Ask HN: Remove and reinsert the SSD in Thinkpad T500, continues to run

I can remove and reinsert the SSD in my Thinkpad T500 without it crashing, after a few moments (~15 seconds) the laptop continues to function normally, and continues to run for weeks until I reboot it.

The OS on the drive is Linux Mint 16.

Is this ordinary behaviour for Linux, this laptop, or some combination of the two?

What hardware and software technology is necessary to make this possible?

Since when has this been a thing?

I discovered this when I dropped the laptop off the couch while the drive bay wasn't screwed shut.