The Dystory of Ahmed's Clock

A 14yearold freshman at a Texas high school was arrested by local police after school administrators reported that an alarm went off insidte his pencil box. The pencil box looked ominous, but what was inside was a digital clock with a preset alarm. Although the alarm might have been disquieting, the clock itself was simply a printed circuit board, a large display, some wires, and a battery connector. Horrors! Ahmed claimed that it was his “invention,” and that he brought it to school to impress his teachers—unfortunately, one of them reported it to school administrators, who alerted the police, who later arrested the boy for creating a “hoax bomb” (www.youtube .com/watch?v=3mW4w0Y 1OXE). Although no charges were filed, the story went viral, ideologues took sides, and some noteworthy subcerebral venting was proffered in lieu of any semblance of intelligent discussion (see “SubCerebral Venting” sidebar).