Fri, 06 Jun 2008
Stupidity, Security, Photography — the War on Photography // at 10:00
From Bruce Schneir's Schneier on Security, possibly one of the best articles I've ever read on the increasing harassment of anyone who dares to wield a camera in a public place:
... The 9/11 terrorists didn't photograph anything. Nor did the London transport bombers, the Madrid subway bombers, or the liquid bombers arrested in 2006. Timothy McVeigh didn't photograph the Oklahoma City Federal Building. The Unabomber didn't photograph anything; neither did shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Photographs aren't being found amongst the papers of Palestinian suicide bombers. The IRA wasn't known for its photography. Even those manufactured terrorist plots that the US government likes to talk about — the Ft. Dix terrorists, the JFK airport bombers, the Miami 7, the Lackawanna 6 — no photography. ...
Thank you Bruce.
Sun, 26 Aug 2007
Canberra airport… again // at 22:00
Another trip through Canberra airport, once more I'm selected for the “random” additional security checks. I think I've worked it out though, on a Sunday evening there's so little to for the security staff to do that their “random” person selector picks every third person, and anyone who stands out in the slightest gets picked on.
At least this time they were civil about the whole deal, although I am
puzzled about one aspect of the whole metal-detector thing. I walked
into the airport wearing shoes, socks, jeans, underpants, a belt,
tee-shirt, fleece vest, fleece jacket and a hat. For some reason I
have to remove the hat and it has to go through the metal detector
seperately. I guess I prefer it to be my hat to my underpants…
Mon, 25 Sep 2006
Canberra airport security thugs // at 00:00
“Post 9/11” I have flown within Australia several times and internationally three times. Internationally, I've been to airports in the UK, Switzerland, Italy, China and Vietnam and have had various levels of security checks at variou airports. Within Australia I've flown through Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs and Canberra. At only one place have I ever had any hassles, that is Canberra airport. It doesn't seem to be a one-off either, it seems that every time I fly through Canberra airport the security staff are the rudest, most obnoxious, most determined to puff up their chests and egos and find some trivial item that must be confiscated because it's in the rules. When questioned, we get the stock answer: “We're just following orders...”
Today was no exception; Canberra airport checkin, for the first time in five years I've had to take off my belt — the same belt I've worn every time at every airport. Yet again I was chosen for a random explosives test — three trips out of Canberra airport, three selections for the bomb-wipe. This time they decided to confiscate Jo's nail-file! The damn thing was 8cm long and she's had it for twenty years, its been in her toiletry bag for twenty years, it's been through the metal detectors any number of times. It was allowed through onto the aircraft leaving New York a week after September 11! But no, mister puffed-up shirt Canberra airport security thug must confiscate this deadly implement.
Perhaps these idiots should walk ten metres past their all-powerful metal detectors and have a look in the airport bar — the airport bar that sells glass bottles of beer that you can take onto the aircraft. Perhaps the security thugs should check up on how many people in the world have been assaulted, threatened and injured with broken bottles versus how many are attacked with nail files. If the nail file is a weapon then so is the headphone cable for an iPod, the nice pointy steel pen and pencil that everyone carries, or the battery in everything from phones to MP3 players to laptop computers....
Perhaps the idiots need to step down their attitude and ridiculous theatrics.
Sun, 30 Jul 2006
Mindless security at Federation Square // at 00:00
I've written off to the managers of the Arintji café and Federation Square to ask them what the hell they are on about, the following made bugger all sense at the time — just another example of the mindless rules that seem to be increasing all the time, generally waved off with the all-powerful word “security” wafted over them to ward off evil spirits. I wonder what bizarre explanation they'll be able to offer.
Jo and I sat down for a late lunch and a beer at one of the cafés in Federation Square. We heard that Mountain Goat Hightail Ale was available, so ordered two and a few snacks.
The beers duly arrived, two bottles, and since its such a flavoursome beer we asked for glasses, the better to savour the smells and tastes. The conversation became somewat Dada-esque:
“Can we have glasses for the beers please?”
“We can't bring glasses outside”
“What about those glasses of wine, that glass of water, and these beers in glass bottles?”
“Sorry, but we're not allowed to give you glasses outside.”
“That is ridiculous, you've already given us glass bottles, and you've given those people glass glasses. What do you do with wine?”
“Those are the rules, they have told us we can't bring glasses outside.”
“Look, the beer tastes much better from a glass, surely we can drink it from glasses.”
“Ok, but security will tell us off if they see them!”
So there you have it, straight from the Stalinist Russia school of rules and security. No rationale, no explanation. These are the rules and they are policing them.
We did get our glasses, and the Goat tasted much better for it; we also received forks in a glass with the snacks! At eight bucks a bottle, I'm sure Arintji can afford to pay for the extra washing up, and I shall wait with bated breath for their responses to my letter of enquiry....
From now on I think I'll stick to drinking goat from the tap, somewhere pleasant like at the brewery or the GB in Richmond where it costs half as much!
Tue, 19 Oct 1999
MLP // at 12:00
- http://www.infowar.co.uk/
- www.infowar.co.uk
- http://www.ihn.org/
- www.ihn.org
- http://www.cryptonym.com/
- www.cryptonym.com
- http://www.anonymizer.com/
- www.anonymizer.com
Thu, 09 Sep 1999
Mon, 06 Sep 1999
MLP // at 12:00
- http://xforce.iss.net/library/bill_stout/ntexploits.htm
- Known NT Exploits
- http://www.securityfocus.com/
- s e c u r i t y f o c u s
- http://www.iptvreports.mcmail.com/interception_capabilities_2000.htm
Wed, 01 Sep 1999
MLP // at 12:00
Security
- http://www.ifi.uio.no/pgp/
- The International PGP Home Page
- http://www.rootshell.com/
- Rootshell.com
Music
Fri, 01 Jan 1999
MLP // at 12:00
- http://www.night-flyer.com/virus/site.html
- http://w1.340.telia.com/~u34002171/hhd/1997/hhd1997.html
- Happy Hacker Digest 1997
- http://reveals.belgium.cc/
- Reveals Serial Numbers © - The best place to go ( ? ) if you lost your sn#
