It goes like this: Some people are doing some software image recognition work, and it’s probably fun and interesting as a sotware engineering / computer science problem of how you actually build such a system, assuming it had a legitimate use.

But: They need to explain why it’s relevant to the comparative ignoramuses who hand out research funding, using contemporary themes of the day.

Hence: you get some bull-crap justification about how it’ll be useful to spy on terrorists if you can convince them to front of your cameras, which might happen in an aeroplane.

Hopefully there is some secondary, legitimate use for this kind of technology, like inspecting components on a conveyor belt in a factory?? and 90% of the engineering challenges are identical between the two problems, so when our current fascination with all things terrrrrrist wears off, they’ll be able to spin it out into a legitimate business.

R.I.P. my monitor.

The automatic seat-taser will wear off soon, if we can just get the automatic reset feature disconn…
ZAP!

A: Hey! Wanna pass time on this flight by playing “Full-Cavity Searches Are Rarely Fun”?
B: Well, I’ve got a clean record and a latent penchant for getting my ass ripped! Game on!

I might be more amenable to the game if the TSA would be interested in hiring some attractive staff.

It can apply to any game designed to red-flag yourself to the TSA (or local enforcer) where the object is to not get caught and Cavity Searched!

More points for more daring challenges.

#37 Ornith, I believe Muslims also wear caps, beanies and sometimes (those clever blending-in-bastards) no hat at all! How will we cope?

BUT, I am definitely going to have plenty of ‘local enforcement’ challenges up ahead, starting with the standard photography bracket.

I’ve just had the fish entree..

I’ve been sitting on the tarmac for 3 hours..

etc, etc, etc

particularly if have an agitated look on your face, like for instance if you’re dying for a pee, the toilet’s engaged, and you’re waiting next to the cockpit so as not to miss your chance.

Full bladdered false positives. LOL.

..wait, I wasn’t even going for innuendo.. God damnit!
Like I’ve quipped before; it just writes itself. Wait, is innuendo self-aware? Does it have a hand in it’s own propagation? Is it trying to take our freedomz?

I remember one time when I was being wanded (oo!) and the guy (a very attractive one) told me “open your belt buckle.” I had to really work not to say “You’re the most attractive man who’s asked me to do THAT in years!”

You call FUD with the rigour of a good research scientist that declares no conclusion until all the results are in and double checked. Most commendable. The problem is that with weak, squishy humans and the treacherous, roiling mass that is their society, if you wait to be sure of things, the Method of Science gets mugged by the Tsunami of the Art of Politics.

Sometimes you have to gamble. Or lose for sure.

He said sheepishly.