Hey all. I just made the 37 hour trek to the states from NZ for a visit, and on the way an interesting thing happened (twice) at airport security. My girlfriend's computer got pulled aside to get the swabbing inspection (I am not sure if they are looking for drugs exclusively or also traces of explosives or biohazards). This happened not once but twice. It's a System76 Laptop with a Tux sticker on it. It runs Linux Mint.
We played dumb (didn't have to do much acting; we sincerely could not understanding why) and eventually got one of the agents to tell us what was going on. I will not reveal the answer (or at least what they claimed was their reason for pulling it aside) here, as an incentive for this: I want to compile an HPR episode of interesting stories about travelling with computers. Preferably focusing on TSA interaction, in an attempt to better understand what these fine defenders of the American way of life are looking for when they inspect computers. I do not require you to record your story; just respond to this thread with your tale. I am seeking first-hand experiences. In other words, you should have witnessed the event in person, preferably with something to lose if it had all gone wrong. Cheers. -klaatu _______________________________________________ Hpr mailing list [email protected] http://hackerpublicradio.org/mailman/listinfo/hpr_hackerpublicradio.org
