Microsoft sent Ahmed a nice collection of tech toys. 
Or maybe it indicates that Ahmed’s father doesn’t want some random jackass tricking a child into saying something stupid. Hell, if the cops were doing their jobs right they explicitly told Ahmed to mind what he says and to have someone to counsel him - maybe he took that to heart?
Show me what was wrong with their reporting in this case, not some vague generalities of how you don’t like them.
Does ANYONE feel the kid deserves to see the president over it? I mean kids get kicked out of school all the time for dumb stuff. Why is this kid so special?
I guess they saw this as a way to promote science and education? I agree that Ahmed’s situation isn’t that much different than other kids that ran into dumb teachers and policies. Like the kid expelled for a poptart shaped like a gun. I agree Ahmed really didn’t require a grand gesture like a White House invite, but it doesn’t bother me either. He’s just one more guest at Astronomy Night in October.
More on Astronomy Night in October. Ahmed will just be one of many kids at the event.
Interesting that Richard Dawkins has come around to the same theory I hold. It just took him a little longer to get there.
As an experiment I’d like to see someone walk into, say, a federal courthouse with some mangled electronics wired together haphazardly and stuffed into a briefcase. If questioned about what it is it give vague and blunt responses.
This is in the name of Science, please take it with dreadful seriousness. The Scientific community needs is counting on you.
Being Muslim with an Arabic name and 14 neither…
…excuses his being jerked around by Texas cops at 14; nor
…makes him some sort of instantly exonerated figure, as too many in this thread and blogstreams everywhere seem to be contending.
He took a Radio Shack (brand) clock out of its case and put it in a small briefcase with only the display showing. Then took it to school.
Everyone who thinks he’s a brilliant kid inventor who really wanted to show off his project in all possible innocence, stand over there with the rest of the outraged blogosphere…
Now, everyone who thinks he’s an at-least fairly bright hobbyist kid who did not fail to consider that his cool project looked pretty bomb-like and took it to school to get coolness cred from his schoolmates - with nothing further than 14yo idiocy on the point - stand over here.
I see this as a lesson in both racist/profiling overreaction in 2015 America, and the ten-billionth example of just how naively stupid 13-15yos can be. I’ve had several. I was one. It does not lead to sainthood. And I’m glad to see some fairly rational correction appearing in the media that treated this like the second crucifixion of a budding tech ghod.
My initial read on this was exactly the same as yours, Amateur Barbarian. But after learning more about his dad’, it is really hard for me not to suspect that there was something more going on.
But you can bet he will have his picture taken with Obama.
Dyson took six vortices, attached them to what essentially is a hard drive motor, and called it a “V6 Digital Motor”.
What’s your problem with that?
According to the initial news reports – the ones written before anyone had formed a narrative, the ones written before anyone developed an agenda, the ones subject to inaccuracies of haste, perhaps, but not of bias or prejudgment – said he did his project and brought it in to show off, and never claimed it was anything but a clock. This strikes me as an odd thing to do when you’re trying to create a bomb scare.
At any rate, can we at least agree that the people who are saying it actually was a bomb are outright lunatics?
Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?
Why in the world should we give anyone from the Center for Security Policy any credence whatsoever?
Yes.
Sure, of course. I was just responding factually to someone who thought it was notable that they hadn’t said anything like that; in fact, they had.
Bumping because this educational electronics thing in a briefcase just came up in my Facebook feed. Better make sure none of those wires stick out of the case!
Link to Wiki
LED sign mistaken for a device.
Reading about stuff like this makes me worried.
I do a lot of electronic stuff. So I’m always ordering kits, parts, etc. for various projects. Right now I have two items, including a battery, waiting to be shipped.
Put all the stuff together I’m buying and … I think I’m on a list somewhere.
Batteries and electronic parts are OK, just don’t order any Casio wristwatches