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14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

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Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#361

Post by sp332 »

ChrisArgyle wrote: post #314
sp332 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stupidity does not adequately explain why they are considering bringing charges of a "hoax bomb", or sent this letter home with the other students: http://www.irvingisd.net/cms/lib010/TX01917973/Centricity/Do... [PDF] Therefore, malice.

Ignorance easily explains this unfortunate, embarrassing incident. The boy's father is from Sudan and is well known for being outspoken against anti-Islamic policies. To an unworldly south/midwesterner that spells "potential terrorist". It's not too much of a stretch to see that diagnosis extended to the son.

His father ran for President of Sudan, and came in fourth.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#362

Post by mikeash »

DanBC wrote: post #336
nadams wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> does result in thousands of dollars spend on extra electricity Thousands maybe - definitely not millions as they are claiming. From what I read it was setup to calculate through the screensaver. For most of the day - the computer will be in use and I would imagine/hope that they turn them off when they leave.

Advice used to be to not turn machines off but let themgo into sleep. This avoided power cycling which some people though caused problems. A sleeping machine still costs money, but much less than a machine churning SETI. 5,000 machines churning SETI for nine years? I'd be interested in estimates of cost.

Quick and inaccurate estimate:

Let's say 100W per computer running at full blast, and assume 12 cents per kWh for electricity. Running for 9 years straight, that's about 5 million dollars. If they're running for 16 hours/day then it's more like 3 million dollars. Adjust other factors to taste, but "millions" sounds pretty reasonable.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#363

Post by tomswartz07 »

ohitsdom wrote: post #346
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thousands can be wasted on dumb stuff like bad office-supply purchasing decisions. Those folks don't get fired. Sounds overblown - folks afraid of anything they don't understand.

I'd think administrators would have a very different approach to disciplining a "bad office-supply purchasing" decision versus a well-thought out choice to use school equipment & electricity for non-work related causes.

> electricity for non-work related causes

I wish we could fire teachers for using their computers for Facebook and Amazon shopping during the day.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#364

Post by [deleted] »

codyb wrote: post #342
xacaxulu wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More evidence that school serves to simply stultify the youth. Unschooling is looking more attractive all the time.

I think thats a very cynical view point which reduces to a platitude an extremely complex issue especially when your evidence primarily appears to concern a smattering of cases among a system which serves millions of children a year. Technology is very esoteric and almost brand new in a sense. It's been as little as two decades since the advent of schools even having computers. The fact there are misunderstandings, g…

[deleted]

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#365

Post by 0xdeadbeefbabe »

codyb wrote: post #342
xacaxulu wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More evidence that school serves to simply stultify the youth. Unschooling is looking more attractive all the time.

I think thats a very cynical view point which reduces to a platitude an extremely complex issue especially when your evidence primarily appears to concern a smattering of cases among a system which serves millions of children a year. Technology is very esoteric and almost brand new in a sense. It's been as little as two decades since the advent of schools even having computers. The fact there are misunderstandings, g…

It's also a dopey to think the student in this particular case is not getting an education.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#366

Post by austenallred »

Avenger42 wrote: post #266
sp332 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stupidity does not adequately explain why they are considering bringing charges of a "hoax bomb", or sent this letter home with the other students: http://www.irvingisd.net/cms/lib010/TX01917973/Centricity/Do... [PDF] Therefore, malice.

"I recommend using this opportunity to talk with your child about the Student Code of Conduct and specifically not bringing items to school that are prohibited ." As a parent, can I see the list of "items... that are prohibited"? I'd be pretty shocked if "clock" is actually on there.

That's the crazy part to me. They still seem to think and act as if it was a bomb.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#368

Post by tomswartz07 »

chipgap98 wrote: post #37

That letter from the school just adds insult to injury. > talk with your child about the Student Code of Conduact and specifically not bringing items to school that are prohibited Since when can you not bring a clock to school?

I looked at the code of conduct, and it makes absolutely zero mention of this sort of thing.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#369

Post by sean13013 »

DanBC wrote: post #336
nadams wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> does result in thousands of dollars spend on extra electricity Thousands maybe - definitely not millions as they are claiming. From what I read it was setup to calculate through the screensaver. For most of the day - the computer will be in use and I would imagine/hope that they turn them off when they leave.

Advice used to be to not turn machines off but let themgo into sleep. This avoided power cycling which some people though caused problems. A sleeping machine still costs money, but much less than a machine churning SETI. 5,000 machines churning SETI for nine years? I'd be interested in estimates of cost.

If the machines were awake for 12 extra hours a day, and drew 100 watts, that's 0.1kW * 5000machines * 12hours = 6000kWh per day.

Where I live, electricity costs about 20 cents per kWh. 0.2dollars * 6000kWh * 365days * 9years = $3.94 million.

Re: 14-Year-Old Boy Arrested for Bringing Homemade Clock to School

#370

Post by Karunamon »

triangleman wrote: post #280
ryanlol wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hanlon's razor is a pretty stupid quote here, there definitely is no need to distinguish stupidity from malice here. The people responsible for this mess should probably lose their jobs. (Based on the story as it was presented here)

Yes but should the be fired on account of malice or stupidity? (Both valid causes for firing)

Malicious stupidity.
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