Airport Security vs. Cyborg Steve Mann

CompaniaHill writes: "The New York Times (free reg, etc.) has a story on University of Toronto engineering-professor-turned-cyborg Steve Mann's recent run-in with humorless airport security. Apparently his preplanning and documents were sufficient to get him through the Toronto airport security on his way to St. John's in Newfoundland, but not sufficient to get him through the St. John's airport security on his way home. Two days later, after strip-searches, forced removal of implants and x-raying and other ill-handling of delicate hardware, he returned home in a wheelchair. Mann's lawyer is attempting to recover the cost of the $56,800 in damaged hardware, while his doctors are studying his body's response to the removal of the implants, some of which he has had for over twenty years."

Comments

again airport security are idiots.

[edrugtrader]

if anyone read my post a week ago, airport security is simply retarded. they decide they are going to nail someone and they do just that.

me and my girlfriend had to wait for 2 minutes while they chemical tested all of luggage and carry ons, and shoes and purses for explosives. this was because her shoes (complete with metal shoe lace ends) set off the metal detector.

later in the trip tourists are posing with the reserve offices for pictures... i saw this many times. tourists have their arms inches away from machine guns carried by 5 foot tall women and all the airport cares about are my stinky shoes.

then the kicker is the woman on the airplane knitting with HUGE knitting needles.

this guys sensor that opens doors is going to do about as much damage as my stinky shoe. yes, when i fly i want to be safe, and that is why i defend the 'fly naked' campaign.

Re:again airport security are idiots.

[Anonymous Coward]

True. I flew last week and here are my observations:

• JFK: NG troops have M-16s (or AR-15s) on their backs--they may as well be unarmed or wearing bullseyes. Two NGs at each entrance. My guess is safety off or round not chambered. Either way they would be fumbling for their weapons (ever tried to grab something that's hanging over your back, especially when someone is shooting at you???) if the shit went down in the terminal. They are easy targets, and a quick terrorist could get two free bullethoses off of two quick shots. Grade: F
• Paris: CRS troops carrying subbies, finger on the trigger. Grade: A
• Rome: Carabinieri troops w/ subbies & full-size bullethoses of various origin. Hand on the grip. Grade: A
• Istanbul: Similar to Rome. Grade: A

Conclusion: for the most part (except for the phish-head wannabe Richard Reid fiasco...), the European airports know what the fuck they are doing. They can kill a terrorist within seconds. The American airports are still run by a bunch of fucking amateurs.

It's Not About Security

[StormyMonday]

It's about control.

It's both control of the passengers (You *will* drop your trousers and paint your arse green!) and control of the drelbs who run the security checkpoints (follow *every* rule *exactly* or you're fired!) Security- related professions are magnets for rule-bound control freaks.

Most of the stuff is ridiculous. "Turn the laptop on and off". Tweezers. Fingernail clippers. Very little about security and a whole lot about "I'm in charge and you're not!"

Control freaks at play.

Re:Sounds more than a little exaggerated to me.

[kemster]

Actually you might be a little wrong there bucko. Years and years ago, when the earth was new, I was an undergrad at MIT and then-Media-Lab-graduate-student Mann spoke in a class I was taking. At the time, I believe he was trying to recruit people to do heavy-duty graphics work (i.e. when he moves his head side to side, his camera is taking discrete pictures of a room/building/whatever at different angles. He was working on algorithms to put them all together and make them coherent). Anyhow, the point is, I distinctly remember him saying that he got nauseous when he removed his visor. The reason was very simple. He spent all of his waking life (outside of the shower) in a 2D world. His body was so used to it, that living in 3D took some serious getting used to, and he would feel sick. My guess is that this is what happened. Ever feel like your eyes need some adjusting after staring at a 2D object (such as a movie theatre screen) for hours at a time? Now image doing that 24/7 for years and trying to re-adjust to the real world.