Alternate title: The MacBook Air is a device, but it's not a "Device."Programmer Michael Nygard is used to travel. He's got the process down, from airport to hotel. Unfortunately, the TSA isn't as prepared.
While passing through airport security recently, he was pulled aside and made to sit in the holding area. He watched as a gaggle of TSA workers examined his things, especially his laptop ...
"'There's no drive,' one says. 'And no ports on the back. It has a couple of lines where the drive should be,' she continues...."
As you've probably guessed, Michael's MacBook Air had them all baffled. Fortunately, a younger member of the team eventually arrived and explained that it's not a "device," but a computer with a solid state hard drive. It's good to know they're keeping up with this kind of thing.
Here's a warning to everyone traveling to SxSW this weekend with a MacBook Air: schedule a few extra minutes for the airport.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
3-07-2008 @ 3:15PM
exNewt said...
These are the same "mouth-breathers" I deal with monthly, wherein I asked one TSA agent last week on a trip "so, now that the 'threat level' is increased to ORANGE, what should I do differently??"
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3-07-2008 @ 3:32PM
Raf said...
Still not as boneheaded as the crew that I saw make the NY National Guardsmen patrolling the JFK terminal I in put their M-16s, sidearms & ammo clips onto the conveyer.
I caught the glance of one of the troopers and he shot me the "Don't say anything, we have to deal with these idiots on a regular basis" look.
Sigh.
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3-07-2008 @ 6:11PM
Will said...
You never know when one of those Guardsmen might try to hide a bomb in his machine gun...
3-07-2008 @ 3:42PM
Angel said...
I bet they just wanted to get a closer look at the MBA because they probably never saw one in person before :P
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3-07-2008 @ 5:15PM
Dan said...
Similar thing happened to me with my new driver's license in DC. I got one on the second day after they issued a brand new design (about 6 years ago now), a week later I got pulled over... first by two cops, then by four more (six total!!!). They just didn't have anything else to do but look at the new design.
Let me go with a warning :-)
3-07-2008 @ 3:44PM
kerrybannen said...
never ever go through with a camera that can't be purchased at best buy. they had no idea what they were looking at, and baffled as to why i wouldnt have checked $5000 worth of equipment, so i got to wait for 30 minutes while they did the test for explosives on EVERYTHING i own. because apparently terrorists have now become masters of disguise, and MAY JUST BE that 5 foot tall, 90 lb white girl.
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3-07-2008 @ 3:49PM
bmheffernan said...
Nicole Ritchie?
3-07-2008 @ 3:55PM
kerrybannen said...
fortunately not
3-07-2008 @ 4:59PM
Endrju said...
Right, right. Because terrorists are never white. Or female. I can almost taste the collusion.
3-07-2008 @ 6:13PM
infoclipper said...
What's scary is how much information about you that response actually provided. Art student, right?
3-10-2008 @ 11:01AM
sam said...
uhh so are you advocating racial profiling?
3-11-2008 @ 5:28PM
ambidextroushbw said...
right, right, Ulrike Meinhof and Gudrun Ensslin were not female, white or terrorists now, were they...
3-07-2008 @ 3:45PM
Brian McGuire said...
I had a similar encounter at the Toronto airport. I had around 5 TSA folks looking at my MBA. They were all stunned to how thin it was. I thought it was pretty funny.
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3-07-2008 @ 3:56PM
noza said...
You mean CATSA right? I really hope TSA isn't inspecting bags in Canada...
3-07-2008 @ 4:04PM
Frank Furter said...
Yes, because we KNOW nothing gets through Canada to the US.
3-07-2008 @ 4:08PM
artifex said...
Leave a script running to take pictures next time, and you'll have lolCATSA to post, later. Although, maybe not, they may claim that's illegal.
3-07-2008 @ 4:26PM
Brian McGuire said...
oops. I didn't know the correct name. TSA, CATSA, MBA they all dug it :-)
3-07-2008 @ 8:42PM
Beau said...
@artifex
bahaha, that made me laugh!
Good idea :-)
3-07-2008 @ 10:53PM
Francesco Caporusso said...
No, at airports in Canada when you are flying to the States you go through customs BEFORE you get on the plane. The customs agents are Americans and the security you go through after customs is TSA. When you arrive in the US you pull up to a domestic gate.
3-07-2008 @ 4:04PM
Fraser JK said...
Just proves that apple has made one hell of a device!
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