14-year-old Texas boy arrested for bringing homemade clock

[Mountain Man]

A disassembly/reassembly effort with soldering and rewiring is a serious engineering project for a 14 year-old kid...

[Mountain Man]

That's something I find puzzling. He was there. She was not. Why did he need her to tell him what happened?

It's not puzzling at all if you know the family's history. This isn't their first publicity stunt (although it's apparently their most successful). The sister was just making sure her brother stayed on script.

[Jaecp]

No - it's more about the dishonesty of his "craftsmanship".



Sam can snap all he wants - it seems to be who he's become.

Why are you so focused on the quality of his craftsmanship? The kid is 14. I don't know how long he's been tinkering with electronics, but you are being uncharitable.

[rogue06]

Why are you so focused on the quality of his craftsmanship? The kid is 14. I don't know how long he's been tinkering with electronics, but you are being uncharitable.

Growing up the kids I knew who were into electronics were doing very competent work well before 14 and doing things like repairing TVs

[Jaecp]

Growing up the kids I knew who were into electronics were doing very competent work well before 14 and doing things like repairing TVs

Which was, when? 1960's or 70s? What point are you trying to make here?

[Mountain Man]

Why are you so focused on the quality of his craftsmanship?

Because he's being praised to the high-heavens for it (invites from the White House, Google, MIT, and thousands of dollars worth of swag from Microsoft), and Sam called it a "serious engineering project".

In other words, the left is trying very, very hard to downplay the fact that it looks like a homemade bomb that was inexpertly cobbled together, and they're showering Ahmed with unwarranted (and perhaps even unmerited) praise, so challenging the quality of his workmanship is a valid point of contention.

[Teallaura]

Why are you so focused on the quality of his craftsmanship? The kid is 14. I don't know how long he's been tinkering with electronics, but you are being uncharitable.

Because the work tells us something about what the kid was actually doing. We have no comps of his work but he is alleged to be good with electronics. The crudeness of the device doesn't support that so why is it so crude.? Was it a bad day, did his dad put him up to something his heart wasn't into? Why?

Or was that truly the best he could do? The answer helps to tells us the purpose

[rogue06]

Which was, when? 1960's or 70s? What point are you trying to make here?

That you act like the work of a 14 year old who is interested in electronics will look like crap

[Jaecp]

Because the work tells us something about what the kid was actually doing. We have no comps of his work but he is alleged to be good with electronics. The crudeness of the device doesn't support that so why is it so crude.? Was it a bad day, did his dad put him up to something his heart wasn't into? Why?

Or was that truly the best he could do? The answer helps to tells us the purpose

Being "good with electronics" has a pretty wide range of meaning. The work looks a lot like he took pieces of clock(s) and put it in a pencil case and then soldered it together. Particularly since the kid is, again, 14. I'd be interested in seeing what kind of stuff he's doing in 2 years, the level of improvement. I know plenty of high schools these days have electronics clubs, but not too many Jr High's have them so it's entirely possible that this 9th grader is good with electronics while still being new to things like soldering. It's hard to say, but I think it's hugely premature to use the level of expertise that a 14 year old boy shows with a soldering iron to have anything to tell us about his motives. I honestly find the idea of that kind of ridiculous and similar to what conspiracy theorists do.

Plus, you know, it's not like he built the thing expecting hundreds of millions of people to go over with a fine tooth comb. He did this and then showed it to his teacher. If I had to guess, I'd say it was a proof of concept of some principle they'd talked about during class or at a club meeting or whatever. Or just doing the 21st century version of taking the microwave apart and putting it back together again.

edited to add,

I also don't think the clock even looks that bad. The only picture we have of it is, presumably, from the cops or school and is not going to be presented in a flattering way. Also, it looks like it's cobbled together from disparate pieces. Which it is. And then installed in some random box. Why should we expect it to look all fancy? Teal, are you saying it looks crude because you have electronics experience and thats your opinion or are you parroting someone?

[Mountain Man]

The work looks a lot like he took pieces of clock(s) and put it in a pencil case and then soldered it together.

Actually, it looks like he took the components out of a clock and then put them as-is inside a pencil case. I don't think there's a single example of original work in his "invention".

[Jaecp]

That you act like the work of a 14 year old who is interested in electronics will look like crap

I know everything I've ever painted this year has been at the same level as my final project for a semesters long class

Everything.

[Jaecp]

Everyone remember to correct your sons, daughters, nieces and nephews if they ever told you they drew a picture of you and you turn and see one of those glue and macaroni things.

Friggin liars. They didn't draw nothin

And then be irrationally suspicious about, just to maintain this little analogy.

Or is it a simile?

Damnit what am I hiding?

[Irate Canadian]

Actually, it looks like he took the components out of a clock and then put them as-is inside a pencil case. I don't think there's a single example of original work in his "invention".

Have you built something like this before? Just curious.

[Jaecp]

Have you built something like this before? Just curious.

@butting in

I haven't, but I had soldering classes in the Navy and... this kid is better than I was after that. Blech. I know it's important, but damn I could not wait to get back to other job duties :-/

[Mountain Man]

Have you built something like this before? Just curious.

I do have some experience with soldering and making my own electronics projects.