Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!ucbvax!decwrl!shelby!polya!kaufman From: kaufman@polya.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Mac as airline hand baggage Message-ID: <10938@polya.Stanford.EDU> Date: 28 Jul 89 16:34:59 GMT References: <30351@cornell.UUCP> <420009@hpbbm.HP.COM> Sender: Marc T. Kaufman Reply-To: kaufman@Polya.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) Organization: Stanford University Lines: 18 In article <420009@hpbbm.HP.COM> bwolf@hpbbm.HP.COM (Bryan Wolf) writes: >Caveat regarding your data: NEVER (EVER EVER!) put your >floppies through the X-ray thingie you have to walk through at >security;... This has GOT to be on the way to becomming a new Urban Legend. First, there are no X-rays emitted by the metal detector. Second, the electric field set up by the detector coils is far too weak to erase a disk or tape. There is no appreciable magnetic field, and anyway, magnetic fields attenuate as the FOURTH power of distance. Now, having said that -- maybe I am just showing my ignorance since I have never had any problems. Are there any DOCUMENTED instances of disk erasure by the walk-through metal detectors? (any reply that starts out "my friend knows someone who..." will immediately be discounted as an Urban Legend). Marc Kaufman (kaufman@polya.stanford.edu)