wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu (William M. Bumgarner) (11/28/88)
m: I need this hand-checked, please. (referring to my backpack)
them: Ok, hand it through.
<person poking through backpack, discoveries Very Large Electrical Metal Thing>
person: what's this, a computer?
m: No, it's a hard drive.
person <with dumbfounded look>: ummm... can you turn it on?
m: yes, but it doesn't really do anything visible. Do you have a outlet here?
person: up here, by the machine...
m/person <walk to machine>
person: here <pointing to 220V wall socket. there was a socket below and
hidden, but she certainly wasn't clear about where it was.... at this point,
she is holding the plug end of the cord. I am in the process of putting
the other end into the drive>
m: ok <thinking that since she is holding the plug, she is going to plug it in>
here: you have to do it.
m: <finally get the plug from her and find the hidden outlet and plug in/turn
on>
her: does it do anything?
m: it spins real fast... it might make a soft click in a moment.
her: <bending down to listen {i felt like bashing the shit out of her head
and running}>
old her (OH): what is it?
m <impatient, amused, but annoyed>: a hard drive
oh: what's that?
m: a really big disk for a computer that lets you have lots of information
in one place at one time that you can get at real fast.
oh: <really dumbfounded look> oh.
m: <turn off drive, unplug, coil cord, look as if I want to leave>
her: well, i guess it's ok <generally looking as if 'I don't know what to do,
so I'll just ignore it>
m: thanks {under breath: for amusing me....} <head back to table to pack up
hard drive.
them: huddle in a little group and look completely dumbfounded... galnce in my
general direction every now and then.
----
never checked: the front of my backpack <little pocket>, my CD case <never
opened it>, or CD player.
a girl going through after me got stopped so one of security could listen to
her walkman... she had walked through the metal detector with it, and it did't
go off...
----
when flying to columbia, I have had to sign a form saying basically that I
acknowledge and verify that I am not carrying anything illegal (for the hard
drive)... if that plane went down in smoke, guess which airport just foisted
the responsibility off of themselves.
----
neat trip.
b.bum
wb1j+@andrew.cmu.educyosta@taux01.UUCP (Yossie Silverman) (11/30/88)
Horror story time. A friend of mine bought a SE in the states (as they cost around 75% less then here) and flew back home via Canada and London. On his way into Canada they made him show that it worked, so he pluged it in, turned it on, turned it off and went on. When he got to London guess what. His drive had suffered a head crash (due to the SE not parking it when powered off, he never actually let it get far enough into the boot process, I am not even sure it had a system on the hard drive and he had no diskettes on him). Luckily for him, a kind computer store technician in England game to his help and replaced the drive under warrenty (for it was brand new, just american, and there are no international warrenties that I am aware of). When I take my computer around, I REFUSE to let anyone turn it on, or shake it or x-ray it. So far I have had to talk to airline reps and aircrew on occasion but nothing worse. Also I find it hard, on occasion, to talk the airline crew and the gate operators into letting me carry the Mac onboard, they claim its too big. I claim I will make a large stink, they relent. I can hardly wait for the plastic only laptop that wont be damaged by x-ray nor show up on it! Every one is entitled to dream. -- Yossie Silverman What did the Caspian sea? National Semiconductor Ltd. (Israel) - Saki UUCP: taux01!yossie@nsc.UUCP NSA LSD FBI KGB PCP CIA MOSAD NUCLEAR MI5 SPY ASSASSINATE SDI -- OOCLAY ITAY
Mark_Peter_Cookson@cup.portal.com (12/03/88)
What airport did you go through? I have gone through the San Francisco airport with no problems with my Mac in its travel bag and 1 HD in with it and another in my backpack. I have even gone through with the medium sized Swiss Army knife (the fisherman if you know your Swiss Army knives). So I wouldn't put too much trust into those things. I doubt they would detect a derrenger(sp? the little two barled guns that only hold two shots). But anyway, your story seems quite interesting, I visit that airport.... Mark Cookson
M_David_Green@cup.portal.com (12/19/88)
They seem to be unaware of the purpose of those things! A frind of mine had the same experience at both security checpoints on a roundtrip visit to Palm Desert a few weeks back. the security people were satisfied to have her flip the on-off switch, even though there wasn't any power cable to show the little red light flickering on and off. We can't be too critical of our persons in green. How much of the world can you expect them to see from a security checkpoint? -M.