Boston authorities have once again put their hair-trigger reactions on display for the world today in a case involving an MIT student and bad fashion choices. In a situation eerily similar to the
Aqua Teen Hunger Force debacle, Star Simpson (the student in question) was placed under arrest at gunpoint (submachine gunpoint, that is) at Boston's Logan airport because of an "art project" she was wearing. Simpson, who was at the airport to meet her boyfriend, was sporting a black sweatshirt with a circuit board and flashing LEDs attached... and was inexplicably holding Play-Doh. Authorities mistook the combination for some type of explosive device. Maj. Scott Pare, the airport's commanding officer said, "I'm shocked and appalled that somebody would wear this type of device to an airport," and then lovingly added, "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue." Here's our suggestion to authorities next time: just ask, "What's up with the bad art?"
posted September 21st 2007 7:24PM
Sounds like Engadget has a problem with being TOO safe. Just like old fashioned rivalry to make a stupid post stupider. Next time Logan sees someone with such an obvious device -heading to NYC- maybe they will just let them go?
Sounds like a plant.
a not uncommon Media Lab student. I've seen them dressed like this out in public numerous times.
http://www.cs.umu.se/~top/Magic_Touch/mitwearable.jpg
Now that bitch needs to be shot just for being so damn ugly.
"She was held on $750 cash bail"
Woo, $750! So that's like $75 to the bondsman?
Clearly the judge thought it was a big deal.
have you guys seen this?: http://www.natch.net/stuff/TSA/
This guy gets busted for having a MintyBoost ipod charger
Sorry, but this girl is a fucking moron. Given the state this country is in, she used awful judgment. Too bad she wasn't shot, would have been a good example for the rest of the idiots out there.
I think we have now have the truest definition of "hipster doofus".
It doesn't take an MIT student to figure out that if you wear a Longhorn shirt in the middle of Sooner country, your in for a ass whoppin'.
Why would this situation be any different.
On what planet would anyone but a moron do what this moron did? On same planet, who but a moron would find anything humorous about it or even remotely consider the response by authorities excessive? Carrying a handful of Playdoh along with it? This definitely earns a moron star and could have easily earned a Darwin. Considering recent world events this is about as stupid as one can be.
If it was so obvious what was on her shirt, why didn't someone in the airport say something to the police? I mean "its just a bunch of LEDs on a breadboard". Hell, they sould even question this guy http://www.antichristconspiracy.com/BombVest3.jpg It is obviously just a vest with some metal pipes and some wire. Pesonally I don't want someone in the field to make that decision. She definitely made a scene, now we need to make a statement. The girl should be in prison. I wonder what her parents think.
how should they have responded to this
http://www.keeran.com/pub/thumb-wtf.jpg
or this
http://www.getreligion.org/wp-content/photos/suicide_bomber_1_.jpg
If she did it deliberately - she got what she deserved.
If she was absent-minded and stupid enough to not realise the implications of wearing this "art" to an airport - she got what she deserved.
Shame on Engadget for trying to make a joke of this at the expense of the security folks who only did what they should have done.
Any idiot would realize that they'd go to jail for this, and maybe that's why she did it. This story has us talking about the levels of paranoia in United States airlines. Yeah, she was arrested, but short of fourth-grade science papers you seldom see so many comments generated by some play-doh, a 9-volt, LEDs and a breadboard.
This is rather pathetic.
You would think an MIT student would know better than to strap a battery and some LEDs to their shirt before entering an airport.
Also, you would assume an MIT student could come up with something more elaborate than LEDs strapped to a shirt. How about a CCD camera strapped to your chest that uploads a live video stream via a cellular phone to the internet. Now that would be worthy of an Engaget spot.
What an idiot, she's lucky she didn't catch a bullet. I'm just glad that the police had the presence of mind to ask questions first.
Boston is f___ed up, first they claimed to have the most secure airport in the nation even right after two airlines came from that airport destined for NYC. Now they over react to the tiniest act. They look like they are going coocoo all the time.
If she only had the leds showing through the shirt, they would of not of thought of anything twice. I once did the same type of thing for a holloween costume I made up over night for high-school and I had a mask on!!!
Just goes to show that intelligence and wisdom can be quite removed from each other.
Even if (and I don't think I can quite believe the story line)it is "art", there are appropriate and inappropriate places to demonstrate "art". An airport these days is not a place for demonstrations of art, humorous jokes about "what if something bad happened" but rather it is a place to be very serious and be very conservative about what one wears, says and does.
This isn't new. And clearly she's not dumb (MIT). But whatever her true internal motivations, she made a definite mistake, one which if she's watched any news at all over the past several years, she should have been able to see coming. If security is concerned about what you are drinking in a cup, to think you could wear electronics on your person and not be in trouble is a gross misjudgement.
She'll have her chance to explain this to a judge and perhaps a jury in due time. Then she can try to convince them that she had some grounds of reasonability...
It seems funny that the News Media is never satisfied with what the authorities do (if the young lady had gone thru security with the device they would have said that security is lax) People should know there are some places you don't wear inappropriate clothing or make inappropriate comments. Deal with it
To all those defending this girl's actions, and criticizing the "overreation" of airport security, why not demonstrate your displeasure by creating a similar device and trotting it down to your local airport? Surely after the coverage this story has gotten the security personnel will recognize your simple breadboard and LEDs for what they are and allow you on your merry protesting way.
Or... maybe you fear a similar response? Maybe common sense tells you this is a bad idea?
Which is exactly the point. This girl showed zero sense and got what she deserved. Overreaction is a bullet in the head. What they did was their job and did it well.
If you disagree, I look forward to seeing the footage of YOU at YOUR airport.
oh my word... LED haha. this is called technology overdosed at MIT.
quite creative. and good concept for my next art project. although i wont make it look like a home made bomb haha.
Reality Check: Just about every movie I've seen where a bomb is used shows that bomb with at least one flashing LED. Why not blame movies for creating this paranoia over flashing LED objects instead of a country's government?
I just flew twice on 9-11/2007 in both Canada and the U.S. and was pleasantly surprised at the lack of 'paranoia' I saw. Even people who fit the ethnic profile that tends to garner attention were treated fine.
Wow, I actually met this girl at an electronics show in Boston a few weeks ago! She was pretty shy and had a nervous laugh but she was very nice. Wow... small world!
Clearly, there are times and places for jokes. This is one such circumstance where the two do NOT go together.
Bottom line, everyone in this country capable of driving should be aware of Airport security issues. Playdoh, looks like C4 from a distance, actually you can't tell the difference until you touch it. Second, wearing a electronic device with blinking lights is just stupid. It only requires a small charge to set off most bombs, not to mention chemical ones.
Bottom line, authorities handled it correctly... Personally I would have shot her!
Or accidentally ship her to a Male pen.
i would probably like to play with play doh at the airport too, BTW how far did she make it into the airport? what difference does it make.. but if she actually made it in the airport the sucurity already failed. under different cirumstances = KApOWee!
MIT GIRL>AIRPORT SECURITY