Microwave bomb plugged in

[knowschad]

Its too bad because it was a creative cache that looked nothing like a bomb.

What does a bomb look like?

Click on the video below. Pay particular attention to the quantity involved. Now imagine what the damage would be if the bomber used a tablespoon of the stuff, or a quart, or a gallon.

Binary

HOLY COW!!! I had NO idea. Thanks for the education... I think.

[+kh54s10]

Its too bad because it was a creative cache that looked nothing like a bomb.

What does a bomb look like?

Click on the video below. Pay particular attention to the quantity involved. Now imagine what the damage would be if the bomber used a tablespoon of the stuff, or a quart, or a gallon.

Binary

 

YIKES!!!!!

[+Wadcutter]

HOLY COW!!! I had NO idea. Thanks for the education... I think.

Few people do. Generally people think of a bomb as a stick of dynamite, a clock and wires. When they say "It doesn't look like a bomb" they don't know what a bomb can really look like. Dynamite and gun powder is old technology. With binary types you can get a lot higher yield with a lot smaller quantities. Imagine if the ink pen in the video had been filled with the substance. In the video it shows the fuse being lit. A fuse and match isn't necessary either. Simple chemicial reactions can give the same ignition source. What that means is using simple chemicals readily available to anyone someone could easily produce such a device, rig the fuse to mix just by movement of the fuse device and the entire process would trigger with just simple movement by an unsuspecting individual. Finding these abandoned are not common but they're not a rare occurrence either.

[+Team Cotati]

This cache was placed by some geofriends, and probably the most well known/respected geocachers in my area. Its too bad because it was a creative cache that looked nothing like a bomb. The first indication should have been that it was plugged into the tree. Im not sure if the painted on leaves might have made someone wonder what evil intent it had. Anyways the cache itself was totally destroyed.

 

But I guess its better to be safe than sorry. Although its rather ironic. The CO came into my work a couple of days ago to talk to me and I mentioned that I thought about posting the story on the geocaching forums but didnt lol.

 

Next time they should put one of these stickers on it

 

With my luck, the first responder would have left his reading glasses back at the station. BOOM!!!

 

Hilarious. Thank you.

[+EscapeFromFlatland]

I knew I should have called the cops about the TV in the creek when I went camping as a kid! That thing could kill someone!

[+NatureGuy360]

Some geocachers seem to be taking this "bomb scare" thing lightly. Sure, to "us" it seems so silly to have the bomb squad called out time, and time again for a harmless plastic container. However, these events are really soiling the reputation of geocaching, and if it continues I could see this activity as becoming illegal in some areas.

 

Here is a good article I found that talks about this issue. Intelligent Geocaching – Use Common Sense

[knowschad]

Some geocachers seem to be taking this "bomb scare" thing lightly. Sure, to "us" it seems so silly to have the bomb squad called out time, and time again for a harmless plastic container. However, these events are really soiling the reputation of geocaching, and if it continues I could see this activity as becoming illegal in some areas.

Here is a good article I found that talks about this issue. Intelligent Geocaching – Use Common Sense

 

"the cost of the emergency responders can top $10,000 for only a few hours." How can this possibly be true? Say ten officers are on the case. That's $1,000 apiece. Say they are there for 4 hours. That's $250 and hour per man. Even if all were there on overtime (time and a half) and haz duty pay, them's some pretty serious wages.

 

 

 

1. Do not hide a cache in an area that can cause immediate suspicion: avoid under bleachers, near intersections, under bridges, near schools or public gathering spaces.

 

2. Always use an external waterproof sticker on the cache that identifies it as a geocache container

 

3. Use a clear container so the contents can be clearly visible to emergency responders that may be called

 

 

1) Under bridges and near schools are already prohibited by the guidelines. Under bleaches? OK, perhaps in a major stadium, but the local ballpark? Give me a break! Of course, like most of you, I detest bleacher hides, but not for these reasons. And what is a "public gathering space" but a park?

 

2) OK, there goes my clever camouflage. Not to mention the giggles the mad bomber is going to have once he figures that a geocaching sticker is just the thing to make his bomb look harmless.

 

3) OK, there goes my clever camouflage. Not to mention that we have seen reports of clear containers blown up, as well.

 

Look, I'm not saying that there is not a problem here. There obviously is. I do not think that it is as huge as some would make it out to be, though. Its just that all this sort of oversimplification will do is to reduce geocaching to its lowest common denominator and still not halt bomb scares.

[knowschad]

Some geocachers seem to be taking this "bomb scare" thing lightly.

Besides, come to think of it... a MICROWAVE IN THE WOODS, PLUGGED INTO A TREE?!? Yeah... I am going to take this particular "bomb scare thing" very lightly. To paraphrase what we often hear here... this is the sort of thing that gives bomb squads a black-eye. Edited January 11, 2010 by knowschad

[+Geoextreme87]

Some geocachers seem to be taking this "bomb scare" thing lightly.

Besides, come to think of it... a MICROWAVE IN THE WOODS, PLUGGED INTO A TREE?!? Yeah... I am going to take this particular "bomb scare thing" very lightly. To paraphrase what we often hear here... this is the sort of thing that gives bomb squads a black-eye.

 

I think you are being a little hard on the bomb squad. They were called out and lets admit a microwave in a woods is just a little bit suspicious. Now true the likely hood of it actually being a bomb is microscopic but BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

[+The Jester]

Some geocachers seem to be taking this "bomb scare" thing lightly.

Besides, come to think of it... a MICROWAVE IN THE WOODS, PLUGGED INTO A TREE?!? Yeah... I am going to take this particular "bomb scare thing" very lightly. To paraphrase what we often hear here... this is the sort of thing that gives bomb squads a black-eye.

 

I think you are being a little hard on the bomb squad. They were called out and lets admit a microwave in a woods is just a little bit suspicious. Now true the likely hood of it actually being a bomb is microscopic but BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

Sorry, I don't agree with the above bolded section. Does that mean every computer, TV, monitor, fridge, or old electronics that I see dumped in the woods needs a EOD call-out?

[knowschad]

Some geocachers seem to be taking this "bomb scare" thing lightly.

Besides, come to think of it... a MICROWAVE IN THE WOODS, PLUGGED INTO A TREE?!? Yeah... I am going to take this particular "bomb scare thing" very lightly. To paraphrase what we often hear here... this is the sort of thing that gives bomb squads a black-eye.

I think you are being a little hard on the bomb squad. They were called out and lets admit a microwave in a woods is just a little bit suspicious. Now true the likely hood of it actually being a bomb is microscopic but BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

I am not, sir. I do not believe so, in this case. A microwave that was carefully painted with leaf camo, hidden in a stump (or hollow tree, or something... I forget), well off into the woods, a fake outlet attached to a tree, and the microwave plugged into that? Yeah... MY first reaction is to RUN AND HIDE!!!

 

Could it have been a bomb? Of course! Wadcutter showed us that a pen dropped on the trail could be a bomb, and a very destructive one, at that. For that matter, a real bomb could be hidden in any way that a geocache can... it might be a bison tube, a fake pine cone, or hidden under a fence post cap. An ammo can could be an extremely destructive bomb, and a geocaching sticker (not to mention a geocaching listing!) would not make it any the less deadly.

[+fishgeek]

No, No...Hunter sets up Microwave Bomb, then sits in Recliner and watches TV until unsuspecting Deer comes along.

 

Ohhh...that makes much more sense. Aside from the microwave bomb, that is pretty much how I hunt

 

NO!! The DEER sets up the Recliner/Microwave Bomb trap to take out the unsuspecting hunter. If the deer had used a beer cooler, it woud have been hunting over a baited field, which is against game regulations.

Edited January 11, 2010 by fishgeek

[+bittsen]

Could it have been a bomb? Of course! Wadcutter showed us that a pen dropped on the trail could be a bomb, and a very destructive one, at that. For that matter, a real bomb could be hidden in any way that a geocache can... it might be a bison tube, a fake pine cone, or hidden under a fence post cap. An ammo can could be an extremely destructive bomb, and a geocaching sticker (not to mention a geocaching listing!) would not make it any the less deadly.

 

No, it couldn't have been a bomb. It was proven to NOT have been a bomb, thereby removing any possibility that it was a bomb.

 

ANYthing in the woods could be thought to be a bomb but once it's proven to not be a bomb, it' can't be a bomb, unless of course it is then made into a bomb.

 

The LAST thing I think when I stumble upon electronics in the woods, near a dumpster, at the side of the road, etc is that it "could" be a bomb.

[+Geoextreme87]

You are looking at this from a cachers point of view. There are people out there who don't know about geocaches. Painting the microwave to blend in with the surroundings would actually make it more suspicious would it not (certainly does suggest not being a dump)? Or is it just my end of the woods that doesn't have microwaves hidden in tree stumps painted with camo.

 

Now knowschad I agree the reality is, that based off the locality of the cache being in a secluded area that it does suggest NOT being a bomb. But I would be horrified by a bomb squad that did not take action after being called in. Again as said before BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

 

I would also like to make clear I'm not trying to attack the CO for I think it was a clever cache, was responsibly placed, and this is a highly unusual and unfortunate circumstance.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

But I would be horrified by a bomb squad that did not take action after being called in.

 

I think it's been made pretty clear that if the bomb squad is called in, the cache is getting blown up. They don't take chances. The question is: how do we, as the people who hide geocaches, help minimize the chance that the bomb squad would be called? How do we make it clear to those who don't geocache and have no idea what a geocache is that what they found is just a harmless gamepiece?

 

You are looking at this from a cachers point of view. There are people out there who don't know about geocaches. Painting the microwave to blend in with the surroundings would actually make it more suspicious would it not

 

That is correct. As a cacher, if I found this container, I would have a good laugh and admire the creativity. Assuming I had no idea what geocaching was, it would be very odd to find an old microwave in a stump, plugged into a tree. Odd enough to raise a few suspicions and perhaps a call to the local police. That would set in motion a chain of events that would likely lead to the cache being blown up.

[knowschad]

You are looking at this from a cachers point of view. There are people out there who don't know about geocaches. Painting the microwave to blend in with the surroundings would actually make it more suspicious would it not (certainly does suggest not being a dump)? Or is it just my end of the woods that doesn't have microwaves hidden in tree stumps painted with camo.

Now knowschad I agree the reality is, that based off the locality of the cache being in a secluded area that it does suggest NOT being a bomb. But I would be horrified by a bomb squad that did not take action after being called in. Again as said before BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

I would also like to make clear I'm not trying to attack the CO for I think it was a clever cache, was responsibly placed, and this is a highly unusual and unfortunate circumstance.

In a situation like this one, then... let's just assume that some paranoid citizen called it in as a possible bomb, and the bombsquad then has to take it seriously, and not as a possible piece of performance art. Then, let's bring out the robot with water cannon, call up a dozen off-duty officers, and alert the press. OR... let's just send Barney out there with a deer rifle, let him stand 1000 feet away and shoot the hell out of the bloody thing to see if it blows up, or in any other way, acts dangerous.

[knowschad]

But I would be horrified by a bomb squad that did not take action after being called in.

 

I think it's been made pretty clear that if the bomb squad is called in, the cache is getting blown up. They don't take chances. The question is: how do we, as the people who hide geocaches, help minimize the chance that the bomb squad would be called? How do we make it clear to those who don't geocache and have no idea what a geocache is that what they found is just a harmless gamepiece?

 

You are looking at this from a cachers point of view. There are people out there who don't know about geocaches. Painting the microwave to blend in with the surroundings would actually make it more suspicious would it not

 

That is correct. As a cacher, if I found this container, I would have a good laugh and admire the creativity. Assuming I had no idea what geocaching was, it would be very odd to find an old microwave in a stump, plugged into a tree. Odd enough to raise a few suspicions and perhaps a call to the local police. That would set in motion a chain of events that would likely lead to the cache being blown up.

Seriously? You would call the police if you were not a geocacher and you found a microwave in the deep woods, plugged into a fake outlet in a tree? I don't know about you, but I would be afraid of being the laughing stock over donuts tomorrow morning. I would think that it was the creation of some sort of strange artist. I don't believe that the thought that it might be a bomb would ever enter my mind.

[+Crow-T-Robot]

But I would be horrified by a bomb squad that did not take action after being called in.

 

I think it's been made pretty clear that if the bomb squad is called in, the cache is getting blown up. They don't take chances. The question is: how do we, as the people who hide geocaches, help minimize the chance that the bomb squad would be called? How do we make it clear to those who don't geocache and have no idea what a geocache is that what they found is just a harmless gamepiece?

 

You are looking at this from a cachers point of view. There are people out there who don't know about geocaches. Painting the microwave to blend in with the surroundings would actually make it more suspicious would it not

 

That is correct. As a cacher, if I found this container, I would have a good laugh and admire the creativity. Assuming I had no idea what geocaching was, it would be very odd to find an old microwave in a stump, plugged into a tree. Odd enough to raise a few suspicions and perhaps a call to the local police. That would set in motion a chain of events that would likely lead to the cache being blown up.

Seriously? You would call the police if you were not a geocacher and you found a microwave in the deep woods, plugged into a fake outlet in a tree? I don't know about you, but I would be afraid of being the laughing stock over donuts tomorrow morning. I would think that it was the creation of some sort of strange artist. I don't believe that the thought that it might be a bomb would ever enter my mind.

 

Personally, no I wouldn't call the police. My curiosity would get the best of me and I'd almost certainly open it and see what the heck it was. I was just switching sides and thinking like a non-cacher. I could see someone being paranoid enough to make the call, though. It's happened enough times.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Bassanio

[knowschad]

But I would be horrified by a bomb squad that did not take action after being called in.

 

I think it's been made pretty clear that if the bomb squad is called in, the cache is getting blown up. They don't take chances. The question is: how do we, as the people who hide geocaches, help minimize the chance that the bomb squad would be called? How do we make it clear to those who don't geocache and have no idea what a geocache is that what they found is just a harmless gamepiece?

 

You are looking at this from a cachers point of view. There are people out there who don't know about geocaches. Painting the microwave to blend in with the surroundings would actually make it more suspicious would it not

 

That is correct. As a cacher, if I found this container, I would have a good laugh and admire the creativity. Assuming I had no idea what geocaching was, it would be very odd to find an old microwave in a stump, plugged into a tree. Odd enough to raise a few suspicions and perhaps a call to the local police. That would set in motion a chain of events that would likely lead to the cache being blown up.

Seriously? You would call the police if you were not a geocacher and you found a microwave in the deep woods, plugged into a fake outlet in a tree? I don't know about you, but I would be afraid of being the laughing stock over donuts tomorrow morning. I would think that it was the creation of some sort of strange artist. I don't believe that the thought that it might be a bomb would ever enter my mind.

 

Personally, no I wouldn't call the police. My curiosity would get the best of me and I'd almost certainly open it and see what the heck it was. I was just switching sides and thinking like a non-cacher. I could see someone being paranoid enough to make the call, though. It's happened enough times.

Actually, I was referring to a non-cacher finding it. I still can't grasp how it might possibly, even remotely, occur to a muggle that this particular thing might in any way, shape or form, be anything but a quirky oddity. For anyone, cacher or not, to conjur this thing to be something potentially dangerous just boggles my mind.

 

 

(boggled -->)

[+Castle Mischief]

No, it couldn't have been a bomb. It was proven to NOT have been a bomb, thereby removing any possibility that it was a bomb.

 

ANYthing in the woods could be thought to be a bomb but once it's proven to not be a bomb, it' can't be a bomb, unless of course it is then made into a bomb.

 

The LAST thing I think when I stumble upon electronics in the woods, near a dumpster, at the side of the road, etc is that it "could" be a bomb.

 

That just makes my head hurt. I'd reply back with something about how you can't prove that an elephant isn't in my trunk, but frankly I'm kind of dizzy and I'd get it wrong.

[+Loony Londo]

We are always told to mark geocaches clearly so that they not be mistaken for a bomb. How long is it going to be before a bomber sticks a geocache logo on a bomb in the hope that if the bomb is found it will be left as people think it is it is a geocache.

 

I suppose we will have to give up painting caches and just leave them transparent so their contents can be seen though even that may not stop the caches being mistaken for bombs.

[+Castle Mischief]

We are always told to mark geocaches clearly so that they not be mistaken for a bomb. How long is it going to be before a bomber sticks a geocache logo on a bomb in the hope that if the bomb is found it will be left as people think it is it is a geocache.

 

I suppose we will have to give up painting caches and just leave them transparent so their contents can be seen though even that may not stop the caches being mistaken for bombs.

 

I think there are a million other places that you'll find a bomb before you find one in a container with a Geocaching sticker on it. People have been saying this for as long as geocaching has been around. Thinking like this only leads to fear of all everyday objects in all everyday situations.

 

Transparent contains have also been "rendered safe". So have labeled caches, film canisters, bison tubes, plastic coke bottles, caches places with permission, caches placed with permission- and the property owner on-site telling the bomb squad that it's not a bomb, caches in remote locations, letterboxes, terracaches, lunchboxes, and even (as mentioned recently) DMV traffic counters.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

What does a bomb look like?

Click on the video below. Pay particular attention to the quantity involved. Now imagine what the damage would be if the bomber used a tablespoon of the stuff, or a quart, or a gallon.

Binary

I'm pretty sure that movie is faked, the jury is out yet. It's under investigation on Snopes.com but undetermined as yet.

 

Yes, explosives are easy to make, and silly stuff like the unidentified red liquid and white powder give the video a dramatic Hollywood touch (the viewer is supposed to think 'ooooh, what it is is a secret, so it must be real'!), but scare tactics like that obviously edited video do nothing to advance the discussion.

 

Whoever made it knew more about film-making than explosives, but not much about either!

[knowschad]

What does a bomb look like?

Click on the video below. Pay particular attention to the quantity involved. Now imagine what the damage would be if the bomber used a tablespoon of the stuff, or a quart, or a gallon.

Binary

I'm pretty sure that movie is faked, the jury is out yet. It's under investigation on Snopes.com but undetermined as yet.

Wow!! Good job of Snopes Sniffing!! I am generally pretty good at sniffing out things like that, but I sure bit on this one (if it really is faked. As you say, the jury is still out). I assume that you are referring to this and the current forum thread on Snopes.com? Edited January 12, 2010 by knowschad

[Andronicus]

It seams to me that the bomb squade is just a risk that all caches face. taking the basic precations like not puting it near a major bridge etc. are obvious, but past that, there is nothing that can be done to eliminate the risk. Realy, anything that you encounter in your day could be a bomb, but to live in fear of a bomb is just silly.

[+Wadcutter]

I'm pretty sure that movie is faked, the jury is out yet. It's under investigation on Snopes.com but undetermined as yet.

Yes, explosives are easy to make, and silly stuff like the unidentified red liquid and white powder give the video a dramatic Hollywood touch (the viewer is supposed to think 'ooooh, what it is is a secret, so it must be real'!), but scare tactics like that obviously edited video do nothing to advance the discussion.

Whoever made it knew more about film-making than explosives, but not much about either!

Really? How much explosive training have you had? Any military? I have, EOD. LEO EOD? Yup, got that too.

If you think small amounts of binary explosives isn't possible and isn't a reality then you need a more education in it and what you "think" really doesn't matter. You're in Alabama. Why don't you just ramble on over to Redstone and maybe you might learn facts instead of what you think as "pretty sure".

I've seen it first hand.

Whoever wrote on Snopes "I'm pretty sure nothing short of an (impossibly) scaled-down thermo nuclear device would have close to this capability" knows absolutely nothing about binary explosives or thermo-nuclear devices.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Wadcutter

[+bittsen]

What people are missing here is that the bomb squad has also blown up kids backpacks, lunch boxes, and a number of other non-geocaching things.

 

To scream about the geocaching sky falling because a small handful of the @million geocaches being blown up is a little silly.

When they start banning geocaching because "some" geocaches are mistaken as suspected of being bombs by over-reactive people, we need to remind people of the backpacks and lunch boxes.

[Andronicus]

What people are missing here is that the bomb squad has also blown up kids backpacks, lunch boxes, and a number of other non-geocaching things.

 

To scream about the geocaching sky falling because a small handful of the @million geocaches being blown up is a little silly.

When they start banning geocaching because "some" geocaches are mistaken as suspected of being bombs by over-reactive people, we need to remind people of the backpacks and lunch boxes.

 

Totaly aggree with this. It is esentialy the over-reactive people that are the real issue here. This isn't Isrial of the 1990 or or London during the "troubles". Bombings are very rare, and to think that a inocent looking item is a bomb is just silly. As I mentioned earlyer, anything COULD be a bomb, but, even a bomb looking thing is unlikely to be a bomb.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I'm pretty sure that movie is faked, the jury is out yet. It's under investigation on Snopes.com but undetermined as yet.

Yes, explosives are easy to make, and silly stuff like the unidentified red liquid and white powder give the video a dramatic Hollywood touch (the viewer is supposed to think 'ooooh, what it is is a secret, so it must be real'!), but scare tactics like that obviously edited video do nothing to advance the discussion.

Whoever made it knew more about film-making than explosives, but not much about either!

Really? How much explosive training have you had? Any military? I have, EOD. LEO EOD? Yup, got that too.

If you think small amounts of binary explosives isn't possible and isn't a reality then you need a more education in it and what you "think" really doesn't matter. You're in Alabama. Why don't you just ramble on over to Redstone and maybe you might learn facts instead of what you think as "pretty sure".

I've seen it first hand.

Whoever wrote on Snopes "I'm pretty sure nothing short of an (impossibly) scaled-down thermo nuclear device would have close to this capability" knows absolutely nothing about binary explosives or thermo-nuclear devices.

I know nothing about explosives, binary or otherwise.

 

I do think that I can spot a poorly faked video when I see one.

 

I am all for teaching others what I know, you may be as well, but using over-exaggerated factually incorrect materials such as I believe that video to be helps no one.

 

Since you've now put your credentials on the line supporting that video it will be interesting to see if it turns out to be real.

[GOF and Bacall]

I'm pretty sure that movie is faked, the jury is out yet. It's under investigation on Snopes.com but undetermined as yet.

Yes, explosives are easy to make, and silly stuff like the unidentified red liquid and white powder give the video a dramatic Hollywood touch (the viewer is supposed to think 'ooooh, what it is is a secret, so it must be real'!), but scare tactics like that obviously edited video do nothing to advance the discussion.

Whoever made it knew more about film-making than explosives, but not much about either!

Really? How much explosive training have you had? Any military? I have, EOD. LEO EOD? Yup, got that too.

If you think small amounts of binary explosives isn't possible and isn't a reality then you need a more education in it and what you "think" really doesn't matter. You're in Alabama. Why don't you just ramble on over to Redstone and maybe you might learn facts instead of what you think as "pretty sure".

I've seen it first hand.

Whoever wrote on Snopes "I'm pretty sure nothing short of an (impossibly) scaled-down thermo nuclear device would have close to this capability" knows absolutely nothing about binary explosives or thermo-nuclear devices.

I know nothing about explosives, binary or otherwise.

 

I do think that I can spot a poorly faked video when I see one.

 

I am all for teaching others what I know, you may be as well, but using over-exaggerated factually incorrect materials such as I believe that video to be helps no one.

 

Since you've now put your credentials on the line supporting that video it will be interesting to see if it turns out to be real.

 

Glad to find out I am not the only one who had questions about that video.

 

I do know a thing or two about some binary explosives. Not a lot, but some.

[+bittsen]

Regarding the binary video. There are a few indicators that it's faked.

 

#1 There is a lot of tape on the pole and what looks like a wire attached to the pole

#2 There was no bulge on the fuse when the tape was rolled up. The video clearly showed that the binary would have left a bulge

#3 When the watermelon exploded, it did so in all directions. With the explosive on one side the melon would have exploded away from the source.

#4 there was an obvious "string" of some sort that was left behind when the melon exploded. It almost looked like a wire.

 

This image clearly shows that the explosion was central to the watermelon and not in front of it. If the explosion was in front of the watermelon then there would have been sparks in front as well

 

Though I don't doubt the ability to blow up a watermelon with a pens quantity of explosives, the video is misleading.

 

For reference, I have been blowing stuff up since I was 9 years old (no, I'm not exaggerating).

Edited January 13, 2010 by bittsen

[+brslk]

I'm pretty sure that movie is faked, the jury is out yet. It's under investigation on Snopes.com but undetermined as yet.

Yes, explosives are easy to make, and silly stuff like the unidentified red liquid and white powder give the video a dramatic Hollywood touch (the viewer is supposed to think 'ooooh, what it is is a secret, so it must be real'!), but scare tactics like that obviously edited video do nothing to advance the discussion.

Whoever made it knew more about film-making than explosives, but not much about either!

Really? How much explosive training have you had? Any military? I have, EOD. LEO EOD? Yup, got that too.

If you think small amounts of binary explosives isn't possible and isn't a reality then you need a more education in it and what you "think" really doesn't matter. You're in Alabama. Why don't you just ramble on over to Redstone and maybe you might learn facts instead of what you think as "pretty sure".

I've seen it first hand.

Whoever wrote on Snopes "I'm pretty sure nothing short of an (impossibly) scaled-down thermo nuclear device would have close to this capability" knows absolutely nothing about binary explosives or thermo-nuclear devices.

 

And with that you have offered your credentials up.

 

If this video does turn out to be fake, are you willing to admit you don't know as much about what you claim to as you say you do?

[+Too Tall John]

Its too bad because it was a creative cache that looked nothing like a bomb.

What does a bomb look like?

Click on the video below. Pay particular attention to the quantity involved. Now imagine what the damage would be if the bomber used a tablespoon of the stuff, or a quart, or a gallon.

Binary

Hrm . . .

 

Checked this video out, then did a quick search on Snopes. While they haven't debunked it yet, I think this explanation sounds pretty likely:

It looks like someone mixed up some goop (using a DOT CLASS 1.1 crate as a prop) and stuck it to a watermelon, and then secured that watermelon with packing tape to the barrel of a mortar containing maybe 1-4 ounces of coarse-grain black powder (or possibly even flash powder) and an electrical detonator. (You can see the black wire.)

 

The sparks of burning powder come from the right because the watermelon covers the left side of the barrel more than the right.

 

Some attempt to disguise the mortar or wire would've not taken much effort.

[4wheelin_fool]

(the viewer is supposed to think 'ooooh, what it is is a secret, so it must be real'!),

 

Thats typically how propaganda gets spread. Everyone is told "it is a SECRET". Next the "secret" is implied to be more realistic than the "media", as people are then taught to believe what is purposely hidden, rather than exposed is more realistic. The public is then taught to turn against itself, and privatization is promoted as a remedy. The "secret" gets spread, and gets difficult to trace because nobody wants to "rat anyone out". Another part of the media becomes biased in one direction, but then complains that everyone else is biased instead..

[4wheelin_fool]

The video appears to be created from British Intelligence as bait for terrorists. After watching it they next ask:

what is the white solid and red liquid???

Later "a source" directs them to 2 items with obscure names. They try to locate the items, and discover only a tiny amout is available, and it is VERY expensive. They buy a small amount, and hide it in their GBX shoes (with 1 1/2 inch heels) Later when they attempt to ignite it, they discover they are under surveillence, and most of it is harmless.. (Richard Reid)

 

If they attempt to purchase a large quantity, then the Intel gets nervous about them possibly using it for "tests", so they give them a tale about it not being available, but that it is "red mercury" and may be located in old refrigerators. Next, they try to trace the searchers of the red mercury back to their source..

Edited January 13, 2010 by 4wheelin_fool

[4wheelin_fool]

Why don't you just ramble on over to Redstone and maybe you might learn facts instead of what you think as "pretty sure".

 

What people dont understand is the blowing up of something in the woods. While Wadcutter provided a very clear explanation, there are other caches that create much more of a cloud of suspicion. Since he specifically mentioned "Redstone" which is a governmental nuclear restricted area, let me point out that I was AT the Redstone facility in April last year, and that I found this cache located less than 2 feet from the 8 foot high barb wire fence surrounding the airport nearby the facility. There is nothing at all near the cache site, but flat land. You get out and walk to the fence, and immediately people driving by look and see what you are doing. Anyone that stops there could easily be considered suspicious, especially if it was believed that they were taking pictures. If nothing less, you could be suspected of being at a spy "dead drop" site...

Edited January 13, 2010 by 4wheelin_fool

[+Hoppingcrow]

This thread has drifted somewhat off topic, so let me jump in here for a second to put it back on track.

 

I cache frequently in the area where Geomimi55 places her hides, and most of them have been very clever and amusing. I will say that I was a bit concerned when my caching partner and I found the microwave, because I thought that sooner or later someone would report a "meth lab" to the police.

 

We have a serious problem with drug labs in Southwest Washington, purportedly one of the worst in the nation. Over the last ten years, my fishing buddy and I have found the remains of SIX. Old microwave ovens are frequently used in the manufacture of meth, not to cook it but to provide a place in which it can be cooked.

 

I can understand where a non-geocacher walking into this scene might have misinterpreted what was in view. The "bomb site" is off the "Westside Highway," but don't mistake that for a thoroughfare. It's a two-lane country road which parallels the river, and the nearest building is probably two miles away. My question was, "What did the bomb squad think the bomb was intended to blow up?" A sturgeon? Spawning salmon? An idle fisherman? Not exactly what you'd call terrorist targets.

 

No, I think the Bomb Squad was called in as they often are when a meth lab is found. It's just a wonder that a HazMat team wasn't called out as well.

 

That said, it was a sad day for the Keebler Elves, but at least it gave the area's geocachers good reason to have an impromptu get-together. We called it a "wake," and about thirty of us grouped to mourn the passage of this humorous cache.

 

And then I wonder what will happen if anyone comes across any of the dead vacuum cleaners in Frisbee'r's "This Cache Sucks!"

[+Wadcutter]

And with that you have offered your credentials up.

If this video does turn out to be fake, are you willing to admit you don't know as much about what you claim to as you say you do?

Can I say for sure that specific video is true? Heck no. I wasn't there when it was made.

Can I say such a yield with such small amounts of product are possible? Absolutely 100% positive.

Since I've actually played with similar stuff and have the training in it I can tell you that such yields are entirely possible depending on the type used. Remember that Richard Reid the shoe bomber had about 2.5 oz of PETN which would have done a whole lot more damage. He just had faulty fuse. PETN is a bit more stable than some of the other things out there. Some don't take as much product for the yield but they're very unstable.

[+Castle Mischief]

Can I say for sure that specific video is true? Heck no. I wasn't there when it was made.

Can I say such a yield with such small amounts of product are possible? Absolutely 100% positive.

Since I've actually played with similar stuff and have the training in it I can tell you that such yields are entirely possible depending on the type used. Remember that Richard Reid the shoe bomber had about 2.5 oz of PETN which would have done a whole lot more damage. He just had faulty fuse. PETN is a bit more stable than some of the other things out there. Some don't take as much product for the yield but they're very unstable.

 

Not to split hairs, but according to CNN he had about 10 ounces of PETN.

[+bittsen]

This just goes to show you that if you are going to have a microwave plugeed into a tree, make it WAY off the beaten path or off ANY path for that matter.

Make it a bushwhack hide.

[+Eddol]

I enjoy humor and this has been mostly humorous. Don't know why all the direct criticism though. The police, bomb squads, firemen, and military are there to protect us. If we are not knowledgeable professionals then we can only second guess the ones that are. If not at the scene or lack knowledge of ALL the facts then the criticism should not be realized. Complaints of behavior or unnecessary cost of activities, even false alarms, without the facts are unfounded. Being a retired police officer I have seen plenty of unfounded criticism. They have a job to do and, as the protected citizens, we should help them do it when possible. If someone thought it was a bomb then it was justified to find out if it was. Even if we think it is ridiculous. Eddol

[+Cliff's Notes]

What, exactly, would be the reason for putting a "bomb" in the hollow of a tree, a few HUNDRED feet from a road?

 

Sheesh!

 

 

You folks probably aren't watching the Fox nightly fear fest.

 

Terrorist's are obviously departing from the more bang for the buck attack them in crowds and public places and are going for the personal one on one avant garde experience. What is more terrifying than the uncertain feeling that we are not protected from cooking appliances plugged into arboreal remains.

 

They are targeting the guy (or gal let's be equal in our acknowledgement of the new world around us) who steps out of his/her car for a tinkle.

 

Or maybe those Al-Queda guys are trying to scare off the cottage industries of mushroom harvesting or berry picking. Cause you know the minute we can't have a morel in our omelette or berris on our pancackes the terrorist wins. This is nothing but an all out attack on the sacred institution of breakfast!

 

Or maybe people need to stop, count to three, look around and say what other non-evil reason am I standing in the woods looking at a microwave that appears to be plugged into a tree. The reason is probably really silly.

[+bittsen]

What, exactly, would be the reason for putting a "bomb" in the hollow of a tree, a few HUNDRED feet from a road?

 

Sheesh!

 

 

You folks probably aren't watching the Fox nightly fear fest.

 

Terrorist's are obviously departing from the more bang for the buck attack them in crowds and public places and are going for the personal one on one avant garde experience. What is more terrifying than the uncertain feeling that we are not protected from cooking appliances plugged into arboreal remains.

 

They are targeting the guy (or gal let's be equal in our acknowledgement of the new world around us) who steps out of his/her car for a tinkle.

 

Or maybe those Al-Queda guys are trying to scare off the cottage industries of mushroom harvesting or berry picking. Cause you know the minute we can't have a morel in our omelette or berris on our pancackes the terrorist wins. This is nothing but an all out attack on the sacred institution of breakfast!

 

Or maybe people need to stop, count to three, look around and say what other non-evil reason am I standing in the woods looking at a microwave that appears to be plugged into a tree. The reason is probably really silly.

 

OK, you made your point.

 

Eco Terrorists plant microwave bombs in trees to discourage humas from piddling in the forest. Cleverly, they manage to tap into the infinite energy resources of trees and plant sophisticated contact switches all over the forest which only respond to the DNA segments present in human urine.

The use of a microwave for the bomb is a statement against microwave satellites that are slowly baking the planet, causing global warming, excess abundances of UVA and UVB radiation and singlehandedly responsible for the decrease in populations of common tree frogs.