People are so worried about terrorists. Guess what: they won! If you don't believe me then try getting on a commercial flight, or try bringing a cool electronic

People are so worried about terrorists. Guess what: they won! If you don't believe me then try getting on a commercial flight, or try bringing a cool electronics project to school some time. The hoax bomb charge that they are still considering doesn't make sense to me. As someone who has seen a lot of improvised explosive devices[0] "hoax" means something very specific. I occasionally encountered hoax devices which were deliberately placed to monitor our response. Finding one meant you could be sure you were on camera. Here the police seem to use "hoax" to mean someone got scared of an empty cardboard box, or in this case a cool electronics project. The difference is intent just like selling oregeno or baby powder can get you in trouble for selling drugs if you are portraying it that way. Having something suspicious means it should be investigated, but it shouldn't be a crime unless it is intentionally portrayed as an illegal object. [0] Roughly 100 in Baghdad in 2005.