Recent Comments:
Catherine Omega vs. Homeland Security
Second Life Insider
Jul 17th 2006 2:17PM I too travelled to SF the week of SL Views, my first trip to the US from the UK - and I also encountered homeland security.
I had a similar experience. After 12 hours on a plane, I presented my passport and was marched to a side room full of armed police where a humourless guy with a giant moustache (think Village People) then tore everything I owned apart, laying all my clothes and belongings out across two long tables.
They confiscated some pain killers (is Ibuprofen a narcotic?), opened items that were wrapped, listened to my iPod, read my cellphone texts then took the battery from my mobile phone and asked me a lot of questions about Linden Lab.
"Why is it called 'Linden Lab'?" .. "what kind of laboratory is it?" They refused to believe there is a tree called a Linden and seemed rather foxed by the whole internet thing. It was all quite surreal. When they had finished and found nothing more dangerous than a Henry Rollins recording they just walked away leaving me to pack everything back into my case and leave. No apology, no explanation.
Thankfully San Francisco was so magical that it didn't sour my trip at all - but it wasn't the friendliest welcome. *smiles*
Jack
