After enjoying security screening in Europe where I both a) left my laptop in its bag, and b) left my shoes on, I got to wondering why laptops are so special. (Shoes are another issue, but they're discussed elsewhere here). I carry a smarll portable radio in my carry-on and it's never looked at. Many people now carry portable DVD players which have very similar components to a computer. What purpose, exactly, is served by having notebook computers screened separately?

We could get by with half the TSA staff if we didn't have the delays caused by unpacking laptops and taking off shoes.