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Fly Through Airport Security
From Wired How-To Wiki
You
might as well check your dignity curbside. Soon you'll be shoeless and
flustered, spilling comics across the floor as you dig your MacBook
from the depths of your duffel. But take a deep breath, frequent
fliers: It is possible to pass security with your ego intact. Here's
how.
1. Do recon online. Security delays vary widely by concourse and terminal. Go to tsa.gov
to find average wait times. If you're not checking bags, print your
boarding pass at home and head to the fastest line. (Be sure your gate
is accessible from that security checkpoint.)
2. Carry a messenger bag. The topside flap gives easy
access to your laptop and Ziploc of liquids and gels while the pockets
provide plenty of storage for alarm-trippers. As soon as you get in
line, tuck your belt, wallet, keys, watch, and phone into the sack.
3. Wear laceless shoes. And holeless socks. Just think of all the foot fungi of travelers past. Or don't.
4. Go! After you pass ID screening, make a beeline to the
shortest x-ray queue. Don't wait to be directed, and don't hesitate to
bypass dawdlers. Not only will you get there faster, you'll keep the
whole line moving.
5. Use only two bins. Place shoes, coat, and toiletries
in the first bin; laptop in the second; followed by the messenger bag.
Keep the roller on the floor, where it's easy to manage, until the last
minute.
6. Dress strategically. Don your coat and shoes while waiting for your bags. Put on your belt and watch at the gate.
 The
Dumb Little Man blog posts up a healthy portion of tips for those with
flexible schedules and a desire to fly for free by booking themselves
on overbooked flights. Along with pointing to a web site
that details how many seats are left on certain flights, guest blogger
Clay Collins suggests keeping your luggage light to up your chances at
scoring a free flight voucher:
Sometimes finding
volunteers is like pulling teeth, but if the competition is fierce,
airlines tend to prefer volunteers who don't have checked baggage. On a
similar note, one of the few downsides to getting bumped is the extra
opportunity for the airline to lose your checked luggage. Try to stick
to carry-on bags. If you can leave the turbo deluxe hair dryer and
extra set of golf clubs at home, do so.
Have any
of our own frugal/flexible readers had any success intentionally
getting bumped to score free tickets/vouchers? Offer up a little air
travel advice in the comments. Photo by jetalone.
How to Score Free Airline Vouchers by Reserving Overbooked Flights [Dumb Little Man]
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- -- Discount air carrier Southwest
Airlines flew thousands of passengers on aircraft that federal
inspectors said were "unsafe" as recently as last March, according to
detailed congressional documents obtained by CNN.
Congressional documents show Southwest flew thousands of passengers on aircraft deemed "unsafe" by inspectors. 
Documents submitted by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors to
congressional investigators allege the airline flew at least 117 of its
planes in violation of mandatory safety checks.
In some cases,
the documents say, the planes flew for 30 months after government
inspection deadlines had passed and should have been grounded until the
inspections could be completed.
The planes were "not airworthy," according to congressional air safety investigators.
On Thursday, the FAA initiated actions to seek a $10.2 million civil
penalty against Southwest for allegedly operating 46 airplanes without
conducting mandatory checks for fuselage cracking.
"The FAA is
taking action against Southwest Airlines for a failing to follow rules
that are designed to protect passengers and crew," Nicholas A.
Sabatini, the FAA's associate administrator for aviation safety, said
in a written statement.
Calling it "one of the worst safety
violations" he has ever seen, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minnesota, is
expected to call a hearing as soon as possible to ask why the airline
put its passengers in danger.
Lightning GT - The World's First Green Supercar?
The all-electric Lightning GT might just be the world's first green supercar. It's as clean as the Tesla Roadster, as quick as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and as pricey as the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
The Lightning Motor Co. is Britain's equivalent to Tesla Motors - a
small company that believes electric vehicles are the future and the
best way to sell them is to make them as fast as they are sexy.
"Without a significant positive shift in perception," the company
says, "electric motoring will remain a large compromise in the eyes of
driving enthusiasts and therefore fail to impress the masses."
The Lightning is impressive indeed.
The company says four in-wheel motors generate 553 lb-ft of torque - that's about as much as the tire-shredding Dodge Viper SRT
produces - and 120 kilowatts apiece (for a combined total of about 643
horsepower, putting it in the same ballpark as the Corvette ZR1). Lightning claims the car will do 0 to 60 in 4.0 seconds
and hit a top speed of 130 mph. Range is 250 miles.
The car features an aluminum honeycomb chassis, carbon-kevlar
bodywork, regenerative braking and 36 kilowatt nano lithium titanate battery the company says will charge in just
10 minutes and maintain 85 percent capacity after 15,000 charges. Look
for a full slate of features, from anti-lock braking and traction
control to air conditioning and leather.
What's all this speed and luxury cost? Almost $300,000.
Lightning seems serious about building the car. It's spent the past two years refining the design and lining up suppliers like Altairnano and PML Flightlink to provide the batteries and motors, respectively. Altairnano's Nanosafe batteries power the world's fastest EV dragster, and Volvo is using PML's Hi-Pa drive wheel motors in its ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept, so there's no question the hardware works. But as Tesla has shown, building a car from scratch is no easy feat, and Lightning's got its work cut out for it.
We'll keep you posted.
Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline to fly with biofuel, something airline boss Richard Branson calls "a vital breakthrough" but environmentalists deride as a "nonsensical" publicity stunt.
The Boeing 747-400
flew from London to Amsterdam on Sunday, carrying in one of its four
fuel tanks a 20-percent mix of biofuel derived from coconut and babassu oil.
That may not sound like much, but it is the first time a commercial
aircraft has flown any distance using renewable energy. Branson said
the "historic" flight marks the first step toward reducing the airline
industry's carbon footprint.
Does it?
Many environmentalists scoffed at the idea that Branson, and the
airlines, are at all interested in cleaning up an industry that
contributes 2 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Pete Hardstaf, head of policy for the World Development Movement, said,
"This is nothing more than a Virgin publicity stunt with dangerous
consequences for the planet." Doug Parr, chief scientist for
Greenpeace, told the Globe and Mail the flight is "high-altitude greenwash."
Why?
Continue reading "Virgin Atlantic Biofuel Flight - Green Breakthrough or Greenwash?" »
Airline pilot sacked for 777 Top Gun stunt
Wheels-up flypast, 30ft above runway
By Lester Haines
→ More by this author
Published Monday 25th February 2008 09:54 GMT
Green Computing - Where do you stand?
A senior pilot with Cathay Pacific Airways has been
sacked for an "unauthorised low-level flypast" of a new Boeing
777-300ER in Seattle last month, Flight International reports.
Ian Wilkinson had just taken delivery of the aircraft on 30 January
and, after take-off from Everett Airport en route to Hong Kong with
about 50 to 60 passengers on board, including Cathay Pacific chairman
Christopher Pratt, returned to the airfield for "a low-level flypast
with the landing gear up":
News sources say Wilkinson had obtained permission from the tower
for the stunt, but not from his employers. While onlookers applauded
the low-level pass, the plane's passengers were said to be "stunned
into silence". When footage of the Top Gun escapade
subsequently found its way onto the internet, it revealed Wilkinson had
taken his charge just 28 to 30ft above the runway.
US military grounds stealth bomber fleet
By William Lowther in Washington and Ben Martin
Last Updated: 3:30am GMT 24/02/2008
America's
entire B-2 stealth bombing fleet, which has played a crucial part in
all major conflicts since 1999, has been grounded after one of the jets
crashed near a military base in Guam.
The crash - the first involving the £610 million plane - was the most expensive single aircraft accident in history.
A
senior US military source told The Sunday Telegraph that all remaining
B-2 stealth bombers were on a "no-fly" order and that there would be no
further take-offs until the initial investigation into the crash had
been completed.
Officials assume the crash was
caused by either mechanical failure or human error, but have grounded
B-2s to ensure there is not some fundamental fault developing in the
21-strong fleet.
The grounding means that a major
component of the US military is out of action. The jets are normally
stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but have been
deployed to the Pacific territory of Guam to maintain the US military
presence in the Asia-Pacific region and deter potential enemies from
taking surprise military action while other American forces are
diverted to fight in the Middle East.
Hi All!
Look what we might see here in the USA! It is about time!
Air-Powered Car Coming to U.S. in 2009 to 2010 at Sub-$18,000, Could Hit 1000-Mile Range
The
CityCAT, already being developed in India (bottom left), will be
available for U.S. production in three different four-door styles. But
it's the radical dual-energy engine, with a possible 1000-mile range at
96 mph, that could move the Air Car beyond Auto X Prize dreams and into
American garages.
By Matt Sullivan
Published on: February 22, 2008
PM's Huge Auto X Prize Team Tests Geo Metro, Set to Buy Off-the-Shelf Plug-In Parts
NASCAR's New 180-MPH Mega-Treadmill: First Look
Coskata’s $1/Gallon 'Trash-to-Gas' Tech Starts Up Ethanol 2.0: How It Works
How to Run Your Car on E85 Ethanol: Auto Clinic
As Green Hangover Sets in, Industry Turns to Big Trucks and More Horses: 2008 Chicago Auto Show Anal
KEYWORDS
alternative energy
fuel economy
auto technology
engines
Automotive X Prize
Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) confirmed to PopularMechanics.com on Thursday that it expects to produce the world’s first air-powered car
for the United States by late 2009 or early 2010. As the U.S. licensee
for Luxembourg-based MDI, which developed the Air Car as a
compression-based alternative to the internal combustion engine, ZPM
has attained rights to build the first of several modular plants, which
are likely to begin manufacturing in the Northeast and grow for
regional production around the country, at a clip of up to 10,000 Air
Cars per year.
Let's Go to The Moon!
Google is bankrolling a $30 million race for privately funded moon rovers - an endeavor that takes the X Prize to new heights.
The Google Lunar X Prize, announced today by the search-engine giant and the X Prize Foundation at the Wired NextFest
in Los Angeles, ranks among the richest contests ever offered for
technological innovation. It follows up on the $10 million Ansari X
Prize for manned spaceflight, which was won nearly three years ago by the SpaceShipOne rocket plane.
Clear To Award $500,000 Clear Prize for Checkpoint
A $500,000 award has been announced for any solution that will make airport security checks quicker and simpler for passengers.
The "Clear Prize" was announced by Clear, of New York, US – a firm that already offers quicker checkpoint services at airports for a fee.
"We're looking at moving things that are conceptual or in the lab to things that we can deploy," says company CTO Jason Slibeck.
Amtrak to beef up security
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Amtrak passengers will be subjected to
random screening of their carry-on bags as part of a new security
initiative that will include armed officers and bomb-sniffing dogs
patrolling platforms and trains, an Amtrak spokeswoman said Monday.
Amtrak passengers board their trains November 21 at South Station in Boston, Massachusetts. 
Details of the new effort, which were first reported by The Associated
Press, will be announced Tuesday, the spokeswoman, Tracey Connell, said.
Unlike airlines, Amtrak has had few visible changes to security since
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but in recent years trains
have been the targets of terrorism.
In 2004, bombings of
commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, killed 191 people. A series of
bombings in London in 2005, most of them on subway trains, killed 52
people. And security experts have long pointed out the vulnerabilities
associated with rail travel and the difficulty in securing trains. Amtrak chief executive Alex Kummant told AP the new measures are not a
response to a "new or different specific threat," but rather, he said,
"just the correct step to take."
Amtrak
plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" on the Northeast
Corridor between Washington and Boston, Massachusetts, its most heavily
used route, before expanding them throughout the country.
The Transportation Security Administration,
which already conducts sporadic deployments of security teams, called
VIPR teams, to train stations around the country, welcomed the Amtrak
initiative. "Anytime security is enhanced, we are very
supportive and this random, unpredictable model is one we strongly
endorse and practice ourselves through VIPRs and other initiatives
throughout transportation systems," TSA spokesman Christopher White
said.
Scary Travel,
They took those devices away. The article is here. I guess I'll encrypt my Linux computing systems. LOL!
We had the Super Bowl here. Here are the best Ads.
Meanwhile, check out my Blog, or Linux Site. Or, Join the Forums. Cool!
So how was it? At the Airport where you where? Join the Forum Here.
Guess What!
Next Week we have the Super Bowl Here! In the "Valley of the Sun"!
    
I could go on with Photos, but I'm sure that I would be violating copyrights.
In the meantime I've updated my News Feeds here. And keep working on my Linux Site here, then my Blog. It is all good clean fun! I'm sort of a computing Geek! All Linux, and open source computing. Ask me how this is done. We no longer run Microsoft (M$), or their operating systems or applications. Join the Forum here.
Enjoy the Super Bowl, I'm looking forward to the TV Ads.
Never Fly US Airways!
Never ever fly US Airways, not only are they loosing money, but their CEO - Doug Parker - has been arrested @ least 2 times for DUI violations.
Plus, they have set some type of all time low you can go for baggage lost. And, flight schedule delays. As I have posted below, all is not a Happy Bunch of Campers with US Airways.
Questions? Join the Forum Here.
Happy New Year!
/I am the Rogue Warrior type of guy, I run Linux, Open source applications, all for free, and all for fun! And, productivity! I've lived and worked in 80+ countries around the world. I've gone on to develop my Main Site Forum Here. Then went Blogger.
Your comments are welcome, join the Forum!
Welcome Road Warriors!
Was your flight canceled this summer? Check out the Forum. But, here is main reason.
 North Of The Phoenix Airport
Let's exchange the Best, and the Worst regarding Travel,
Computing, TeleComs, PDAs, Cell Phones, and the usual life on the road
-- Hotels, Motels, etc. We can probably save some cash! Trust me here.
I have worked in 80+ Countries!
I have pretty much been there, and have the T-Shirt, plus a pretty good International background that let's me say that I am the "RogueRoadWarrior".
Lots to see here and learn. All Cool! And, it is all FREE!
Join the Forum! I've just added it. And, check out "About The Web Master" e.g. RogueRoadWarrior.
Oh -- you can translate this Site into 9 other languages -- Cool! You might need to download the characters for the Asian languages.
Since Airport Security is such an issue please read on.
And, we have the ever present computing threats. Check out the Synaptic Security Alerts on the left-hand side. There's a bunch of fixes there.
As for this RRW -- I run Linux.
TSA Adjusts Ban on Liquids, Aerosols and Gels
Air travelers may now carry liquids, gels and aerosols in their carry-on bag when going through security checkpoints.
With certain exceptions for prescription and
over-the-counter medicines, baby formula and breast milk, and other
essential liquids, gels, and aerosols, the following rules apply to all
liquids, gels, and aerosols you want to carry through a security
checkpoint.
 All
liquids, gels and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller
containers. Larger containers that are half-full or toothpaste tubes
rolled up are not allowed. Each container must be three ounces or smaller.- All liquids, gels and aerosols must be placed in a single,
quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Gallon size bags or bags that
are not zip-top such as fold-over sandwich bags are not allowed. Each traveler can use only one, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag.
- Each traveler must remove their quart-sized plastic, zip-top bag
from their carry-on and place it in a bin or on the conveyor belt for
X-ray screening. X-raying separately will allow TSA security officers
to more easily examine the declared items.
Please keep in mind that these rules were developed after extensive
research and understanding of current threats. They are intended to
help air travelers bring essential toiletries and other liquids, gels
and aerosols for short trips. If you need larger amounts of liquids,
gels and aerosols such as toothpaste or shampoo, please place them in
your luggage and check them with your airline.
To ensure the health and welfare of certain air travelers there are
no limits on the amounts of the following liquids, gels and aerosols
you may carry through a security checkpoint:
- Baby formula and breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling;
- All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes;
- Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition;
- Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs;
- Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such
as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing
gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and,
- Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically
related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.
You are not limited in the amount or volume of these above items you
may bring in your carry-on baggage. However, if these items are in
containers larger than three ounces, please perform the following:
- Separate these items from the liquids, gels, and aerosols in your quart-size and zip-top bag.
- Declare you have the items to one of our Security Officers at the security checkpoint.
- Present these items for additional inspection once reaching the X-ray. These items are subject to additional screening.
We have also taken steps to ensure the security boarding areas after
you pass through our security checkpoints. Therefore, you any liquid,
gel, or aerosol purchased such as coffee or soda in the secure area
after you process through a security checkpoint is allowed aboard your
plane.
Before you fly, understand everything you can and cannot bring when
you travel by air by reading our list of permitted and prohibited items.
Permitted and Prohibited Items
To effectively communicate important security information, we translated these changes into a variety of languages.
Security Information in Other Languages
To learn more about rules covering air travel select one of the following links.
Travel Tips To Make Your Screening Experience Hassle-free.
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The secret to getting through security smoothly is to de-clutter
your carry-on bag. This lets our Transportation Security Officers get a
clear, uncomplicated X-ray image of your carry-on.
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When possible, keep packing liquids in checked baggage. You will get through security faster.
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Limit quantities to what is needed for the duration of the flight.
The ban on liquids, aerosols and gels was implemented on August 10
after a terrorist plot was foiled. Since then, experts from around the
government, including the FBI and our national labs have analyzed the
information we now have and have conducted extensive explosives testing
to get a better understanding of this specific threat. These changes
are intended to enhance security and balance human needs because we
have a better understanding of the threat and security risks associated
with liquids, aerosols and gels.
In addition, TSA will be enhancing security measures throughout the
airport environment – more random screening of employees, additional
canine patrols, stronger air cargo security measures, more rigorous
identity verification, deploying more trained security officers in bomb
appraisal, and screening by observation techniques.
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