[Tugindia] Fwd: [OT] MS Windows Crash Traps Thai Politician in Car

[Radhakrishnan CV]

This was posted by Suresh Ramasubramanian in the linux-india list and
might be interesting to many, particularly to our prime minister who
has ordered a BMW 7-series car for secured travel as per press reports.

Radhakrishnan

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Robert J. Berger" <rberger at ibd.com>
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 17:31:11 -0700
To: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne at warpspeed.com>, Dave Farber <dave at farber.net>
Subject: MS Windows Crash Traps Thai Politician in Car

Crashed Computer Traps Thai Politician
Updated 14 May 2003
  http://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2003/n051301.shtml

Thailand's Finance Minister Suchart Jaovisidha had to be rescued today
from inside his expensive BMW limousine after the onboard computer
crashed, leaving the vehicle immobilized.

Once the computer failed, neither the door locks, power windows nor
air conditioning systems would function, leaving the Minister and his
driver trapped inside the rapidly heating vehicle.

Despite the pair's best efforts, it took a full ten minutes before
they were able to summon the attention of a nearby guard who freed the
two men by smashing one of the vehicle's windows with a sledgehammer.

A report (http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/13May2003_biz12.html)
published in the Bangkok Post indicates that the vehicle was Mr
Jaovisidha's own BMW 520 which was being used while his state-supplied
Mercedes, was being repaired.

BMW's more up-market 7-series range uses a computer system called
i-drive which has Microsoft's WindowsCE at its core
(http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2002/Mar02/03-04BMWpr.asp).

Did Mr Jaovisidha narrowly miss being killed by the blue windscreen of
death?