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MacosNerd · Sep 21, 2007, 11:50 AM

How stupid can you get
FOXNews.com

strapping a circuit board to your chest, wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and having play doh in your hand.

As the article mentions she's lucky she's not in the morgue.

To top this off she's an MIT student one of the best technology schools to which only the smartest go to.

mdc · Sep 21, 2007, 11:57 AM

At least it wasn't an Aqua Teen Hunger Force light board, then she really would've been in trouble.

MacosNerd · Sep 21, 2007, 12:04 PM

Yeah
I thought of that too especially when she stated it was for art and standing out.

wallinbl · Sep 21, 2007, 01:01 PM

Perhaps she should find an art show. An airport is a stupid place to display that particular piece of art.

brassplayersrock² · Sep 21, 2007, 01:55 PM

she goes to MIT? You'd think she would be smarter than this. *shrug*

Alex

jokell82 · Sep 21, 2007, 02:31 PM

After reading the article I'm not so sure - it sounds like it's a sweatshirt made by the college, or at least associated with the college. I don't know why wires and lights automatically means a bomb in Boston.

On the other hand - I'd NEVER wear anything like that to an airport.

wallinbl · Sep 21, 2007, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

I don't know why wires and lights automatically means a bomb in Boston.

If they let an actual bomb go off because they though it was just a circuit board, some wires and Play Doh, they'd get sued until the world ended. If you're going to knock them for what they did, you've put them in a no win situation.

jokell82 · Sep 21, 2007, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by wallinbl

If they let an actual bomb go off because they though it was just a circuit board, some wires and Play Doh, they'd get sued until the world ended. If you're going to knock them for what they did, you've put them in a no win situation.

I'm not an experienced bomb-maker, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it takes a bit more than a circuit board, some lights, and some wires to make something blow up...

wallinbl · Sep 21, 2007, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

I'm not an experienced bomb-maker, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it takes a bit more than a circuit board, some lights, and some wires to make something blow up...

The rest could be under the sweatshirt. You have to make a decision based on what you can see.

I only know what they show in movies, but with plastic explosives, don't you just need a small current to a blasting cap to set it off? Seems like she had more than enough for that.

MacosNerd · Sep 21, 2007, 03:14 PM

The bottom line is no one really knows (other then the experts) what a bomb looks like.

We do know that it takes wires, circuitry and an explosive.

She had the circuitry, the wires and play doh (which looks like C4) in her hand. If I saw a person on a train or walking in an airport that had this stuff I'd think it was a bomb.

She wanted to stand out with her "art" well she got her wish, as police men with sub machine guns pointed at her.

CollinG3G4 · Sep 21, 2007, 03:19 PM

Her hair style says it all.

Maybe she had a death wish and with guns pointed at her, decide against it.

kman42 · Sep 21, 2007, 03:28 PM

She was dumb to make that fashion choice for a trip to the airport, but I don't think it's really accurate for the news to be saying "Girl with fake bomb arrested at airport". The words 'fake bomb' imply that she had the intention of making it look like a bomb. That's not NECESSARILY the case. She could just be really clueless and have a fondness for kitchy geeky artsy sweatshirts.

That being said, the cops handled it appropriately. I just don't think the media is.

kman

MindFad · Sep 21, 2007, 03:32 PM

Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."

Someone sounds a little redundant, and disappointed someone didn't get shot.

Why is it referred to as a "fake bomb" in the story title and mentioned again in the article? I didn't read where she claimed that at the airport. Disturbing the peace I guess I can understand if hysterical and stupid airport employees are any indication, but possessing a hoax device? Because of paranoid employees were driven into a hysteria about the blinking piece of plastic with the battery, or what? At worst, what, the batteries were a no-no at the airport, right? (Or maybe not, what about cellphones?) Was it just the way it looked or what? It didn't look particularly imposing, terrifying, or explosive. Were the blinking lights the scary part? The plain white circuit board? The spooky wires? I wonder if I dangled a few wires from an iPhone and stuck a 9-volt on it, would I be lucky to not be shot, too?

I'm surprised at such the big stink and hysteria about this.

jokell82 · Sep 21, 2007, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

She wanted to stand out with her "art" well she got her wish, as police men with sub machine guns pointed at her.

Actually the article makes it sound like she wanted to stand out at CAREER DAY, not at the airport.

kman42 · Sep 21, 2007, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

How stupid can you get
FOXNews.com

You mean for reading FOX news?

MindFad · Sep 21, 2007, 03:45 PM

Captain Obvious · Sep 21, 2007, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by MindFad

Was it just the way it looked or what? It didn't look particularly imposing, terrifying, or explosive. Were the blinking lights the scary part? The plain white circuit board? The spooky wires? I wonder if I dangled a few wires from an iPhone and stuck a 9-volt on it, would I be lucky to not be shot, too?

Tape one to your chest and try it.
We'll await the results.

scaught · Sep 21, 2007, 03:52 PM

MIT student doesn't necessarily equal smart. Booksmart has little to do with any level conventional wisdom. The type of wisdom that would tell you that in the post 9/11 world of air travel, putting anything suspicious with wires and whatnot on you is probably a horrible idea. It's illegal yell out fire in a theatre. You mention bomb at the airport and you'll get a club up your ass. This is right in line with that policy. Her intentions have little to do with how it was perceived.

MindFad · Sep 21, 2007, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious

Tape one to your chest and try it.
We'll await the results.

No ideas on the reason for their hysteria, then, huh? Doesn't look like it was taped to her chest. Maybe pinned on at the corners with plastic straps from the looks of the photo.

An iPhone holder of sorts strapped onto the chest of a sweatshirt with flashing lights and exposed wires and 9-volt in an airport? Even put that little star design of the circuit board as the wallpaper of the iPhone. I'd like to see that. I bet it wouldn't get the same reaction as her doomsday blinker.

wallinbl · Sep 21, 2007, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by MindFad

No ideas on the reason for their hysteria, then, huh?

Because they can't take the chance. If it turned out to be an actual bomb and they'd done nothing, we'd all be sitting around complaining about how moronic the cops are.

People seem to forget that cops are people and they're not perfect - they have to make decisions quickly.

MindFad · 04:29 PM

So the only fast-action response or procedure for flashing lights and 9-volts is immediate assault with submachine guns, and "extreme luck" on her part for not getting shot?

Edit: You know, I missed the bit about play-dough in her hands. We can't call her bright, that's for sure, but I still find it all a bit silly.

I get the response—I understand why it is necessary for them to respond the way they did to the uncertainty of the whole situation, but it seems like she's just being crucified because of the hysteria of others. The reality remains she posed no threat. Hopefully she learns how stupid it was to put herself in that kind of situation.

Peter · Sep 21, 2007, 04:21 PM

if the security guards hadn't have stopped her, and it had been a bomb -- ...

better safe than sorry, and more fool the girl.

jokell82 · Sep 21, 2007, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Peter

if the security guards hadn't have stopped her, and it had been a bomb -- ...

better safe than sorry, and more fool the girl.

If we don't allow the US government to spy on everyone in the country, and something does happen -- ...

FireWire · Sep 21, 2007, 04:49 PM

Two things tick me off.. I understand that she was arrested and questionned, that's totally understandable. However, she is charged with "disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device". She didn't disturb anything, the security did it.. They were justified to investigate, but it's not a crime to look suspicious..

Second, from the article:

A not guilty plea was entered for her and she was released on $750 bail.

[...]

Prosecutor Wayne Margolis had requested $5,000 bail, saying Simpson showed a total disregard for the situation she was in — an airport after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Since when bail is set higher for this reason? I always heard a bail is set to ensure that the suspect will not flee.. As a matter of fact:

bail - definition of bail by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
bailn.
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.

It sounds like they wanted to make her pay more for her action, I don't believe that's the spirit of the law...

ghporter · Sep 21, 2007, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

I'm not an experienced bomb-maker, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it takes a bit more than a circuit board, some lights, and some wires to make something blow up...

A bomb could be very obvious or very UNobvious. The thing is, most states have laws against giving the impression you're making a threat, and NOBODY in airport security has a sense of humor. That wasn't artistic, it was stupid.

scaught · Sep 21, 2007, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by FireWire

Two things tick me off.. I understand that she was arrested and questionned, that's totally understandable. However, she is charged with "disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device". She didn't disturb anything, the security did it.. They were justified to investigate, but it's not a crime to look suspicious.

"probable cause"

The likelihood of this being (or just being perceived as) a very bad thing is extremely heightened in society as it exists now. Like it or not, it's the truth.

scaught · Sep 21, 2007, 05:42 PM

btw, I would not hit it. Even with mindfad's dick.

ghporter · Sep 21, 2007, 05:44 PM

A "hoax device" is something that can cause an enormous amount of panic. How many people know what a "real" bomb looks like? (Hint: since there's no single standard for any jack-leg bomb, the answer is "zero".) If you can't tell that it's not a bomb and it makes you think that it is one, what are you going to do? If you're in a crowd, the answer is "panic." Almost guaranteed. Since the individual in question did indeed cause a stir, that's "disturbing the peace." QED.

MindFad · Sep 21, 2007, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by scaught

btw, I would not hit it. Even with mindfad's dick.

MacosNerd · Sep 21, 2007, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by kman42

You mean for reading FOX news?

Of course - I usually go to msnbc

wallinbl · Sep 21, 2007, 07:44 PM

The Godfather · Sep 21, 2007, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by MacosNerd

To top this off she's an MIT student one of the best technology schools to which only the smartest go to.

Knowing this, I am gonna ask for SAT scores, double check their background and get a hair test if any MIT graduate comes to me looking for a job.

pooka · Sep 21, 2007, 09:51 PM

Heh. I did something like this in highschool. I was promptly taken into custody and charged. Difference between me and this chick is that I wasn't a pussy about it and took responsibility for my actions. "Art" my ass.