Let's see. What do I carry on to planes legally that can be used as a weapon/restraints.

Power cords/chargers for electronics.
a large caribeener
a bandanna
zip ties
sturdy aluminum flashlight (pocket sized, not mag-lite)
my car keys
oh and uh..
PENS. I carry LOTS of pens. Hell I carry pens into clubs where they search you for weapons when you enter.

TSA security is NOT about actually making things secure, it's about making you think that things are secure.

I've flown to Vegas and back with a large pocket knife in my carryon (On accident) and TSA never once blinked.

Oh, and if you want to get around that whole 3.somethign oz issue for liquids in case of explosives, take 3 of them, and if you're part of a group, you each take 3 of said item through via different lines at varying times w/ different flight destinations. Once through security, go buy a bottle of water, drink water, take bottle to bathroom with you, collect other little bottles of explosive chemical, combine, carry on plane in your bag. Voila.

I'm sorry, but any idiot could figure this out...

Xavoc

I can better that!

A few years ago, pre 9/11, i believe, I was travelling from London to Mauritius, via Paris, for Christmas. In one bag, I had some presents that were checked on OK.
Whilst witing to board the second leg, in Paris, I was pulled to one side and taken, by armed guard, down to the apron and then, by van, to the baggage handling area.

A group of six or seven people were hudling around my bag and they asked me to open it. As I started to unzip, they all when quiet. When I opened the bag, they all jumped back! What was there - a 2lb block of cheddar, a full camembert, a small stilton AND, a cuddly, talking, teddy bear! They then all started laughing and showed me the xray which showed 2 semi solid objects connected by a few wires to some batteries!

I just think they were insulted by my carrying English cheese to France!

bins

There's no reason for anyone who's taken high school chemistry and physics to think that thing's a bomb.

I hope that all TSA agents are high school graduates.

If you've forgotten what you learned in high school, who's fault is that?

Eric1285

Don't you think if someone builds a bomb they will probably make it so it doesn't LOOK like a bomb (No exposed wire, no black electrical tape, etc. )

BiZarRroBALlmeR

Anyone who thinks they are NOT going to have a problem getting through security with such a device LOOKING the way it does is flat out the most ignorant and idiotic douche to have crawled out from under a double wide.

Anyone trying to get a bomb through security would HAVE TO make it look like something harmless. Such as.... A BATTERY PACK.

When these no good sacks of CRAP strap a bomb on a baby..... was the baby harmless looking? Or did the baby look like a bomb?

I don't think I could possibly put enough bold tags on the term, DUH!!!!!!!!!

JEmlay

@daveNYC: yeah but STILL, this is SLIGHTLY suggestive, while the mooninite incident was above and beyond absurdity.

atuck

@scaught: and thats why you are the very sheep we despise here in Giz.

Self-thought and due-diligence is a wonderful thing. But what you have done is allowed yourselves to become victims of the very propaganda that raped your emotions and self-worth and reduced them to a fruit-loop color coeded diagram with no meaning. So applaud you for being the very idiots that keep this country crippled in its own ignorance. And its an arrogant ignorance to boot.

Cordfucious

Workers for the office of homeland security are paid shit and given benefits beneath all other government employees. Also, hiring is not managed by the federal office and instead are often given to existing airport management. As such, managers have recently had a record of indiscriminately hiring their friends, favorite strippers etc. (and oh yes, that has definitely happened) into managerial and executive positions while airport security that have worked for 10-20 years are screwed over. Thus, old workers leave, new ones are completely incompetent and this type of shit takes a hour or two to sort out instead of 5-10 minutes, which would be reasonable.

atuck

This guy would have been especially f#*ked if he was also wearing an Optimus Prime Shirt.

weshirecat

Put it this way, if I was sitting next to you and you pulled that thing out I would wet myself and then tackle you.

You probably wet yourself if a car honks its horn near you. This is the same sort of retarded that wigged out over the Mooninite signs in Boston.

daveNYC

And for those of you who don't know which batteries you CAN and CANNOT bring onto an airplane, check this out:

[smashgods.com]

A chemical engineer indeed...

shikkakahn

@amatecha: You're the same guy who will have a shit-fit when the TSA lets a bomb on a plane because the guy who made it said it wasn't a bomb, right? The TSA are assholes because they try to protect you, but they'll be REAL assholes when the miss something by trying to be more convenient, huh?

You're advocating creating more false positives. Hmm. Net effect? Slowing down lines. Desensitizing the TSA screeners to oddball electronic contraptions.

hakubak

Is it on the prohibited items list?
If not, I know I'd fight like hell to take that on the plane with me...

Of course, I would do so with a supervisor, so as to keep the line moving. I might be an assclown, but I'm a considerate assclown.

Dunny0, Highlander with a Tuba

All I gotta say is, it's obvious we need people to carry on stuff like this as often as possible. Frankly I'd love the whole BS "airline security" concept to be shot down ASAP. :P

amatecha

They took my friend's plastic, miniature shuriken keychain, so it's not hard to believe something like a homemade battery would cause a shitstorm.

Elly

Looks like a bomb to me... Put it this way, if I was sitting next to you and you pulled that thing out I would wet myself and then tackle you.

And I'd probably be pretty upset if I witnessed the following conversation at the x-ray machine:

TSA: Excuse me, sir, what is this contraption with a bunch of batteries, wires, and electrical tape all wrapped around it?
Guy: It's a home-made battery. I swear.
TSA: Good enough for me, enjoy your flight!

newy

@ajpen: You could kill someone with the New York Times, if you really wanted to.

+ Watch video

Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy

This guy's the sweet spot of someone smart enough to make this thing, and dumb enough to try and bring it onto an airplane.

frigg

I'm also an electronics hobbyist and I have a few homemade devices that I occasionally bring on planes with me. Most of the time it's just a simple headphone amplifier, but of course the TSA monkeys don't know that. Although I've never been stopped because of my devices, it's always a good idea to bring a schematic or diagram of whatever device you have. This way, on the off chance that there's someone with an IQ above 70 manning the TSA post, you'll have a chance to explain yourself.

Eric1285

Proof once more that intelligence does not equate to wisdom. Smart enough to kluge together an extended battery, but too foolish to realize that TSA would have a problem with it.

hakubak

Apparently, a carabiner can be used as a set of brass knuckles, too.

A friend of mine asked the flight attendant on a KLM flight if they would leave the remainder of a can of diet Coke for him after it was poured in to the plastic cup. The flight attendant responded that "since 911" the can could be used as a weapon to terrorize the plane. My friend then asked about the cans of Heineken that were being left for the beer drinkers on the plane... All of a sudden, he was being "unruly" and was "warned."

Welcome to the culture of unreasonable fear, America. You should see how scared you guys have the British these days!

ajpen

@CEOself: @majortom1029:

Agreed.

scaught

America, Fuck YA!

Xenocide

i love that this was an engineer, just so sweet.

Nickolai_the_Russian_guy

The security screeners that are reading magazines while they should be looking at the xray screen at the Atlanta Airport probably would have missed this.

/should have taken a picture of him, but didn't want to get arrested for taking a picture in a secure area. Consider my anecdote un-verifiable.

UberJumper

I made a PSP charger in a Altoids Tin with a 9 Volt and a regulator. TSA didn't take it.

mastaassmasta

@CEOself and @majortom1029: you sirs, are the voice of reason. the masses will try to drown you out though.

Paradise

Bomb, bomb, bomb... Bomb, bomb, babomb.
What if Im a Bombardier?

DarkHavoc99

@majortom1029: Those things are seperate, the water bottle is in fact empty. If it was contained in the water bottle, I would be a little more suspicious.

@zenpoet: Right, I don't ever want to travel with the lcd of people. I don't think I can turn off that many braincells.

Log1c

Also if somebody was trying to set off a bomb they would gladly hand it over.

majortom1029

You cant bash them on this one. Unless your an engineer how would you know what it is?

Come on its a bottle with wires coming out of it. That does honestly look like a bomb. You dont know what the bottle is actually filled with.

majortom1029

Come on. If this had got through you would be gripping that something that looked like a bomb got through. I realize the TSA is not the most educated and efficient bunch, but they made the right decision here.

CEOself

"lowest common denominator of airline passengers" rivaled only by "lowest common denominator of greyhound passengers," which for all intents and purposes is, in fact, subhuman.

I think that, even with all the crazy overzealous actions of the TSA, a person just ought to realize that flying with anything that could confuse an intelligent Labrador Retriever is likely going to cause you problems, so just avoid screwing up the day of guy in line behind you, and don't bring it.

This message brought to you by a guy who as to fly a lot, and hates self-righteous donkey-punchers that make me miss my connecting flights.

zenpoet

Just needs clearer labeling..

Not a Certified Bomb
Does NOT Designate All Over the Tape

MagnoliaBoy

if it was a bomb do you actually think he would give it up so easily?

revolution-inc

@ideaman2020: Because it's a reusable bottle, not a disposable one.

HeartBurnKid, creepy morbid freak

@Xavoc: Good luck the next time you try to fly, I'm sure the TSA is now tracking you...

Kjartan

bush terror tactics really worked...
keep the people scared.
keep them illiterate.
invade countries without real reasons.

keep it up america!

Ariel_Wollinger

I have that same water bottle that's pictured. The cap broke while on a camping trip: the plastic loop top broke off of the metal part of the cap, and I duly cut my hand on the sharp metal edge which remained.

The TSA is working actively to protect us from water-bottle terrorists.

hummer_tied_to_a_tree

@Xavoc: "TSA security is NOT about actually making things secure, it's about making you think that things are secure."

THIS GUY GETS IT!!!

Cordfucious

Uhhhh.... why was he traveling with an empty water bottle..?

ideaman2020

Besides, it isn't as if a bunch of bombs going off in various airport lobbies at once wouldn't cause them to shut down airports, strand people, scare people, etc.

This is why it's called terrorism. You don't have to actually hurt people, just make them scared that they're going to be hurt.

Xavoc

Paranoia...they have it.

Mike918

@Crispus:
As were all US airports until a bunch of planes where hijacked killing thousands. So I guess your airports aren't equally safe any more then they're just lucky up until now just like the US was until then.

Most people who buy an alarm system for their home do so AFTER they get robbed for the first time. Does that make them paranoid or responsible? If even "after" the fact. What does that make people who don't have an alarm yet?

JEmlay

This is why I keep getting more and more convinced that eventually they'll require us to be unconscious during the flight.

@bins: Congrats; you're the first person I've followed.

bluemonq

@Kjartan: Hardly... I'm not espousing that anyone should do this, just saying what TSA already knows, which is that most of its security is smoke and mirrors.

If you REALLY want to be terrified about flying understand this basic concept: "From the time you enter security, until the time you leave it, you are effectively in a constitution free zone."

That's the part that should scare you.

Xavoc

wow... the US is soo freakin paranoid already... and some of that is spilling into canada too... go to almost any foreign country and airport security is way less tense, faster and equally safe.

Crispus

The government causes more "terror" than anyone else.

pastrychef

@CEOself: 100% agree

JackElliotsMustache

were*

Antioch18

@ideaman2020: Why was he traveling with an empty water bottle? Probably because he knew they wouldn't let him bring it on if it we're full, a la the 3 oz liquid rule. kthx

Antioch18

If people are stupid enough to take homemade shit as a walk-on in any airport that resembles anything out of the ordinary (especially homemade electronics) DUH, they need to be expected to explain what the hell it is and very possibly be prepared to surrender it and never see it again. Mail it ahead of time if you can via UPS or something if you don't want to lose it, or buy a real device (battery or whatever the homemade item is that is SO legit to begin with) and then eBay it. But in this day and age, shit that looks like bombs, or otherwise is going to be rejected (if possible) of getting on the plane and I for one am all for it. Anyone dumb enough not to realize it looks like a bomb or suspicious device and tries to take it on a plane, probably shouldn't be on the plane themselves, (This part goes out to you intoxicated asshole that won't shut the fuck up on the plane at 1AM leaving Vegas) hahahaha (Yes, I was there, and No, not the drunk one ;-) )

I'm Just Saying....

Trip

Triplet66

Way back before everyone in this country got scared of everything I was flying with my family back from Massachussetts where we had spent christmas. My mom had bought this oil lamp that was perfectly spherical. It was made of leaded glass. When looking at it under the X-Ray apparently it looked exactly like your basic warner bros. bomb. The security guys all got a good laugh about it. (Apparently you could carry lamp oil on a plane back then...)

LastAndLeast

You guys who say that you would be upset if you couldn't bring this device on an airplane have to realize that we who read Giz are smarter than the average traveler, and the average traveler with shit his pants if that item was pulled out of a bag on a plane. Although it's a pain in the ass for anyone who realizes that a battery and wires can't blow up a plane, it's the way things have to work for the everyday (retard) traveler. Think of how dumb the average American is, then realize half the country is dumber than that, make more sense now?

mounty3166

"No, I said you was the bomb"

OtisCabeal

Okay, prob a bit paranoid as Mike918 suggests, but what a fucking moron for taking it on or trying anyway, batteries taped together, hmmmmm sure looks fucking enough suspicious to me, If I were in line and saw that f-ing thing I sure the hell would bring it to someone's attention and I think fairly, that most people reading this would too if ever in the moment.

Trip

Triplet66

airport security is the biggest joke!

didn't the fbi conduct some sort of secret test last year, where they attempted to sneak explosives though the major airport security checkpoints, and at least 1/2 of the time they were successful? that's pretty pathetic. for all the time they make us waste going though those metal detectors and puffers/sniffers/x-ray/etc...they should at least have better odds than a coin toss.

i think airport security is just an excuse to create a few hundred thousand "unskilled" jobs here in the good ol' usa.

theorieofself

@ajpen: Well, the guy with the beer actually paid for his drink.

djmattyb

@CEOself:

Agree 100%, people just come here to bitch I think, they'd all be freaked if they saw it on the screen and piss their pants running.

Trip

Triplet66

@JEmlay:

I second that, people are generally stupid and have no common sense. Most people here would be pissin' their pants if they saw that in a grey bin going through security, and I sure as hell wouldn't stick around when I saw a bunch of taped up batteries being pulled out of his carry-on and being questioned, and anyone here that says they would is a damn liar! Everyone would get the hell outta there and probably pretty damn fast at that.

"Trip"

Triplet66

@Xenocide: That TEAM AMERICA to you mister, lol....

Trip

Triplet66

I want my phone call. How's wi-fi on planes looking?

aznxenocide

@Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy: Fucking love Carlin.

@ideaman2020: Since you can't bring anything over 3 oz passed airport security people bring re-usable water bottles to fill up at drinking fountains to have something to drink while they wait and on the plane.

Roivas

reminds me of the time when security took my MARTYR shirt. it was really nice too.

Ryanraven

@pastrychef: ...That's the Neo-Con strategy.

newgalactic

@JEmlay:

It does not make them responosible or paranoid. It makes them late.

thegadgeteer

Ok, it looks like something bomb-like. Good job TSA, you did your job. But if you read the actual article, they did have a bomb squad guy look at the device, who then determined that it was not a bomb/threat. What's crazy is that they then didn't give back to the guy, who was still there. Why? To teach him a lesson? So they had a false alarm, so why not move on and let the guy have his battery pack?

...he should have known they would have an issue with this. If you can't bring a bottle of Sprite on the plane, 20+ rechargeable battery packs wired together should be pretty much a given as no-go.

newgalactic

@Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy:

Great ADD

R.I.P. George! Now HE go it! Amazing Genius!

"Trip"

Triplet66

@Triplet66: So if something looks professionally made, it's less likely to be a bomb?

Maybe he should have stuck a barcode on it, or a Hello Kitty transfer.

reckless_inoz

@daveNYC:

haha, I'm with ya on that, would be scary as hell and most people here know it!

Trip

Triplet66

@Paradise:

Not Me, I'm on with them, common sense people!!! C'mon, you can do it!!! At least Try!!

;-)

Trip

Triplet66

I had a "leatherman" on my carry-on once in Wa. state and they confiscated it and said If I was returning, they'd hold it in the airport security office for me, which they did. No big deal. but a bunch of taped up-homemade-ass looking batteries????

c'mon dipshit, figure it out.

Trip

Triplet66

@mounty3166: You're thinking of a median.

Damn stats class...

CarrerCrytharis

Reminds me of my stealth concert taping days. I had a plain metal bass roll off box (homemade) going into my DAT recorder. You had to open it up to set the dip switches for the khz you wanted to roll off. I was on a greyhound and there was an off-duty bus driver across from me who freaked out, kept yelling "What the hell is that? What is that!?!?". Luckily it was like a 2am bus and he was the only one on it. It took some explaining but he did calm down after a few minutes.

This was just a couple months after 9/11 and in NYC. I guess I should have known better, esp. because of my skin color.

spaceman37

@Xavoc: You forgot credit cards, shoe laces, shoes themselves, pants, bare hands, teeth, feet. Security theater indeed.

Bueller

Note that an American airliner has not been hijacked since 9/11. Passengers will, in this day and age, simply kill the hijacker. And it's very ironic that, even with the increased security measures we have at the airports that make everyone's lives miserable still wouldn't stop the 9/11 hijackers today. If people are determined to be violent. They'll be violent, whether they use a bomb or a plastic shiv.

markarian

I think people getting blown up is a small price to pay to end this madness.

markarian

"It's a boom"

-inspector crusoe

@Everyone who is going against the guy who brought this stuff onto the plane.

just realize that the guys who took this photo positioned everything so that it would resemble a bomb a bit better. if you saw it in real life, it really wouldn't look anything like a bomb.

jrghoull

unless you're an engineer or bomb specialist the gizmo in that pic could easily be a bomb...with or without the can in there...better safe than sorry...

i bet even if you are an engineer or bomb specialist you would NOT be able to tell if its a bomb or not just by looking at it...you'd have to closely inspect it to make sure those parts are actually those parts...i.e. not duracel batteries hollowed out and filled with C4

henhen

@reckless_inoz: ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Trip"

Triplet66

What if you know how to do something besides eat & sleep? Couldn't your brain be seen by other passengers as a threat?

heroineworshipper

I went flying recently, and had a 3.something oz bottle of hand moisturizer. The guy took it out, and asked me if I had a plastic bag so he could run it through. I didn't. I wasn't allowed to keep the moisturizer. He didn't have a problem with the moisturizer itself, even if it was a bit bigger than they were supposed to allow...but he ended up taking it from me because I didn't have a freaking ziploc bag. I think I was too stunned to ask the guy why that bag was so damn important.

Blitzkid196

Forgive the double post, but if I see "Trip" at the bottom of another post I think I might have to strangle the guy with my TSA-approved shoelaces (as entioned above). You can respond to more than one person per reply.

Con Seannery

@majortom1029: i thought it was wires in the bottle too then i actually read the article and it says "Why is the wire positioned to look like it's connected to the water bottle?" meaning its just a bottle in the same box as the batteries.

daversW

my trip back from accross the pond. we had a lay over at jfk airport. i went to get a magazine while my dad went through security to the gate. once i got my mag i went and joined him. i took out my passport and realized it was his. this meant that i went through 4 different personnel and not one of them caught on. we look nothing alike and have different 1st names. way to go tsa. i then asked my pops if i should tell them. he of course replied, "heck no."

xb3ngx

@ideaman2020: In case the toilet broke, duh

Con Seannery

@ajpen:KLM is a Dutch airline.

@Giz, is 6 whole minutes such a big deal? The TSA guys are screeners, not "seasoned bomb experts." But they certainly CAN call a bomb expert to come evaluate something suspicious...this looks like criticism that someone did their job.

I've had to carry Chem/Bio defense and testing gear on multiple continents. Does that make me a seasoned chemical expert? No. It means I know enough that when I see/smell/test something that doesn't seem right, I tell everyone to get their masks on and call an expert. That's time I don't mind spending to make sure people are safe.

Paul

People with the title 'Engineer' make enough "perfectly safe"
bridges
buildings
cell phones
airplanes
and batteries
that have fallen, crashed, exploded, imploded, etc that I think this is a fine thing to have done.

Denver80203

Shit.

Half the crap in my laptop bag is more ghetto-rigged than that.

My eeprom programmer alone would probably get me sent to gitmo...

Mio

Well for those that say any moron can tell that it isn't a bomb and the TSA are retards....I may have training in areas other than the person that tried to bring it on the plane but I could easily make a REAL BOMB that looked like that battery pack.

How about the retard trying to bring it on the plane just buy an extra battery like the rest of us for his laptop?

I've flown to Hawaii many times and I didn't need a 8 pound battery brick with electrical tape on it to last.

TSA does a decent job with what they have to work with but for all the complainers..hey don't fly! You can keep your "freedom" by driving in YOUR car. When you get on a plane you follow their rules...why is that such a sore point?

I've been "selected" for extra screening and the circumstances were very stupid...but I managed to get through it without whining...which seems to be hard for some people.

max11221

I have to mention an incident of my one once 2 years ago. I made one of those AAA to USB chargers in the Altoids can, and security in Canada was sharp enough to spot it and ask me what it was. I showed them how it worked and they were all wowed and thought I was a genius God bless them.

And the American screeners didn't care? I dunno, this was post 9/11, so you think they would have been as sharp as the Canadians (like Canada has anything to be blown up).

just a thought.

xacked

You don't have to be an engineer to see that is a fucking battary pack, only the TSA is fucking stupid AND anal AND self righteous enough to pull off the fucking bullshit that they do, I've travelled to dozens of places and I'd have to say getting off or on a plane at a US airport is the biggest pain in the ass ever.

He who sacrifices a little freedom for a little security deserves NEITHER!

Fused7

@Con Seannery:

Bring it!
"Trip"

You really aren't that sensitive are you? That's sad!

Also I'm replying seperately as posts come in throught the day, not all at once. So you are suggesting that I somehow wait until the topic is magically over, then read all latest posts, and then reply to all in one right? lmao!!!

Trip

Triplet66

Also, pardon the repeat post, but it has just come to my attention that your replies were mostly in a brick of about...5 minutes or so?

Con Seannery

I'm suggesting that rather than post many times in short intervals, wait longer and have a larger, consolidated post.

"Con Seannery"

Con Seannery

@matt buchanan:

I respect that, and honor your request. I didn't know I was breaking so many rules all of a sudden, I'm done with comments to him. I love this site and didn't ask for this at all. Just pitching in my 2¢ like everyone else is all.

Thanks,
"Trip"

Triplet66

@Con Seannery: I don't mind a bit of "polite" criticism, but for someone who keep apologizing for his double posts (I think 3 now) how is that much different from me posting at random as I see it instead of waiting and compiling them all at once? I personally like to get my comments/ideas out of my head while fresh if that's okay with you. Now seriously, beat it, I don't come here to argue with people like you. I come here to offer my opinion like everyone else is free to do and in many cases help people, or explain what others may have questions about etc.. Just a hobby dude, doesn't have to be so serious. Too much whining around these gadgets sites and everyone bitching about what best/worse etc. and I don't play that. To each his own. I very often only check in once in a while during the day and don't have time to read everyone's comments and compile into one convenient post for you, sorry. I don't even know you, so please turn the light off when you leave, and don't call me back it wqs a horrible date.

"Trip"

Just going with the flow, like everyone else. Been on here for a couple years at least probably and never had a problem with anyone. And certainly not going to start now on something this petty.

BYE!

"Trip"

Triplet66

@Triplet66, @Con Seannery: Calm down, or neither of you will be able to reply to anything.

matt buchanan

wow, you sure have slot of time on your hands to be worrying about my posts.
Go away.

"Trip"

Triplet66

......besides!

madog

The argument about this appearing harmless but possibly containing a bomb does not hold water due to the simple fact that a "trained" TSA agent should know exactly what a battery pack looks like through x-ray. They see the exact same thing in a PowerBook battery when it runs through an x-ray.

Besides, isn't it the point of x-ray to see INSIDE the object as to ascertain it's true identity?

Besides, the "bomb expert" also concluded that it wasn't a bomb at all; at the scene.

[www.pooh.cz]

madog

@ajpen: I was on a transatlantic flight on KLM about a week ago. They gladly handed out glass bottles and metal knives (dull, but still) with dinner. In fact, it was the best in flight service I've ever seen (in coach, no less). That not-leaving the can business sounds dubious.

BarkoNorwang

you are also not allowed to carry gun shaped devices in a plane. they would even take away a bright, green, empty watergun. as it might be a thread for the other passangers. so i absolutly agree not to let him enter the plane with his battery pack.
also i remeber pre-9/11 in the states trying to get handcuffs out in a plane and security took it away (me at the age of 10).

krom

I used to love flying but not anymore. The hassle, harassment, and infringement on privacy by the of so useful TSA & Home land security bureaucracies is a joke. I'll take the train or car if my destination is w/in 1000 miles and save the aggravation.

dopoognora

TSA anecdote...I'm a police officer and always carry a badge with me. While the TSA guys at DFW were trying to decide if the sharp, 2-inch pin on the back of my badge constituted a threat, they completely missed the Gerber multi-tool and cigarette lighter in the side pocket my carry on bag, both of which were clearly displayed on their X-ray monitor.

yelraf

For reasons others have already stated, I think the TSA made the right call on the battery pack. They are trained to look for things that look like bombs. They are not bomb experts.

Now the water bottle? That one takes a little more explaining. It's empty, it's clearly not a bomb, so what's the problem?

My only guess would be they felt it could be used as a blunt attack instrument.

I was at an event where the TSA had an information booth set up displaying different items that have been surrendered. Among the knives, guns, and throwing stars were a bowling pin and a ~12" X 1" wooden dowel. So I asked why those items were confiscated. (After correcting me that they were "surrendered, not confiscated," she explained they were surrendered because they could be used as weapons to hit people.

I was in a good mood and decided not to ask why laptops are allowed since they could be used the same way.

Bender

@Eric1285: So, you're saying that if you're going to bring a potentially unidentifiable (to the common TSA x-ray attendant) device on a plane, you should also bring an undecipherable (to same x-ray attendant) schematic, and attempt to explain that you mean no harm? Something tells me that your plan has a fatal flaw, in that you assume there's at least one person on the entire airport security detail that can analyze your schematic and device (if they were smart enough to read the schematic, they wouldn't need it to know that your device wasn't dangerous) and proclaim them "non-terrorizing."

Ghinn

This just proves that the TSA needs better screening technology, some type a 3-D multi-spectral system. The problem with the x-ray system they use now is it is one dimensional and it broadly caterogizes material based on density and composition. For example metals are a different color than organic materials, and thick, or denser materials are dark than less thick or dense ones. So some wires connected to a battery NEAR a piece of cheese (jar of peanut butter, bottle of juice, pot of honey etc etc) looks like some batteries and wires connected to either a piece of cheese or a block of C-4, RDX or other organic explosive. And a bunch of 9-volt batteries taped together and will look like a bunch of 9-volt batteries that have been taped together. Which could be used as a source of power to igntite a detonator. It won't look like a normal battery pack for a laptop or DVD. And if this OBVIOUSLY homemade pack of batteries is near anything organic it LOOKS like a bomb on the x-ray. (explains bins experience)

Oh and..

Trip

jellobrains

Christ...I give up. You really can't please all of the people all of the time. I'm a police officer but for a time I worked for the TSA at a CAT X airport(cat x are the largest airports). One thing I quickly learned after starting there was it would be more socially acceptable to say I had joined the klan than the TSA. Everyone hates them...but frequently the reasons are without merit. It is not an easy job, you are tested every shift, not only by supervisors who place "test bags" on the belt which contain a fake IED, but also by the x-ray machines themselves, which randomly superimpose images of various guns, knives and IEDs on the image of passenger bags. If you miss them..it's your ass. The machines keep track of who is running them at all times and keeps track of the TIPS (threat image projections). You have to do regular training on simulator software..which is also tracked.
The new checkpoint evolution 2.0 which is rolling out will be putting in place AT or advanced technology x-ray machines at most of the larger airports, these will allow 3D images which can be rotated, etc. A HUGE improvement over the standard x-ray machines. The whole body imagers should help with people complaining about pat downs.
You're taught that if something looks suspicious..and the battery pack sure as hell does...then have it checked. Better safe than sorry. Yes, it can be a pain in the ass, but bad guys only have to get lucky ONCE..and a couple hundred people will die. Yes, the TSA does miss things, considering over two BILLION (yes, with a "B") people have gone through US airports since 9/11, that's a lot of people to screen...missed items are going to happen. As it has already been pointed out, I think the days where anyone could successfully hijack a plane with a knife or gun are over. Neither can do enough damage to the plane itself to bring it down, and no conceivable plane full of passengers is going to sit idly by while some idiot with a gun/knife happily flies the plane into a building. They will rush him and beat them to death with their bare hands if they have to. A bomb can bring a plane down though..so can you blame the screeners involved for being concerned about that battery pack?
What I don't understand is people will happily submit to a pat down when going into a club or a sporting event, etc, but scream bloody murder when they do it at airports. These are private companies folks, the airlines can put in place whatever security measures they want..you don't have to fly them. Greyhound is usually just down the street. Individually, going through a security checkpoint only takes a few minutes...it's when you multiply that by the couple of hundred people ahead of you that it starts to take a while. Even if you get the full "selectee" treatment it doesn't take very long. A pain..definitely...but if you have a better idea on how to do it I'm all ears..

nogoodnamesleft

@nogoodnamesleft: It is a difficult and thankless job. Contrary to the opinions of the mensa members here, it is not done by (poorly) trained monkeys or intelligent dogs. Thank you for your service.

If terrorism isn't about killing people, only scaring them into thinking they might be killed, why is it a problem that security only makes us feel more secure.

Also, I am not giving up my liberty so that I am more secure, I am giving up a tiny amount of my liberty so that you are. Big difference.

Necroscope

I think that you guys are missing a very important point, which is why the hell would anyone want to blow up an airplane in the first place. The entire idea itself is completely stupid. If you are just going for a high score, then there are plenty of other places that you could bring a bomb to that don't have nearly as much security.

drewthat

I don't know...I'm sick of the whole "America! Land Of The FREE! Where's your ID? I'll need your Social Security Number for that transaction... But look, here's a FLAG!" thing as much as anyone, but you've got to understand that you're agreeing to give up some rights when you fly these days. If you don't like it, you're free to drive, take a boat, whatever. Just like when the MTA decided that they could now search your bags on the subway...you don't have a "right" to not be inspected on the subway, they're owned by a private corporation (that is held in the public trust, kind of odd), if you don't like it, you can use your freedom to walk the hell back to Brooklyn.

And along with giving up the rights that you have to give up to get on a plane is the unwritten rule that you should use common sense and not bring something along that's obviously home made/covered in electrical tape/has wires coming out of it... I mean, really.

All that being said, if a bomb expert says it's not a bomb, you give it back to the guy. Keeping it is just mean.

Lupus_Yonderboy

@drewthat: Well one reason, which was popular in the past (before passenger screening became common place) a number of planes were brought down by bombs because someone wanted to collect life insurance money on one of the passengers.

To me, the real suprising thing is how RARELY incidents (hijacking/bombing) happen, especially when compared to the period starting in the late 1960's and into the 1980's. At the risk of recieving the scorn of all these TSA hating freedom loving hippies from prior posts, you might argue that the TSA monkeys and the screeners before them are actually doing some good!

[aviation-safety.net]

jellobrains

I don't think this is real. Whenever the TSA suspects something, they swab it first. I've had stuff that looked WAY more suspicious than this swabbed and they always just let it go. TSA agents aren't given free will to decide whether or not to confiscate something. If it doesn't set off the chemical detector, it's fine.

For the record, I travelled to Hawaii in November with a homemade extended battery pack for my portable DVD player as well.

tinyhands

touche, trip, well fought

Con Seannery

Oh BTW the people in the TSA are morons. I put my rugged laptop in my suit case of clothing. They turned it on and LEFT it on I guess they could not figure out how to turn it off the morons. It was so hot it actually burned me and caused me to get a blister.

So now my gadgets travel sans batteries so the morons can not turn it on.

Now here is the kicker. I was flying to a ROCKETRY meet in phoenix.

My SECOND suitcase was a hard shell case full of little missles. (no engines)

Get this. They root through my underwear both times but COMPLETELY ignore the case full of 40+ little missles BOTH TIMES.

Go Figure.

Nerys

"Come on. If this had got through you would be gripping that something that looked like a bomb got through. I realize the TSA is not the most educated and efficient bunch, but they made the right decision here."

You have just proven you are a moron and a sheep. Thankyou.

I have taken "massive" D cell battery packs on airplanes before never had a problem (used it to run my old tablet computers so I could watch movies etc..)

Though I never "wrapped" it you could clearly see the plastic battery holders and 16 D cell radio shack batteries and the plug for the computer. Thats what it took to run it for 6 hours on the flight to vegas (CES) now that the batteries are cheaper I just carry 4 extra battery packs with me :-)

Nerys

Wait a second Nerys, youre calling other people morons, but can't spell "missile" correctly? I was going to leave this topic alone but thought I should chime in. I'm sorry about your laptop, but are you certain you didnt accidentally leave it on, put it to sleep, etc? I ask because TSA policy and training is that you NEVER turn an electrical device on..for one simple reason. If it's an IED, you could detonate it by turning on the device. Pretty simple..and I never saw any TSO violate that rule as all had a healthy sense of self preservation. I did however see LOTS of laptops packed away in checked and carry on luggage that were still on. People get in a rush, they forget, and they pack it away and don't think twice about it.
Once again, before you start calling people names, try giving them the benefit of the doubt. No, most of the people employed as TSO's by the TSA are not rocket scientists...but they are not trained monkeys either. The paper or fabric swabs you see them using at checkpoints and then sticking into a machine? The machines are called "explosive trace detection" machines and are really mass spectrometers. Can't say I've ever seen a monkey, even a trained one, operate a mass spectrometer before.
To beat a dead horse..you don't have a RIGHT to fly. It's like driving, it's a privilege. These are private companies and are free to screen their customers the way they deem fit and best to protect not only the passengers..but their very expensive aircraft. Walk, drive, or take a train if you are unhappy with the process, or better yet, offer alternative ways to do things. It's easy to just sit back and call TSA employees names, but offer no solutions.
I guarantee that if you are ever on a plane and some idiot stands up and announces he has a bomb, one of your first thoughts will be unhappiness with the TSA for missing it. You cant have it both ways. Walk a mile in their shoes and try to be a little more understanding.

nogoodnamesleft