Re: They're gonna love me...
Try a network switch, a fiber-to-copper converter and power supplies for both, all zip-tied and taped together into a single lump with cables sticking all over. I had to carry that through the airport security in Amsterdam.
Was afraid of it needing a good explanation sooner than later, so put it in the carry-on bag. They looked at it once, asked if I was MacGyver, and would have waved me right through if the swab-test hadn't given a positive for something. Re-test was negative, though, so passed right after showing a card with the word "engineer" on it.
Thing is, Amsterdam had the "all electronics separately" rule in place already. But the security actually had the training and/or brains to see that the clump had nothing capable of exploding. In the U.S., I doubt I would have flown on the same day.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
