Laptops

[HENRY KISOR (SYSOP)]

  Tandon 386 laptops? Boy, those are really advanced machines....most
writers I know settle for 80C86 or 802C86 machines, just 'cause they're
cheaper. But when the killer applications come along, you'll be able to
run them.
  The airport X-ray machines will NOT harm either the machines or the
disks. Put 'em on the belt and don't worry. (It's magnetic fields, not
X-rays, that you gotta worry about.) It's taking a laptop through
customs that you've got to be concerned about; if you bring one into
the USA, all you need is a copy of your purchase invoice (I register
mine at customs before departing the country, just to be absolutely
safe). Needn't worry about taking a laptop into most European
countries, but Turd World countries can be difficult.
  One thing, though: Make sure the laptop battery is charged before
you go through the airport detector. More often than not they'll make
you open up the laptop and turn it on to prove it doesn't contain a
charge of Semtex, the preferred bang juice of Libyan terrorists. I once
took a dead laptop through at O'Hare and they had to lead me to a wall
outlet at the service desk to plug in the machine.