The kid didn't "make" a clock. He took apart a clock and put it in some kind of metal case.
Those aren't standard clock parts. That main board is not out of a commercially produced digital clock; the traces are way too wide and the contact points too large. It looks more like something out of a project kit.
I'm going to trust MakeZine here.
Inside it, the electronics appear less as a combination of miscellaneous parts wired together into a timepiece, and more so as simply the guts of a standard digital alarm clock. Seen are a big seven-segment display, a transformer for stepping down the line voltage, 9-volt connector for power-outage battery backup, plus the control board with buttons to set the clock, and the main board that connects all the pieces together, attached to the display by a wide ribbon cable.
Reasons why you might call the cops. A kid with a clock isn't enough reason. They ought to take a look at some of the books the lit teacher has in his classroom. I bet they incite rebellion and undermine blind obedience to authority, the latter seems to be the foundation of the school's education philosophy.
Edited By Malcolm on 1442596853
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Cheap digital goods usually go for less-is-more in their circuitry construction to shave off every penny of cost they can. That main board looks very kit-like with larger bits meant for hand-soldering by novices.
But MakeZine would know for more about it than I would, so I'm probably wrong.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
I'm telling y'all this is a stunt. There's more going on here, but we're not going to find out because nobody is going to follow up on it. The kid is enshrined as an official victim of White Racism, just like Trayvon (peace be upon him).
For starters, one glance at the printed circuit board in the photo, and I knew we were looking at mid-to-late 1970s vintage electronics. Surely you’ve seen a modern circuit board, with metallic traces leading all over to the various components like an electronic spider’s web. You’ll notice right away the highly accurate spacing, straightness of the lines, consistency of the patterns. That’s because we design things on computers nowadays, and computers assist in routing these lines. Take a look at the board in Ahmed’s clock. It almost looks hand-drawn, right? That’s because it probably was. Computer aided design was in its infancy in the 70s. This is how simple, low cost items (like an alarm clock) were designed.
...
Amhed’s clock was invented, and built, by Micronta, a Radio Shack subsidary.
...
So there you have it folks, Ahmed Mohamad did not invent, nor build a clock. He took apart an existing clock, and transplanted the guts into a pencil box, and claimed it was his own creation. It all seems really fishy to me.
Even if all he did was disassemble a clock and give it a new covering, the fact remains it's not an IED and he never claimed nor insinuated it was. I don't even care if he did this just to see what sort of uproar would be caused. The school and cop response and subsequent defense thereof is still immeasurably idiotic. Might there be more to this story than is getting let on? Probably. There needs to be a Loch Ness monster swimming under the surface of this, though, before logic starts favouring the other side or abandons the current front runner. Thank god this kid wasn't into chemistry or, even worse, physics. Good thing he was white and it wasn't 20 years later.
Edited By Malcolm on 1442610943
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
After a bit of thought, the only 2 theories I have that're remotely viable are the following:
This was a plausibly deniable test run to check the results of how/if/when he could bring a bomb-looking thing to school. A future run would include a real IED or something equally destructive. This would explain his lack of explanation to the teacher, the shittiness of the clock-in-a-box, and even the type of container that was chosen. Maybe he just wanted to get all the free shit in the mail from people in addition to his fifteen minutes.
Edited By Malcolm on 1442955624
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Muslims peaceably gather for their most revered of holy pilgrimages.
At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.
Another 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.
Truly, 'tis the work of the divine.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Saudis crucify a dude over extremely bullshit charges.
Al-Nimr's cleric uncle was sentenced to death in a separate trial on terrorism charges and for "waging war on God" because of his speech during anti-government protests in Qatif, according to Amnesty International.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
Ahmed Mohamed “racked up weeks of suspensions” and clashed with authority while in middle school, the Dallas Morning News reported.
...
Mohamed reportedly used a “hand-built remote control” to repeatedly turn off the class projector during a teacher’s lesson in middle school. But he also once created a makeshift phone charger to give a tutor’s dead cellphone some juice.
Dude, if that's all he's doing, he's a way tamer 14-year old than I was. He sounds like he baited some stupids and got free toys and publicity from it.
Edited By Malcolm on 1443552469
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Yeah, that's super tame. When I was his age pranking involved breaking into the school after hours. Sounds like the only thing he's been guilty off - besides faking the clock, which I've been convinced is true but still seems weird - has been being smarter than his teachers and talking back to the administration when he believed his First Amendment rights were being violated.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
Malcolm wrote:Muslims peaceably gather for their most revered of holy pilgrimages.
At least 717 people taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have been killed in a stampede near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, officials in Saudi Arabia say.
Another 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj's last major rite.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Saudis still planning to behead minors after holding them for years without charging them and getting confessions based on beating the shit out of them.
The nephew of a prominent government critic, Nimr was held without charge for two years at a prison in Dammam in the kingdom's Eastern Province. Amnesty International charged in a report last month that he was tortured into confessing to taking part in the illegal protest, attacking security forces, possessing a machine gun and committing armed robbery.
Seems legit.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Saudis charge an elderly Brit 1 year and 350 lashes for a drink. If I can think of a list of countries with large sticks up their asses that need a few cocktails, Saudi Arabia's up there.
Edited By Malcolm on 1444756094
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
