Departed from AMS gate E17 yesterday. After the airline representative finishes checking my passport and boarding pass just before security checkpoint, she then hands me a quart-sized plastic bag. I ask, "what is this for?" She replies, for all your wires. I said, you've got to be kidding.

I carry two laptop bags with me when traveling (work and personal). I have more wires in those two bags than I like to remember.

I got up to the security entrance and told the security guy, I need more bags; my wires won't fit in this one. He says go ahead and put the wires in a bin. I fill one bin and ask for another. While doing that, one of the bins gets put through the X-ray machine while I'm still "unpacking". I complained, he says you can get it when you go through.

Finally finish getting everything unpacked. I opt out, and get a security "groping". After that, security decides to check every one of my carryon bags, even though I've already emptied them almost completely.

What a wonderful beginning to a very long travel day (23.5 hours from wakeup till sleeptime).

When I went through AMS on 2 April, this nonsense about wires was not done at that international gate (E24). I'm sure it's some "random" thing, but what nonsense.