Israeli Security Opens Fire on a MacBook. Thrice.
Most of us here love our computers and also love to blow things up. Just ask Chris Angelini with his exploits around CPUs and firearms. Things, however, weren't so funny for Lily Sussman, who blogged on her Wordpress account about a run in she had on her way through the Israeli border.
While it's standard practice these days for border patrol to scan through a traveler's luggage, discharging a firearm three times into a bag containing a laptop isn't an action that seems good for security control.
An announcement played over the sound system, interrupting my break in the sunshine. First in Hebrew, then Arabic, then in English. It was something along the lines of, ” do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passanger luggage.”
I went inside to check on my bag. I had left it unattended, where they instructed. It was still there so I went back outside.
Moments later a man came outside and introduced himself as the manager on duty. And then, “I’m sorry but we had to blow up your laptop. “
What….all my client case notes and testimony, writing, pictures, music and applications. Years of work. NO!!!! What?? Are you insane?? What were you thinking? THAT’S ALL MY WORK!?
After much yelling, crying and frantic phone dialing (don’t be alarmed if I called you repeatedly this morning), he took me outside to see the wreckage. It turned out it hadn’t been quite blown up, but rather shot through with three bullets. We were able to extract the hard drive, seemingly unscaved. Thank goodness…
Here are some other pictures of the damage to the Unibody MacBook.
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Apple Tech: "Have you tried rebooting the machine?"
Macbook owner: "Uh, I don't think that's going to help."
Apple Tech: "Have you tried rebooting the machine?"
Macbook owner: "Uh, I don't think that's going to help."
At least they missed the hard drive...
Wow ... as much as I hate Macs .... this is a bit too much.
should tell those boarder people to take a chill pill, have some kosher food(taste like shit to me), and ... point the gun at themselves.
jmchien: Probably a Galil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMI_Galil
Others questioning why they shot it: As I said, the best way to deal with a suspicious package is to detonate it with a small charge of C4 or Semtex in a bomb-proof container (a detonation chamber). However, you can also shoot the suspicious page at a discrete distance. The shock from the bullet impacts has a high degree of probability of detonating an improvised explosive (an explosive is, by definition, unstable; and improvised explosives are even more so), and/or the detonator (which will then set off the explosive). Considering the on-going tension between Israel and their neighbors, this is probably a daily occurance.