Found this on FB by a guy named Kevin Davis-he asked that it be shared so here......



As you know - my degree is in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. So, as someone with some appreciable expertise, I analyzed the "home made clock" that the kid in Irving was supposed to have "invented" and taken to school. First, it is NOT a simple alarm clock. It is a COUNTDOWN clock. Second -- the kid didn't home make or invent anything. He decomposed an already existing commercially available COUNTDOWN clock (as evidenced by the commercially manufactured Printed Circuit Board (PCB)) as shown in the picture of his device.
If the kid were to "home make" or "invent" a clock -- he would have used a breadboard (as I have added to the picture) wherein one inserts integrated circuits, wires, and capacitors, resistors, etc., to form the logic of such a device.
So, question: why did the kid take apart an already existing COUNTDOWN clock and build it into a briefcase where only the LEDs were visible counting down time? What would happen at any airport, building, school, public sidewalk, if such a device were spotted?
Question: what is in the white bag in the suitcase? It serves no electronic purpose. Hmmmm.
Do you want anyone to bring a briefcase with COUNTDOWN clock embedded within it and setting the clock to countdown and go off during English class in your kids schools? Again, the only thing visible on the outside of the briefcase were the LEDs counting down time to 00:00.
I smell a dirty rat, a setup here, if there ever was one. I am appalled that the media is buying into the innocent "inventor" story. This is not about race or religion -- it is about someone purposefully taking a menacing device to school.
What if a kid were to take an upper from one AR-15 rifle, and a lower from another AR-15 rifle and put it together, then remove the firing pin and take it to school as a metal worker "inventor"? Why, anyone who knew anything about rifles could closely examine the metal object had no firing pin and would celebrate what a great inventor the kid was!!! NOT!!!! How many people at a school could closely examine the inside of this briefcase with a countdown clock visible on the outside counting down to 00:00 and make the call as to its purpose? Again, what is inside that white bag?
Please share this post so that we can inform the public of what the news media is failing to do.

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/

Interesting article. An engineer takes apart the clock. Contends that the child did not invent or even build a clock. Includes pictures and explanation.

And, for the people who say clocks are not against TSA requirements. What about a box with lots of wires?

This guy's claim is that Ahmed bought a clock, disassembled it, and reassembled it inside a pencil box. Was Ahmed's claim that he "invented" a clock or that he "built" a clock?

Either way, it's still a clock. I have no idea what TSA regulations regarding a box of wires is, but Ahmed wasn't inspected by the TSA. Nobody thought his clock was a bomb. Some of you are having a really difficult time accepting that this was a harmless device.

An NRA, Budweiser or Marijuana leaf t-shirt are also harmless but will get you suspended if you wear them to school.

I'm not sure you want to say that so conclusively. That might be true at some schools, but certainly not all.

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/

Interesting article. An engineer takes apart the clock. Contends that the child did not invent or even build a clock. Includes pictures and explanation.

And, for the people who say clocks are not against TSA requirements. What about a box with lots of wires?

This guy's claim is that Ahmed bought a clock, disassembled it, and reassembled it inside a pencil box. Was Ahmed's claim that he "invented" a clock or that he "built" a clock?

Either way, it's still a clock. I have no idea what TSA regulations regarding a box of wires is, but Ahmed wasn't inspected by the TSA. Nobody thought his clock was a bomb. Some of you are having a really difficult time accepting that this was a harmless device.

An NRA, Budweiser or Marijuana leaf t-shirt are also harmless but will get you suspended if you wear them to school.

Anonymous wrote:The attacks against this 14 year old boy are astounding. Now Bill Maher has joined in? I can't imagine how I would manage as a 14 yo being told to admit to wrong doing if I had no intent. I don't understand their statements that he should spoken up to the English teacher. Anything he said could have been twisted. Maher is saying that because Ahmed is Muslim and brown skinned he should accept being arrested and taken out of school in handcuffs even though he was innocent?

Not sure that Maher said that.

The attacks against this 14 year old boy are astounding. Now Bill Maher has joined in? I can't imagine how I would manage as a 14 yo being told to admit to wrong doing if I had no intent. I don't understand their statements that he should spoken up to the English teacher. Anything he said could have been twisted. Maher is saying that because Ahmed is Muslim and brown skinned he should accept being arrested and taken out of school in handcuffs even though he was innocent?

clocking out of this weird, down the rabbit hole story.

Anonymous wrote:

Either way, it's still a clock. I have no idea what TSA regulations regarding a box of wires is, but Ahmed wasn't inspected by the TSA. Nobody thought his clock was a bomb. Some of you are having a really difficult time accepting that this was a harmless device.

I accept that it was a harmless device. However, it certainly did not look like one. It also appears that the child is not the "boy genius" that the media claims. If he used the term "suspicious" in describing it--then, I suspect he might have known exactly the risk he was taking.

He's clearly a bright kid, though. Do only geniuses get a pass? Is it okay to harass and persecute the bright kids who like to tinker with things?

Anonymous wrote:And for another perspective about this whole incident, here is what liberal Bill Maher has to say.

Not a popular viewpoint among politically correct liberals but maybe Bill Maher has a point.

He's a complete bigot. Hand in hand with Trump.

Anonymous wrote:Not a popular viewpoint among politically correct liberals but maybe Bill Maher has a point.

I wonder if you have ever praised Maher when he wasn't attacking Muslims?

The only good point that Maher made is that Ahmed deserves an apology. That is such a simple thing, yet it hasn't happened. The rest of that show was a display in attacking straw men, along with Cuban's "second hand" information that isn't supported by any other account and directly contradictory to public accounts.

Yes, many young Muslims have conducted bombings. There are many other ethnic or religious profiles linked to other types of atrocities. If we want to start going down that road, a lot more than just young Muslims are going to get caught up in it. Anyone resembling or holding beliefs similar to Dylan Roof had better prepare for close examination. But, I imagine conservatives wouldn't be as excited about that.

And for another perspective about this whole incident, here is what liberal Bill Maher has to say.





Not a popular viewpoint among politically correct liberals but maybe Bill Maher has a point.

Okay, regarding Ahmed's use of the word "suspicious", here is the complete quote in context:

"I closed it with a cable cause I didn't want to lock it to make it seem like a threat so I just used a simple cable, so it won't look that much suspicious."

Looking at pictures of the case, it originally had a locking latch that keeps it closed. Ahmed appears to have removed the latch and wrapped a cable around the mount for the latch to hold it closed. We don't have any pictures of Ahmed's clock with the case closed, but it either looked like a standard pencil case with the latch replaced by a cable or a standard pencil case with the latch replaced by a cable with a power cord running out of it. The difference is whether he punched a hole for the power cable or whether the case had to be open to let the power cable out.

When we hear the word "suspicious" in relation to Ahmed's clock, we think of an open case displaying circuit boards, wires and transformers. But, Ahmed is talking about a closed case which is a much different thing. My guess is that Ahmed's thought was that a box that couldn't be opened (especially if it had a power cord running out of it) would be suspicious so he created an easy way to open it.

But, the bottom line is that Ahmed was not talking about a box of wires looking suspicious, but a closed and locked case possibly looking suspicious.

Anonymous wrote:

Either way, it's still a clock. I have no idea what TSA regulations regarding a box of wires is, but Ahmed wasn't inspected by the TSA. Nobody thought his clock was a bomb. Some of you are having a really difficult time accepting that this was a harmless device.

I accept that it was a harmless device. However, it certainly did not look like one. It also appears that the child is not the "boy genius" that the media claims. If he used the term "suspicious" in describing it--then, I suspect he might have known exactly the risk he was taking.

'

A single word is meaningless out of context. Do you have the complete quote? Also, do you have a citation of Ahmed being described as a "genius"? He was always described as someone who liked to tinker and someone who enjoyed inventing things, but I don't remember him claiming to be or being called a "genius".

Anonymous wrote:http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/

Interesting article. An engineer takes apart the clock. Contends that the child did not invent or even build a clock. Includes pictures and explanation.

And, for the people who say clocks are not against TSA requirements. What about a box with lots of wires?

Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing.

Either way, it's still a clock. I have no idea what TSA regulations regarding a box of wires is, but Ahmed wasn't inspected by the TSA. Nobody thought his clock was a bomb. Some of you are having a really difficult time accepting that this was a harmless device.

I accept that it was a harmless device. However, it certainly did not look like one. It also appears that the child is not the "boy genius" that the media claims. If he used the term "suspicious" in describing it--then, I suspect he might have known exactly the risk he was taking.

Anonymous wrote:http://blogs.artvoice.com/techvoice/2015/09/17/reverse-engineering-ahmed-mohameds-clock-and-ourselves/

Interesting article. An engineer takes apart the clock. Contends that the child did not invent or even build a clock. Includes pictures and explanation.

And, for the people who say clocks are not against TSA requirements. What about a box with lots of wires?

This guy's claim is that Ahmed bought a clock, disassembled it, and reassembled it inside a pencil box. Was Ahmed's claim that he "invented" a clock or that he "built" a clock?

Either way, it's still a clock. I have no idea what TSA regulations regarding a box of wires is, but Ahmed wasn't inspected by the TSA. Nobody thought his clock was a bomb. Some of you are having a really difficult time accepting that this was a harmless device.