This is priceless: Security expert Bruce Schneier interviews TSA Administrator Kip Hawley. And he asks some of the questions I’d like to ask, including:

Bruce Schneier: By today’s rules, I can carry on liquids in quantities of three ounces or less, unless they’re in larger bottles. But I can carry on multiple three-ounce bottles. Or a single larger bottle with a non-prescription medicine label, like contact lens fluid. It all has to fit inside a one-quart plastic bag, except for that large bottle of contact lens fluid. And if you confiscate my liquids, you’re going to toss them into a large pile right next to the screening station — which you would never do if anyone thought they were actually dangerous.

Can you please convince me there’s not an Office for Annoying Air Travelers making this sort of stuff up?

Kip Hawley: Screening ideas are indeed thought up by the Office for Annoying Air Travelers and vetted through the Directorate for Confusion and Complexity, and then we review them to insure that there are sufficient unintended irritating consequences so that the blogosphere is constantly fueled.

Then he takes his tongue out of his cheek and explains how TSA arrived at its current goo rules. No specifics, of course, due to security concerns, but Hawley gives it a good try. Be sure to tune in tomorrow (and the next several days after that)&8212;this is just the first in a five-part series.

Here’s a handy little site called Acronym Finder that helps you, well, find acronyms (thanks to the MeCo listserv for the pointer). It even lists both meetings-industry meanings for CMP!

According to some planners I’ve been e-chatting with, if association members are happy with their local chapter, they tend to be happy with the organization as a whole. So why, then, don’t more associations play up the chapter aspect in their annual meetings?

PCMA tends to do a really good job with this, IMHO, though it’s been a few years since I attended. But they had fun teambuilding sorts of events that pit the chapters against each other to do silly things like write a song about their area and perform it in front of everyone. I’ve also seen some “Jeopardy” type sessions that have representatives of the various chapters as contestants. The energy level goes through the roof, and people who may not have been active in their local chapter (such as moi) get to know people and want to do more with like-minded folks in their area.

Seems like everyone would benefit, especially if the chapter challenges were really fun and involving (if anyone has done anything interesting along these lines, please let me know. I’m looking for ideas we could use in a professional association I’m involved with!).