My laptop bag has scared TSA security personnel at several airports recently, requiring manual bag inspections each time. And when it happened again this week I finally figured out what it is that was freaking them out when the bag went through the x-ray machine - it's the spare laptop battery I always carry. This would never be an issue if the battery were inside the laptop, but the spare battery (depending on how it is laying in the back) can catch attention. But, TSA issues aside, look at the shape of the battery. You just have to wonder - what on earth was IBM thinking?
Remember, don't cross the streams.
Chris
Or we could quit worrying and get on with our lives, secure in the knowledge that we are 32 to 1,000 times less likely to die of terrorism than through everyday risks ranging from murder by a fellow citizen to heart disease. http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2007/Jul-27-1.html...
Actually, the danger from terrorism is far lower than even those charts suggest. 3,000 people died in the course of one day, 6 years ago. Since then - zip.
A while back, just before my flight I checked the weather at my destination and decided that my leather jacket was too much so I grabbed a light jacket (which I had not used in several months) from the hook. I got thru security, including x-ray of my jacket and was wandering around the 'secure area' waiting for my flight when I reached in my pocket and realized I was carrying a substantial lock-back knife. They completely missed this, I guess they were too busy worrying about homemade ipod chargers.
To avoid further problems I tossed it in a trashcan in the mens room (but that was probably a crime too)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/08/fist_sized...
It turned out that the bulk package of AA's looked just like a box of bullets under the X-Ray.
A few years later, Prime Time kept doing stories on how baggage loaders were stealing valuables out of passenger luggage, so I created a light sensitive suit-case alarm. The first few times I used it I did not have any difficulties, but on the third trip, I was having issues with stray RF fields causing it to be triggered. My bag was missing when I arrived at my destination, with the only explanation being that it would arrive on a later flight. A few hours later my bag was delivered by a nervous young boy who quickly rang the doorbell, leaving the bag by the door, and running back to his vehicle. My Alarm was blaring away loudly.
Needless to say, recent events have made such fun impractical.
Exo
One a lighter not, I am convinced after 7 years doing this work that if it fits through a x-ray machine, someone will try and take it on to an airplane. Just a side-note to our lady travellers, we can see everything in the bag, everything.....
If it's supposed to resemble a semiautomatic pistol, where's the grip and magazine well? (And trigger, and trigger guard...) If it's supposed to resemble a partly stripped down pistol, well, the long rectangular part conceivably could be somewhat similar to the slide (as could any dense rectangle within a fairly liberal range of dimensions), but the squiggly bits to the top left are all wrong (there's nothing sticking out there on a slide, as it would prevent, erm, sliding.)
I think this perhpas resembled a stripped-down pistol to someone who was merely GUESSING what one looks like.
A lot of passengers are working and take unusual electronic equipment or samples with them when they travel, only last week I had a Doctor taking the machine used for cauterising tissue in an operating theatre, she was taking it to be serviced so rather than ship it, as she was going to the city on buisness, she though why not just take it with me, no drama's and it only took two minutes of friendly discussion on what it was, what it did and who she was for her to move on.
http://www.mybuilds.com/images/1911slide.jpg
Jason
Only to the extent that any rectangular object somewhat resembles a slide.
The details are all totally dissimilar. In particular, as I noted above, the irregular shaped protrusions sticking out to the top right of th battery on the photo look NOTHING like any pistol slide ever built, as they would obviously stop the darn thing from sliding. (Yes, a slide does have a return spring well, but it is much smaller, and completely smooth.)
On x-ray, the similarity would be even less; a pistol slide is hollow, but the battery is pretty well solid metal.
The details are all totally dissimilar. In particular, as I noted above, the irregular shaped protrusions sticking out to the top right of th battery on the photo look NOTHING like any pistol slide ever built, as they would obviously stop the darn thing from sliding. (Yes, a slide does have a return spring well, but it is much smaller, and completely smooth.)
http://www.batteryfast.com/compaqhp/372114-001.php...
http://www.batteryfast.com/compaqhp/f2019b.php
http://www.batteryfast.com/compaqhp/hstnn-db11.php...
I tested this camera for a client. I didn’t have the light running for more than 15 minutes. The battery lasted approximately 6 hours before recharging. The LCD, however, had a few dead pixels - never saw this before. Tried returning for exchange and had to put up quite a fight. Anyone else seen this? http://www.batteryfast.com
:)