> Only once you start putting people through the x-ray (and then that 
> said
> x-ray uses a really good spectrum to look for odd chemicals in 
> places)
> could you stop a *passenger* putting a bomb on a plane. Your still
> screwed as far as ground-crew or packages are concerned.

The XRay systems ARE already spectrum selective. They colour code 
items that they deem to merit further attention - usually in an 
orangey-red colour. They may also use other colours for secondary 
purposes.

I brought a realistic looking cow horn into NZ from Germany *BUT* it 
was actually plastic. It was a drinking horn for my son who is / was 
keen on mediaeval reenactments. I didn't declare it as it was 
irrelevant. They XRayed out bags incoming for agricultural purposes.

Customs man: Have you got a cow horn in there.

I:    Yes, but it's plastic.

He:    Ah. Yes. I wondered - it's the wrong colour.

I do have a number of photos that I have taken of airport XRay screens 
that show things that ARE the right colour for security checking 
purposes. Running such screens in a public space (as some of the 
screens in my photos were) is utter lunacy. The 'bad guys' get to see 
how things look and can trial various disguise systems using dummy 
objects to make their products inobvious. Some of the screens were in 
non public spaces but had sight lines that allowed them to be viewed 
and photographed. Also not good design. None of the photos I took 
were, I think, illegally taken but I probably ran the risk of having 
my trip severely interrupted. But it should not have been possible for 
me to have taken such photos under any conditions.

In Taiwan during a recentish bird flu scare they had a temperature 
scanner which they used to try to spot people with fevers. I asked and 
was allowed to take a photo of my own thermal image.



        Russell




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