) advice was to make sure to take them out of my bag in future and run them through the x-ray separately.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/poagao\/14816192\/\"><img src='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-content\/images\/HarmonimacroByPoagao.jpg?w=840&#038;ssl=1' alt='Harmonimacro by Poagao (from Flickr)' align='right' hspace='10' vspace='10' data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/a>So, with my standard travel kit, this means I&#8217;ll run five distinct items\/tubs through the x-ray machine:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>My laptop (which has to be separate)\n\t<\/li>\n<li>My harmonicas (which now need to be separate)\n\t<\/li>\n<li>The bucket with my shoes, pens, loose change, laptop sleeve, and other random crap that might set off their sensors\n\t<\/li>\n<li>My backpack (minus laptop and harmonicas)\n\t<\/li>\n<li>My carry-on bag\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;ll hold the line up as much as a middle-class family four all on my own.  I can hardly wait :-).<\/p>\nNo tag for this post.\n\t<h4>Related posts<\/h4>\n\t<ul class=\"st-related-posts\">\n\t<li>No related posts.<\/li>\n\t<\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In breaking news, your reporter has officially determined that my earlier strange interaction involving airport security and harmonicas was not a fluke. Flying back from GECCO today my backpack got flagged for hand inspection at Washington National Airport. I got wand searched, including getting to unbuckle my belt in public so a strapping fellow could &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/07\/01\/harmonicas-still-a-major-terroristic-threat\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Harmonicas still a major terroristic threat&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[13,19],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p90sy-33","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":155,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2005\/05\/15\/yattns-yet-another-threat-to-national-security\/","url_meta":{"origin":189,"position":0},"title":"YATTNS:  Yet Another Threat To National Security","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"15 May 05","format":false,"excerpt":"In the excitement of arriving in Ann Arbor I forgot to mention a somewhat bizarre story from the trip out. Ellery and I were going through security at Minneapolis, and there was a \"sinking feeling in stomach\" moment when the security folks decided to run my backpack through the x-ray\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1931,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2015\/07\/09\/newark-airport-how-do-you-annoy-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":189,"position":1},"title":"Newark Airport: How do you annoy me?","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"9 Jul 15","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh, let me count the ways: - No free WiFi. In 2015. Soon they'll be handing out candles. - It reminds me of changing planes in O'Hare in the 70's (& that's not a Good Thing). - The only map I could find was on a big display panel which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Travels&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Travels","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/travels\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":589,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2007\/06\/25\/heres-hoping-they-have-second-thoughts\/","url_meta":{"origin":189,"position":2},"title":"Here&#8217;s hoping they have second thoughts","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"25 Jun 07","format":false,"excerpt":"This was one of the first things we saw when we flew to Alaska last July, and I must say that it was sad and depressing to see their airport named after Ted \"Internet = tubes but not trucks\" Stevens. Unfortunately clear and public demonstrations of gross ignorance of material\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":864,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2008\/07\/11\/msp-humphrey-terminal-a-modern-ghost-town\/","url_meta":{"origin":189,"position":3},"title":"MSP Humphrey terminal: A modern ghost town","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"11 Jul 08","format":false,"excerpt":"The Hubert H. Humphrey terminal at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport was eerily empty and quiet today.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computing","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/computing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":869,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2008\/08\/17\/dead-people-scare-me-so-its-nice-to-know-that-saddam-is-still-on-the-terrorist-watch-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":189,"position":4},"title":"Dead people scare me, so it&#8217;s nice to know that Saddam is still on the Terrorist Watch List","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"17 Aug 08","format":false,"excerpt":"photo credit: PieterMusterd As most anyone who's flown much in the last few years can attest, the existing TSA airport security system frequently borders on the ludicrous. I know I'm more comfortable in the air knowing that 7-year-old John Anderson (of Minneapolis) is on the national Terrorist Watch List, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":619,"url":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/2007\/08\/18\/the-many-mysteries-of-consumer-electronics\/","url_meta":{"origin":189,"position":5},"title":"The many mysteries of consumer electronics","author":"Nic McPhee","date":"18 Aug 07","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the coolest\/strangest things on our trip out to the UK was the discovery that the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport now has vending machines selling iPods, as well as headphones, chargers, and digital cameras! We've reached the point where we can buy computers in vending machines, a slight change from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computing","link":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/archives\/category\/computing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/UnhinderedByTalent.com\/Phi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}