Deirdre Walker:

I am not screened because I look like a terrorist. I am routinely screened because I look like someone who will readily comply.

I stepped reluctantly toward the machine and asked her quietly whether I had the right to refuse the search. The screener's face dropped and she appeared stunned, as if my question had been received like a body-blow.

...

Over the last fifteen years or so, many police agencies started capturing data on police interactions. The primary purpose was to document what had historically been undocumented: informal street contacts. By capturing specific data, we were able to ask ourselves tough questions about potentially biased policing. Many agencies are still struggling with the answers to those questions.

I believe what we have here is the beginning of the end of complacency.

Ira Glass:

Not enough gets said about the importance of abandoning crap.

Richard Sennett:

The dismal experiences of many middle-aged job seekers suggest that corporations would rather find conformists among younger workers who haven't been discarded by employers and aren't skeptical about their work.

Alon Halevy, Peter Norvig, and Fernando Pereira:

Invariably, simple models and a lot of data trump more elaborate models based on less data.

So, follow the data.

Decius:

Money for me, databases for you.

I am not screened because I look like a terrorist. I am routinely screened because I look like someone who will readily comply.

The foremost linked article is fascinating. I don't travel much, and I haven't seen the full body scanners at ATL yet, but it is great to know that my apprehensions (and probably ultimate refusal) about getting in those machines is supported by law enforcement.

-janelane