There, but for the grace of foresight and God, go I...
Destroyed Mac Laptop—Cringe—Ping!
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Posted on 12/09/2009 12:48:32 AM PST by Swordmaker
This happened a while ago but every time I re-read this column I become infuriated . . .
It was the nicest, neatest, new Apple laptop computer. I'd had it for just six days.
So I was treating my new computer with great care. I cradled it in my arms as though it were a six-day-old infant. Although I must admit I have never actually held an infant. Because I'm a klutz, I drop things — so much so that I have been forbidden by my family from holding my children and grandchildren until they reach puberty.
I was at security at the San Diego airport. I took off my shoes and put them into a tray. My jacket went into another tray. My beautiful new computer into a third tray, and I resisted the urge to wave goodbye to it as it rolled into the security machine.
I went through security and waited on the other side of the machine and quickly put my computer into my carry-on bag and zipped it up. Suddenly there was a pleasant security man saying, "Is this yours? I have to look at it." With that he grabbed my bags and moved me to a table off to the side.
I hobbled after him, trying to put one of my shoes on as I hopped along behind him.
He unzipped my carry-on bag, ran his hand over my computer, and looked under and opened a small leather bag that I carry. He went through it and put it back. Then he went into my other bag and kept searching for something.
"Excuse me, what did she say she saw?" I asked, motioning to the operator of the X-ray machine.
"She says there's some green mass of liquid in your bags."
"Oh crap," I thought, "now he's going to find out I'm part of a ring that is smuggling Liquid Prell from San Diego to New York." Great maturity kept me from saying this out loud. Finally, after going through every item in my bag, the security officer was satisfied that I was not carrying any mysterious green liquid. He carefully zipped up my bag and said, "You're free to go."
I grabbed my bag in one hand and swung my carry-on onto my shoulder when I heard this sickening crash. Horrible. There, smashing against the concrete floor, was my new computer.
"Oh, I didn't zip that one up," said the security guard. "Let me help you with that."
"My new computer!" I moaned. The screen was a cobweb of cracks. It was dented and it was so out of line it couldn't be closed.
I looked at the security person and thought about all the airlines and the hell that traveling has turned into.
On one side we have the airlines, which have dropped all pretense of giving their passengers even the most rudimentary service. On the other side we have passengers, who feel resentment at being charged a fortune to be lied to and abused. Mark my words: Airline passenger rage will be the catch phrase of this holiday season. We're on a collision course.
The prospect of being forced to sit for countless hours bent like a pretzel in a tiny seat with absolutely no leg room so that a fat and greedy airline CEO can meet his profit forecast is the stuff that revolutions are made of.
Millions of Americans will be flying off on vacations in the next few months. It's time they realized we're at war with the airlines. The minute you set foot in an airport you must assume you have been captured and are a prisoner of war. You owe your captors nothing more than your name, rank, serial number and driver's license. You must expect your captors to lie to you at every turn. When they "innocently" announce that your flight is delayed for 10 minutes, don't believe it. Take your cell phone and book yourself on another airline. Are they claiming they are serving a "delicious" meal on your flight? Save your life. Do what I do – carry a spare pastrami sandwich in your carry-on bag at all times.
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There, but for the grace of foresight and God, go I...
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
What about the laptop? Has it recovered? Was it replaced by TSA?
Why would someone write about owning a Mac and its tragic death only to close with how horrible TSA and the Airlines have become and NOT tell us the outcome of the laptop? (out of breath typing long sentence).
It was raining on a jobsite one time, so, having finished my estimations, I tucked my brand new (days old) laptop on top of my front-left 42" Super-Swamper so it would not get wet as I talked with the contractor.
As we finished our conversation, I hopped up into the cab and drove away, completely forgetting about the laptop resting on top of the tire, inside the fender well.
An expensive lapse in attention, to be sure. : (
I agree, it’s almost cruel and unusual punishment
Like Franco, still dead, one assumes.
Ouch!
Heh... I just have to laugh at stories like this one. The last plane ride of my life was in February 2001. It was uneventful, but I will not be getting on a plane ever again. Whenever I flew the, “Is this the flight that goes down,” feeling that most people get and instantly dismiss always stayed with me until the wheels hit the runway. If you took a big revolver with 50,000 chambers and one bullet, and gave the cylinder a spin, I still wouldn’t put it to my head and pull the trigger.
No more planes for me.
In my experience, and as the details in the article point out, the airlines had NOTHING to do with the destruction of the laptop. It was TSA. Since 9/11, I have taken several national and international flights and the service I have received from the airlines has always been very acceptable at the minimum, and if I ever go back to South Korea, I'm flying Korean Airlines. The flights between Inchon and Atlanta are 12-14 hours non-stop, but a great professional aircrew makes a HUGE difference in the trip.
I did that with a pizza one time. Picked it up at Giuseppe’s Pizza, put it on the roof of my car to get my keys out, jumped in the car and drove away. That pizza ended up in the middle of the first intersection I came to.
I can run over four of these, and STILL save money!!! : P
I always put a large 6 oz. bag of dessicant, a moisture absorber used to keep moisture out of large underground telco cable splices, in my camera bag. On one recent trip I forgot to remove the dessicant from my camera bag and I tossed the camera into my backpack. After arriving at the airport and getting my boarding pass, I removing my shoes, belt, and pocket change,I put my backpack on the converyor belt to be x-rayed. I saw the TSA guy do a double take then run my backpack through again. When he ran it through a third time I realized what he was looking at. I tried to grab my backpack and show them what it was but I was too late as all hell broke loose. They grabbed me and my backpack and shuffeled me off to a side room with about six other TSA people and cops, all wearing latex gloves and face masks. I managed to grab my backpack while they were talking to each other and open the camera bag a pull out the bag of dessicant. They all jumped back in fear as i ripped open the bag and dumped it out on the table. Then I licked a finger, ran it through the powder, and put the finger in my mouth. Then I acted like I was choking to death. The look on their faces was priceless. My flight was 30 mins. late taking off but I was on it.
happened to me after a hecktit day of sales orders. Pulled my laptop out of the car and BLAM!!!!
Computer was fine, except for he two lines that ran across my VAIO screen.
I was so sad. I loved this computer, despite having a battery that lasted only about 45 minutes.
I put up with a broken screen for a few months and then one day it died. I assume it’s demise came about because of the previous injury, when it fell so hard on the concrete.
I immediately performed triage and finally opened it up to find a cracked motherboard. No duct tape is going to fix that.
Ran down to computer store, picked up another VAIO and Voila! I had just performed my daily backup/sync and had no concern I would back up in the morning.
Started loading all my old programs, starting with Window Office 2003. Update, Update, Update.
Great no problems. Then I started loading my other programs and trying to connect peripherals. Who knew 65bit would not allow 32 bit progs.
Oh well, time for my old trick and downloaded a copy of Virtual Machine. After loading all my programs and doing every update possible I now had a base file, to take a snapshot of. Copied onto a disk.
The next time a drive crashes, all I have to do is load up the new computer with VM and withing a few minutes I will be running again.
VM saved me having to buy new software that would have run me thousands and I didn’t have to invest in a new color laser printer. I was very happy and am very happy with my Minolta Magic color 2300DL. It would have cost me $500 for another printer and another $100 for a scanner.
Anyway, that is my story.
Better yet, get one of these. Panasonic Toughbook.
Bump for that. You have to fly internationally to know just how rude the TSA folks are in the US. You also have to fly through airports that do experience periodic terrorism to realize how much of a sick joke "security" is on paying customers on US domestic flights.
But at the end of the day, you're still running Microsoft Windows which makes me want to drive an ice pick through my forehead. Whatever works for you ...
The prospect of being forced to sit for countless hours bent like a pretzel in a tiny seat with absolutely no leg room so that a fat and greedy airline CEO can meet his profit forecast is the stuff that revolutions are made of.
JAL, which used to be superb airline to fly on is on the verge of bankruptcy.
All airlines are in the cross hairs of the global warming nuts and US government. Flying is now worse than having teeth pulled out. At least you get anesthetized when you have dental work done. I don't blame the airlines. There are still good ones out there. Singapore Air to name the best I've ever been on.
I might guess “homey security” is involved in this story.
I run windows because I must (I'm a tech), but I'm a Linux guy when I can. Ubuntu for the masses, Slack for the rest of us...
Sry, me no sprechen MACanese...
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