19 Jan 10
1 edit
To be fair, a bottle half-filled with some liquid attached with electric wires and electronic components looks very much like what you'd expect a bomb would look like. Also, it was a personal project, not something for a science fair where you'd expect something like that.
The fact that the kid described it as a "motion detector" was also...weird. 😕
If I'd seen that in my country I wouldn't think twice whether it was a bomb or not, but if I was in the US... I don't know. Sign of the times.
19 Jan 10
So the family get 'counseling' cos they have an 11 year old kid, with imagination, making an idea up, with undangerous substances? What a load of cack!!
Kids are creative and explortive by nature - and also exaggerative when in school, trying to impress.
This kids did nothing wrong!!! 😠
Who was the puff who saw it but didn't approach and ask the kids what it was? He's the tosser who needs counseling......
It's a technology school, for God's sake. Of course they should have kids going in with things made at home. How crass!!!!!!!!
PC and Paranoia of the US in true light!!
19 Jan 10
Originally posted by PalynkaThat's called paranoia. 😛
To be fair, a bottle half-filled with some liquid attached with electric wires and electronic components looks very much like what you'd expect a bomb would look like. Also, it was a personal project, not something for a science fair where you'd expect something like that.
The fact that the kid described it as a "motion detector" was also...weird. 😕
I ...[text shortened]... whether it was a bomb or not, but if I was in the US... I don't know. Sign of the times.
19 Jan 10
Originally posted by SunburntSeriously, the kid said he was building it with instructions he found on the net. A "motion detector"?
That's called paranoia. 😛
So who knows what kind of site he was looking at. Of course, counselling and all that seems excessive, but it doesn't seem that weird to me that people thought possible that he could have an explosive device of some sort.
19 Jan 10
Originally posted by PalynkaI just read another article on this and it confirmed what I was thinking. He built this with help from his dad, they bought some parts, probably the circuit board and the lens, you know, stuff an 11 year old can't make on his own. They also got the plans from the internet, it took me 2 seconds to find instructions to build one of these things.
Seriously, the kid said he was building it with instructions he found on the net. A "motion detector"?
So who knows what kind of site he was looking at. Of course, counselling and all that seems excessive, but it doesn't seem that weird to me that people thought possible that he could have an explosive device of some sort.
http://tinyurl.com/ycfndwu
If I was an 11 year old kid into electronics I would've probably wanted to build a motion sensor too. You need one if you plan on building a decent robot.
19 Jan 10
Originally posted by CrowleyMy house mate and I back in about 2003 or 2004 were building a 2x4 trebuchet for kicks. We needed an axle, and some heavy duty nails.
Bloody hell.
We try to get kids to tinker, and when they do SWAT teams get called in.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/15/student-science-project-prompts-school-evacuation/
We went to the hardware store and find a pipe about 2 feet long with metal caps to hold it in place that would be perfect for the axle, and get some heavy nails.
We put the stuff on the counter, and my post 9/11 alarm goes off! Looks like we're building a pipe bomb! The girl at the counter doesn't bat an eye.
I was rather surprised.
19 Jan 10
Originally posted by PalynkaSo the boy has been cooperative. If a science teacher who is worth his or her money is not able to follow the explanation of an 11 year in his private project that's not a good sign. Is it? I would volunteer to judge any device even with a unknown printed circuit if a person does explain the function. If you cannot check if the person is correct what are you teaching them?
It's really funny how easy people judge others with 20/20 hindsight.
19 Jan 10
1 edit
Originally posted by PonderableNot everybody is a science teacher. Hopefully, they'll teach other subjects in a middle school. They seemed to have talked with the student, found the motion detector story strange enough to admit the possibility that is was a misleading internet site and evacuated the school. A quick google search tells me there was a homemade bomb going off in a garbage bin in San Diego in 2008 and in 2009 another student was detained in San Diego because he set off several small homemade bottle bombs in trash cans.
So the boy has been cooperative. If a science teacher who is worth his or her money is not able to follow the explanation of an 11 year in his private project that's not a good sign. Is it? I would volunteer to judge any device even with a unknown printed circuit if a person does explain the function. If you cannot check if the person is correct what are you teaching them?
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bomb-explodes-at-san-diego-school/2008/05/08/1210131101625.html
http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-sanysidro-bomb,0,3345693.story
These are just the first two I found. So maybe the teacher had those experiences a bit closer to home than us.
After all, the kid doesn't seem to have been treated poorly or anything, they simply stopped school for half-a-day. Big deal.
I do agree that I don't see any reason for counselling, though.
19 Jan 10
Originally posted by PhlabibitTrebuchet? You should build a huge one and start blasting your neighbor's houses. First, build a moat.
My house mate and I back in about 2003 or 2004 were building a 2x4 trebuchet for kicks. We needed an axle, and some heavy duty nails.
We went to the hardware store and find a pipe about 2 feet long with metal caps to hold it in place that would be perfect for the axle, and get some heavy nails.
We put the stuff on the counter, and my post 9/11 alarm ...[text shortened]... building a pipe bomb! The girl at the counter doesn't bat an eye.
I was rather surprised.