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

[klaus54]

Have you built something like this before? Just curious.

Taking the works out of a 1980s digit clock and putting them in a pencil case?

No, I haven't.

But if had the clock and the pencil case, even a klutz like me could do this in 20 minutes.

[Jaecp]

Taking the works out of a 1980s digit clock and putting them in a pencil case?

No, I haven't.

But if had the clock and the pencil case, even a klutz like me could do this in 20 minutes.

Sweet,

Go film yourself doing it. We'll wait.

[Cow Poke]

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

You don't read so good, do you?
Here's how I already answered that...

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

Fact A: He claimed he invented this project in a 20 minute time period the Sunday night before the incident.
Fact 2: He claimed he bought the parts and put this together.
Fact C: His father said Ahmed "woke up to that clock every morning".
Fact D: It's obvious this was not an "invented by Ahmed" or "built by Ahmed" clock - it was simply the guts of a commercially manufactured clock placed very childishly into a too-small metal box.

He lied. He misrepresented this "engineering project" as his own work, an "invention", which it clearly was not.

The kid is 14.

So THAT's what this is about -- he's your age!

I don't know how long he's been tinkering with electronics

There is a LOT you don't know, but it doesn't keep you from spewing forth ignorance.

but you are being uncharitable.

I'm being honest.

AGAIN, if Ahmed had taken somebody else research paper, and simply rearranged it a bit, and presented it as his own work, he would get an automatic F.

That's all he did - he took a commercially manufactured clock, disassembled it, stuffed into a too-small metal box, and presented it as his own invention.

[Cow Poke]

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.

It was a commercially manufactured clock. There is no evidence that he did anything more than just take the contents AS IS out of the plastic housing and placed them in the metal pencil box. There would be no real need to disconnect most of it.

AGAIN - Who on earth manufactures or designs or invents a clock where the guts of the clock have to be exposed, and the display is on the INSIDE? (except, of course, for "Hollywood bombs") For anybody to set the clock, or set an alarm, or operate the clock in any manner, they would have to reach into the METAL case and risk shock. There's a 110v transformer laying in that case.

I don't care if Ahmed was 10, or 14, or 27 --- it's an incredibly poor design, and a bad implementation.

[Cow Poke]

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.

Ah, gonna go the drama queen route, eh?

If they present the project as their own work, and they, in fact, actually DID the work, all is wonderful!
Now, if they take something they bought from Hobby Lobby, and tell me, "Daddy, look what I made for you", then we're gonna have a talk.

Friggin liars. They didn't draw nothin

And, the meltdown commences.....

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

Yeah, cause look at all those Hollywood movies where people blew up cars and buildings and killed people with macaroni art!

Or is it a simile?

Try a smilie.

Damnit what am I hiding?

At this point, you're purdy durn transparent!

[Teallaura]

l haven't time for a comprehensive response but I will say this: gutting a clock and putting its innards in a box does not constitute 'good with electronics'.

[Cow Poke]

l haven't time for a comprehensive response but I will say this: gutting a clock and putting its innards in a box does not constitute 'good with electronics'.

You'll notice that the main media outlets have pretty much abandoned this - the more they check into it, the more they realize it was a fraud from the beginning. About the only rabid supporters of this are here on Tweb!

[Mountain Man]

Sweet,

Go film yourself doing it. We'll wait.

I'll save klaus54 some time because somebody already did.

[Cow Poke]

I'll save klaus54 some time because somebody already did.

Notice the extensive soldering, and the skill required to accomplish this?

[firstfloor]

It looks like a complex case of the boy mischievously playing up to the stereotype and enjoying the limelight and notoriety a bit too much.

[Teallaura]

It looks like a complex case of the boy mischievously playing up to the stereotype and enjoying the limelight and notoriety a bit too much.

I am not sure I fully agree, but I am impressed by your thoughtfulness.

[Cow Poke]

It looks like a complex case of the boy mischievously playing up to the stereotype and enjoying the limelight and notoriety a bit too much.

Yeah. But I must now change my opinion, because I can't possibly agree with you on this.

Personally, given the history of this family, I think there's the likelihood that they may have been trying to prove a point, or push an agenda. Part of the reason for this is the way the older sister complains about how she was handled when she allegedly was suspended from this same "stupid school", and the way she was coaching her brother when Cuban was talking to him.

I think they got just the reaction they wanted, and more. Who knew they'd get a personal invite to the White House over this?

[rogue06]

Yeah. But I must now change my opinion, because I can't possibly agree with you on this.

Personally, given the history of this family, I think there's the likelihood that they may have been trying to prove a point, or push an agenda. Part of the reason for this is the way the older sister complains about how she was handled when she allegedly was suspended from this same "stupid school", and the way she was coaching her brother when Cuban was talking to him.

I think they got just the reaction they wanted, and more. Who knew they'd get a personal invite to the White House over this?

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[Cow Poke]

So, if one of the Dugger kids had brought this same contraption to school, or Sarah Palin's kid, or any white conservative's kid..... would the liberal apoplexy have been so quick and ferocious?

[Cow Poke]

High art:

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I think this "analogy" exposes how foolish the liberal hyperoverreaction is, and how deeply they got suckered....

In order for there to be any relation whatsoever between the gentlemen in this photo and Ahmed, the gentlemen in this photo would have had to....

A) actually have a device that looks in ANY way "bombish"
2) take the components out of a commercially manufactured computer, and claim they were the actual inventors of it (that would be a flat out lie, AND they would get their bellbottoms sued off!)
C) come up with multiple conflicting stories about how they invented what they invented, having invented nothing at all
D) lie about having purchased the parts themselves and "invented" something
E) NOT be actual geniuses (genii? ) who actually built something worthy of global acclaim
6) take what could actually be mistaken for a bomb (rather than this apparent 'typewriter keyboard console') out of their garage into a school where there's heightened security because there had been tragic deaths in schools related to violence
G) be very evasive about what it was they were actually building.....

... and more

OTHER THAN THAT, yeah, it's a perfect analogy!