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> In September of 2015, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed showed up to his high school with a clock he’d made himself https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmSwJTqpgY https:/

> In September of 2015, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed showed up to his high school with a clock he’d made himself https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmSwJTqpgY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmSwJTqpgY More like he took apart a walmart alarm clock and glued the parts to a mini suitcase (Described by the media as a "pencil case")

tgb 10y ago
Since this gets discussed to death, I think it's worth pointing out that it's relevance to the article is not what he did but the public reaction that young science/engineering/math interests ought to be encouraged in anyone with the interest. Whether his clock was worthy of that attention is independent of that, and it's kinda a shame the article starts with a highly distracting controversial example.
- gaius 10y ago
  Right, no-one thought he had a bomb (proof: they didn't evacuate). They thought he had made a Hollywood-style imitation bomb for reasons of a prank. And that is not an appropriate prank to play in a school in the current climate.
  - tgb 10y ago
    No you missed my point! It doesn't matter what happened that day, all that matters is that it became a national phenomenon to praise the ideal of a child scientist.
- Kroniker 10y ago
  I seem to remember something about his sister claiming the entire thing was a PR stunt- that they purposefully make headlines look like "brown child brings in sketchy electronic device, racists call him terrorist" to get on the news. Anyone know what became of them? Last I heard they moved to Saudi Arabia.
  - dekhn 10y ago
    Yes, they are currently suing a large number of people in the US. I cannot say whether the who thing was a PR stunt or not but the limited stuff I read in the press seemed to suggest he was pushing the issue harder than justified.
  - frgtpsswrdlame 10y ago
    > I seem to remember something about his sister claiming the entire thing was a PR stunt Do you have a link?
eanzenberg 10y ago
It was a political statement not a scientific one. Ironically, and most likely lost on that family, is how important politics and marketing is to modern science.
gohrt 10y ago
That's a lot of saltiness over a kid who took apart a clock and re-assembled it without breaking it, following in the steps of Richard Feynman.
- wl 10y ago
  The saltiness isn't over what he did, but that he claimed to do something he didn't do. He did not build a clock as he claimed. He moved a commercially available alarm clock from one case to another. If he designed the logic and built it out of logic gates/a PLD or even built a kit, he could have legitimately claimed he built a clock. But he didn't.
  - frgtpsswrdlame 10y ago
    Why are you so upset by the project of a 14 year old? It wasn't as complex as a child thought it was, who cares?
    - TheGirondin 10y ago
      You must be completely ignoring the context and the media response that followed. Even President Obama cared enough about it invite him to White House.
      - snowwrestler 10y ago
        Because he got handcuffed. Not because the project itself was worthy of attention from the President. He got invited to the White House to provide counterbalance to the social idea that brown-skinned kids with beeping electronics are criminals that should have the cops called on them. The simplicity of the project makes the reaction of the school worse not better.
        clifanatic 10y ago
        > Because he got handcuffed. He actually asked them to handcuff him and then take his picture because he said it would look cool. Look at the picture, the police officers are smiling in the background. He played them.

tgb 10y ago

Since this gets discussed to death, I think it's worth pointing out that it's relevance to the article is not what he did but the public reaction that young science/engineering/math interests ought to be encouraged in anyone with the interest. Whether his clock was worthy of that attention is independent of that, and it's kinda a shame the article starts with a highly distracting controversial example.

gaius 10y ago
Right, no-one thought he had a bomb (proof: they didn't evacuate). They thought he had made a Hollywood-style imitation bomb for reasons of a prank. And that is not an appropriate prank to play in a school in the current climate.
- tgb 10y ago
  No you missed my point! It doesn't matter what happened that day, all that matters is that it became a national phenomenon to praise the ideal of a child scientist.
Kroniker 10y ago
I seem to remember something about his sister claiming the entire thing was a PR stunt- that they purposefully make headlines look like "brown child brings in sketchy electronic device, racists call him terrorist" to get on the news. Anyone know what became of them? Last I heard they moved to Saudi Arabia.
- dekhn 10y ago
  Yes, they are currently suing a large number of people in the US. I cannot say whether the who thing was a PR stunt or not but the limited stuff I read in the press seemed to suggest he was pushing the issue harder than justified.
- frgtpsswrdlame 10y ago
  > I seem to remember something about his sister claiming the entire thing was a PR stunt Do you have a link?

eanzenberg 10y ago

It was a political statement not a scientific one. Ironically, and most likely lost on that family, is how important politics and marketing is to modern science.

gohrt 10y ago

That's a lot of saltiness over a kid who took apart a clock and re-assembled it without breaking it, following in the steps of Richard Feynman.

wl 10y ago
The saltiness isn't over what he did, but that he claimed to do something he didn't do. He did not build a clock as he claimed. He moved a commercially available alarm clock from one case to another. If he designed the logic and built it out of logic gates/a PLD or even built a kit, he could have legitimately claimed he built a clock. But he didn't.
- frgtpsswrdlame 10y ago
  Why are you so upset by the project of a 14 year old? It wasn't as complex as a child thought it was, who cares?
  - TheGirondin 10y ago
    You must be completely ignoring the context and the media response that followed. Even President Obama cared enough about it invite him to White House.
    - snowwrestler 10y ago
      Because he got handcuffed. Not because the project itself was worthy of attention from the President. He got invited to the White House to provide counterbalance to the social idea that brown-skinned kids with beeping electronics are criminals that should have the cops called on them. The simplicity of the project makes the reaction of the school worse not better.
      - clifanatic 10y ago
        > Because he got handcuffed. He actually asked them to handcuff him and then take his picture because he said it would look cool. Look at the picture, the police officers are smiling in the background. He played them.