23||0|3065|0|
0|0|0|||1||TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Mercutio||23:53:20|05/08/2014|So.%0D%0A%0D%0AJust got back from a week-long%2C work-related trip to Denver.%0D%0A%0D%0AI don%27t fly often%2C and when I do%2C there%27s about... mmm... I%27d say a 50%25 chance or so I come in for extra scrutiny in the security line. This is due%2C I am pretty sure%2C to the fact that my driver%27s license has my middle initial on it %28which my boarding pass does not and%2C indeed%2C no other official documentation aside from my birth certificate ever does%29 and my picture on it is... less than a perfect likeness.%0D%0A%0D%0AFor this particular trip%2C I had what I %5Bi%5Dthought%5B%2Fi%5D was a cunning plan%3A %22Hey%21 I have an honest-to-god US Passport%2C the gold standard of personal identification. It has fancy electronics embedded in it and everything and a really excellent headshot that looks exactly like me. I%27ll bring that%2C and breeze right through the line.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AExcept that %5Bi%5Dall four times I passed through security%5B%2Fi%5D%2C I ended up getting grilled about my final destination and if I was planning on changing my itinerary midway through the trip to leave the US. When I expressed some bewilderment as to that line of questioning%2C I was told that it was %22rather unusual%22 for someone who wasn%27t planning to leave the country to carry their passport%2C and that it %22called attention to me.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AYou can%27t win for losing sometimes.  %0D%0A%0D%0A-Merc%0D%0AKeep Rat
1|1|0|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Gryphon||00:21:23|05/09/2014|%3EExcept that %5Bi%5Dall four times I passed through security%5B%2Fi%5D%2C I ended %0D%0A%3Eup getting grilled about my final destination and if I was planning on %0D%0A%3Echanging my itinerary midway through the trip to leave the US. When I %0D%0A%3Eexpressed some bewilderment as to that line of questioning%2C I was told %0D%0A%3Ethat it was %22rather unusual%22 for someone who wasn%27t planning to leave %0D%0A%3Ethe country to carry their passport%2C and that it %22called attention to %0D%0A%3Eme.%22 %0D%0A%0D%0AWeird.  I used my passport as ID when I had to fly to Florida for Zoner%27s wedding a couple years ago%2C and nobody batted an eye.  The only security-type person I had a problem with the whole time was the metal detector guy at Logan who made me put my cane on the conveyor belt%2C then didn%27t seem to know what to make of the fact that I couldn%27t walk through the archway without it.  %28Numbnuts.  Did he think I was carrying it because I occasionally like to break into vaudeville soft shoe routines%3F%2A%29%0D%0A%0D%0AI %5Bi%5Dwas%5B%2Fi%5D once questioned for several hours by a puzzled RCMP officer who seemed convinced that I intended to stay %5Bi%5Dforever%5B%2Fi%5D in St. John%2C not just for the couple of days I had planned.  In fairness to him%2C though%2C I %5Bi%5Dwas%5B%2Fi%5D between jobs and%2C for unrelated logistical reasons%2C I %5Bi%5Dhad%5B%2Fi%5D packed more than two days%27 worth of clothes.  He was also deeply puzzled by my CPAP machine%2C even after I demonstrated it for him.  I think he thought it was some kind of crazy drug paraphernalia.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A%2A I suppose I might have done this too%2C if I%27d had any feeling in my right foot at the time.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
2|2|1|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|BZArcher||09:01:19|05/09/2014|Agreed - I carry my passport for all of my travel%2C domestic or international. Maybe the DIA agents are just assholes. %3A%29
4|2|1|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||09:53:10|05/09/2014|[updated:LAST EDITED ON May-09-14 AT 09:53 AM (EDT)]%3EHe was also deeply puzzled by my CPAP machine%2C even after I %0D%0A%3Edemonstrated it for him.  I think he thought it was some kind of crazy %0D%0A%3Edrug paraphernalia. %0D%0A%0D%0AAs a fellow CPAP user%2C I did raise an eyebrow when I learned of the existence of %5Blink%3Aen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FVaporizer_%28inhalation_device%29%7Cvaporizers%5D as a marijuana consumption device%2C because some of them do bear a striking resemblance to a CPAP %28especially when one considers the humidifier%29.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28I discovered these because of a jargon intersection between the marijuana users that prefer these devices and e-cigarette users%2C as e-cig consumption is typically referred to as %22vaping.%22 Nothing quite like trawling through Twitter data to get a handle on discussion of e-cigs%2C and finding%2C instead%2C a picture of a dimebag and what looks like a CPAP with design aesthetics from 1973 that has a plastic bag hung onto the filter exhaust for some reason.%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D
6|3|4|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Wiregeek||22:30:42|05/09/2014|If you have any questions at all about the nicotine-related vaporization%2C feel free to ask me%2C I%27ve been nearly a year free from burning death-sticks thanks to it.
8|4|6|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||14:55:16|05/10/2014|%3EIf you have any questions at all about the nicotine-related %0D%0A%3Evaporization%2C feel free to ask me%2C I%27ve been nearly a year free from %0D%0A%3Eburning death-sticks thanks to it. %0D%0A%0D%0AOh%2C it wasn%27t for personal use%3B it was for work. I%27m a public health policy economist%2C and a lot of my work is on tobacco%2Fnicotine policy. %28And%2C believe you me%2C there is a %5Bi%5Dlot%5B%2Fi%5D of policy interest in e-cigarettes.%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D
19|5|8|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Wiregeek||22:54:29|05/13/2014|[updated:LAST EDITED ON May-13-14 AT 10:54 PM (EDT)]more%27s the pity that a lot of policy is coming down with no science to support it%2C and at least in the local cases%2C no representation. 
22|6|19|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||08:32:05|05/14/2014|%3Emore%27s the pity that a lot of policy is coming down with no science to %0D%0A%3Esupport it%2C and at least in the local cases%2C no representation. %0D%0A%0D%0AThere%27s a couple of e-cig lobbying groups out there%2C although they don%27t have a ton of money behind them. Also%2C Big Tobacco is buying into e-cigs in a major way%2C either by buying up an established brand %28Blu%29 or developing their own%2C and they%27re supportive of regulation. That%27s both because they%27ll take anything they can get that improves their public image%2C and so they can erect barriers to entry so that the tiny little basement%2Fgarage e-cig businesses won%27t be able to stay in the market.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D
12|4|6|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|zwol||19:08:40|05/10/2014|I don%27t think I%27ve ever noticed anyone using a vaporizer or %22e-cigarette%22 personally.  However%2C I happen to know several people who have had drop-everything-and-call-an-ambulance-right-now asthma attacks induced by walking through a cloud of cigarette smoke.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo%2C hypothetically speaking%2C %28a%29 is it even possible to get a group of three or four people hanging out on the street puffing on vaporizers%2C like you do with burning death-sticks %28great turn of phrase there%2C btw%29%2C and %28b%29 if they did%2C what would it be like to stand downwind of them%3F
13|5|12|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|DaPatman89||11:57:52|05/11/2014|I used to work with a few people who all used e-cigs as an aid to quitting%2C and can assure you that the vapour from them is nothing like cigarette smoke. For one thing%2C it has a much more pleasant fragrance%2C given that the liquid in them is frit-flavoured. Furthermore%2C the only way you can get a facefull of vapour is by invading the user%27s personal space.
18|5|12|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Wiregeek||22:53:35|05/13/2014|the plural of anecdote is NOT data.%0D%0A%0D%0AI regularly %27attend%27 a local vape store - I hang out%2C answer questions%2C make clouds of vapor%2C and use the opportunity %28and their work table and excellent lighting%21%29 to maintenance%2C clean%2C and even develop vaping hardware.  Recently%2C we were talking about...   I think it was stardrives and the usefulness thereof as weapons%2C actually.   When a nice young lady came in with her dog.  Her ancient%2C tiny%2C fluffball chihuahua variant dog.  The dog spent about a half hour cruising around scoring pets and love%2C and having a grand old time. %0D%0A%0D%0AThink about it.  Those horrible little rat dogs tend to just pop if they encounter bad air - their physical endurance is drastically lessened by the crude techniques we have used to produce them.  They%27re like canaries%2C and this critter didn%27t mind at all.%0D%0A%0D%0ANow%2C real data aside%2C it%27d be a minor irritant.  Propylene Glycol has been used in its vapor form for years%2C in fog machines and as aerosol disinfectants.  There%27s a minor chance you may have an unpleasant reaction to a particular flavor%2C sure.  But the same could be said for perfume.  Or deodorant.
20|6|18|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Bushido||23:20:09|05/13/2014|Propylene Glycol is listed as GRAS %28generally recognized as safe%29 by the FDA.%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPropylene_glycol
21|7|20|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||08:28:19|05/14/2014|%3EPropylene Glycol is listed as GRAS %28generally recognized as safe%29 by %0D%0A%3Ethe FDA. %0D%0A%3Ehttp%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPropylene_glycol %0D%0A%0D%0AIt can be toxic%2C but only in stupidly large amounts %28or somewhat less stupidly large if you drink it%2C urinate%2C and then %5Bi%5Ddrink your urine%5B%2Fi%5D%2C so that you%27re ingesting the metabolite that%27s actually deleterious%2C but I think if you%27re doing that you probably have larger problems to worry about%2C if you%27re capable of worrying at that point%29. It%27s used in many medicines as a stabilizer and to slow systemic uptake %28so that%2C for example%2C that Nyquil hits you over the course of a few hours rather than all at once%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AThat said%2C there%27s clinical evidence that it%27s not quite as safe for the lungs as it is for ingestion. For example%2C it%27s also used as a stabilizer in house paints%2C and there%27s been cases where it%27s induced an asthma attack in children sleeping in freshly painted rooms with poor ventilation %28so don%27t let your kids vape -- here in NC%2C it%27s now illegal to buy or sell e-cigs or e-liquid to people under 18%2C in fact%29. There%27s been observed%2C documented temporary decreases in lung function as a direct result of vaping%2C although it appears to abate fairly quickly after one finishes the vaping session %28so don%27t vape while exercising%29. And%2C most recently%2C there are some studies%2C based on early longitudinal results%2C which suggest that there%27s long-term harm in vaping. Unfortunately%2C I haven%27t read those studies yet%2C nor do I have the reference to hand here at home -- I%27ll see if I can dig out the link once I get into the office%2C and if I have the time today I%27ll try to read up on it.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe other risk is that%2C with no regulations in place to control content or labeling of e-liquid%2C there%27s some potential danger there%2C depending on where you buy and who you buy from. There%27s no guarantee that any given batch is safe to consume%2C or that the stated nicotine content is accurate %28at least%2C not on a federal level%3B I don%27t know all the state laws%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AWith all of the above said%2C it%27s almost certainly less bad than smoking or chewing tobacco.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D
23|8|21|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Bushido||14:48:29|05/14/2014|As a non-smoker%2C I%27m neutral on the whole debate%2C other than the fact that I%27d much rather be around people who vape than those who smoke%2C due to the smell alone if nothing else.  I do have a few friends who have switched from Cigarettes to E-cigs and they swear by it.  It hasn%27t gotten them off of nicotine%2C but it%27s gotten them away from all the myriad carcinogens and chemicals in tobacco products.
17|4|6|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|The Traitor||19:20:42|05/12/2014|[updated:LAST EDITED ON May-12-14 AT 07:21 PM (EDT)]%22You don%27t want to sell me death-sticks.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22... I don%27t wanna sell ya death-sticks.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22You want to go home and rethink your life.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%22I%27m gonna go home and rethink my life.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A-- One of the vanishingly few funny bits in the Star Wars prequels that is %5Bi%5Dintentionally%5B%2Fi%5D funny.%0D%0A%0D%0A---%0D%0A%22She%27s old%2C she%27s lame%2C she%27s barren too%2C %2F%2F %22She%27s not worth feed or hay%2C %2F%2F %22But I%27ll give her this%2C%22 - he blew smoke at me - %2F%2F %22She was something in her day.%22 -- Garnet Rogers%2C %5Bi%5DSmall Victory%5B%2Fi%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AFiMFiction.net%3A we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have %5Bi%5Dstandards%5B%2Fi%5D.
3|1|0|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|thorr_kan||09:33:00|05/09/2014|Sometimes you can%27t win.%0D%0A%0D%0ALast time I flew to Mex. on business%2C I saw TSA was breaking in a trainee in passport examinations.  No prob%3B forewarned is forearmed%2C and I was there plenty early.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo%2C the trainer hands lets the trainee loose into the wild a few people before me.  When he gets my passport%2C he looks at me%2C looks at it%2C gets the %22befuddled thug%22 look and calls over his trainer.%0D%0A%0D%0A%22Is this a real passport%3F%22%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27m getting worried at this point.  But the trainer takes a look at it and chuckles%2C %22This is the old style%2C pre-%3Csecurity gobblety-gook%3E.  Look for %3Cthis%3E and %3Cthis%3E.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AHe turns to me%2C and says%2C %22Thanks%2C sir.  We appreciate you providing this training opportunity.%22  And off I went.
5|2|3|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|eriktown||21:30:40|05/09/2014|Having signed up for Global Entry%2C I also get TSA Precheck whenever I fly. Which is awesome%2C there%27s barely ever a line and you get to keep your shoes on and your laptop in its bag. Partving like it%27s September 10%2C 2001.
16|3|5|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|thorr_kan||14:57:28|05/12/2014|[updated:LAST EDITED ON May-13-14 AT 09:51 AM (EDT)]I have no use for TSA as a whole%2C but at least the ones at MSP are professional.  Flint%2C MI%2C on the other hand...tin-potted tyrants of the banana republic sort. %0D%0A%0D%0AOK%2C so you%27ve taken me aside to prove you%27re not racial profiling and informed me that if I put anything down%2C it will be confiscated and I%27ll be arrested.  Then you tell me to present my hands.  What%2C exactly am I supposed to do with the crying toddler in one hand and the freaked out preschooler in the other%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AApparently%2C I%27m supposed to shut up and comply.%0D%0A%0D%0AI don%27t fly much anymore.  Too much trouble.
7|1|0|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Meagen||05:57:59|05/10/2014|%3E This is due%2C I am pretty sure%2C to the fact that my driver%27s license has my%0D%0A%3E middle initial on it %28which my boarding pass does not and%2C indeed%2C no other%0D%0A%3E official documentation aside from my birth certificate ever does%29 %0D%0A%0D%0AMaybe it%27s different in Europe%2C but when I fly places they ask me to %2Aprovide%2A a name that will go on the boarding pass%2C as well as %22type and serial number of your ID document%22. Can you not just have your name with middle initial on your boarding pass%3F 
9|1|0|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||15:00:44|05/10/2014|%3EThis is due%2C I am pretty sure%2C to the fact that my driver%27s license %0D%0A%3Ehas my middle initial on it %28which my boarding pass does not and%2C %0D%0A%3Eindeed%2C no other official documentation aside from my birth %0D%0A%3Ecertificate ever does%29%0D%0A%0D%0AI just remembered this fun fact%3A%0D%0A%0D%0AUnder NC state law%2C you%27re supposed to have your full name%2C middle name included%2C on your driver%27s license. Mine does not have that. Due to differences in how names are displayed in CT %28where I first got my license%29%2C PA %28where I lived for about a year and a half%29%2C and NC %28where I%27ve lived since 2001%29%2C and trading in my previous state-of-residence driver%27s license for the new one%2C my middle name%2Finitial got list%2C somewhere in the chain of moves since 2000.%0D%0A%0D%0AI suppose I could correct it sometime%2C but I didn%27t learn about the middle name thing until after I%27d already had my NC DL for some time %28including filing taxes for the state and so on%29. The joys of bureaucracy.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D
10|2|9|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Gryphon||15:19:33|05/10/2014|%3E%3EThis is due%2C I am pretty sure%2C to the fact that my driver%27s license %0D%0A%3E%3Ehas my middle initial on it %28which my boarding pass does not and%2C %0D%0A%3E%3Eindeed%2C no other official documentation aside from my birth %0D%0A%3E%3Ecertificate ever does%29%0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EI just remembered this fun fact%3A %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EUnder NC state law%2C you%27re supposed to have your full name%2C middle %0D%0A%3Ename included%2C on your driver%27s license.%0D%0A%0D%0AThere%27s a passage in one of Bill Bryson%27s books %28%5Bi%5DNeither Here nor There%5B%2Fi%5D%2C I think%29 in which he is unable to cash a traveler%27s check in Norway or someplace%2C because his traveler%27s checks say %22Bill Bryson%22 on them and his passport says he is %22William McGuire Bryson%22.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28Do they even make traveler%27s checks any more%3F  I remember using them aeons ago%2C but%2C I mean%2C even my %5Bi%5Dfather%5B%2Fi%5D has an ATM card that can pretend it%27s a Visa now%2C and he%27s the kind of guy who wouldn%27t buy a car with power windows if they still made cars without them. %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
11|3|10|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||16:15:11|05/10/2014|%3E%28Do they even make traveler%27s checks any more%3F  I remember using them %0D%0A%3Eaeons ago%2C but%2C I mean%2C even my %5Bi%5Dfather%5B%2Fi%5D has an ATM card that can %0D%0A%3Epretend it%27s a Visa now%2C and he%27s the kind of guy who wouldn%27t buy a %0D%0A%3Ecar with power windows if they still made cars without them. %3A%29 %0D%0A%0D%0AI believe so%2C but that%27s partly because some countries %28and I mean developed economies%2C like Japan%29 are very cash-centric and aren%27t very big on plastic %28be it credit or debit%29. You can still use an ATM%2C of course%2C since they%27re all then relevant networks %28when I visited Singapore many years ago%2C I just hit up an ATM to pay for most things%29%2C although%2C in Japan%2C they%27re kind of pathological about %5Bi%5Dthat%5B%2Fi%5D%2C too %28like%2C it can be a challenge just to find an ATM that%27s open outside of Mon-Sat business hours%2C in some places%29.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D
14|4|11|||||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|Senji||16:22:36|05/11/2014|%3E%28like%2C it can be a challenge just to find an ATM %0D%0A%3Ethat%27s open outside of Mon-Sat business hours%2C in some places%29. %0D%0A%0D%0A What possible business reason is there for turning an %2AA%2ATM outside business hours%3F  Does the imp have to go home for dinner%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AS.
15|5|14|||1||RE%3A TSA Follies%2C Part The Infinity|laudre||17:42:19|05/11/2014|%3E What possible business reason is there for turning an %2AA%2ATM outside %0D%0A%3Ebusiness hours%3F  Does the imp have to go home for dinner%3F %0D%0A%0D%0ATake it with appropriate sodium chloride%2C as I%27m relating what other people have relayed to me%2C but my understanding is this%3A they tend to be in places like the entrance vestibule of a bank%2C i.e.%2C between the inner and outer doors%2C and both sets of doors are locked outside business hours. %5Blink%3Atokyo360.net%2F%3Fp%3D69%7CHere%27s a blog post discussing it%5D%2C and %5Blink%3Anews.3yen.com%2F2010-07-15%2Fjapans-low-tech-life%2F%7Canother one attributing it to make-work and fear of technology%5D. In fact%2C once you%27re outside of Tokyo%2C Japan tends towards a level of low-tech that%27s completely at odds with its international image as a place of ubiquitous vending machines that sell anything you might imagine%2C cell phones that do everything short of walking the dog%2C and so forth. %5Blink%3Aedinburghnapiernews.com%2F2011%2F01%2F26%2F%25E2%2580%2598japan-high-tech-image-low-tech-reality%25E2%2580%2599%2F%7CAnother blog post detailing this%5D%2C mentioning that%2C where the author lives%2C the ATMs stay open until 9 PM.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bhr %2F%5D%5Bsmall%5D%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding%5B%2Fsmall%5D%5Bhr %2F%5D