A guy in one of my old units used to carry a clipboard in the Army everywhere he went. He explained to us some years later that the clipboard was how he avoided being chosen for work details for years and years. Phenomenally clever idea.
Similar note, I found I could walk out of class anytime in high school and wander the halls as long as I looked sufficiently stressed. As long as you look like you have a purpose people will not bother you (unless you look like you have a purpose that you aren't fulfilling I suppose).
Yeah, totally. It works for avoiding too much attention from authority figures. I will never forget one time I was having a BBQ in an unauthorized area with my mom and ex-wife when this fat Air Force dude rolls by on his Segway. I turned to them and said "Just look like we're supposed to be here" but both of them, not being very good liars, continued with the deer-in-headlights look that guaranteed the guy started asking questions and eventually got us kicked off that part of the beach.
There have also been a few PSAs that I've seen over the past few weeks. I'm sure not every subway rider saw these and was thus okay with what was going on, but a fair bit probably did. I learned about the tests all the way up in Albany, I assume there was a more robust announcement in the city itself (but maybe not).
I'm a daily rider on the 4/5 and C lines, and I didn't see the ads for this. A semi-random sampling of my colleges where I work (upper east side) saw mixed knowledge about the tests.