that’s funny. growing up, my two-houses-down neighbor and I played “world war III” from the time school let out until dinner time at our respective homes. We set up a NORAD office in her bedroom, painted an old rotary phone red (because you can only call the President on a red phone, of course), and drilled two holes into the wall where we’d insert (old house)keys to trigger the release of a nuclear weapon, should need be. Of course with dinner bell calling us to go to our respective kitchen’s, we’d inevitably receive the go-ahead from The President to bomb Russia. (You think we grew up in the Cold War??). We’d fall to the ground from the aftershocks, pretend to die, and then get everything ready for the next afternoon’s play session.
I’m sure we’d have been labeled adolescent terrorists if we were playing that game in this generation. But looking back, I’m glad we made charts and flipped through Scientific American instead of playing video games all day long.
Missy Moose on
I’m fairly sure there wasn’t a sign on the thing saying “made by six year olds”. Don’t you think the fire/police just took the precautions that we’d expect them to?
SheWhoPicksUpToys on
“I’m fairly sure there wasn’t a sign on the thing saying “made by six year olds”.”
If something is made by six-year-olds, every inch of it is a sign that it was made by six-year-olds!
Missy Moose on
We must have very different six year olds. Using a computer casing and a radioactive sign from the internet, my two nuts coulda put together a pretty good model.
And unless there’s someone out there volunteering for the “I’ll go ahead and walk up to it” patrol, I’d rather let the professionals handle it.
Although that reminds me of guys in one of those western states who were blown up when they thought the kindergarten-ish bomb was not real.
Um. Yeah. That’s a mistake I don’t want to make!
Nicola on
I guess this is better than the cops that arrested that 7-year-old in 2007 for riding his motorized bike on the sidewalk…
I am very confused: six year olds can build a nuclear reactor yet tonight when we went to our five year old’s soccer wrap up, the parents were warned not to give their children their metals (which every single kids got of course) until we removed the thin plastic film on them, less the FIVE and SIX years olds put it in their mouths and suffocate!
Backyard Pete on
I built two nuclear reactors when I was younger. I never use them anymore.
I’m confused. Did the six-year-olds leave their mock nuclear reactor at the train station??? How the heck would the police even KNOW???
And yeah; they can build a convincing nuclear reactor, but they’re not allowed to cross the street by themselves. Strange, dichotomous world we live in.
Bob Davis on
This is one of those cases where “better safe than sorry” should be the watchword. Even a pipe bomb that appears to be a fake can blow up with devastating results. That said, I’m not surprised the story came from Germany. There was a website that seemed to get most of its “weird world news” from Germany and Australia.
Peter Brülls on
I fail to see what’s so strange about this story.
Kids got access to radioactive warning signs. Kids printed those signs. Authorities made sure that kids didn’t actually have access to radioactive material. Nothing to see here.
After all, kids *had* found radioactive material before.
There’s actually a better story ranging around about a young kid who built a neutron gun – a nuclear reactor that produces neutrons – using americium extracted from discarded smoke detectors. Look it up sometime. More than anything, to me this highlights the “danger” we’re constantly surrounded with, and yet mysteriously our neighborhoods aren’t swarming with the terrorists we’re made to believe are lurking under every rock. For the price of a movie ticket and popcorn, materials found at any Home Depot, and the ability to follow written instructions off the internet one can make a remotely detonated bomb powerful enough to wipe out every person in the theater, and yet somehow it doesn’t happen. So much for fear.
15 Comments
that’s funny. growing up, my two-houses-down neighbor and I played “world war III” from the time school let out until dinner time at our respective homes. We set up a NORAD office in her bedroom, painted an old rotary phone red (because you can only call the President on a red phone, of course), and drilled two holes into the wall where we’d insert (old house)keys to trigger the release of a nuclear weapon, should need be. Of course with dinner bell calling us to go to our respective kitchen’s, we’d inevitably receive the go-ahead from The President to bomb Russia. (You think we grew up in the Cold War??). We’d fall to the ground from the aftershocks, pretend to die, and then get everything ready for the next afternoon’s play session.
I’m sure we’d have been labeled adolescent terrorists if we were playing that game in this generation. But looking back, I’m glad we made charts and flipped through Scientific American instead of playing video games all day long.
I’m fairly sure there wasn’t a sign on the thing saying “made by six year olds”. Don’t you think the fire/police just took the precautions that we’d expect them to?
“I’m fairly sure there wasn’t a sign on the thing saying “made by six year olds”.”
If something is made by six-year-olds, every inch of it is a sign that it was made by six-year-olds!
We must have very different six year olds. Using a computer casing and a radioactive sign from the internet, my two nuts coulda put together a pretty good model.
And unless there’s someone out there volunteering for the “I’ll go ahead and walk up to it” patrol, I’d rather let the professionals handle it.
Although that reminds me of guys in one of those western states who were blown up when they thought the kindergarten-ish bomb was not real.
Um. Yeah. That’s a mistake I don’t want to make!
I guess this is better than the cops that arrested that 7-year-old in 2007 for riding his motorized bike on the sidewalk…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17647997/
I laughed out loud!
I am very confused: six year olds can build a nuclear reactor yet tonight when we went to our five year old’s soccer wrap up, the parents were warned not to give their children their metals (which every single kids got of course) until we removed the thin plastic film on them, less the FIVE and SIX years olds put it in their mouths and suffocate!
I built two nuclear reactors when I was younger. I never use them anymore.
I’m confused. Did the six-year-olds leave their mock nuclear reactor at the train station??? How the heck would the police even KNOW???
And yeah; they can build a convincing nuclear reactor, but they’re not allowed to cross the street by themselves. Strange, dichotomous world we live in.
This is one of those cases where “better safe than sorry” should be the watchword. Even a pipe bomb that appears to be a fake can blow up with devastating results. That said, I’m not surprised the story came from Germany. There was a website that seemed to get most of its “weird world news” from Germany and Australia.
I fail to see what’s so strange about this story.
Kids got access to radioactive warning signs. Kids printed those signs. Authorities made sure that kids didn’t actually have access to radioactive material. Nothing to see here.
After all, kids *had* found radioactive material before.
There’s actually a better story ranging around about a young kid who built a neutron gun – a nuclear reactor that produces neutrons – using americium extracted from discarded smoke detectors. Look it up sometime. More than anything, to me this highlights the “danger” we’re constantly surrounded with, and yet mysteriously our neighborhoods aren’t swarming with the terrorists we’re made to believe are lurking under every rock. For the price of a movie ticket and popcorn, materials found at any Home Depot, and the ability to follow written instructions off the internet one can make a remotely detonated bomb powerful enough to wipe out every person in the theater, and yet somehow it doesn’t happen. So much for fear.
See: http://www.sonicbomb.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=96&mode=&order=0&thold=0 on the atomic boyscout story.
Kids are going to be kids I don’t think they should have left it in the open like that but still.
Hey, I just wanted to say what a quality website. I certainly enjoyed it and found it interesting reading. Can’t wait for your next post!
I built two nuclear reactors when I was younger. I never use them anymore.