Travel advisory.

I'm on the cusp of another batch of trips for work. I am not looking forward to it, thanks to the new list of forbidden items in carry-on luggage.

I was pleased today to discover that the Elephant Pharmacy in Berkeley carries Eco-Dent DailyCare brand tooth powder -- not a paste, and not, so far, a tool adopted by global terrorists, so permitted in the passenger compartment. I've scoured the local grocery stores and pharmacies looking for something like this. I am astonished at the number of stores that still display "travel-sized" containers of shampoo and toothpaste in a form you can't carry onto an airplane.

I agree with Bruce Schneier -- I don't believe these restrictions increase air security. I think they look good to casual travellers, but that's all. They're expensive to implement, inconvenient and don't stop attacks.