Boston Bomb Scare

Kitsune · 01-31-2007, 02:42 PM

Someone gets some circuit boards, solders some LEDs to them, attaches a battery and magnets and puts them around Boston in a bit of creative prank/graffiti fun.

...and then everyone freaks out.

Quote:

A source close to the investigation told WBZ it was a "sophisticated electronic device" that somebody placed there for a reason. It was not an explosive device and police say it did not pose any danger to anyone.

The device, a large circuit board with wires and batteries, was found attached to a beam with magnets about 15-to-20 feet above a busway that runs below an elevated section of the highway.

A bomb squad officer removed it and authorities blasted it with a water cannon around 10 a.m. to render it useless. The highway and T station re-opened a short time later.

On CNN they're calling the placing of the light-up Adult Swim character Ignignokt a "potential terrorist dry run" and that the devices were "engineered to look like real bombs".

My, my, we're a twitchy and nervous lot these days.

Happy Monkey · 01-31-2007, 02:50 PM

Boston, eh?

It seems a bit banal for an MIT hack, but I suppose a freshman's gotta start somewhere...

Flint · 01-31-2007, 02:50 PM

The Mooninite Quote Generator

Well for one thing, the moon has one third less gravity than your earth, I don't know if you can understand that, but our vertical leap is beyond all measurement. -Ignignokt

Alright, when I say your name, you say 'here.' And we will assume 'here' is short for 'here I am...rock you like a hurricane.' -Ignignokt

Here on the moon, our weekends are so advanced, they encompass the entire week. -Ignignokt

Bow your heads or I'll bow em for ya! -Err

Kitsune · 01-31-2007, 02:59 PM

Thank god it wasn't Mario blocks.

glatt · 01-31-2007, 03:00 PM

WTF? It's just an LED throwie on steroids.

Kitsune · 01-31-2007, 03:24 PM

For what they look like up close, along with pictures of what they look like lit up, check here.

Flint · 01-31-2007, 03:27 PM

It's a fuckin' Lite-Brite.

Kitsune · 01-31-2007, 03:30 PM

Pretty fancy lite-bright. The boards look professionally printed.

Happy Monkey · 01-31-2007, 04:05 PM

Hopping around the coverage of this, I gotta say- who do "the officials" think is menacing our country? A Batman villain? Do they seriously think that a bomb is going to be covered with blinky lights in the form of a cartoon character?

Flint · 01-31-2007, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Do they seriously think that a bomb is going to be covered with blinky lights in the form of a cartoon character?

That's why they call it terrorism: they want you to know that it's a bomb, but you can't get to it (much less decide whether to clip the blue or the red wire, oh no! the red wire made it go faster!) because it's, like, ten feet up in the air and you don't have a ladder.

Oh my God has anybody got a ladde-BOOM!!! That's the terror part.

Happy Monkey · 01-31-2007, 04:59 PM

Apparently they're ads. I thought they were a bit boring for MIT.

Flint · 01-31-2007, 05:05 PM

Quote:

"We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger."

Revised from: We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger, you fucking morons.

Quote:

...the objects had been in place for two to three weeks in
Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.

Happy Monkey · 01-31-2007, 05:14 PM

On the plus side for Turner, they can now start selling them. Boston just made them the hot commodity on college campuses across the nation.

BigV · 01-31-2007, 05:41 PM

I liked (not) the part about

Quote:

...City and state officials tried to quell fears today at a press conference at about the time Turner Broadcasting took responsibility for the publicity stunt. Boston Mayor Thomas promised to prosecute those responsible for what was described at the time as a hoax.

"This is not playing around," said Menino, who added that each individual scare could be punishable by two to three years in prison.

Good grief. What if I thought the "lost dog" flyers stapled to telephone poles in my neighborhood were "scary"? 2-3 years per flyer? I'm going to jail because you're a ninny? What happens if the bad guys make a bomb that looks like, I dunno, say, A CAR?!?! Will I get 2-3 years for scaring people who see my car? Wait, I own two cars, that's 4-6 years.

Am I the only one that thinks the "bad guys" are wetting their pants with laughter at the overreaction here? Don't get me wrong--Terrorists==bad. I know that. But prosecuting people for, um, advertising? You're joking, right? No, I didn't think so.

Happy Monkey · 01-31-2007, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigV

Am I the only one that thinks the "bad guys" are wetting their pants with laughter at the overreaction here? Don't get me wrong--Terrorists==bad. I know that. But prosecuting people for, um, advertising? You're joking, right? No, I didn't think so.

I can support some littering fines, but that's about it.

Here's a first-person account.

01-31-2007, 02:50 PM	#2
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Boston, eh? It seems a bit banal for an MIT hack, but I suppose a freshman's gotta start somewhere... __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

01-31-2007, 02:50 PM	#3
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	The Mooninite Quote Generator Well for one thing, the moon has one third less gravity than your earth, I don't know if you can understand that, but our vertical leap is beyond all measurement. -Ignignokt Alright, when I say your name, you say 'here.' And we will assume 'here' is short for 'here I am...rock you like a hurricane.' -Ignignokt Here on the moon, our weekends are so advanced, they encompass the entire week. -Ignignokt Bow your heads or I'll bow em for ya! -Err Attached Images __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

01-31-2007, 03:27 PM	#7
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	It's a fuckin' Lite-Brite. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

01-31-2007, 04:05 PM	#9
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Hopping around the coverage of this, I gotta say- who do "the officials" think is menacing our country? A Batman villain? Do they seriously think that a bomb is going to be covered with blinky lights in the form of a cartoon character? __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

01-31-2007, 04:59 PM	#11
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Apparently they're ads. I thought they were a bit boring for MIT. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

01-31-2007, 02:59 PM	#4
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Thank god it wasn't Mario blocks.

01-31-2007, 03:00 PM	#5
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	WTF? It's just an LED throwie on steroids.

01-31-2007, 03:24 PM	#6
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	For what they look like up close, along with pictures of what they look like lit up, check here.

01-31-2007, 03:30 PM	#8
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Pretty fancy lite-bright. The boards look professionally printed.

01-31-2007, 05:14 PM	#13
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	On the plus side for Turner, they can now start selling them. Boston just made them the hot commodity on college campuses across the nation. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

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