http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/ Engadget Comments for Wii balance board could be used in fruitless airport security effort http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 12:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 2:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 7:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
If anyone is wondering why I'm ragging on the TSA so much today, it's because yesterday I got back from an international trip (to China) and saw how much worse we Americans treat ourselves and others than do people in other countries. In general (with some exceptions, such as Israel, which is deservedly paranoid), other countries have only instituted draconian airport security theater because of pressure from the U.S. government. Fortunately, those that I've seen haven't (yet) taken it to the same insane, abusive, utterly worthless level that we have, but our irrational risk-intolerance is dragging the entire world down with us. This is the true meaning of "democracy", as we practice it.

Oh, and despite the propaganda we're constantly spoonfed (now that we don't have the USSR to pick on any more), the government of "Communist China" in general takes a much more laissez-faire approach to governing than does that of the U.S. It is WE who live in a police state, significantly more so than the Chinese. Dissidents generally suffer more in China than in the U.S. (though, remember Kent State, our own Tiananmen Square), but the AVERAGE person there has considerably more freedom from persecution and incessant big-brother oversight than here. It should be obvious that America's constant ragging on other countries for human rights abuses is hypocritical and only a means to divert attention from out own misbehaviour. China is run by engineers, America by politards. Which would YOU trust more?]]>Oct 10th 2009 7:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 12:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/(just teasing lawyer guy!) ]]>Oct 10th 2009 12:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 7:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Haven't they see the deodorant commercials??? The bad spies are the ones that drop sweat or shake under pressure. They undergo some kind of mental training to think about Ponyland, new-born puppies or something like that. ]]>Oct 10th 2009 10:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Or force you to make a Mii- if you can't you're obviously un-American.]]>Oct 10th 2009 10:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
My guess is someone in the TSA wanted to play with a Wii balance board at work and didn't want to pay for it. "I have this great idea to spot terrorists using a Wii balance board. To study it, I'll need a Wii, a balance board, and 3 months of uninterrupted 'research' time alone in my office. Oh, and throw in a government credit card with no spending limit. There's no telling how many games....er...pieces of software I'll need to try out to see if this works."

Remember: if you question idiotic government spending, then the terrorists have already won.]]>Oct 10th 2009 10:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Please, don't give them any ideas.]]>Oct 10th 2009 10:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/]]>Oct 10th 2009 11:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 12:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 11th 2009 12:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 11th 2009 5:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Americans. =|]]>Oct 10th 2009 11:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
EATEN!]]>Oct 10th 2009 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 3:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
I ag'ree.]]>Oct 10th 2009 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:19AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Are fingernail clippers ok?


I always wait til they start searching some 90 year old person, then I get in line & board planes hassle free?]]>Oct 10th 2009 11:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 6:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 11:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Assuming I'm not the only one, I suspect this will be about as effective as having passengers put on a suit of armor before going through the metal detector. When it beeps, being asked "Do you have any metal objects in your pockets?" will be the expected drill. :P ("Wait what? Nooo... oh hang on, got a couple of coins here... okay let's try this again. *clank* *clank* *clank* *clank* ....)

Given my druthers, I say stop wasting time (and money) on this endeavor and keep working on the backscatter X-ray scanner instead. Not that I'm fond of being irradiated.

ObGrammarNazi: "which has already ate away" ftw.]]>Oct 10th 2009 11:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 12:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 12:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 1:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 7:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Your approach certainly works - in the perfect world where the gov't is incorruptible, technology is 100.1% secure, there are no monetary interests at all, and everyone (or at least everyone working on the gov't and the project) is completely honest.

In reality, no. Just, no. Corruption, special interests, power madness, and sheer stupidity/ignorance will be everywhere (just like it is now). Not to mention that, since terrorists and criminals don't need to follow any law, they will easily bypass the whole thing, making it useless.

Also, I fail to see at all how is this related to progress.
The only thing you have to give up for progress is the comfortable lack of education a lot of people in the U.S.A. (and why lie, in the whole continent) has. By education I don't mean school knowledge, I mean life education, of the kind you should get at home (but a lot of people don't because of lazy parents).

And yes, people needs to be in control, even if we had a perfect no-evil government, because there is no guarantee at all that it'll still be that way in the future. ]]>Oct 10th 2009 2:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 2:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/Oct 10th 2009 3:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Close. ]]>Oct 10th 2009 3:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
Isn't English fun?]]>Oct 10th 2009 6:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/
America is going through a period of unprecedented national stupidity and kneejerk paranoia, and our politicians are cowards for failing to stand up for reason and our rights. I'd hoped that young, intelligent Obama might bring some rationality back to this country, but he's a pandering jackass just like the rest of them. This is what "democracy" gets you--a constant dive towards the lowest common denominator, because that's what gets politicians re-elected.

You're really a sucker if you believe that the TSA and its ilk have in ANY way improved our lives.]]>Oct 10th 2009 3:34PM