Comments on: Be afraid, particularly of batteries http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125 Exploring business and its impact on life with Stever Robbins Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:41:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Michael DeBusk http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125/comment-page-1#comment-1041 Michael DeBusk Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:32:59 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125#comment-1041 Sorry, Stever, but as a trained and experienced security professional myself, I'm going to respectfully disagree with your basic premise. Security officers in airports, hospitals, shopping malls, and the like will quickly learn what is typical of the hundreds of people who visit their sites, and anyone who "violates" that "rule" will stand out sharply. The woman in question walked into an AIRPORT while wearing BATTERIES AND WIRES. No one is going to convince me that she was surprised to have been thought to be strapped to a bomb. Like the big hairy guy who tried out for American Idol while dressed in the metallic bikini, she knew what she was doing. There is absolutely no such thing as "look like a bomb" and "doesn't look like a bomb", but the officers' response was perfectly reasonable this time. An AA battery and a bit of nichrome wire can detonate an explosive device easily. It's easy to claim IN RETROSPECT that they over-reacted. Incidentally, shooting her would have been a bad idea if she had been wearing a bomb. Mercury switches are cheap and easy to build. Sorry, Stever, but as a trained and experienced security professional myself, I’m going to respectfully disagree with your basic premise.

Security officers in airports, hospitals, shopping malls, and the like will quickly learn what is typical of the hundreds of people who visit their sites, and anyone who “violates” that “rule” will stand out sharply. The woman in question walked into an AIRPORT while wearing BATTERIES AND WIRES. No one is going to convince me that she was surprised to have been thought to be strapped to a bomb. Like the big hairy guy who tried out for American Idol while dressed in the metallic bikini, she knew what she was doing.

There is absolutely no such thing as “look like a bomb” and “doesn’t look like a bomb”, but the officers’ response was perfectly reasonable this time. An AA battery and a bit of nichrome wire can detonate an explosive device easily.

It’s easy to claim IN RETROSPECT that they over-reacted.

Incidentally, shooting her would have been a bad idea if she had been wearing a bomb. Mercury switches are cheap and easy to build.

]]> By: Steve http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125/comment-page-1#comment-814 Steve Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:36:04 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125#comment-814 My view may be colored as my encounters are false positives such as the key/belt buckle/coin detectors used as security devices and wailing cars, but agree this seems like an over-reaction. Got around to finding the good articles I had read. Really liked: http://articles.citypages.com/2007-08-22/news/everything-we-know-about-security-is-wrong/ And this: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070826/3qa.htm TSA interview - I was surprised the the no fly list actually caught anyone, liked the behavioral detection - http://www.schneier.com/interview-hawley.html My view may be colored as my encounters are false positives such as the key/belt buckle/coin detectors used as security devices and wailing cars, but agree this seems like an over-reaction.

Got around to finding the good articles I had read. Really liked:
http://articles.citypages.com/2007-08-22/news/everything-we-know-about-security-is-wrong/

And this: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070826/3qa.htm

TSA interview - I was surprised the the no fly list actually caught anyone, liked the behavioral detection - http://www.schneier.com/interview-hawley.html

]]> By: Josefin http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125/comment-page-1#comment-661 Josefin Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:14:08 +0000 http://blog.steverrobbins.com/bizblog/be-afraid-particularly-of-batteries-125#comment-661 If not suicidal I think she did a stupid thing. Glad they coughed her that means the security setups work. If not suicidal I think she did a stupid thing. Glad they coughed her that means the security setups work.

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