Suspicious packages found in Boston!

[KukriKhan]

Video of the dirty deed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv9s_fz0K2I

CR

Heh. Gives a whole new meaning to "Wouldn't touch it with a 12-foot pole!".

[Xiahou]

I think the reaction to this has been a little ridiculous. I think the city government is trying to play the outrage theme up to cover for how stupidly they handled this. A light up cartoon character giving onlookers the finger? Clearly a terrorist plot... not.

Now it may not have been wise(or legal) for these folks to go around attaching these things to public property- but to arrest them and try to hold them liable for the supposed half million the police spent on this snafu? I think that's a bit much.

Incidentally, does anyone know if placing the signs on public property is legal?

[Crazed Rabbit]

Lol, the two suspects hold a press conference and talk about....hair! And refuse to talk about anything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2ytr2Oyv4

A reporter finally asks them a hair question around 2:25.

Crazed Rabbit

[KukriKhan]

And they've been charged with Disorderly Conduct and made bail.

Incidentally, does anyone know if placing the signs on public property is legal?

In my town they'd probably be charged under theGraffitti ordinances (misdemeanor with court-set fines & up to 6 months in jail possible).

[drone]

Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were held on $2,500 cash bond each after they pleaded not guilty to charges of placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct.

Placing a hoax device? What is that supposed to mean? It's not a hoax, it's an ad.

"It's almost too easy to be a terrorist these days," 26-year-old Jennifer Mason said. "You stick a box on a corner and you can shut down a city."

Best quote of the article. If the government and media overhype "terror", this is what you get. The Boston authorities are just angry and embarrassed that they got all worked up and made fools of. Somewhere, in a cave, OBL is laughing.


And, yes, I hate freedom...

[Xiahou]

Lol, the two suspects hold a press conference and talk about....hair! And refuse to talk about anything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2ytr2Oyv4

A reporter finally asks them a hair question around 2:25.

Crazed Rabbit

Those guys are hilarious. The reporters are sooo frustrated that the guys who come up to the microphone don't talk about what the reporters want them to. And yet, they keep trying to ask them questions... it really shows how sad our news outlets are today.

Edit:

In my town they'd probably be charged under theGraffitti ordinances (misdemeanor with court-set fines & up to 6 months in jail possible).

Yeah, I thought about that- but it didnt look like attaching the signs actually destroyed or damaged any property, so Im not sure how it applies. If they did break any laws, Im sure it's on a similarly low level though. What's this "hoax device" nonsense?

[TB666]

I wonder if the guys had planned that this would have this effect ??
The publicity from this is must be huge.
If the media and local goverment keeps on blowing this up then this might be one of the finest advertisment campaigns ever.

[Kongamato]

I can't see this doing any good for the advertisers. I may not be thinking rationally but this could be very bad for Cartoon Network. The average citizen has no clue what ATHF or Adult Swim is, and I doubt they'd understand what it is after they find out about it. This kind of exposure could have all the Hank Hill-types up in arms screaming "Take this horrid drivel off the air!". I'm probably overreacting, but for a while I've wondered if something like this could happen.

[Ronin]

I can't see this doing any good for the advertisers. I may not be thinking rationally but this could be very bad for Cartoon Network. The average citizen has no clue what ATHF or Adult Swim is, and I doubt they'd understand what it is after they find out about it. This kind of exposure could have all the Hank Hill-types up in arms screaming "Take this horrid drivel off the air!". I'm probably overreacting, but for a while I've wondered if something like this could happen.

there´s no such thing as bad publicity

[Lemur]

Lol, the two suspects hold a press conference and talk about....hair! And refuse to talk about anything else.

That was kinda brilliant. You could hear the media droids going into meltdown mode ...

[KukriKhan]

In this July 2001 Q & A with InterferenceInc's CEO, Sam Ewen, (who incidentally also pioneered the popup/pop-under internet ad) he describes exactly the "guerilla marketing" scenario that played out in Boston

Ewen: "...The neat thing about guerilla marketing is that the media can buy into it and the campaign becomes the story...

Rumors around the blogosphere are that Berdovsky, one of the Boston actors, saw the first (local) TV news reports and wanted to set the cops straight, but called Interference Inc first & was told to "keep it on the DL" (down-low) for now. 4-5 hours later, Interference Inc's spokeswoman (the CEO was 'out of town') called Boston PD to explain the campaign.

So... take 2 part-time actors, 12 circuit boards and a pole, place the things. Bake for 2 weeks at 350 degrees. (here's the lucky part) add 1 cop/bridge worker to spot a device & describe it as "a light board, with a duct-taped cylinder (the home-made battery pack) behind it". Hilarity and free advertising ensues.

It might cost Turner half a mil, but I bet Interference Inc's phones are ringing off the hook.

As a cultural impact, I think this is huge. It tells me that the terror impact of 9-11 has just about dissipated in the US among the population. Yes, gov't & media are lagging still - when have they not? The danger is if the pendulum swings too far away from the "sky is falling" over-reaction (2 weeks late), the citizenry can get lulled into a false sense of security, and miss important clues to pending dangers. 'Cause when all is said and done, no matter how many millions and billions are spent, our first line of defense in a crisis is: each other.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Can't wait to see all the "copy cat" pranks that will happen in the near future.

[Grey_Fox]

How does this look like a bomb?