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Old 09-20-2015, 07:34 AM   #1
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Default Ahmeds Clock?

By now you have heard of little Ahmed, the sweet little Muslim kid who "built a clock" and innocently brought it to school to show his engineering teacher.

(We will not discuss the political aspects of the story, of which there are many, on ORR.net)

My question to you, gentle reader, is this: By looking at the photo of Ahmed's Clock, what do you see?

1. A working digital clock made from stuff a genius kid would have in his electronic junk box.

2. A clock made from a kit.

3. The guts from a store-bought clock, having been disassembled and stuffed into a small carry case (which would also accommodate a pound or two of C4)
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File Type: jpg ahmeds clock.jpg (59.5 KB, 24 views)
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Old 09-20-2015, 09:32 AM   #2
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I pick #3, to make just a clock it wouldn't be necessary to put it in a large case like that.
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Old 09-20-2015, 02:46 PM   #3
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A kit, I think, which at 14 would be an appropriate level of effort and achievement. Disembowelig a commercially-manufactured clock would in general yield a more compact result and be less fun (and he wouldn't be much moved to show it off to his scientifically literate instructor); and designing and building from scratch would be beyond nearly all 14-year-olds, not because they lack aptitude but because they lack the necessary mathematics.
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Old 09-20-2015, 04:04 PM   #4
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A lot depends on things I can not possibly know. But in this case I'd say if anyone at all thought there were explosives in that box.. Why did they not call for the bomb squad?

I have built clocks that looked a lot like that.. So.. I'd have chosen one of the clock options. (That was before I put them in a proper case).

True story (not in any related to this incident) This happened in Michigan.. In a governmental office that basically receives letters and envelopes of every shape and size but this day... They received a box.

The office manager was sure someone had had a mail order shipment delivered to the offices PO box (which by the way is in a different county.. This office is a touch paranoid about folks knowing where they are, and for good reason which I will not go into).. But when nobody would own up to a violation of deparmental policy he went ahead and called the bomb squad.. No reason other than "I'll show 'em They will be very embarrassed when the bomb squad opens their tupperware order).

Bomb squad removed the bomb to the ordiance disposal pit and blew it up. Yup it was a bomb.

Story 2: I'm watching the snooze, er, news on a 5" color TV with a bad power supply so the pictgure is a touch... Wavy.. Cheif of police is holding something in his hand, Red sticks banded together with DYNAMITE written on them and a digital clock and some wires.. he's telling Talking about how this can be dangerous cause though it is a fake time bomb some folks would think it was the real thing.

BEFORE he started talking I glanced at the screen and said to myself "OH, Fake Time Bomb"

Now.. I have told you how I knew it was a fake.. Can you tell me how I did it?
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Old 09-20-2015, 04:41 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wa8yxm View Post
BEFORE he started talking I glanced at the screen and said to myself "OH, Fake Time Bomb"

Now.. I have told you how I knew it was a fake.. Can you tell me how I did it?
Oh, fun! A couple of guesses.

1. The time on the bomb was later than the time on the TV.
2. The chief is not an idiot and would not have been playing with a real bomb.
3. My dad and uncle once blew up a beaver dam that was flooding our farm. My uncle was in the highway bridge building business so was familiar with how to use/handle dynamite. I don't recall the word "Dynamite" being on the sticks, though they were red. He also stressed not to ever handle it without gloves as it is highly toxic and will be absorbed through the skin.

But likely I have not guessed right, something to do with the lousy TV picture?
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Old 09-20-2015, 05:35 PM   #6
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It's a bomb!
School was not evacuated.
they did not call the bomb squad.
they did not run the other way.
they parked the kid and the bomb in an office in the school.
they waited with him until the police arrived.
they put the bomb and the kid in the same police car as the cops.
then they took pictures of it.
they put a terrified kid in hand cuffs.
All because he brought a home made electronic clock to school. there is some thing very wrong with this picture.
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