Collocation Access

Thu Dec 28 15:49:30 UTC 2006

On 27-Dec-2006, at 18:22, Mark Newton wrote:

> On Thu, Dec 28, 2006 at 12:13:07AM +0100, Leo Vegoda wrote:
>
>> My driving license doesn't have a photograph on it, so using it as an
>> identity document is pointless.
>
> There's no way for a minimum-wage security grunt to verify the
> particulars of my passport, so using it as an identity document
> is pointless.

Which makes it hard for me to understand why they bother, and why  
they go to such great lengths to enforce arbitrary rules about what  
is acceptable and what isn't.

I gave my Ontario drivers licence to Equinix security in LA, once,  
and they refused to accept it as proof of ID since it wasn't  
government issued. I said it was; they disagreed. I tried to explain  
that there was more than one government in the world, but I got blank  
looks, and had to head out back past building security and up to the  
roof in the adjacent parking garage to get my passport.

For some reason it seemed a good idea to get all my various passports  
while I was there (I have three), and when I made it back inside I  
handed them all over together. I realised about two seconds after  
handing them over that I was probably doing a stupid thing. A whole  
group of them appeared, and huddled around my passports with their  
backs to me. They seemed on the verge of calling the FBI.

They gave the passports back, eventually, and I didn't go to jail. So  
it could have been worse. :-)

Joe