k wrote:
A hoax involves purposeful deception; in this case the implication is that the devices were intended to be seen as bombs, or, minimally, as some kind of real threat. Obviously no one intended for these to be seen that way... it's so far from the truth that it's offensive. Call it what it is: a somewhat ill-advised marketing campaign which was misinterpreted -- though not so unreasonably -- by the public and the authorities.

I think its clear that the authorities over reacted. The politicians were on T.V. calling for someone's head before they even knew what was going on and the police where saying that the picture was an attempt to mock investigators. They're all on a power trip. The fact that they now know that it was a marketing campaign hasn't slowed them down one bit. The mayor called for the FCC to pull Turner's license!

The people who installed the signs shouldn't have used electric tape to attach the batteries, and 4 D cells to run a few LEDs is overkill. Its a bad design and I can see how that would look suspicious. They'd have gotten a lot of life out of 3 AAs and no one would have thought it was a bomb.

I understand the need for the police to be safe rather than sorry. What I don't understand is the need to demand someone's head on a pike every time they decide to do it. Its no one else's fault that they do this. Its their policy. They should be responsible for its implications.

RE: Boston Devices a Cartoon Publicity Ploy | ajc.com