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GPS Coke Can X-Rayed
carbolic writes "WiFi-Toys.com and Engadget have posted a link to X-ray images of the GPS Coke can that has security people all up in arms. The GPS Coke can looks a little bit like an IED (improvised explosive device). The PDF file posted on security company Blackwater USA's site shows several views of the can and compares it to an IED. And for thoroughness, the PDF shows a regular can of Coke X-rayed, too."
"It may look like a IED to a layman..."
Um so? I imagine a lot of things could look like an explosive to a "Layman". Ever seen the inside of a CRT monitor or a TV? Imagine how much C4 you could hide in that.
This is just plain silly.
Are we moving to a society that fears anything that could potentially look like a bomb to an uneducated twit?
"If I were bound by all laws everywhere I'm sure I would have committed a capital crime somewhere."
now I know what to make my IED look like so it looks like one of those coke cans on an X-ray...that'll help a lot with getting past security...doesn't anyone else think that giving EVERYONE photos of this to make sure you don't confuse one with an explosive is a bad idea? now people that may be interested in building explosives have a design to shoot for...sure that's all tinfoil hat kinda fear, but aren't those the people X-raying cans in the first place?
You posted a knee-jerk reaction.
What causes starvation and poverty is not the lack of food. There is more than enough food. It is the lack of a free market to transport that food to market efficiently.
In America, we have all kinds of systems to get the food to your dinner plate. These include the food processing and food transporting industries. Just as important is advertising and price setting. by advertising the availability of food, Americans are able to discover the rich variety of foods available.
In Kosovo and other countries, starvation is caused by the lack of a free market. Right now, terrorists threaten any free trade. Just stepping outdoors is risking your life. In other places, farmers are not allowed to grow the foods they want to and sell them at whatever price they want. People are not allowed to traffic in food trade, and are not allowed to build up processing plants to process foods. It is either terrorism, civil war, or bad policy that causes this, but the end result is all the same.
If you would really like to help the Kosovoans, send in some footsoldiers to weed out and eliminate the terrorists. Allow the people a chance to have a free election, encouraging things like civil discourse and not killing the opponent. Stabilize the security of the country first.
Next, you must enact policies that will allow the free market to thrive.
As you can see, whether or not the Coca-Cola company advertises a campaign for a contest has little bearing on the economy in Kosovo. Your comment was not only stupid, it was actually counterproductive.
The radical sect of Islam would either see you dead or "reverted" to Islam.
It is the lack of a free market to transport that food to market efficiently.
Yes, and do you know who is responsible for that? The US and Europe, with their lavish farm subsidies. If Western nations ever allowed the free market to operate in developing nations, problems with food and poverty in the world would be greatly reduced.
In America, we have all kinds of systems to get the food to your dinner plate.
We also have enormous government subsidies, paid for by tax payers, to keep farmers happy and in business. It may be good for ensuring a reliable food supply domestically (and give the number of wars we fight, not exactly a bad idea either), but it is causing huge economic problems elsewhere.
The promotion with these coke cans is that you get a GMC equinox right? First off, if I had one of these cans, I don't think I'd take a flight and run it through the x-ray machine before I thought about pressing the button to claim my prize. I think as soon as I take this soda out of the package, and see, HEY! I WON MY PRIZE! I'll press the button. Thus, the Coca-Cola Prize Squad will come by, collect my can of technological glory and nicely deposit my newly won SUV. So why would I wanna take my can and run it through the x-ray machine?
Those of you that may think that terrorists could run their "IEDs" through the x-ray machine to get past security. It wouldn't make sense, since the reason I just explained before. If it was REALLY a REAL GPS coke can, it wouldnt be there, since the person would have already claimed their prize as soon as they see it. Thus, it has to be a bomb otherwise.
"With so many people in the world today facing starvation and mass death from lack of nutrition, it literally sickens me to the stomach to see things like this."
A.) Coke != America. It's a company.
B.) Can't fight starvation without a strong economy.
C.) It's one thing to say that corps making a lot of money should donate more, it's another to say they should stop marketing and put the money into other people's pockets. What happens when they grow dependent on it, then the lack of marketing suffocates the source of income?
My post is off-topic, I accept that. It's worth the karma hit to tell you how short-sighted you're being. I don't want people to starve, either. We agree on that point. I agree that more sharing could happen. But, "What will Americans throw money away on next"? Grow up. I know for a fact you don't come from a country that's dedicating all its resources to the rest of the world. Give the USA a little credit, our economy is benefitting a LOT of people & countries through frivilous commercialism. Just ask anybody who thinks we're importing too much.
"Derp de derp."
Yeah, we realy should have checked with those other nations before deciding our domestic policies. Shame on us for wanting food if we ever go to war again.
We should try to help other nations feed themselves, not complain that the "scraps" of our economy aren't being distributed evenly enough to feed them. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day etc. etc.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." -Plato
It isn't quite so simple, though -- the western world (not just America -- I'm not an American either) does do harm to poorer countries through farm subsidies and other unfair trade practices. These make it basically impossible for many poor countries to develop a self-sufficient agricultural sector.
The sad thing is that all these giving into fears and rampant paranoia sound exactly like things that terrorists and terrorist acts are meant to instill. Kind of a shame that such a large group of the populace ended up going right into the main plan of terrorism. In a manner, they are supporting it with near the amount (if not the vehemence) of those that contribute directly.
( o ) one could say I'm rather baked
Water blocks EM radiation fairly well - I believe it can only go through a quarter of a wavelength of water. Hence the US Navy's use of ELF for communicating with submarines.
How is this any different from those novelty coke can telephones and coke can radios. Once the object is hidden inside a hand-luggage bag, what the outer surface looks like isn't going to make any difference to an X-ray machine.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
The chance is there though and I for one wouldn't like to be in the position of having to explain it.
I agree entirely. I know that I'd be very embarrassed if I had to explain how I didn't notice the can I packed was made of plastic and had a big hole on the side with a button in it.
I am an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technition (military bomb squad) and I would just like to add that the Coca-Cola company was very helpful in the disemination of imformation to all security agencies. The device is not a threat, lack of information about this device is a threat.
IUDs are placed inside the uterus, not the vagina, dumbass. That's why they're called "intrauterine devices." Sheesh, you're proving your own case about the sexual ignorance of slashdotters.
Although I imagine placing an IUD in a woman's vagina would be very effective birth control, sex with a plastic contraction stuck in your vagina would be very discouraging for both parties involved.
If security sees something they don't trust then they call the bomb experts. Simple. Better a false alarm then having a plane blow up.
This seems to give the X-ray operators the idea that some cans can contain electronics.
Yep.
So all a terrorist now has to do is make his detonator be as neat as the coke can, thanks to the handy photo's and a x-ray operator will think "oh a suspicous thing oh no wait I seen that presentation this is one of them cans no need to check further".
Nope.
The FIRST lesson for operators is that a can full of electronics MIGHT not be a bomb, and might not be known to the poor sap who had one in his carry-on lunch. So don't throw the lucky winner up against the wall and start punching him when he complains that he'll miss his plane.
Second: This tells the operators how to tell the DIFFERENCE between a can-bomb and a can-phone, so they don't even need to open the box if it's the latter.
Of course they won't just let the guy through with the phone. They'll haul him and his luggage aside and compare the image to their handouts of that PDF file. If they get a mismatch they'll still call the bomb squad. But if they get a match they'll tell him it looks like he got the lucky can, but we gotta open the bag to check it - and watch him call for his car.
Watching the harried commuter decide between making his non-refundable-ticket air flight and getting the free SUV (and camera crew) delivered to the airport would make a GREAT break from a boring day of looking at X-rays of business suits and toothbrushes.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
It is the lack of a free market to transport that food to market efficiently.
Yes, and do you know who is responsible for that? The US and Europe, with their lavish farm subsidies. If Western nations ever allowed the free market to operate in developing nations, problems with food and poverty in the world would be greatly reduced.
No, what's responsible for that - in Kosovo at least - is the UN's arms embargo. By disarming everybody who wasn't supported by an outside group (typically a large country), they left them at the mercy of those who WERE supported by such powers, and who wanted to eliminate them. Thus starvation, and genocide.
That's one special case. But there are plenty of other special cases.
For instance: Iraq under Sadam. Turns out (as siezed documents show) many of the high UN officials - and high officials from various UN member countries - were on-the-take from the Oil-for-Palaces program - whose gravy train ended with the invasion. For over a decade the UN stood by while Sadam slaughtered Iraqui citizens - and many of the members opposed the invasion right up to the end (then made nicey-nice to join in on the reconstruction gravy-train once the bribes stopped flowing). Any bets on how much of that was due to bought politicians rather than principled opposition?
Or take Biafra: Millions starved into death or plague, or masacred (with MACHETTIES - who needs guns?) because disarmament rendered them helpless before organized military opposition.
Starvation doesn't come from "greedy corporations" "wasting money". They'd LOVE to feed the world - they'd make MORE MONEY that way!
Starvation comes from government and proto-government intervention, through misguided policies or outright planned genocide.
The solution to genocide is allow the potential victims - which means EVERYBODY - to arm themselves for their own defense. The solution to starvation is to eliminate the governmental obstacles to people feeding themselves, whether by raising their own food or earning enough after-confiscation cash to buy it from others.
And the obstacle to both is governmental force, implemented either by malicious people or people too ignorant or stupid to understand that the SECOND-order effects of government programs often completely swamp and reverse the expected FIRST-order effects.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way