Forum terrorists!

[HarveyH42]

Guess I'm guilty as most when it comes to suspecting the worst intentions of some of the posters. Think the most recent was the guy looking to build a wireless magnetic strip reader. If not him, then somebody else reading the details...

What gets me, is the response to pretty much any post from the middle eastern countries. It's just so wrong to label everyone from those countries as potential terrorists. There are terrorists in pretty much every country on this planet, fortunately they're numbers are few. They just seem much larger and stronger, because they use our fears and imagination against us. They stay hidden, their actual numbers a secret. Out of the millions of people living in the middle east, just a small fraction are involved in there terror attacks, perhaps only a few thousand at best.

From what I've learned from the news reports, these terrorist aren't looking to design new devices, but to use things already built. Why build a timer circuit, when you can get an alarm clock for under $5. I can understand that some requests if answered, could be turned in to something deadly, perhaps not by the person asking, but anybody reading the posts. Here in America, we've been having problems past few years with high school kids shooting up their schools...

Anyway, I tend to believe that most of posts on here aren't made with evil intent, and find it a little offensive the automatic link to terrorism when somebody posts from the middle east. Kids can grow up and turn either way, depends on what kind of example the adults give them. I don't know how racism works in other countries, here it's a huge problem, most likely always will be, but we have the most diverse population.

Considering that the terrorist must remain hidden to be most effective, and I'm pretty sure there are ways to track down the who and where a post came from, it's hard to believe this forum will ever be a source of technical help for terrorist. Also, most of the projects here are almost never posted 100% complete or accurate. I'm probably the worst at this, got too many in the works, and not enough spare time. Usually get something functional, and leave it at that for some new project. Hardly even put stuff in cases, unless its for outdoors.

Personally, I'll continue to offer what ever help I can, regardless of country of origion. There are somethings that I know are best not to get involved with, but its not the people, but the project. The magnetic-strip guy, there are only a few places you see these strips anymore, and none that need to be read wirelessly. If somebody wanted to know about mixing household chemicals to make explosives (dangerous), something lots of kids messed with, but usually a bad idea. Wireless remote controlling stuff is great, running wires sucks. Timers are something so common, and make a lot of routine tasks simpler.

Just wish people could be a little nicer and more tolerant to the middle eastern people that visit this forum. Nobody is obligated to help on any project, just don't call them a terrorist because of their country.

The war on terror is a good thing, and it will work. I think it needs more troops, and more intensive work to root out the terror leaders. There aren't that many in numbers, just spread out, and well hidden. Just keep them on the move, and they'll get caught. It will end eventually.

[dknguyen]

War is never a good thing. I haven't seen any people being mean to Middle Eastern people? Just to people who ask for homework.

[Marks256]

I think it needs more troops

And maybe a new leader...

[Sceadwian]

Harvey. It's a communication barrier. Whenever two people don't speak the same language and/or come from different cultures actual useful communication just ceases to exist. It's a function of our multiple exponentially increasing ability to transfer information over distance and our static understanding of the information provided.

It's like a single neuron in our brain suddenly being connect to every other cell in the brain and convulsing because it can't process the data it's receiving while simultaniously transmitting random information. All hell breaks lose =)

It takes whole generations to deal with these new understandings of environment, specifically the people within it. If you think the way humans deal with this increasing awareness of environment is crude you should try playing with a cat using a laser pointer. No matter how long you sit there with a cat and a laser pointer it never crosses their awareness that the point of light they can see is not a physical object to be interacted with. Give a cat 10 years and they're still going to chase the bright light. We've at least grown to the point where our pointless excursions and stereotypes are effecting an entire planet. That we chase the bright dot isn't a problem. It's weather we're still chasing it 10 years from now that is going to be the real determining factor of human intelligence and the fate of our species.

[Sceadwian]

The war on terror is no such thing. That's like telling a small child not to be afraid of the dark. The unknown terrifies humans. The people in charge in every layer of our lives know this and use it in more ways than one to manipulate, governments, cultures, parents =)

I've a young stepson, and though he doesn't exactly understand what I mean when I say there's no reason to be afraid of the dark because it's our mind that creates the fears from the unknowns of our senses, whenever I take the time to explain it to him in a nice voice he always goes to sleep afterwards. I'd hope to think I was teaching a younger generation not to fear shadows, and attempt to control such instincts which inevitably get us older people into trouble.

Sorry, I'm babbling, let me stop here before I run on for a few dozen more paragraphs.

[Nigel Goodwin]

I'm still amazed by the fact it's always Americans who jump to such conclusions?, as someone who lives in a country that was under attack by American funded terrorists for decades - I don't automatically suspect all American posters of being terrorists!.

Try googling for "Manchester Bombing", I've attached an image from a page I found! - this was 1996. Manchester City Centre, another terrorist attack by the IRA, who's main source of funding and weapons was America!.

The Oklahama bombing was the first incident in America where they received what they had been funding for years, not just in Britain, they funded and sponsered terrorists all over the world - Bin Laden being the most famous example, but just the most famous of many trained by the Americans.

All of a sudden, following Oklahama, there's a big anti-terror campaign in the USA - where was it in all the decades preceeding that? - simple answer, they didn't care, because it didn't affect them, and they were responsible for much of it!.

Harsh perhaps?, but America has a tiny number of such attacks, Britain suffered them regularly for decades - if anyone has a right to be concerned it's the Brits!.

[Pommie]

Well said Nigel, not harsh at all, just truthful.

Mike.
P.S. I was in Manchester on that day. Buying a toilet of all things!!

[Hero999]

It isn't just terrorist activity that worries me, it's illegal activities; disabling the telephone system, damaging a neighbours audio equipment, building a mert or even building a remote control to change channels on a neighbour's TV!

I think there should be a forum rule banning all posts encouraging immoral or illegal activities.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Pommie

Well said Nigel, not harsh at all, just truthful.

Mike.
P.S. I was in Manchester on that day. Buying a toilet of all things!!

At least it probably came in handy!

My younger brother missed it by a couple of days, around that time he was travelling round the UK for the bank he worked for, installing new software and doing training on it.

In a year he narrowly missed three IRA bomb attacks - I did wonder if he was planting them!, but some were just before he got there!.

He actually worked for Nat West Bank, and was housed in the Nat West Tower, the scene of another IRA atrocity in 1993! - I didn't realise until I just Googled, Nat West left the tower after the bombing?.

[HarveyH42]

Oklahoma City is a good example of our domestic terror problem, only two men, self funded, caused a lot of death and destruction. One man at the Olympics in Atlanta used a pipe bomb. No middle eastern connections. True, America didn't get involved until the World Trade Center (first one, bombs in the basement, didn't do much damage, Desert Storm, Bush Senior...).

The 9/11 attack is what brought us into the current position. There 20 attackers, but almost 4,000 people died, and the whole country was shocked into action. Now, some people spend more time going through airport security, then they do on the actual airplane. Just because of those 20 terrorists. The numbers are few, but the impact is great. We need to be less tolerent and more active in chasing down the more organized groups.

The IRA? Haven't they been around a very long time?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by HarveyH42

The IRA? Haven't they been around a very long time?

Yes, but I couldn't tell you how long?, presumably google would find plenty of information about them?.

At what used to be my local pub (they have knocked it down and built flats where it was), it was run by a Scottish couple, Kenny and Roseanne, and half owned by Roseanne's brother who lived in Ireland.

So during the renovation of it there were a number of Irish workers living there, mainly Shamus, Shamus and Alan!, with occasional others.

Now round here, in North Derbyshire, a common term of address amongst some people is "duck", as in "hello duck". Now this woman used to come in, she was called Big Jackie, and had the largest chest you ever did see - so she used to walk in and say "hello duck", and the three Irish lads would dive under the nearest table!. By the time they had been here a few months they just used to flinch!.

That's the degree of terror that the IRA caused in Ireland!.

[HarveyH42]

Guess the point is that the majority of the people of any country, are decent hard working people, just trying make a life for themselves, regardless of the actions of a small group.

About projects...
Many of us, and a lot of kids get into electronics as a career or hobby, starting with annoying little 'prank' projects. You know, shockers, jammers, hidden noise makers, wireless microphones (bugs) and so many others. Usually more time is spent in construction then in eventual use. Basically, pranks are usually only fun the first few times, but unsuspecting victims tend to run out quickly, not to mention hot tempers tend to cool the fun of it. You still get the sense of ackomplishment in the building and completion.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by HarveyH42

Guess the point is that the majority of the people of any country, are decent hard working people, just trying make a life for themselves, regardless of the actions of a small group.

Exactly! - unfortunately the 'small group' may gain power, Bush and Blair?

[fiction]

Well done Nigel...
You forgot they help put Sadaam and his cronies in power.
And now that they have the oil i hope they are going to share it.

[Marks256]

I have a bad feeling that this thread is gonna get bad...