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Forrest Mimms On Modern Air Travel With a Bag Full of Electronics
Evidently even Forrest Mimms isn't famous enough to fly without hassle when carrying a briefcase full of electronics; he writes at Make about his experiences, both before and after 2001. A relevant slice:
After police were called when I was going through security at the San Antonio International Airport and after major problems going through security in Kona, Hawaii, I finally realized the obvious: Most people who don’t make things have no idea how to evaluate homemade equipment. Some are terrified by exposed wires and circuit boards, maybe because of bomb scenes in movies.
So I gave up. Now my carryon bag is only half stuffed with electronics; the rest is shipped ahead via FedEx.
To be fair, I'm a nerd whose been reading Slashdot since 2000, and I have no idea who Forrest Mimms is either.
It is not incumbent on everyone else to understand someone's homemade gadgets and electronic paraphernalia. A call to TSA and airport security would alert them that someone with electronic gadgets and parts was going to be passing through security. And he could have put them in his checked baggage and explained what they were as well. His behavior borders on trolling.
"Evidently even Forrest Mimms isn't famous enough to fly without hassle when carrying a briefcase full of electronics"
Who?
I looked him up, and have no idea how anyone who isn't really into his books would know who he is (and probably not even then). He's literally not famous at all.
I'm willing to bet he isn't dark skinned. If he were either black or Muslim then he would have instead gotten an invite to the White house. Different standards for crackers though.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
I have traveled numerous times, both domestic and international, carrying all manner of electronic prototypes. Including systems with a 12V lead acid battery, which looks, on the xray, like a dark blob with 2 wires going to it, which has to look as much like a bomb as anything else. Or a backpack with a bunch of boxes, cables, and radios.
I occasionally get a question about "what is it?", and then a "ok, move along". I occasionally (25% of time) have to get it swabbed for the ion-mobility tester.
I have never been "selected for interview" or "taken to another room" or anything remotely like that.
This is over the last 30 years, at least, when I was anywhere from 20s to 50s in age, with a beard and a ponytail.
My two instances of trouble were:
1) I had a roll of electrical tape seized at Heathrow. I wasn't carrying any electronics that time..
2) I had a bundle of AA batteries taped together in checked luggage in China. that's a no-no.
That your electronics attracted attention. I mean it is only the greatest threat to travel and commerce posed by the vile muslims.
an ill wind that blows no good
Santa has been doing this for hours tonight without issue.
Forrest Mimms is the man who wrote the book that got me started in electronics.
What a coincidence! Forrest Mims also wrote a book on electronics. Wonder if they're related?
I completely agree...because I've done exactly what you suggest! I was flying to give a public outreach talk on physics and took some demos with me which included a microwave transmitter and receiver plus other electronics. At check-in I told the person behind the counter that my checked bag contained equipment which might look a bit strange since it was for physics demos for a talk I was giving. She told me that she didn't think it would be a problem but told me I could take it direct to a scanner they had in the check-in hall itself for checked bags. I took it there, explained again, the guy scanned it and said it looked fine and off it went on the conveyor belt.
I did the same on the flight back with the same result. No problems whatsoever and some curiosity as to what the demo was. I expect that if you explain that you have scientific equipment in your bag, why you have that equipment and that it might look a bit strange to the X-ray in advance you'll not have any problems. If you want to use actually a scientific device on the plane then the best thing to do is ask permission beforehand and not just state that you are going to use it to some random check-in person who probably has no technical background whatsoever. If this guy put even the tiniest amount of thought into getting his gear through security and getting permission to use it on a plane then I expect he would not have half the problems he claims to.
as well as others things. carry only today's needs.
Yep, I took a LittleBits Synth Kit with me on a flight earlier this year, got pulled off for extra screening and had to explain the thing to them.
I was flying from LA to New Orleans to VFX supervise Big Momma's House 2 (ok, not the best film ever.) Among the things I brought with me was a pelican case of LEDs and batteries, we used to put tracking marks on walls and other things. I'll admit that seeing it go through the x-ray machine, it looked a little iffy.
The TSA agent then took the case, and extended his arms as far as he could, closed one eye, before slowly opening the box and peeking inside. Which, of course, I found insulting. No respect.
I love Mondays. On a Monday, anything is possible.
Fuck the Patriot act
Forrest,
My first exposures to electronics was with your yellow-covered project journal that used to sell at radio shack back in the early 80's. I learned a lot from screwing around with the various ideas. It stuck with me through the years as I continued to become a sucessful RF engineer. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I'm sure it helped a lot of people get started.
Unfamous enough that even the submitter didn't know how to spell his name. "Mims", not "Mimms". Kinda undermines your point.
Why is this news?
I know it's anecdotal, but I have never had an issue carrying custom made hardware through checked or carry on. RF brass boards, PCBs, test equipment, etc. I've had baggage scanners wipe EPROM's, and TSA dump an $80k VNA out of it's Pelican case, and another TSA who said those micro-hook probes looked "painful", but never a security hassle. Go figure.
Traveled from Austin to Breckenridge for the holidays but decided against taking my Raspberry Pi I got for Christmas and other assorted cables and hardware for this very reason.
He likely earned about 28 million dollars by selling 7.5 million books. That's not a bad gig.
My 1983 senior project case had to be opened for TSA of the time after the X-Ray showed wires and PC boards. They were hesitant to let me take it onboard until I pointed out there was nothing in there big enough to be an explosive part of a bomb. The light bulb lit above his head and he now knew to look for a timer AND explosive! I got an A on the project to boot.
He's not the first to discover the uses of the commercial shipping companies like Fedex, etc. At least since the mid 90s, people have been doing just that. Part of it was in response to all the airport security that was being developed using poorly-paid, and thus unqualified examiners. The other part was the airlines' growing limits on "excess" baggage, plus their tendency to fly your luggage to some place remote from where they were flying you. People reported that handing it over to the package-shipping people to deliver to your destination did an end run around the airlines' lost luggage issue and the government's incompetent security theater. And the cost was often less than what the airlines would charge for the excess luggage. Others read those reports, tried it, found that it worked, and switched to the same process. And on arrival, they had just the one carry-on bag, didn't have to deal with the airlines' slow luggage-delivery schemes, and could just grab a ride to wherever they were headed, where their luggage, equipment, etc. would be waiting for them.
The airlines should just say the hell with it, convert the bottom of the plane to a second deck of seats, and subcontract the luggage delivery with the folks who know how to do it right. Lots of the frequent-traveller crowd does it that way already.
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
For the last 4 years, ever since selling my software start-up, I have had incredibly easy international flights and always have a wonderful seat. Now, if I could just do something about the fuel costs and the luxury tax on my private jet.
I don't suppose who ever modded my post off-topic would care to explain the reasoning because I really don't see how this is the least bit off-topic.
Before a holiday flight (I think Germany to Switzerland), I was put aside behind X-ray screening for some extra checks and questions. The reason was, that I was carrying -among other things- a point'n'shoot digital camera and an extra battery (smallish 1500mAh) for my smartphone in my bag. The extra battery and the camera's image sensor happened to overlap in the first X-ray screening pass, triggering some false positive detection.
In my opinion a toolbox on board of an airplane is more dangerous than a gun.
Sheeeeeit. You want to get a bomb on a plane? Just fly out of Maccarran after DefCon is over. I stay until the end; by the time I fly the out (with all my exposed-wire-paraphenalia) TSA's collective mind is more completely blown than usual. They don't even look twice.
There's always some lovely stories at the talks about attendees' experiences at their origin airports, though. I can't imagine what those guys must think.
And, to all you naysayers: Forrest M. Mims is indeed the man, and quite famous. Just because "kids today" aren't forced to learn analog basics before doing hardware hacking stuff and *you* haven't heard of him doesn't mean squat. (See also: Steve Ciarcia).
And there is not even one security guard who is not.
That moment when you step out of your geeky/nerdy bubble and realise everybody else might as well be a (hopefully) trained monkey. "Oh, wow, you do stuff with computers, huh? I wish I were as smart as you, but I'm not, and won't even fucking try to be. I like just converting oxygen into CO2 all day."
We know they infect stuff you send on the mail and that they mess with checked up luggage. The ONLY "safe" way to take electronics around, in or out the US is to keep it ALL in your carry on, and if you lose visual contact with it while they are passing the x-ray, you just dump or sell it without ever connecting it again to your personal stuff. They even let you take overweight carry on if you explain it is very expensive.