Quote of the Day
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
- William Shakespeare
Figure 1: Example of a TSA Line. I really do not like standing in these lines. (Source)
I was having a discussion with some other engineering managers when I heard the following travel horror story. Engineering managers are always talking about Bills of Materials (BOMs), which we pronounce as "bombs". An engineer was on his phone at an airport and was discussing part problems with a contract manufacturer. He used the term "bomb" many times during that conversation. Another passenger heard his use of the term "bomb" and turned him in to TSA, who promptly apprehended him. He then spent the next several hours explaining to the nice TSA people what a bill of materials is. Having to go through tight security checks is one of the worst things about flying commercially and it's no wonder so many people would prefer to chart a private plane through a company like Jettly.com. I wouldn't be surprised if this engineer opts to fly privately next time, especially if he needs to discuss his work again. While the TSA folks were very nice, he did miss his plane and got to spend an enjoyable evening in Little Rock, Arkansas. Did you know many things there are named after Bill and Hillary Clinton? This engineer got to visit a number of these places.
I actually know the engineer that this happened to. He is the last guy on Earth that you would expect this sort of thing to happen to. I have had my TSA issues too. I once tried to drag an oscilloscope through security. They would have none of it. I had forgotten that my portable scope had a lead-acid battery in it that their x-ray machine could not penetrate.