Some Saturday Night Ramblings

I flew out of Reagan National this morning, and had my first encounter with the new "puffer machines" that the TSA is testing. Basically, the puffer machine is a box about three times the size of a typical metal detector. You step into the box, and then a series of high pressure "puffs" of air get directed all over you by little chrome nozzles. The machines are supposed to have the capability to test for certain chemicals used in the manufacture of explosives. The directed jets of air reminded me of the air jets used in some of the attractions at Disney World. I'm guessing that they would be somewhat disconcerting to anybody who is not used to flying. Their primary drawback is that they are very slow. Despite light passenger traffic, the screening line was fairly backed up. I don't want to imagine what the lines will be like on a Friday afternoon.

The puffer machines are meant to serve as a counterterrorist mechanism, but I wonder if they themselves may be an ideal terrorist target. If the machines were subverted and used to distribute airborne bio-agents, infected individuals would then carry the agents all over the world. Let us all hope that TSA maintains extremely tight security around the machines when the security checkpoints aren't manned.

On a happier note, I saw Cinderella Man tonight with a friend. The movie is excellent. I think that it is probably the best boxing movie I have ever seen. The depression-era scenes reminded me of how much we all have to be thankful for. I am so thankful that I have food on the table, a roof over my head, and heat. We in modern day America have been blessed with so much.