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Comdex Bans Bags From Show Floor
ckd writes: "CNET is reporting that COMDEX organizers have a new security policy--no bags except vendor supplied plastic bags will allowed on the show floor. "While on-site, you should CARRY A PHOTO ID (DRIVER'S LICENSE OR PASSPORT) ON YOU AT ALL TIMES." They want you to leave your laptop in your hotel room, too! Oh, and no cameras at the keynotes, either. But they haven't announced that they're planning to strip search people ... yet."
"they haven't announced that they're planning to strip search people"
I'm sure no one will mind. It will be the only action the geeks get anyway.
I know we're angry, unemployed techies, but I don't think we would blow up a place of reverence.
Me fail English? That's unpossible!
Just like a baseball game. For the best. Except it will be much harder to collect all those freebie's. I mean really, is it that much to give up?
Should we induce stipsearching? Could cause an uprising in Comdex popularity.
...because all the companies exhibiting at COMDEX are so broke they can't afford to give me new t-shirts. What a clever way to save money on promo items!
But, what am I supposed to wear for the next year!?! I guess my Penguin Computing T-shirts will have to be worn twice!
On one hand security is good in the wake of events in the close past, but on the other hand when does an event miss it's point for security?
I remember going to that thing! Wow! It started going out of style around '94 or so. I thought they'd have given up by now...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
I want to strip search the booth babes! Like the ones that IOMEGA had a few years back ;-)
This is suprising. At the Itech show in Boston, they weren't very strict. I was supposed to setup for the show on 9/11. It was held at the Boston WTC. This was obviously not done. They closed that day, and the show was a month later. I don't see why they would think that a Comdex show would be targeted.
Um, this is my sig.
Does that mean the wife stays at home?
Seriously....what it means is no backpacks or carry cases, like the ones we routinely shoulder for carrying those 7lb. notebooks around. You know, the ones you left at home, rather than bring on the plane?
If course, a two-way video cell-phone is a different matter altogether.
But then Comdex is liable to be a bit light on attendance, by both vendors and prospective clients, this year, me thinks. Monitoring the crowd with face scanning stations should be that much easier, seeing as this is the first year for it.
I can understand a no bags policy, but barring people from entering COMDEX (fricken tech show for pete's sake) with laptops is just stupid. I note (IIRC) it doesn't say anything about PDAs, but still, wtf were they thinking? A better idea would be to have people turn it on quickly at the door (although this might slow things down a lot).
My other sig is funny!
You might complain about the inconveniences, but put things in perspective. Isn't giving up your ability to carry a silly little bag worth it knowing that you won't be blown up by a hidden bomb. After all it is well known that technical conferences are a magnet for Islamic terrorists and right-wing horror groups like the Montana Militia and Operation Rescue.
Is that anything like a ComicCon? If so, strip searching might not be the best idea.
My Webcomic: Asylum on 5th Street
Honestly, I don't see the banning of non-Vendor bags as a "security" measure. I see it as a "protect-the-people-who-are-here-profit" measure. It may have aspects of both, but its definately more the second one. Why not just simply have a mandatory security screening of all carried items before they are allowed into the premesis?
Attending COMDEX would be one of the things I look forward to most in my computing career. I'm only a highschool student now, but I hear very interesting things of the convention, and I'd enjoy talking to the vendors and seeing their flagship products firsthand. There's something about being able to see the new Athlon MP board, or a new video card, or the latest development in RAID technology, in person, that a catalog can't do, no matter how many pictures they put in.
I recon the safest way would be for everyone to walk/run/scream naked on the show.
Together, we are strong; Apart, we are stronger.
somebody on the radio pointed out that as we get better and better at stopping individual acts, the response is for a smaller number of more dedicated enemy to plan more thoroughly. So, for example, the number of hijackings has long been on the decline, but the number of people killed in each hijacking has gone way up.
anyway, in the particular case of hi-tech and shows like comdex, having the toys banned kinda takes the wind out of the whole affair.
Heres the scenerio. Man brings bag of anthrax in pants pocket(or even better, crotch it) to show. He breaks in to the maintenence room, spreads it in to the outlet duct of the HVAC system. Now, anthrax is hard to spread, but you still might get a few people. It takes about 8,000 spores to infect a person, from what i read somewhere. Im sure you could get a few people with a small baggie full.
This talks about visitors to the show. But, what about the maintenence staff that works there? The janitors? Heck, even the people running the show. We'd hope they all are honest and reputable. But then, if it was my life, I'd want them checked too. Heck, if i was trying something, i'd pose as a maintenence man! More freedom to go anywhere, carry large items, did the organizers think of that?
I like the fact that they're at least trying to do something though.. Maybe they should be just a little less restrictive. I mean, its a computer show! And people can't bring their computers in?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&o
...as though I would go to a Comdex, anyway. The last one I attended was Spring 92, I think...Atlanta. It was large, and the porn and CDROM vendors had begun showing up in overwhelming numbers. The real COMPUTER people were always lonely, as all the geeks were crowded around the Penthouse Interactive booth, squirming and staring, or singing bad karaoke at one of the many booths that offered it.
Comdex has lost its lustre, while increasing the lust. (Not that there's anything wrong with lust...) I don't see it appealing to many but the most neophyte computer consumers. All the real industry types stick to more focused conferences. Myself, I will only attend developer conferences in my specialties, or pay for training courses with small, narrow topic coverage. The big shows are nothing but comic book conventions.
What'dya mean there's no BLINK tag!?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
This reminds me of something I saw on the CBC a couple weeks ago, when the anthrax panic was at its height; the city hall of Moncton was evacuated because of an anthrax scare. (For those of you who don't know--almost everybody which is exactly why this was so ridiculous--Moncton is the third biggest town in the Canadian province of New Brunswick).
I mean *HONESTLY*, who on earth would target COMDEX, something that has absolutely no importance to the general (non-technical) public? From a terrorist's point of view (which is what you try to take if your aim is an intelligent security policy) it's obviously of no use to attack a target that people would have to explain why it was that striking it meant something. The WTC and Pentagon were big and well-known. And even if everyone on Slashdot knows who Larry Ellison is, I think it's safe to say that for the general worldwide public he is not a household name.
Let's try concentrating our security efforts on realistic threats and not ridiculous paranoia--otherwise groups or conventions might start deliberately giving the impression that they're a potential threat to terrorists just to seem important (God forbid!).
No bags, huh? Then I guess I'll have to leave the wife at home. (rimshot) Thank you, ladies and germs, I'll be here all week....
My Information Technology 12 class may take a few students, most likely me, to COMDEX in Vancouver BC, Canada which isn't too far away. I wonder if they'll accept Student ID? As it contains a picture and name.
Last two times I was at Comdex there was a "no handbag no backpack" rule. Doesn't seem like a new policy to me.
Key3Media reserves the right to take any security measures it deems appropriate to increase the safety of our exhibitors and attendees, without prior notice. Key3Media reserves the right to change the policies set forth herein, without prior notice, in its sole discretion.
So it looks like strip searches could be suddenly implemented. I wonder if anybody would mind (actively) if they did. Americans are such sheep.
PS: Could somebody enlighten me if companies do have such 'rights' that they are reserving? Isn't that like changing the terms of the contract after it has been agreed to by the exchange of a consideration?
Shame of Slashdot
Give an inch they will take a mile... Screw 'Em
For the BEST ?, maybe for the stadiums' income. Went to a football game yesterday, took a cooler and a backpack full of stuff, they looked, and said have a nice day. The same at the shark tank, If they told me I could not bring my backpack in they would lose a season ticket holder. A search I can stand, using it as a means to ensure you buy their SHITTY, overpriced food is another thing entirely. Am I the only one that thinks the enemy can win without ever lifting another finger ?
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
If someone wants to bring anthrax to comdex, why will they need to bring it in a bag? If someone wants to bring in an automatic weapon it should be pretty easy to pick up in a bag search. Explosives don't need a lot of space.
Whatever you do, don't be Irish .. (no wait that should read from anywhere from Morroco to the Phillipines, or even be Greek) and be in the wrong place at the wrong time until sanity prevails.
I take the following open source chant and modify it to fit this situation:
"Security through obscurity."
This current situation attempts:
Security through absurdity.
I've noticed a trend lately. More and more places are banning things that they've wanted to ban in the past, but were worried about the backlash from under the guise of "increasing security." Banning non-vendor bags and laptops in no way increases security, but the first does increase the visibility of vendor advertising. The second improves traffic flow by minimizing those cumbersome laptop bags and by keeping people from whipping them out at a vendor table
Similarly, my college's stadium is now banning bags along with a whole slew of other items that could be used for sneaking food and drinks in, which has been their primary irritation in the past. Now, under the guise of improved security, they can ban items that would've angered fans too much in the past.
Basically, the COMDEX people are taking advantage of the current political environment to sweep some minor annoyances under the rug. It's a disturbing trend right now.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
They seem to think that forcing people to turn a laptop on is an important security measure. You used to be able to not even have it x-rayed if you could get it to display a boot.
With multi-swappable bay laptops, or even older ones, why did they think this was a way to protect against a weapon being in the laptop?
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Only by law you have to provide the 'law enforcement' officer with your name. If he has a problem he can take you down town but somthing better be wrong or you will be sitting pretty in a new car payed for by you local PD :)
A bunch of religious- and political- minded terrorists, suddenly getting the idea to terrorize Comdex?? What the hell. Reminds me of a tag line from a recent This is True story:
Anyway, if they ban bags, does that mean I have to carry my anthrax spores, 7-inch locking blade knives, and explosives in a box? How inconvenient!
...not so funny when it's 11 minutes behind the first time it was told in this thread. Get off the stage.
The only solution is to treat all inocent men as equals and remove the guilty from society. Injustice is self defeating.
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
That must mean the Bill Gates/Microsoft must be doing a BIG demo this year....
I was at the SEMA show last week at the Las Vegas Convention center. While they allowed bags, and didn't care about laptops, security was tight. All bags were searched at the front door..
... not having laptops may help billy not show off his BSOD like he did 3 years ago
The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
Apparently security coordinators at COMDEX read slashdot. They especially noted the satirical remarks regarding: "What next, strip searches?".
Security personal were noted as saying, "Thats a great idea!" While some were skeptical, others went so far as to improve on the now open source communities ideas. Later, a unanimous decision yeilded on implementing open source specifications for strip searches with body cavity investigations. These would later be utilized at the convention.
COMDEX Security Marshals have decided to fully develope this open source concept and protocals. They are currently in talks with several venture capitalists to fund a new e-commerce web site. No further details were provided at the time of announcement.
Additionaly it should be noted that have been talks concerning a fork in the now ongoing works. One security personal was quite upset with the current implementation.
"I just don't like limiting myself to one hand. Power user's should be able to use two if they really want."
"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours." -- Yogi Berra
While at E3, the only officially vendor-supplied bags were the X-Box bags from Microsoft. Just get a look at it here. It does not function well as a swag bag at all. The chords bite quite sharply into one's shoulders, especially after a long day of showing off your press pass and getting free stuff, much less three in a row!
So unless vendors make a bag which can make a bag that can both hold everything the combined marketing departments of at least a dozen determined companies can hand out, AND guarantee that it won't be used for suspicious purposes, it's just going to cause undue pain to all involved.
;^)
Ryan Fenton
Now we just have to pray that nobody carries a bomb under their coat, or a gun in their pocket, or anthrax in a plastic baggie, or a Potential Enemy Neutralizer in their shirt pocket, or a pointy steel-toed boot...
Come to think of it, I won't feel safe until everyone is naked.
Save me, O Comdex, from the evil, evil terrorists!
If that bitch hadn't sent his minions none of this would be happening.
I'd pay $500 to get a punch or two in on that dude.
You don't need to be Kreskin to predict Comdex's future. The hand writing is on the wall: Comdex faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for Comdex because Comdex is dying. Things are looking very bad for Comdex. As many of us are already aware, Comdex continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.
Famed Comdex speaker Spencer F. Katt states that there are 7000 visitors to Comdex. How many visitors to Networld/Interop are there? Let's see. The number of Comdex versus Networld/Interop posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 Networld/Interop visitors. LinuxWorld posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of Networld/Interop posts. Therefore there are about 700 visitors to LinuxWorld. A recent article put Windows World at about 80 percent of the trade show market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 Windows World visitors. This is consistent with the number of Windows World Usenet posts.
Due to the troubles of Comdex taxi lines, abysmal attendance and so on, The Interface Group went out of business and was taken over by Softbank who run other troubled trade shows. Now Softbank is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.
All major surveys show that Comdex has steadily declined in market share. Comdex is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If Comdex is to survive at all it will be among trade show hobbyists, dabblers, and dilettantes. Comdex continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, Comdex is dead.
sulli
RTFJ.
I use Microsoft Passport, it's a tech show afterall no?, MS passport is the Most Secure Thing available, Microsoft told us you guys do support latest technologies that big corporations shove at us, no? yeah... it's your sponsors....what? sorry, but it's in my laptop that you didn't want me to bring in at the entrance.
Joking aside, I have one word for comdex since a few years... unorganized computer flea market... And it could be so much more, computers did take off since 5 years with the internet and all that, why did Comdex go completely the opposite direction?
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
*=2;
PS> I hate oskin' slashdot lameness prevention crap. There must be a better way.
Were that I say, pancakes?
You've seen the type of people who go to computer conventions. Sure, some are young, thin, and attractive, but most of us are older, heavier, and shaggier, and you really *don't* want to see us naked just because it pretends to increase security ....
Now, people who either don't want to have their actions documented or who like to profit even more from images and ideas that really belong to the public can use the excuse of combatting terrorism to exclude cameras from even more places. Well, compared to the other things terrorism has been used as an excuse for (vastly expanded police powers, lots of layoffs and business failures, almost complete abolition of civil rights for immigrants), I suppose this one is still fairly minor.
Guard: Sorry no bags!
Me: It's not a bag it's a case.
Guard: No laptops. No cases. No kidding.
Me: I left the laptop at home.
Guard: What's in the "case" then?
Me: Stuff. You know. My camera, PDA, cell phone, GPS, DriveWallet, GameBoy, portable CD player, a MP3 player, this runs a wireless Linux server (holding up a SBC with a short antennae) which is grabbing frames from the camera on my hat.
Guard (holding hand on head): Oh, just go. NEXT!!!
Guard: Sorry no bags!
Next me: It's not a bag, it's a valise.
... I don't think I'd want to see most of the people at COMDEX less than fully clothed.
...at AdultDex, the porn stars are being asked to leave their non-AdultDex-issued fun-bags in their rooms!
/. post!
My 200th
~Philly
Just in case there are any vendors who haven't figured out the hot giveaway items that will get people to stop by your booth this Comdex, it's obviously plastic bags for carrying around literature , t-shirts, CDs, and other trinkets from other vendors. It's really a sinister plot by the plastic bag makers.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
"CNET is reporting that COMDEX organizers have a new security policy--no bags except vendor supplied plastic bags will allowed on the show floor. "While on-site, you should CARRY A PHOTO ID (DRIVER'S LICENSE OR PASSPORT) ON YOU AT ALL TIMES." They want you to leave your laptop in your hotel room, too! Oh, and no cameras at the keynotes, either. But they haven't announced that they're planning to strip search people ... yet."
Go ahead and bitch about the extra security measures, 'cause God knows you'll probably be the first person to start screaming about how irresponsible they were if something happens. You want to know you're safe at a large gathering of Americans? Then you should be prepared to deal with simple, common-sense security provisions, even if it makes it a wee bit harder to carry all your lame IBM-hearts-Linux tchochkes home with you.
Not all security is an instant breach of your rights, people. If you can't handle COMDEX adding some extra measures to keep their visitors secure, don't go. It's a free country.
This tagline is umop apisdn.
Great, now i need a license to heat my house and buy miracle grow.
Boothbabes and body cavity searches! A Winning combination!
---
Book(n): Utensil used to pass time while waiting for the TV repairman
"Exceptions for the no-bag rule will be made for exhibitors and members of the media."
0 06 399.htm
http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/
(and/or mad bombers pretending to be exhibitors etc.)
Now where did I put that Illustrator template for making fake press ID's...fire up the laminator Igor!
You realize, of course, that this means there will be an abnormally large percentage of hotel rooms in the area with laptops in them, and thieves will know it...
I wouldn't go to any conference that required me to leave my laptop in an unattended room, particularly if I knew people like maids had keys.
The truth is, short of a strip search and body cavity search of each and every attendee, there's no way they can ensure people won't bring something dangerous into the conference. If they want to try a few basic security procedures like metal detectors and xrays to help ensure that ordinary everyday lunatics don't come in with guns and big knives, sure, that's nice. Anything else is pointless excess.
I never go anywhere without it.
"The combination is: 1-2-3-4-5...
-?!-
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! It's the kind of combination an idiot would have on his luggage!"
I can see it now. The FBI guy from Beavis and Butthead Do America will be ordering his men to give attendees full cavity searches. "Go Roto Rooter on him!"
OH NOES! TEH INTARWEB IS BORKEN!
"Yes sir, Mr. Convention Director sir. We at fly-by-night security consulting and TV/VCR repair, Inc. have a fool-proof plan to provide heightened security measures for COMDEX!"
"Oh, good. Load off my mind."
"Don't you want to hear what it is?"
"Not really, no."
"Oh, well... I see. In that case, can you just sign right here?"
Firstly, we have traditionally had virtually no defence against terrorism, because we have had very little of it compared to, say, Europe. Yet we had the single biggest act of terrorism, probably of anywhere. It's not as if the same primitive attacks that have been seen in Europe and elsewhere could not have been used against US.
Secondly, while the only reasonable response to better security would be more competent terrorists, that does not necessarily mean that the number of lives lost would go up. There may be a real lack of more capable terrorists out there in the world (and that's completely ignoring recruitment issues and such). The aggregate damage may still be less.
All in all, there evidence simply isn't there to make this assertion. It may be true that the number of deaths in terrorism shot way up in this year for the US, but there are a zillion other possible reasons for this. e.g., external politics, economic reasons, bad luck (hardly a large population here to draw from), a new resolve on the part of the terrorists (irrespective of our security), and so on. To suggest that we should loosen or not tighten our security is frankly foolish. So-called men like Osama bin Laden want to cause as much damage and fear as they can to further their objectives, so why should we believe that they might hold anything back? How can more security, providing it's reasonable and in proportion, cause more deaths? At the very least, it raises the bar substantially for bin Laden's organization.
you used to be funny back when you were racist but now you are just a goat sex troll
Comdex isn't Interop, and it's been a long time since Interop was Interop either. The only good reason to haul a laptop around the show floor is to do 802.11 scanning. This is a huge show, and you're there to see the sights and pick up either information or trinkets from vendors, exchange business cards, and maybe get job interviews. Your PDA may be helpful, but your laptop is just dead weight.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
They at least want to discourage the wanabee terrorists from showing up.
Please note that laptop security cables are no longer allowed as carry on pieces. Apparently they can be used as a weapon (noose). The airports *will* conficate them if you have one in a carry on bag. Check it and save yourself the money (around $40)...
Life is the leading cause of death in America.
For some reason, every time I read this headline I see "Bans Bean Bags".
Hahah, so true, I've worked a couple conventions for my company. The teamsters and like unions at these convention centers really rip the exhibitors off. It's completely ridiculous. Granted, many of these companies rip themselves off, with completely excessive ~million dollar booths and such, but some of the crap that you have to put up with is unbelievable. My company would give out these stuffed animals as give aways...lots of them. The unions/convention center would force us to have them carry these _very_ light boxes for point A to point B (no more than 500 feet away) claiming union regulations (or "safety", hah), rip us off in process, then on top of that take their sweet time and expect quid pro quo at the end if they did their jobs half decently.
I would feel bad for the poor bastard that would have to strip search me. Heh.
that's all the action a lot of those people get all year.
At the kick-ass Whitman College (www.whitman.edu) I'm now taking microbiology as well as Islamic civ. This has provided me with some nice insight into recent events, so getting to the point:
One mL of a liquid Anthrax culture probably contains well over 30 million cells of Bacillus Anthrax (I've done counts of related bacteria). If just those cells were induced into sporulation, dried, and ground so that the clusters were of the right size to inhale (weaponized), a sandwich baggy would be over-kill. If distributed into the HVAC system, everyone in the building would likely be infected. Fortunately, while anthrax is easy to culture (most bacteria are), it is fairly difficult to
weaponize properly.
If they were to use smallpox though, things would be far uglier. If someone managed to bring a concentrated sample of smallpox virus in to a big show and stationed themselves strategically, they could probably infect half the people. The nasty bit is that those infected people would then go home and start infecting everyone they came into contact with for the next 10 days, without knowing, while the virus incubated. After 10 days, the show people would start to get REAL sick, while the people that they infected would run around for another 10 days, infecting more people. INSTANT epidemic, since vaccinations were stopped over 30 years ago
It's like a pyramid scheme, but instead of money you get a nasty, disfiguring, sometimes fatal disease.
--
"I think the best medicine for the human soul is kind words, chicken soup,
and lots of whiskey."
- Professor Ashfield
"Cheeze it!" - Bender
...tattoo your registration number onto your arm so that they can verify your identity. Remember: it's for your protection.
Well, you know ... if they were Customs Officers, they could check your rectum for fingernail clippers if you looked at them the wrong way; and if you happened to have any outgoing international snailmail on you, they could read that too -- and these searches will be completely constitutional IF it becomes law.
I feel safer already.
Power to the Peaceful
As scary as smallpox sounds, it's a non-discriminating disease, meaning that anyone looking to use it had better plan for all their own people to die too. Anthrax works for terrorists because there's very little chance of something mailed to Washington D.C. hurting people in Afghanistan or whatever. While it's easy to portray all these terrorists as simply insane, they do have a motivation (an INCREDIBLY racist and zealotous motivation, but nonetheless) that isn't driven purely by insanity.
It reminds me of the "cold war" with the Soviety Union: The military-industrial complex (yup it really exists) wants to sell weapons, and to do that they need everyone to believe that the Soviets were a bunch of land hungry maniacs who were just dying for the chance to press the big red button, yet the reality is that the USSR was family men and woman who wanted to just live their lives just like everyone in the US. Nonetheless the misguided nuclear fear was driven by the propaganda that the godless USSR empire was suicidal.
For christ's sake, if they want people to be safe at Comdex, just let them strap on their sidearms. When's the last time anyone went berzerk and committed mass murder at a gun show?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Dammit, where's my mod points when I need 'em? For the love of all that is sacred and holy on Slashdot, somebody mod this up.
"If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he's sorely mistaken." Bush on bin Laden
...down the drain. Remember when the NCC was the biggest show going, when they were able to completely fill McCormick Place in Chicago, and then dwindled down to 20, count'em 20 tables before the NCC show organizers saw the handwriting on the wall and converted the NCC back to a research-only show?
The Computer Dealers Exposition (that's what COMDEX stands for, boys and girls) outgrew its original charter almost a decade ago -- how many dealers make the trip in? Damn few that I know. Today, it's the press and the companies themselves that make up the bulk of the show, along with employees of the Fortune 5000 companies that are still making enough money to keep the travel budget stuffed.
Speaking of the press, have you noticed that a lot of magazine and newsletter titles have closed in the past 12 months? Have you noticed that the amount of computer-trade ink has fallen off tremendously? For example, we just lost SmartPartner Magazine today, according to reports.
I know quite a number of the members of the press who have decided to forgo the annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas, either because they don't have jobs/assignments or because they want no part of a large, concentrated crowd of people at something that is uniquely United States.
One benefit to the Death Of COMDEX is the end of the maniac development cycle that requires companies to "show something" according to a calendar set by someone else. We may well see all software companies release software when it's ready, not when the booth bimbos hit the floor.
And that would be an improvement.
One thing that scares me is influenza and similar viral diseases. Debilitating, fast spreading, deadly even in some natural forms, rapidly mutating...and the biggest factor for a military or paramilitary group is the ease of vaccination against a specific strain.
Develop a modified strain with a high mortality rate, release it in an area...after a few days or weeks send in your vaccinated troops and they mop up while it burns itself out.
Attending COMDEX would be one of the things I look forward to most in my computing career.
Forget COMDEX. It's been a complete waste of space since at least the mid-80's. How many disk vendor and MicroSquish MSCE body shop trade show booths do you need to see?
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Suck up and deal, cry-baby.
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
I went to Comdex 2000 in Las Vegas, and got into the Bill Gates keynote. It was in MGM Grand (a huge place). There were several rooms setup with TVs for people who didn't get tickets fast enough to see it in person.
Well anyway, I got a ticket and seen Bill Gates in person from a moderate distance. For some reason I had the sick thought of how easy it would have been for me to bring a gun in there and take aim at Bill.
I'm sure there are a lot of psychos out there who would love to shoot the richest man in the world. I'm glad it's not me.
If I can't carry a bag, how can I bring my laptop? That's where my Passport is, after all. Good old Passport and good (not so old ) XP. It's so stable it doesn't even crash when it sends your porn collection to the FBI.
Ebola my friend.... Fight the future before its too late...
I got the letter about this with my pre-registration badge yesterday, and I was only slightly annoyed about this, and I realize they have their reasons.
However.
It says that no exeptions to this rule will be made, period -- this is where it sucks because I'm going with my girlfriend (a computer geek too) and this policy will impact her. She has to use forearm crutches which kind of monopolize the use of her hands so she can't carry anything except by using a knapsack slung on her shoulder. Are they going to fuck over an entire group of people over this?
And to all those who are just going to say "you should carry her stuff for her" or "get a wheelchair", you can save it -- it's the principle of the thing that counts here.
Hilary Rosen's speech was about her love of money and her desire to roll around naked in a pile of money.
Woohoo! Free laptops!
Seriously, the hotel room is THE WORST place to leave valuables, when you are not there. While most hotel cleaning staff are very honest people, the low wages do tend to push a lot of people over the edge into crime. Many of my friends have been victims of this.
This tells me the policy makers for Comdex are idiots.
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
...why go to COMDEX in the first place? I went 1997 and it was really was a waste of time. Most of the people at the tables didn't know anything more than what you could find on their website.
And sometimes the info on the web was more up-to-date (it takes time to print up all that stuff - the web has no such hang ups).
Don't get upset. And don't go.
I swear by MacOS X. Although I use to swear *at* MacOS 9...
I don't see why they would think that a Comdex show would be targeted.
:D
.. (no wait that should read from anywhere from Morroco to the Phillipines, or even be Greek) and be in the wrong place at the wrong time until sanity prevails.
They're expecting "only" 150,000 people (From a max. of 250,000 back in 1997) because of the dot-com bust , the not-yet-named recession, the Sept. 11 attacks and all the stuff from that (companies prohibiting certain key execs from traveling, cost-cutting measures, etc.)
Now, seeing all that people in one place, you can't imagine it. Back in the 1997 show, I was warned before attending, but being there, it's another thing.
We "planed" to get a taxi when the show closed one of the days, well, the line was 1000+ long. Don't believe it ? I've a picture from last year's show.
The lines for the 24+ different bus routes to the hotels ? 400 + long each.
In a few words, it's BIG. Many people. Chaos could ensue. And you can count on the people attending the show to help. Two or three years ago, all the cell phone lines/bandwidth was used at some peak hours, something that never happenned before, if you believe the local news those days. Remember some of the "chaos" in NYC when the cell lines got blocked after the attacks? well, it kind of happened in Las Vegas. Scary indeed.
You could see the people from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc. using their cell phones (2 or 3 models more advanced than anyone I saw in the US, BTW) at some "strange hours", I suppose they called before the offices back at home closed or just when they were opening, I don't know. But seeing all those people seating on the stairs talking in different languages, it's when it hits you: Comdex Fall is an International show. Just from here (Mexico), I don't remember the "exact" figure but it's above 12,000 people attending. Another example: I remember in the 98 show being at the Ziff Davis booth, there was an egyptian engineer trying to subscribe to some magazines. "Big deal", eh? He wasn't an immigrant working in the USA. Then the ZD representative realized he wanted to get it to get delivered to Egypt. I mean, this man came all the way from Egypt! Not as a part of a booth, but as any "regular techie". Talk about getting some job related travels (I mean, for techies, not CEO's...)
You can see companies from all around the world, press from all around the world, reporting daily from there. I remember seeing a CNN press booth just in the middle of the Convention Center last year. So you have coverage all around the world.
And don't get me started on the crowds in the rest of the strip. The buffet lines are the second worst of the year, only after the last week of the year, one of the busiest at LV. Crowds everywhere but at the casino's. Someone said the tech people are the worst crowd as gamblers, suppossedly because "we" know the odds on the chance games. I support the other theory: bad travel budgets makes us "cheap".
Also, Las Vegas had a anthrax scare some years ago when they arrested someone with an anthrax vaccine, after getting a clue from someone about it. They reacted very seriously back then, imagine now.
You also have some of the richest people in the world there. Gates, Ellison, Sony's President (or CEO? I don't remember).
I mean *HONESTLY*, who on earth would target COMDEX, something that has absolutely no importance to the general (non-technical) public? From a terrorist's point of view (which is what you try to take if your aim is an intelligent security policy) it's obviously of no use to attack a target that people would have to explain why it was that striking it meant something.
How about one of the biggest/important economy sectors? And in this "decadent, Sin City" ?
I think I already made my point. So you can't go around thinking it can't be a target. I'm sure I wish it wasn't true, but it is. I love that show, I was there 3 of the last 4 years, and yes, it's not the same as the "good all days". Yes, you can get most of the info from the internet just days after, but the "experience" is different.
Sadly, I cann't attend this year, since my VISA expired and here the embassy/consulates have a backlog/queue of 120,000+ applications/renewals to see (so I'll get my renewal until next year. Bummer). And that's before the attacks happenned, not because of any increased security. Just too much work and too many people, I guess.
I hope this doesn't get's the show killed, I hope it gets to thrives again next year.
After reading some of the sites with advice for attending there (incredible useful, BTW) and having the experience of attending the ComicCon at San Diego before, I always had a backpack with me, with a bottle of water, a digital camera (even a video one once), extra batteries for the cams, some extra business cards, etcetera. I could stuff there the "goodies" as someone mentioned before and when it was full, I could rely then in the show's bags. I guess if I was going there this year I had to "rethink" my strategy. It's a shame cameras can't be used anymore.
Someone mentioned the body search thing. It can't be done to everyone. The lines/crowd for entering would be unmanageable. Metal detector should be used, but that can't get the anthrax/biological weapons as someone mentioned. I guess you just have to rely on checking everyones pockets, I guess, like at the stadium. God, I hope there's nothing like that. And you can bet I will go there next year.
Whatever you do, don't be Irish
Funny thing, last year a friend went with us "regulars" to Comdex (Nov/2000), and from the point we arrived at the airport there were always "suspicious" looks for him. he has a mexican name, but his great-great-great-great-grandfather or something was from the Middle East, and he has "the looks", with a heavy beard and ponytail. But he's more mexican than the tequila. We talked about it when we came back. Guess what he's not doing after the Sept.11 attacks ? You guessed right. Not going "even near" the border. And I can't blame him, I saw it happenning before, so why risk it? I guess that egyptian engineer I saw before will not go there neither.
Just my 2 cents.
And see you there next year.
BTW, for the guy who is in high school and heared all this things? Go for it, I too wanted to attend three conventions when I was in college: MacWorld, San Diego ComicCon, Comdex Fall (2 out of 3 ain't bad, and MacWorld sucked when I got the chance. And now I don't use Mac anymore, so I'm not going there yet.). You have to make it happen.
Yes. Because the terrorists have always been out to get COMDEX. COMDEX is, of course, a major political target, having a deep spiritual significance to the American people, as well as a strong influence on the flow of U.S. policy.
So you see, this is -clearly- for our safety. Duh.
Like someone couldn't still carry in a pouch of magic dust. The terrorists have already won. Let's just nuke the entire fucking world and get it over with.
Many years ago, I read a book, the title of which I have forgotten. Basically, the terrorists in the novel use large gatherings (including a MacWorld Expo) to spread a bioagent, that has a delayed reaction of serveral days (weeks?). Everyone flys home, and later, massive outbreaks all over the USA that nobody knows where it started. (Anyone remember the title? I would be eternally grateful)
Reality has a liberal bias
Terrorism has won. Obviously the very name "terrorism" means instilling terror. The comdex promoters must be pretty terrified. I say just don't go. The highjackers took over the planes with box cutters not bombs. I suppose that none of the vendors are allowed to have box cutters? I sure hope so as I might become terrified if I saw one. How about butane lighters? With a amll amount of effort these can be made into a substantial explosive, or shoe laces could be use to strangle someone "All Soes Must Tie With Velcro" This reactionism is getting out of hand.
/dTd
Marshmellows. Yup. Banned'em about 5 years ago at football games. Kids were throwing them.
Good thing you can still bring a pint in and pour it into your cider.
Nah, Ebola is a huge pain in the ass to spread. It can't be transmitted by air, and the only reasonable way to get it is through bodily fluids (which victims leak in spades). Unless yer having sex with everyone at the conference, even a suicidal terrorist couldn't spread it.
It says you can bring a purse or fanny pack. Why not just borrow a purse your wife no longer uses, and carry your crap in it? Sure, people will look at you funny, but it'll be big enough to hold a Sony Picturebook.
But they haven't announced that they're planning to strip search people ... yet.
Cross your fingers!
COMDEX security? Who has time or money to go to COMDEX in this economy? Useless exercises like that geek pornofest are the first to go when budgets get tight. I don't have time to worry about COMDEX, I'm too busy looking for a way to make money that doesn't break the law or involve mops and fast food.
== Paul Rickard, Editor of The Microsoft Boycott Campaign ====
Backpacks and Laptops will not be allowed. But no mention of restricting conceled handguns if you have a recognized permit. Guess I feel safer.
Viv
Gmail invites for ip
> CARRY A PHOTO ID (DRIVER'S LICENSE OR PASSPORT) ON YOU AT ALL TIMES
Uhm, so? What's that screaming about? Isn't having (and thus carrying around) a photo ID completely normal? Well, here it is!?
I don't get it - what are you worrying about?
Alexander Skwar -- Homepage: http://www.digitalprojects.com | http://www.iso-top.de iso-top.de - Die
An Ipaq can do the 802.11 scanning just as well as a laptop. And with a duel-sleave with one network card and a microdrive a lot of information can be pulled down in a more descrete manner.
Soon enough the only person on the floor who will be allowed to have anything electronic will be Bill Gates. I can't wait!!! Also, they would probably require that all participants bring a laptop to the door for proper microsoft compliance inspection (e.g. unless you run a completely unstable OS, they will confiscate it.)
No seriously, really I do!!! And I mean that because comdex is in vegas, which is to say in Nevada, and NV, bless their western hearts, is one of the 28 states w/ legal concealed carry for everyone, ie. you and me. Ergo, NV, avec their shall-issue carry laws have successfully created a legal provision wherein I shall not be able to bring my thinkpad, but must instead, as a patriotic american, tote either my Firestar .40 pistol or my ever reliable Rossi .38 five shot avec +p hollowpoints!!!
They have you scared to go out. Scared to open your mail. Willing to give away every one of the rights that you American so loudly tell us (the rest of the world) about at every opertunity.
/. *sigh*
For what? To quote Tyler Durdin, "The illusion of safety", nothing more. Seen Swordfish? Do you really think these security measures would prevent somebody walking in with a significant amount of C4 strapped to their body? Do you think it would stop a dozen people doing it? And to think horrible, terrorist assiting devices such as watches (for timing) aren't on the list of banned equipment! What an outrage!
Unfortunatly I'm probably preaching to the converted here. The masses of stupid people who think these measures are necessary and A Good Think probably don't read
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
You'll only be allowed to wear vendor supplied t-shirts and hats.
Seriously... Everyone has to accept a little risk, or why bother getting out of bed in the morning/evening/whenever?
Plus the fact that people with ebola die too quickly to be effective vectors for the epidemic. To be really effective, you would need a disease that is as deadly as ebola, as virulent as influenza, and has a relatively long incubation period (2 weeks or so.) That would be really scary.
They could have the security guard follow everyone around.
Comdex in Chicago was empty. There was more going on at tradeshows in Australia. On exhibitor told me they had to move their stand 5 times because there where so many cancelations.
Yeah, the police patrolling comdex will be scared shitless of you, muscles bursting from your shirt, bravado that says "do ya feel lucky?"
More likely you're the guy who never leaves his hotel room because you just discovered pay-per-view porn and is desperately trying to get his rocks off in the first fifteen seconds before the billing kicks in.
Comdex spent two or three years spamming me after I told them repeatedly not to. Why would you think they exist in a world where the word "privacy" is used in any way?
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
Sounds like comdex is doing the same thing that MS' DevDays conferences are doing with security. From an email I got:
Dear DevDays 2001 Registrant,
Microsoft DevDays 2001 is coming up and we're excited you'll be joining us!
In these unique new times, we are asking a few things of you to help ensure everyone's safety at DevDays:
- Bring at least one form of picture identification. Please be advised that you will need valid picture identification to be admitted to DevDays this year.
- Wristbands will be placed for you. Wristbands for admitted attendance will be placed on your wrists for you, instead of being provided to you to place yourself.
- Do not bring bags, backpacks, cameras or bottles to the event. Any items brought onsite will be subject to search.
-Come EARLY to register. Although we will make every effort to check attendees in as quickly as possible, because we will be checking IDs and placing wristbands, registration check-in may take quite a bit longer than usual. Registration opens at all cities promptly at 7 AM. We recommend coming early to avoid a long registration line.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding in this matter. In addition to your enjoyment of the DevDays 2001 content, we want you to be aware the safety of our attendees is also top of mind.
Thank you and enjoy the event!
Sincerely,
The DevDays 2001 Event Team
I think that DevDays, as well as comdex, are showing off their egos thinking that they're a terrorist target. Comdex, okay, maybe. Devdays? I fail to see how someone putting on a wristband me rather than allowing me to do it myself will stop anyone.
This is ridiculous. One major terrorist incident and a smattering of anthrax scares and we start acting like chickens with our heads cut off. Personally I am more than willing to be a little less secure and a lot more free. At the rate we are going the techno-revolution will be still-born out of fear of terrorism. What a waste.
They are not actually banning laptops...just the bags/cases that laptops typically come in. So go ahead bring your bare laptop and sit in the back of the room and play minesweeper while the rest of us pay attention to the talks.
In the wake of the tragic events that have been affecting our country since September 11,
Key3Media Events is taking requisite security precautions with respect to its events. For
COMDEX Fall 2001, Key3Media is working with the City of Las Vegas, applicable event
venues, local authorities and a private security firm to ensure that appropriate safety
measures are taken for the event.
This year at COMDEX Fall, expect to see more security. Security officers will be roving the
conferences and marketplace floor. Las Vegas has historically been one of the safest cities
in America, with extensive security through the hotels and casinos. Those hotels and
conference centers are escalating security even further.
We are working to make these changes with minimal impact on your COMDEX Fall 2001
experience. However, there are some security policies that are being instituted at COMDEX
Fall that you need to be aware of:
Policy to access the entire Las Vegas Convention Center property, including the
Las Vegas Hilton and Silver Lot tented areas:
* While on-site, you should CARRY A PHOTO ID (DRIVER'S LICENSE OR PASSPORT)
ON YOU AT ALL TIMES.
* To obtain your badge and/or badge holder, YOU MUST PRESENT YOUR PHOTO ID
(driver's license or passport). Each registered attendee will be allowed to pick up their
own badge only - not for friends, colleagues, etc. NO EXCEPTIONS.
* NO BAGS OF ANY KIND WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE SHOW FLOOR.
* Please leave bags, briefcases, backpacks, laptops, etc. at home or in your hotel room.
Please remember that once inside the exhibit halls, you can carry the product literature you
collect in one of the many plastic bags that exhibitors distribute to attendees.
NO BAGS WILL BE CHECKED AT THE CONVENTION CENTER.
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THEM AND THEY WILL NOT BE STORED.
* Please expect delays and allow extra time when arriving on-site. If you have meetings,
appointments, or conference sessions to attend, please arrive as early as possible. It may
take longer than usual to enter the property this year due to increased security measures.
Policy for attending the Keynote Presentations:
* NO BAGS OF ANY KIND will be allowed in any of the keynote programs. This includes
backpacks, laptop bags, shopping bags, briefcases, etc. NO CAMERAS will be allowed.
NO BAGS WILL BE CHECKED AT THE MGM OR THE HILTON.
THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THEM AND THEY WILL NOT BE STORED.
* Ticketing For the Bill Gates Keynote, Sunday, November 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena:
Each registered attendee will be allowed one ticket for admission to the keynote. Your COMDEX
Fall 2001 badge MUST be presented to obtain your ticket. You may pickup a ticket for yourself
only-not for friends, colleagues, etc. To obtain your badge and/or badge holder at the MGM, you
MUST present your photo ID (driver's license or passport). NO exceptions.
For General Attendee Tickets: Tickets to the Bill Gates Keynote will be distributed to registered
attendees in Level I - Registration Area of the MGM Grand Conference Center beginning Sunday,
November 11th at 8:00 a.m. To receive a ticket you will need to present your official COMDEX Fall
2001 Badge and Badgeholder, along with a photo ID.
For Media/Analyst Tickets: Tickets to the Bill Gates Keynote will be distributed to accredited Media
and Analysts at the Media/Analyst Preview in the MGM Grand Conference Center Room 309/310 on
Sunday, November 11th at 4:00 p.m. To receive a ticket you will need to present your official
COMDEX Fall 2001 Media or Analyst Badge and Badgeholder, along with a photo ID.
* Ticketing For the Keynotes at the Las Vegas Hilton: For entry to the keynotes, you must present your
COMDEX Fall 2001badge and badge holder. Lines will queue in the foyer just outside the Conrad/Barron
Room within the Las Vegas Hilton.
Key3Media reserves the right to take any security measures it deems appropriate to increase the safety
of our exhibitors and attendees, without prior notice. Key3Media reserves the right to change the policies
set forth herein, without prior notice, in its sole discretion.
The Federal Aviation Administration has released a new travel advisory for passengers. Please visit
www.faa.gov so that you can prepare yourself to travel safely. Increased security measures are being
taken at bus and train stations as well.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation and hope you enjoy the show.
COMDEX Fall 2001 Show Management
that Israel uses to kill their people doesn't count?
how do you know they haven't suffered personally?
how many people knew someone in the WTC?
how many Afghanistans have lost family members or friends in the fighting with Israel?
I'm not saying it justifies anything, but trying to make out there was absolutely no provocation is absolutely untrue, and most people outside the US are aware of that.
You assume they are jealous of your "superpower", but they just think you are arseholes.
People aren't terrified; people are hysterical. They're not really scared, they just feel like they have to do something.
People are thinking "some guy could walk in here carrying some disease and kill everyone". Yes, he could. And "someone could plant a bomb here and blow us all up". Yes, that's possible. Or "maybe some crazy terrorist has nuclear weapons and he's going to blow up planet Earth". Yep, could very well be. That's always been possible (to a degree) and that always will be possible (more so with each day that passes).
Doesn't mean it's any more likely today than it was yesterday or 30 years ago.
The attacks on the WTC and Pentagon were not based on madness or religion. They were not attempts to kill a lot of people. There are much better ways of doing that. They were political acts, against symbols of the USA's military and economic rule. Even the airline names were carefully picked. And although of course I don't approve of them, I can understand them. It seems that most americans can't.
Some time ago there was a war in Somalia. People were killing each other with knives, stones, machetes, etc. Sometimes with their bare hands. Someone asked an observer if that meant this was a particularly violent conflict. He said no, it just meant they had run out of bullets.
Using airplanes full of people to blow up buildings is no more "cruel" or "barbaric" than using a cruise missile. Certainly no more cowardly. But some people (most people) just don't have cruise missiles. And some people (most people), when left with nothing to lose, will not mind losing what they have, especially if losing something so worthless (their life) can have such a big impact.
The way to avoid being blown up or infected or assassinated is not to isolate yourself and shoot everyone that comes too near. The way to avoid being struck by your enemies is to have no enemies.
The strikes on the WTC carried a message: "you are not out of range; if we really want to hit you, we can." I've known that all my life (possibly because I live in Europe and we've had a few thousand years of history and wars and revolutions and all that sort of stuff); most americans seem to have discovered it in the last two months. And they think they have to do something about it, because they can't stand the thought of being vulnerable; of not being untouchable. Today on the BBC I saw this american congressman (or maybe he was a general) saying "We have to bomb Afghanistan because we have to do something and we can't think of anything else to do". The only problem is, it's not accomplishing anything (apart from killing people that don't even know what's going on, making more enemies and worsening the USA's image worldwide).
And this brings me back to the silly security measures and to the way this hysteria is being used to limit people's freedom. If the only thing you can think of doing has no practical effect, then don't do it. Think of something else, or don't do anything. If someone really wants to strike, they will always be able to strike. I don't know if these "security measures" are a deliberate attempt to take away people's freedom and give more powers to the state or if they're just good-natured (but misguided) attempts to keep people "safe". Either way people should stand up for their rights and refuse to have their freedom taken away. It's not that "the terrorists win", it's just that people lose. Someone said that a nation that can't balance security and freedom doesn't deserve either.
I'm not a religious person; I don't believe there's life after death. But I still consider my freedom more valuable than my life.
Over here, there was some attempt to ban patrons bringing in drinks not supplied by the sponsor of a major sporting event. Things like water.
More recently, I was stripped of my water bottle at a major outdoor music festival ostensibly because it may have been alcohol and was forced to buy water at extortionate rates.
Xix.
"Everything is adjustable, provided you have the right tools"
Comdex is not the first major computer trade show to ban cameras. At LinuxWorld in San Francisco in August(?), I watched a show staff member enforce it against some random attendee.
Personally, I think a ban on cameras at a trade show gives the impression of an industry trying to avoid accountability to its would-be buyers. I would much prefer exhibiting at trade shows that allow cameras.
I've seen definitely misspelled so often on /. that I wonder whether the official spelling should be changed.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Surely this sort of thing isn't really going to affect the determined terrorist from getting in anyway. Sure, you stop them from getting their bombs in that way, but what about all the goods that are travelling in and out anyway?
And what about the sleepers. The people that have been in America for the past couple of years living their lives... what if they get a job doing janitorial work, and they bring their bombs in beforehand?
And most importantly, if I'm a terrorist or group of terrorists willing to die, you think a fricking security guard is going to stop me at the gate? You think a security guard is going to take one for the team if I stroll up to him with a few kilos of plastic explosive and a deadman's switch in my hand? I guarantee you that if I say to him... "Start running now" and give him a glimpse, he's not going to stop me. And even if he tries, he dies, and maybe I take out some load bearing pillars as well.
Nope, this sort of thing isn't that useful. Maybe it makes people _feel_ a bit safer... but you sure as hell _aren't_ safer from a determined person who puts their life secondary to taking you out.
Nope, whatever the solution is, it isn't this. This serves other causes, and I think the people who impose these sorts of rules know it. I'm not adressing the whole "conspiracy to remove privacy" bit here, but I think a previous post says it quite well... they're using this as an excuse. Which is kinda sad, really.
And who, in the end, gets to be free here?
Uhhh...there are in fact airborne strains of Ebola.
In fact Ebola Reston was airborne. For those who don't know Ebola was just outside Washington D.C. in an airborne strain.
Lucky that Ebola Reston appears incapable of infecting humans
Don't post innacurate information
If you do, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you.
I used to love COMDEX. I worked for a large Fortune 500 company, and I would always lie about how many purchasing decisions/budgets I had influence over. Everyone thought I was crazy and asking for new spam, but they didn't know about procmail. They were only marketing guys, after all. But when the other marketing guys who were aiming to market at me saw my membership stuff, I could weasel my way into plenty of free stuff.
The best meat-space schwag I ever got was getting into the last Digital party. Picture a huge hall, about 100 people, two bands, and about every possible type of food or drink you can imagine. And me and my brother in Chuck Taylors and t-shirts on a full-blown jag. I swear we were the only ones not in $5000 suits. It was very exclusive for some reason. The AMD party was packed. This place not so much. But they put on quite a show.
They had these five girls in gold catsuits and black wigs marching around. Like five identical people. I can't remember if the Intel bunny suit guys were out then (I think this was 97, but I'm not sure), although I was reminded of them after thinking about it later. Anyway, the sales weenies would sic these women on the hardcases who were waffling on some high-pressure sales thing. The girls would grab these oddball Arab dudes (or whomever was on the hook) and parade them about for a couple minutes and them rub them around the room and back to their chair. I'm not sure what it was supposed to do, but it didn't work on me and my brother, since we would probably have only bought what wasn't exactly for sale. It was like being on a different planet. You talk them up enough and there's almost no limit to the free shit you'll get.
My brother demanding that a Director of Sales something or other get him a "prime rib and a bottle of Chivas" or he would "start talking to Compaq and Intel" was particularly amusing. Especially since Digital was sold to Compaq not long after.
And all I have to show for it now is an Alpha t-shirt which says "Feed the Need" on the front and has some probably long-dead proc on the back. Feed it indeed. Those were the days...
-B
Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.
...Species wrong. I somehow managed to mix it up between Anthrax bacilli (a descriptive term) and Bacillus Anthracis (the genus and species). My bad. point is, it's nasty, potent stuff, but not the worst out there when it comes to mass death. Back to studying.
"Cheeze it!" - Bender
I bet there is a rash of laptop thievery from hotel's with lots of COMDEX attendees.
Smallpox isn't as scary as you sound because it is NOT infectious during almost all of the incubation period. So you go home, do nothing for 10 days, and then you start getting sick and infecting people.
Immediately everybody who care into contact with you in the past day or so is vaccinated. Because we are looking the diseases is identified quickly. You are vaccinated too, which will help you, though not enough and you might die.
The figures on smallpox show 30% mortality, but that is from long ago, with a population not nearly as healty as ours, without modern medicine. Hard to predict, but fortunately the mortality will probably be much lower. Not that any is good.
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
i dont think anthrax is anywhere near as much of a worry as smallpox in a hypothetical situation like the one you are suggesting. a suicide-bio-bomber not very different from the terrorists who are willing to give up their own lives on a regular basis in tel aviv crowds of tourists or on buses could very easily walk into COMDEX for example with nothing illegal on them at all, obeying all the rules, having proper id, no laptop, wearing a Penguin Computing shirt, and be carrying smallpox inside their own bodies without being stopped or prevented in any way by any of the strip searches or other security measures being suggested. the result would be a spreading of that biological suicide bombers disease to almost all the people at the event and it being spread to almost all the people that the victims know and almost all of the people that they in turn know, with it killing 30 percent of each wave of victims. there was a simulation by our own government in oklahoma city of a scenario like this which had less than pretty results...
i realize we are all scared shitless by somethings, angry beyond belief about others, and grasping for answers for everything our grief and shock stricken minds can think of, but these security measures arent going to help us be safer in any way that outweighs the small but tangible freedom it takes away from us. i dont understand how we can fight terrorism by taking away our own freedom for them. i also dont understand how anyone thinks that these silly things being done at comdex are good ideas. there are much better things we can be doing and many things that we should be more upset about when they are taken away or just arent offered anymore... and yes that includes the free toys.
They can strangle people just as well.
Tom Clancy, Frank Herbert (the White Plague), and a whole bunch more have long had scenerios like this in their stories.
:)
Conferences are easy targets. People coming from all over the state/country/world meet in a single place, do stuff for a day or three, and then leave.
During that day or three it is very easy to rig up some sort of aerosol-delivered "bad thing". That guy at the booth spraying the "air freshener" every 10-15 minutes, for instance.
After the conference, people all fly back to their home and whaddayaknow, you've got stuff spreading all over the place.
And what's in that air freshener?
I think everyone's a little hyped up on the whole Anthrax thing, when there are a BUNCH more lethal, contageous, and readily accessbile critters out there; ebola, smallpox, the list goes on. Such critters are WAY easier to contract and spread.
While I applaud everyone's attempt to make people FEEL better with these various public displays of "security tightening", I believe that a lot of these measures only comfort the "soccer Mom" types. Jack said it best with "the truth? you can't HANDLE the truth!"
For instance, airport security here in Canada recently forced people to remove Poppies from their jackets because the little pin that held them on was "sharp and dangerous". Give me a fscking break!
Meanwhile, I'm boarding the plane with a number of even MORE dangerous "weapons" that the security people are clueless about. How about pens and pencils? Quite effective at stabbing people. How about my car keys? One of the first things my girlfriend learned when she took a self-defense course was how to grip her keys and rake them over or stab them into a would-be attacker's eyes. How about that laptop security cable I carry to lock down my laptop? Nice little garrotte, never mind my belt, shoe laces, etc. How hard would it be to sneak in some wire under/inside a belt? I've seen a number of big-assed country style belts set off a metal detector and then be passed through with only a swipe of the hand-help detector. Who knows what's really inside or underneath it? How about my eye glasses? Pop out a lens and you've got some pretty sharp objects. Never mind some of the frames from Oakly and company these days... they can be considered weapons in and of themselves.
And my personal pet peave; how does powering on a laptop prove that that is all that it is? The 60 year old lady at security making $6 an hour wouldn't know a functioning laptop if she saw it... a couple hundred bucks spent at Radio Shack would do well enough to fool her and even some somewhat "professional" or informed computer people. Besides, what's to say the entire laptop shell or case for that fully functional laptop isn't made of explosives? Talk about the ULTIMATE "blue screen of death".
The answer? I think we just gotta stop being paranoid and get to know our neighbours better. How many apartment buildings have untis in them that are full of "conspirators" whose neighbours go out of their way to NOT get to know them or what they're doing?
The best security force we could hope for right now is a bunch of nosy neighbours with lots of free time on their hands.
$0.02 (CDN)
Only in America... jeez, get some perspective.
Greetings from the UK. Here, we have learned to deal with terrorism. Let me educate you on the top three tips for dealing with terrorism:
You cannot prevent acts terrorism, but you can defeat the effects of terrorism; namely, terror.
Live your life accepting risks proportionately. The chances of you being injured or killed by anthrax are tiny in proportion to other daily risks such as crossing the road. If you do not worry about larger risks such as crossing the road, there is no point in you worrying about smaller risks such as anthrax.
Terrorists are too small and secretive to be defeated by millitary force of any size. Diplomacy is the only option that has been proven to work.
Terrorists rely on their network of supporters. If you publicise their acts of atrocity, you will weaken their support.
Andrew Oakley - www.aoakley.com
Are belong to
Firstly, there's no rule that says you must leave your laptop in your hotel room. The policy explicitly notes the existance of bag checks for those of you who think that there's a high likelihood of mass theft from casino hotels which are under extremely heavy surveillance.
Secondly, this isn't a reduction of rights. Nowhere are you granted the "right" to bring your laptop to a privately sponsored convention. On the other hand, the convention organizers do have a legal responsibility to do their best to make sure everything is safe, and nobody engages in a terrorist attack, or more realistically that nobody steals those cute little LCD panels off a vendor booth, throws them in their laptop bag and walks out.
Guys, I know the slashdroids love to overreact, but this is no big deal. Get over it.
Now it's time for all those who wrote "Jedi knight" in their census forms to practice their "This are not the bags you're looking for".
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
What this is really about is concern over terrorist attacks. But given what the targets have been so far, large events don't seem to be on the target list. So why the concern? Is there something different about the computer industry
that would make it a good target?
The story of Microsofts Reno licensings office getting an anthrax letter seems to have been dropped, even from the list of anthrax hits.
So the computer industry must be alot closer to being angels than world markets, news media and politics?
Hmmm, well it's just a thought. Are you Skerd?
so true
"Thoughts are more powerful than any weapon, and I don't even let my people own guns." --Joseph Stalin
MPAA, RIAA, SSSCA, DMCA (or DCMA if you are a sony employee reading this), PATRIOT....
Now those are things that give me nightmares.
Besides, as a former veteran I've probably been vaccinated for diseases like smallpox, bubonic plague and common sense, you know things that have not existed in the government/military for years.
If it is not on fire, it is a software problem.
Man brings bag of anthrax in pants pocket(or even better, crotch it) to show. He breaks in to the maintenence room, spreads it in to the outlet duct of the HVAC system.
If that's the scenario, than these announced new security procedures would accomplish precisely dick in the way of stopping it. About the only thing that would stop that is a full pat-down search of everyone entering the event, which is a practical difficulty if nothing else.
I like the fact that they're at least trying to do something though.
Why do you like the fact that they're wasting everybody's time and restricting everybody's freedom to do stuff that won't do a damn thing to prevent the stuff you're afraid of anyway?
Well.. Personally I think that it's a bit of a snowball effect. Once M$ and Redhat pulled out, everyone else started to pull out. Cisco, intel, AMD. Everyone wants to go where M$ is, and M$ want's to go where the most geeks are. So last year it was E3, I think. It's kind of like the Wallmart issue we have here in US. Wallmart comes in to small town and builds HUGE store. Small shops all close up. People leave, property sits empty, Wallmart does less and less buisness, leaves, then the town colapses.
Same with COMDEX. M$ sees a geek gathering, comes in and sponsers the gathering, builds the biggest, most shiney booth there. Then sees that another show is "better". Realizes that they now have a console too, and decides that if they can use the console to get into that show, then they can push XP, and all of the next versions: sedcut and lester(or whatever). M$'s money leaves, other vendors leave. Show colapses. Show tells you to enter naked. I've seen it a million times.
Just wait till M$ decides to crash Defcon.
"Thoughts are more powerful than any weapon, and I don't even let my people own guns." --Joseph Stalin
>Terrorists are too small and secretive to be defeated by millitary force of any size.
>Diplomacy is the only option that has been proven to work.
Not entirely true. The Abu Nidal Group was entirely wiped out through the use of military force. It took a lot of people working together all over the world and some pretty nasty tactics, but the entire organization was eliminated.
So I guess terrorist have to become vendors before they are allowed to blow up the conference.
The topic is Comdex and their worthless un-American "security". The sins of others are only tangentially related as exapmles of futile behavior we should neither approve of nor tollerate.
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
The University of Oklahoma has now taken to not allowing bags inside at football games. Formerly, you could bring in a bag of snacks for your kids rather than pay the outrageous $$$ for stadium snacks. Of course, you can't go outside at halftime either, all in the guise of security (never mind that the stadium is OPEN during the week -- I know because I run steps there all the time -- and you could plant a bomb with ease on a timer). The halftime thing is so they don't lose $$$ to people who go outside. After all, we know a terrorist would only blow up the stadium after going to O'Connell's for a beer at halftime.
what a joke.
DO NOT DISTURB THE SE
There you hit the nail on the head. They look good, never mind whether this will have any effect, let alone a salubrious one.
This is necessary first to calm the unthinkingly nervous, and second to cover their asses in the incredibly unlikely event that a terrorist does try to do harm.
This won't do much to calm the thinking nervous; a little thought will suggest that terrorists have upped their planning horizon far beyond the spur-of-the-moment 60's -- style ``carry in some guns and wing a few people and take some hostages and fly to Libya'' stuff that this would help with.
This policy wouldn't have hindered Timothy McVeigh, nor the unibomber, nor the September 11 hijackers, nor the next group of terrorists. What will discourage terrorists is swift, destructive retaliation against their cause, so that every terrorist act clearly sets back their cause.
I think that most of the domestic response to the recent events have been nothing but c.y.a. window dressing, with the same sort of logic and effectivness as gun control: none. See here and here and here and here among other references, for some ideas about that.
Treating honest folks like criminals only aids the criminals in the long run; it gives us the illusion that we are on the same side as them, because we and the criminals have a common enemy in the government. Take a look here for some discussion of how governments can go very wrong indeed.
See what I've been reading.
Take a black permanent marker with you, and write
FUCK YOU
COMDEX
NAZIS
on the bag after you've turned it inside out.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
2. Negotiate
Just whom should we be negotiating with? No one has taken credit or made any demands for any of 9/11. No one has taken credit or made demands for the anthrax letters.
Should we just start giving consessions to any state that might have a minority group that doesn't like the US? I think that would include the entire world including. Even England has its Yank haters.
I think you need a reality check.
Dyslexics Untie!
and shackled! And blindfolded. And all ears and noses plugged. No wait, let's operate on the spinal cords of infants and start cutting all but the nerves which regulate breathing and heartbeat. Absolutely no sensory input or mobility for anyone, then we'll be safe!!
Good point.
What about that belt around your waist? Or for that matter, your shoe laces? I keep wondering how far they will go. How about your tooth brush? This is commonly used in jails to make shivs (sp?) out of... doesn't set off metal detectors or scanners either. The little metal bands used in some headphones could be turned into a knife easy enough. It comes down to two words, How Far?
An optimist believes we live in the best world possible; a pessimist fears this is true.
Finally:
Dear movie theater owner/operator
I'm not paying money to watch fucking Glossette and "Zoom Zoom" commercials! I think you have bigger problems than lost concession stand sales to worry about. You can't very well sell snacks if nobody's coming in to pay to watch commercials with a movie attached.
Sincerely,
One person who has stopped seeing movies in theaters since they jacked the price from $8.50 to $12.00 (Canadian) *and* added commercials.
"The new wave is not value-added; it's garbage-subtracted" - Esther Dyson, Dec 1994
Try an iPaq running Linux/*BSD and an 802.11 card- if they can afford a laptop, they probably can afford the slightly cheaper and even less obtrusive palmtop computer.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
For those seriously considering carrying a sidearm in Nevada, I'd highly suggest checking out www.packing.org for information about obtaining a permit to legally carry. Stay safe. Damiano
But has the ACLU filed suit in support of their rights yet?
I wonder when they will introduce the biometric colon scanner to screen people on their way in the door? I can see it now:
"Excuse me sir, could you step over here?"
"Why?"
"This will only take a moment. Take this plastic protector and slip it over the probe in the middle of that chair over there. Then just have a seat."
to stripsearch a bunch of overwight, sweaty coders with Mountain-Dew stained sweatpants??
Firstly, negotiating is not giving concessions away. Negotiating is bargaining. Negotiation is a sign of intelligence, not a sign of weakness.
Secondly, yes, you should start negotiating to improve relationships with such states.
If the US wasn't so hated, you wouldn't have terrorism. The UK has learned this the hard way over the past few decades. We are now a lot less moralising and control-led than we were thirty years ago, and we have seen a direct decrease in terrorism because of that.
Would it really be so bad if the US stopped funding weapons for Israelis? Or pulled bases out of Saudi Arabia? Or opened up trade with countries which have alternative government systems? Think of the goodwill you could generate by those actions. Think of the 6,000 lives that could have been saved if you hadn't been so pig-headed not to do it before 11/09.
Wise up, America. People dislike you, not because they're pathologically evil, but because you've done bad things.
Admitting that we were wrong in Northern Ireland and negotiating a shared government deal has saved hundreds of lives every year in the UK.
Andrew Oakley - www.aoakley.com
I mean *HONESTLY*, who on earth would target COMDEX,
Every true pointy haired boss is convinced that he is the center of the world and everything turn arround him. The worst thing that could happen to the world is that they target him. That is why every big building was closed on 9/11.
:s/pointy haired boss/american/g
karma--
Incrediably selfish people like you should be immediately drafted and sent to Afiganstan to fight. That way you may think further than your two inch organ.
Osama can't outsmart them! Better yet,
make sure the security guard company
is owned by a Republican campaign contributor
and staffed by illegal aliens and H1B technology
specialists. No way terrorist
could get through that.
You dumb fuck.
And the guy to which you responded has his head in the sand too.
Just dont come crying to me or anyone else when you get shot in the ass.
I dont buy it. Im afraid I need a name. It sounds like a typical made-up "blame america" quote, or just something taken out of context, like the Joe Biden comment from 2 weeks ago
In a recent Tom Clancy book (don't throw heavy objects at me please) one of the plot points was a group of terrorists that developed an ebola strain that they could spread by putting it into fake shaving cream containers. They had guys go to various boat/gun/etc shows, put the cans down near active areas and activate the spray nozzles to release it into the air. One of the interesting things about it was the focus on the fact that since so many people fly around the country so often, a disease that doesn't kill quickly and is contagious would spread around the country, and the world, pretty quickly due to the freedom of travel that we have.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety dese
rve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin
What about my thumb? I could put out your eye!! Only my right one, though, I'm not quite coordinated enough with my left hand (yet) to do much damage.
The Daily Build
Were you blown up at the last COMDEX? Or the one before that? Why on earth would you be blown up at the next one. Nothing has changed except the media's perception of risk, and therefore that of the following herd. Which needs no comment.
Comdex is known for the freebees so why dont they just hand out clear bags?(not hard to see that one coming) and as far as laptops go this is a computer show.... if a bomber wanted to carry a bomb in he'd strap it to his a#% and come in empty handed..... so what ever happened the war on drugs oh yeah we lost that one......leave the show as it is but make the models go through the strip search...
Man.... I always take a backpack with me to put all the useless papers that are shoved at me.... now I'm going to have to carry around one of those lame IBM cardboard briefcases..... or worse yet.... the IOMEGA click of death bag.
Actualy this might be interesting.... maybe somone will come up with a cool bag and now the deal will be "Who has the coolest Bag"
Well there go my arms.... next thing you know they will not allow you to wear tennis-shoes....
************* www.phonecow.com www.handerazone.com
Throwing minimum wage illegal alien "security
guards" at the problem is hysteria, but bombing
the eff out of Ahganistan is not. We are
attacking Al Quaeda and their "enablers" because
the cost of NOT attacking them is too high.
If American just relys on "sanctions" and "diplomacy", potential anti-American nations such
as China, India, Iran, etc. might decide that
the costs of harbouring terrorists is not too high. We are bombing because we must destroy the
Taliban and the tens of thousands of "jihad terrorists" in their regime. Oh, and your attitude is typically European. You say "... I still consider my freedom more valuable than my life."
Americans say : "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!!!"
1. All luggage goes on that plane over there...
2. Everyone who wants to carry a gun may do so, by the way, you can borrow one of these if you need it.
Crazy? Maybe.
Effective? Probably.
--Mike--
If Bin Laden wants to blow up Comdex (which seems unlikely), they won't bother smuggling in a little bomb disguised as a laptop. With his budget, they can rent a booth and bring in a few hundred pounds of explosives tucked inside computer cases...
You don't have an explicit legal right to breathe in public or private property either. They don't have an explicit legal right to stop their neighbors from using up all the available oxygen in the neighborhood either.
People like you need to have the explicit 2nd amendment rights of others demonstrated. People like you are what McVeigh _wanted_ to eliminte. A pity there's no explicit location where only people like you would have benn targetted.
Osama Bin Laden is (sort of) honest about what he hates. You are no. In my book, that makes you worse.
http://geekswithguns.com/
I do not deploy Linux. Ever.
Us Brits have been seeing attacks for a while because of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Shows and public events don't have to ban bags or act in the unfocussed way we have seen in the last month or so. Why doesn't the US learn from the rest of the world how to live with terrorism the way we have?
For example: everywhere in public in the UK if you see an unattended bag you immediately tell a guard/porter/security guard/policeman/someone-with-a-sash-on-that-looks- vaguely-official. Then you move a long way away immediately. No-one apart from American backpackers leaves a bag unattended in the UK and the Americans only do it once when they are arrested under anti-terrorism laws.
Like so many things, little changes to behaviour make all of the difference - there are no bins in railway stations and malls, and those in the high street are bomb-proofed up to about 2kg of semtex (way above the amount needed to bring a Pan-Am Jumbo down on Lockerbie). If you have litter, you take it home or just drop it - as there is nowhere to put it.
It's things like that rather than USA PATRIOT which keep you safe(er).
Come on you guys! Learn from those who have been living with this for three decades!
Pimping my Karma Whore since 1847.
...than non-justifyable, irrational security. It ALWAYS reduces attendance, and WORSE, it conveys the impression that whomever is attending the event is somehow more important than the rest of us.
It smacks of elitism and stinks of pants-soiling fear BOTH at the same time.
A recent example you ask? The Emmys.
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
GeneralEmergency
I like your plan, but it's got one minor flaw. It would require logic and common sense in our leaders. So we're doomed...
No cameras, no bags, no exceptions... ???
So there will be no press coverage, no cameras, no press pictures.
I think COMDEX is taking this a little too far. Increased security is good, absurd security is lame.
How many vendors are guaranteed to have bags for you to use? There usually isn't many vendors with bags, plan on them running out on day one.
thanks for your support.
Real life doesn't work that way. Look at the various other shooting sprees. Ten or so people get shot, then a bunch of overweight ex-high-school-football players with a hero complex pile onto your four terrorists and drag them to the floor.
It just takes a couple of people with carry permits and a lack of respect for these stupid 'disarm the sheeple at public events' restrictions to put a serious crimp in the style of your four armed attackers.
Ebola in the fire supression system? You must be a Tom Clancy fan.
I do not deploy Linux. Ever.
Try Diet Dr. Pepper. Somehow they managed to hide the weird, malty Aspartame taste better than most others.
Or you can drink DietRite cola, which doesn't even have aspartame, instead using Ace-K and sucralose. In addition, DietRite cola has no sodium and no caffeine (good for college students who have to get up for class tomorrow). Most of my friends consider it the only diet cola worth drinking.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Whether the reason for high ticket prices and low profit margin is the cost of obtaining the film, the cost of the projectionist, the cost of the facility, the cost of making the movie, the cost of actors, or the cost of the ad campaigns that try to make a piece of garbage look appealing by plastering the movie's name over everything
Will I retire or break 10K?
> This is why I use Active Desktop to make my computer boot up and look like a bomb timer.
And when you pull this little trick, I truly hope that some overly nervous airline employee calls in the cavalry on you, and you get detained for an annoying long time. Pulling pranks that serve only to make people nervous is rude, because it takes up time, especially the time of the people waiting in the now-stalled line who just want to get through the damn checkpoint in time to grab a muffin before they have to board the plane. Perhaps if you get your cute-joke laptop confiscated and have to spend three days getting it back, you'll get a handle on the whole "actng like an adult" thing.
> You can hold enough plastique in your shirt pocket to blow out a window and crash a plane.
A pocket full of plastique would not be sufficient to take down a passenger airliner from the inside without a large measure of luck. Blowing out a window will depressurize the cabin (if it's done at sufficient altitude) but that's extremely unlikely to disable the aircraft. Taking down a plane by breaking a window is Hollywood stuff, not reality.
Now, if you threatened to blow up the food cart, that would frighten more people. Of course, based on some airline food, you might just get a medal for that...
Virg
Those people with carry permits are banned from the convention, for the "safety" of others.
;p
The false sense of security precautions which are being taken merely disarm the innocent. And few ex football jocks go to comdex
> Joking aside, I have one word for comdex since a few years... unorganized computer flea market...
I hope joking isn't aside here, since "unorganized computer flea market" is a little big for one word....
Virg
I don't know about mass murder, but I've seem some pretty insane things spewed forth from the mouths of marketroids during just about every trade show I've attended. *g*
Considering that smallpox isn't contagious during the incubation period, a suicide bio-terrorist wouldn't be very effective. A sick person covered with boils would have a hard time blending into the crowd.
Line right up folks and spend your money. Pfththth!
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
Everyone drew, there was one big noise and no one walked out alive!
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
Well, there was that fellow who got himself nominated for a Darwin Award...
He tried to rob a gun shop... While an officer in uniform was standing at the counter, and several other armed folks were nearby...
Actually I did a search on Google to find the right spelling and meaning.
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
Careful! Those vendor-supplied plastic bags are not toys.
In "Debt of Honor" terrorists brought biochems. that were airborn into tradeshows contained in shaving creme cans. They would set them off behind a curtain like a bug bomb. Pretty soon, a large portion of the U.S. is infected. Granted, the virus in the book was contagious (modified Ebola), but all it has taken is 17 exposures to cause the U.S. to go into "better be careful" mode. What would a few hundred infections do? What? You don't think Clancy has inside info. on what they are most likely scared of? In that same book a Japanese pilot blaming the U.S. for his personal problems slams a jumbo jet into the White House during a ceremony. Clancy has been hassled by the govt. in the past for knowing way too much for a civilian. I'm not saying we all need to stay home, but what is wrong with being a little cautious? Is it gonna kill you not to have your own personal bag at a tradeshow? What is this garbage about taking away another right? You people are the same ones that would bitch when the govt. doesn't say anything for fear of violating your rights, and then something bad happens. Quit worrying about those stupid give-aways and Get over it!
The concept of "national security" is realized when a government's leaders and officials cannot be easily deposed, when the form of government is not easily changed, when the government is not easily overthrown. It comes at the price of individual freedom. Personal security and freedom can only be realized with limited government.
The Constitution of the United States, by design and by intention, organized an insecure form of governent. The beauty of the Constitution is that it gives limited rights to the government and unlimited rights to the people (including, ironically, the right to give up those rights). Sadly, "we the people" have given our government too many liberties while limiting ourselves in the name of "security"! As someone pointed out earlier (to paraphrase), "how many nut cases have gone on killing rampages at gun shows?" Where there is personal security there is individual freedom. Where there is widespread individual freedom AND RESPONSIBILITY, there is no need for an oppressive government. Two hundred twenty five years ago, our forefathers proved this. It worked for a long time.
A little revolution now and then is a good thing.
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.
"No people of any kind will be allowed in any of the keynote programs," the site states. "This includes speakers, support teams, booth babes, conference attendees, sales reps, etc. No spectators will be allowed."
... to the phrase "dot bomb."
:-P
Sorry
Note here
You have to put your laptop in a fine vendor bag I guess.
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Uhhh...so your pedantic point about airborne strains of Ebola is moot, since the strain you mention doesn't infect human beings?
This makes you technically correct, and a moron, all at the same time.
It's like the smart people of London. Back in the days of the IRA bomb scare someone thought of the swell idea to remove all the garbage cans from the streets. That way, the IRA crowd would have no way to plant bombs and would revert to peaceful beekeeping.
The truth is, actions like these only serve to give the public the illusion of safety, to provide an example of determined action. If someone really wants to cause havoc they will, garbage cans or not.
Are they gonna arrest people too, like the Skylarov case?
Why waste money to go there if you will get arrested for trying out some passwords on windowsXP screensaved desktops that are just standing there in the corner unnoticed.
yep Rainbow 6, good read.
You wanna read smething scary, read Storming Heaven by Dale Brown. Its freaky. Its about planes......and them crashing in to certain things
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&o
Wow, I guess that means I could get that into a fake card for the Springboard modules of my Visor. Better ban those too, 'cause if you've got the determination to run this in a laptop, it ain't gonna be hard to stick it in a Palm...
SIG: HUP
"I went to comdex and I got was a lousy cavity search"
to take for free what they WON'T let you pay for.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
oh the horror!
...
.... those that aren't cheering, ...
Can you imagine it - some few ones from one of the least-reputable shows in Vegas infiltrate Comdex, and suddenly down on the main drag you have a man dressed in a security uniform being harangued by a sweet young thing:
"But I want to be strip-searched!"
"In public?"
"It's my right to be strip-searched in public by a big hunk of a man like you!"
"Okay! And you'll strip-search me?"
... and so the sorry tale goes on
Meanwhile the real security guards are gaping, mouths wide open
Ditto for the rest of Comdex!!!
You can't cure wounds by constantly poking them with a knife.
In reply to the first anonymous coward: I have no idea what the man's name was. He was american and he was wearing something that looked like a military uniform. I know that in the USA lots of congressmen are ex-military, so he may also have been a congressman. I don't even know the names of most politicians in my country; I'm definitely not going to waste time learning those of other countries'. You're free not to believe anything I say. My grandfather never believed men had walked on the moon (maybe he was right and it was all a fake, who knows?).
Bluebomber, actually that was my point, or at least one of my main points. There's nothing wrong with wars (well...). They're part of human political history and lots of countries that were at war at some point are now best of friends. In fact, the countries that the USA were actually at war with (England, Germany, Japan, Mexico) are now their partners and allies. But you can't have wars by proxy and pretend you're not involved. And that's what's been happening in the last few decades. The british decided to give Palestine to the jews because they felt guilty for not helping them before WW2. They overlooked one small detail: other people were living there. And since then, the USA have been supporting Israel (with money, weapons and international lobbying) against pretty much all neighbouring countries because they see it (Israel) as "foothold" in a very important part of the globe. Since the USA has a lot of money and a lot of bombs, most other countries turn a blind eye. But the people actually living there can't, because no matter where they turn their eyes they see Israeli soldiers, armed with american weapons. Killing them and taking their land.
For those who don't get it (americans, mostly, and some british), let me try to put things in perspective: Imagine you're an american (if you are american, this should be easy). One day, the chinese give you a call and say "hi, we've decided to give New York to the mongols", and the next day a huge ship full of mongols arrives and they start settling all over NY. The people of NY probably don't feel terribly happy about it. So they say "wait a minute, we were here first" and "we're very sorry the mongols were driven out of their country, but why should they get ours, why don't you make room for them in China?" but the chinese say "this is the way it's gonna be because we say so", and they give the mongols money and weapons to fight the new-yorkers. So now besides not being crazy about the mongols, the people of NY start hating the chinese, too. They manage to save some money and get a few weapons, but they're no match for the chinese weapons the mongols are using (and getting for free). Soon the new-yorkers are out of bullets and broke. They try to get help from other countries, but everyone ignores them and says it's none of their business. The new-yorkers just can't understand this, because those countries usually jump in whenever similar things happen elsewhere. So they start to believe there's an international conspiracy against them, led by the chinese, of which the mongols are just an instrument. And, objectively, it would be very hard to see things any other way.
Meanwhile, chinese TV keeps running stories about how the evil and primitive new-yorkers are throwing stones at the civilised and handsome mongols (forgetting to mention that the mongols are responding with chinese bullets and missiles and tanks). So the people of China start to hate the new-yorkers, which is just what the chinese goverment wants, because that means they can now send the mongols weapons with public support.
So one day the new-yorkers decide that, since they have nothing left to lose, they're going to blow up something in Beijing, and at least force the chinese to acknowledge there's a war going on. So a few of them infiltrate china and, in a suicide mission, manage to blow up the ballroom of the imperial palace. Now the chinese people start crying "these new-yorkers are madmen!" and "that was a barbaric, unprovoked attack!" and so what does their goverment do? Bomb New Jersey. Because, they say, the attack was certainly planned by John Williams, the dangerous Brooklin terrorist that is currently hiding in NJ. They don't show any proof, but they say they don't have to. Since they have a lot of money and a lot of bombs, other countries are very quick to agree, and even to join them (glad it isn't them being bombed this time).
What happens is that, slowly, other people all over the world start to get fed up with the arrogance of the chinese. The chinese solution is to bomb them too, or at least threaten to do so. But the people of China are starting to suspect that they're not God's chosen people after all, and that they can be hit. And if three or four guys managed to blow up their imperial palace's ballroom, what could one thousand or one million enemies do? They're starting to understand that they will suffer the consequences of their government's actions. And some of them are starting to say "why is it are we supporting the mongols, again...?" and "if we were in the new-yorkers' place, wouldn't we do exactly the same?". And to that the chinese goverment says "er... we have to bomb the newyorkese because they are a threat to civililization and democraciness!"
So now, you ask, how do you solve this mess? Definitely not by bombing more people. Unless you're planning to bomb absolutely everyone. Because the more people you bomb, the more enemies you make. And the harder it becomes to justify your bombings based on the argument that the people you are bombing are savage killers. In fact, the USA have killed more people than any other country in the world (in Hiroshima they killed 300.000 in one day, not counting the after-effects). You solve this mess by admitting you were wrong. You solve it by giving back what you took (or as much of it as you still can) and by helping the people you wronged. It takes a lot more balls to say you're sorry and to admit you were wrong than it does to press a button and blow up a miserable village somewhere in the middle of a desert. But that's also the difference between being able to sleep at night and having to keep both eyes open all the time. And even with both eyes open, you can only look in one direction at a time.
The american people need to understand this. Because their governemnt and their armed forces clearly won't. They have nuclear shelters and aircraft escorts, why should they worry about aircraft flying into buildings? Great, that gives them an excuse to strike back harder. For them it's just a game. For the people on the streets (of NY, of Palestine, of Kabul), it's their life.
Back to the subject of security at Comdex and similar events: what can a bag or a laptop carry that you can't carry under your clothes? And can't everyone understand that? So how does that sort of measure make people feel "safer"? Only very stupid people, or people who think that terrorists are all very stupid. The only thing that sort of measure does is limit people's freedom and make their lives harder.