dingo,

your laptop's ir port won't hurt anything. the sun is a huge infrared transmitter, and there's plenty of ir in regular sunlight, even through a window (that's what makes sunlight feel warm!) -- and i'd guess (can anyone verify?) the human body puts out a stronger ir "signal" than the transmitter on your laptop.

plato, shame on you for bringing facts and science into the discussion on in-flight electronics. don't you know that using electronics in-flight is dangerous, turning on your laptop will crash the plane, and anyone who uses cellphones anywhere but their home is an inconsiderate jerk and a crazy driver and will die of brain cancer?