9th Grader Arrested in Houston for making ... a clock.

[EEVblog]

In my line of work, if I let a 9-year old, fascinated by airplanes, visit the cockpit during the flight, I'm out of a job the next day, even if that kid happens to be mine. Go figure.

That wasn't the case 20 years ago, it was very common. We now live in a world of perpetual fear.

[Falk]

even though this story shows the plain paranoia of the USA, Iam afraid that engineers and technology will NOT drag us out of the intellectual dark age.

The only thing in recorded history that has dragged us up the rung of human progress has been the sciences.
Every successful modern society has gotten there because of science and technology, every single one.
You have a better suggestion?

Science in general is much more than engineering. Science includes also non technical subjects as philosophy, arts in general. Society is transformed not only by technological progess but also due to political progress. What is cause and effect is sometimes hard to tell.
What Iam trying to say is, that it is dangerous to focus purely on technology. From my point of view it is much more important to take a step back from this an to have an educated, critical view on the USE of modern technology. Smartphones, tablets and internet are nice and powerful, but abuse is just around the corner (privacy, spying etc.). Modern technology can help us to visualise learning material in much better ways than just simple pictures in a book (Video, Audio, Hypertext). But it is an illusion, that education can be easily consumed as it is suggested by advertisment. As my old math teacher always said "Only thinking on your own makes you mentaly fat.", derived from the common phrase "Only eating on your own makes you fat.". In former times, you had to work harder mentally and physically to reach a certain goal. Today, you just order a "solution" from the ever growing market of things. And to come back to the good oldfashioned USA bashing, have a look there. Even though it is the "richest" and most powerful country in the world, it is also the country with rather big problems. Poverty, crime and low average education. Sure, they have an rich and well educated elite and an still wealthy middle class. But the dark age of low intellect und mass manipulation is more than visible there. And yes, europe is close behind 

But nevertheless you are right. We should not waste too much time and energy in negative thoughts and always strive for a better future!    So keep on educating, not just entertaining. Your Solar roadways, batterizer etc. videos are the right way to go!

Regards
Falk

[Wytnucls]

In my line of work, if I let a 9-year old, fascinated by airplanes, visit the cockpit during the flight, I'm out of a job the next day, even if that kid happens to be mine. Go figure.

That wasn't the case 20 years ago, it was very common. We now live in a world of perpetual fear.

It gets worse than that. If I need to relieve myself during the flight, I have to ask another crew member to come forward and keep an eye on the first officer, so that he doesn't plant the plane in the nearest mountain.
All kneejerk reactions, to make it look like the authorities are doing something to keep passengers safe.

[HighVoltage]

In my line of work, if I let a 9-year old, fascinated by airplanes, visit the cockpit during the flight, I'm out of a job the next day, even if that kid happens to be mine. Go figure.

That wasn't the case 20 years ago, it was very common. We now live in a world of perpetual fear.

On so many of my flights from Europe to the US, I took my children in to the cockpit and the captain was always willing to explain the instruments and controls. This was in the mid 90s. When I tried this again about 7 years ago, I was ridiculed just for asking the question.

Times are changing so dramatically in a wrong direction.

[Galenbo]

Outlawing guns results in the fact that only the outlaws have guns. What we see in Europe.
Every criminal has guns, and their intrest group keeps their "working place" very safe for them.

Bullshit, most of them don't possess guns. Especially lesser criminals. Despite high criminality rate where I live, using guns is something very exceptional among the crimes done.

Bullshit. When you start calling someone who crosses a white line a "criminal", indeed most criminals don't posess guns.

[Galenbo]

... and when I had a friend get a pistol put to his head to get his wallet at the ATM in Houston, it made me think something is not quite right.

Like: I wish he had a pistol so he could defend himself.
Or like: I wish the criminals had a bad fireback expienience before, and don't rob guys at the ATM anymore.

[Galenbo]

Ask 10 people what "freedom" is and you will get 10 different answers.

for me: the right to say: leave me alone, fuck you, get away from my money.
and it comes attached with the other side: I will leave people alone, fuck me, and not claim any right on other's money.

[Galenbo]

The media overhype this thing.

- kid transplants guts of a clock radio in cigar case
- moron school officials have no clue what a circuit board looks like. so they punish the kid

In the media, only because he's a Muslim.
Any other victim minority would have worked too.
If it was a white ungay, everybody would get up their shoulders and lough about it.

By the way, those cops are always being accused of being violent and racist.
And the guy still lives? No tasers?

[EEVblog]

Science in general is much more than engineering. Science includes also non technical subjects as philosophy, arts in general. Society is transformed not only by technological progess but also due to political progress. What is cause and effect is sometimes hard to tell.
What Iam trying to say is, that it is dangerous to focus purely on technology.

I'm saying it's impossible to drag a society out of any dark age without science. I'm not saying it's the only part, but it's an essential part.
It's more relevant to day because modern society is being quickly dragged back into an "intellectual dark age" mainly due to the death throws of religion, on issues like climate change, intelligent design, etc. This is precisely why I mentioned creationism in the video.

[EEVblog]

... and when I had a friend get a pistol put to his head to get his wallet at the ATM in Houston, it made me think something is not quite right.

Like: I wish he had a pistol so he could defend himself.
Or like: I wish the criminals had a bad fireback expienience before, and don't rob guys at the ATM anymore.

WARNING: If this thread gets derailed into a gun debate it will be locked.

[Falk]

I'm saying it's impossible to drag a society out of any dark age without science. I'm not saying it's the only part, but it's an essential part.
It's more relevant to day because modern society is being quickly dragged back into an "intellectual dark age" mainly due to the death throws of religion, on issues like climate change, intelligent design, etc. This is precisely why I mentioned creationism in the video.
[/quote]

Got it. 100% acknowledgment. We are on the same track ;-)

Regards
Falk

[BravoV]

https://youtu.be/20Zzyf67e7Q

....What kind of battery ?
....Double A ..... with Batteriser 
....Cut them loose, he got double A with Batteriser, that will make the bomb 8 times more powerful ... 

[Red Squirrel]

LOL that's great. 

It's one of those mechanical bombs too, the guy is not messing around and knows his older era bomb technologies.

[zapta]

You are making things up. I didn't defend the school and police. Read my posts again.

Your posts speak for themselves.

Not true, it's your political agenda driven interpretation.

[Mechanical Menace]

Science in general is much more than engineering. Science includes also non technical subjects as philosophy, arts in general. Society is transformed not only by technological progess but also due to political progress. What is cause and effect is sometimes hard to tell.

While science may have grown out of a specific branch of philosophy that doesn't exist any more modern philosophy definitely isn't science, and the arts certainly are not.

[AF6LJ]

Interesting take on the Kid and his clock...
http://www.infowars.com/fake-hate-is-clock-kid-furor-all-a-big-setup/

quoted:
Mohamed was belligerent with officials and school security, and refused to explain what the object was for, only stating that it was a clock.

nice; no bias here.  of course, infowars is not what you'd call a trustable reporting source.  clearly, they are still up to their same lack of standards, given this bit of mis-reporting.

anyone here 'not clear' about what a clock's purpose is?

DIDN'T THINK SO!

They are fairly trustworthy to me.

[AF6LJ]

uh, it's Texas. shouldn't that be the obvious answer for everything in this situation?

(I know it's a jerk comment)

but it is actually accurate.  texas is one of the places in the US that has quite a high concentration of backward-ass non-thinkers.  the war on women is heavily fought in texas, there is only 1 'valid' religion in texas, hell, there is only 1 valid skin color in texas.  you could not pay me to live in texas.

sorry texas people reading this, but you, down deep, know this is true.

it does not excuse it, but if you know how the US is spread out (culture wise) nothing in this article would surprise you.

Another example of the kind of bigotry that makes California a third world cesspit.

[Galenbo]

... of course, infowars is not what you'd call a trustable reporting source.

They are just a different kind of not-so-trustable reporting source. Good for comparing the conclusions, and for keeping a balance.

[AF6LJ]

... of course, infowars is not what you'd call a trustable reporting source.

They are just a different kind of not-so-trustable reporting source. Good for comparing the conclusions, and for keeping a balance.

I have actually found them to be more trustworthy when it comes to reporting what is going on in the middle east. They don't have companies like GE or GD or any of the large war material corporations advertising there, Same with Big Pharma.
The thing that people seem to not understand is when a company like General Dynamics or one of the big Pharmaceutical companies advertise they are buying editorial control of that news outlet. This is why you never see stories about groups of people who were mas vaccinated having serious reactions due to a bad bach of whatever vaccine was administered or why you never see the death toll of our military people defending the poppy fields in Afghanistan.

You won't real truthful reporting on the mass media outlets in this country, just look at who advertises on the those channels and you can tell what stories will never see the light of day there.

[timb]

I ran a business in elementary(! 10-12 years old) school selling self designed junk. All pre 1989 Poland, so still under Soviet occupation = no good western toys in shops.

 It started when I build cable remote controlled buggy from: tape deck parts for motor and cogs (gearbox reduction was all made and designed by me using those cogs, nails, pcb and epoxy, I was so frickin proud of it ), pcb for base plate, thick copper wire for frame and front steering, scotch tape rolls pushed into bike rubber tube for rims with tires, flat ribbon cable to the remote, plastic box filled with two 4.5V batteries and glued dip switches as the remote  . As soon as I showed it off on the school playground one of the rich kids offered me a ridiculous sum of money, something like 1/5 my mums salary at the time. After that I made one more electric toy and switched into electronics. I discovered CD4000 series chips manufactured locally(CEMI) and fell in love, had whole notebook that I manually filled with handwritten datasheets and designs

Long story short my bestseller was a CD4060 based TIMER that I marketed as a TIMED DETONATOR ('just like in the movies' TM). With a blinking led and everything, last stage of the counter was connected to transistor driving crushed flashlight bulb, designed to detonate firecrackers. Of course as part of making it extra double cool I sanded off all the markings from the components, giving it that extra terrorist touch.  

Thankfully nobody used it with actual bomb (afaik).

That's awesome! I love your ambition. What did your mom think when you made that much cash selling something you made?

I started thinking about this clock-bomb story it dawned on me, if I were a kid today, I would have been arrested too!

I remember making a 555 based countdown timer from a Forrest Mimms book and bringing it to school in 4th grade. It was on a piece of perfboard, hand soldered with wires running everywhere.

In 5th grade we had an assignment where we had to teach the rest of the class how to make something, so I created a simple monostable vibrator out of transistors to blink an LED then hand etched 25 small copper boards with the circuit. I brought all the components into school and taught the class the basics of how transistors, resistors and capacitors worked (using the water analogy), how an LED was different from a light bulb and a basic idea of how the circuit functioned.

Then everyone would assemble the circuit and bring it up to be soldered. (I had a friend who knew how to solder help, so we could get through 25 boards quickly.) As an option, they could wait until recess and I would teach them how to solder the board themselves. I had 3 people take me up on it, all girls. (I think they liked me, but I was too dense to see it back then.)

So, I guess you could call that "The time I taught a class of fellow 5th graders how to make a bomb timer." (I got an A+ plus extra credit for my assignment too!)

Then, there was the time in 3rd grade I brought my homemade rocket launcher system in for show and tell. It was an old small suitcase with a plywood front panel, underneath was two 12V lantern batteries and a mess of wires. It had banana jacks for connecting the igniter cable, a key interlock (literally a car ignition switch salvaged from old car parts my dad had), a 12V analog meter to measure the battery, a warning piezo buzzer and a rotating yellow hazard light on the top. Plus switches and buttons to set the automatic timer.

This huge complicated thing to launch $5 model rockets! Yeah, I'd be in jail today.


Sent from my Tablet

[apis]

Sigh. The world really is going back to the dark ages. 

What sorry excuse of a teacher can't tell the difference between a clock and a bomb. Idiots who can't distinguish between Hollywood movies and reality and believe a bomb is a circuitboard with a lcd-display. The teacher and principal are the one that should be dragged away by the police. The kid, who's obviously interested in electronics and science, should be encouraged and taught how to design electronics safely.

Apparently it's dangerous to know stuff. Lucky for him he wasn't interested in chemistry.

This anti-engineering/anti-science mentality is disturbing.

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah it's really sad, but seems to be what the government wants, they don't like the idea of people knowing too much they want to keep knowledge in the hands of mega corps, and themselves.  They just want people to be drones and have a basic brainless job and pay their taxes and stay in line and conform with basic society. Minute you want to actually do something more you are a terrorist or suspicious. 


I posted this image as a joke in another thread, we were making fun of stock images where clearly the people are doing it wrong:



Wonder how many people such as the admins at that school would think I'm building a bomb.    Just need to glue a couple LCD numerical displays on that coil and I'm set.

[AF6LJ]

Yet another example where the significance of a benign and relatively harmless local incident is inflated by social media.

If this is one of our top priority problems, we are in very good shape.

Or we as a country are so disconnected from reality that we are in really big trouble.

[cimmo]

I wonder if Micro$oft threw in a Zune player with this other stuff?

[Delta]

Erm, not one person in the whole charade thought it was a bomb.

The whole thing has been very carefully planned and stage managed by the lad's knobhead of a father.

At least no one got a shock from the exposed mains wiring...