Oh, Brother. SF Starbucks 'Bomb' was... a FLASHLIGHT.

[Yollam]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/12/BAGIOGM4JG1.DTL

SAN FRANCISCO
Starbucks 'bomb' found to be harmless
Preliminary tests apparently find no explosive material
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 12, 2006


San Francisco authorities are no longer sure a device found in a Starbucks bathroom -- which they characterized for two days as a potentially lethal bomb -- had any explosive material in it after all, and they say the man who left it may never be charged.

On Wednesday, agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives analyzed residue left behind after police blasted the device with a water cannon to render it safe.

Results of the test have not been released, but preliminary checks revealed no explosive material, according to authorities who spoke on background.

Earlier, police had described the device as a quarter-stick of dynamite inside a flashlight casing and said it could have killed or dismembered someone. It was found Monday afternoon at the Starbucks at 1401 Van Ness Ave., prompting authorities to evacuate the store and an apartment building above.


(Visit link for the rest of the story)

Et tu, San Francisco? I had kinda hoped we were above the post-9-11 hysteria and paranoia. Guess not.

[CottonBear]

1. I bet it was one of those clear flashlights that you shake to activate

the magnets that power the light bulb. I just bet that's what it was.



http://www.komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=40303

Does It Work? The No-Battery Flashlight

November 16, 2005

By Connie Thompson

Video : KOMO 4 NEWS
The flashlight promises to last forever -- just shake it for a while and it provides battery-free light. We put it to the test.


SEATTLE - If the power went out at your house right now, how long would it take you to find a working flashlight? With good batteries?

This "Does It Work" test sheds light on flashlights that promise to last forever. They're no-battery flashlights, also called magnetic "shake lights".

snip

We had enough light to continue reading the instructions, which urge caution: the strong magnetic field can cause damage.

"You cannot have a pacemaker on. No cassette tapes. No computer disks, no video tapes, credit cards, televisions, " Kathleen says.

In order to prevent damage, the magnetic flashlight must be at least a foot away from anything sensitive to magnets.

more...

DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE!

[RagingInMiami]

5. In other words, you must live in a cave

[CottonBear]

9. Well, I just saw one for the first time 2 months ago.

I must say I did not know how dangerous the magnet is to TVs, computers etc.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. I dunno, I've got one. It works pretty well when the power goes out.

I've never had any trouble with it de-magnetizing anything, although I don't have a pacemaker. The thing isn't the brightest flashlight in the world, but if nothing else, you don't have to worry that the batteries will be dead when you grab it.

Of course, now that I know it's liable to be mistaken for an "Improvised Explosive Device", maybe I'll get rid of it. I sure as hell won't take it to get coffee.

[Lenore]

12. NOW you tell me! Sheesh

So, we have the ever-light flashlight at our house. My precocious 10 year old son introduced us to the fact that the flashlight can make "pretty designs" on ones TV and computer screens.

Our 27 inch TV had a purple swath of color (from one side to the other, about an inch thick) where the boy waved the flashlight right in front of the TV.

My wise husband finally studied out the issue and then bought a "degaussing coil" on ebay for right around $20, no more purple swath of color... Yippee!!

[Wilber_Stool]

13. I have one.

It's the best thing since sliced bread. I don't know who made up these warnings but they sure don't know what they're talking about. A permanent magnet has no effect on any of those items.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. Whoa, dude.

Nice avatar. Something totally out of the blue compelled me to drag that CD out, just a couple days ago. Weird.

[CottonBear]

18. The magnet is dangerous. See the article in my post. n/t

[Wilber_Stool]

19. No cassette tapes. No computer disks, no video tapes, credit cards

That is just patently false. If you have ever seen a bulk tape eraser, it uses an AC generated magnetic field. It changes polarity 60 times (60 hz) per second. That is what erases the data. You can stain a TV tube with a permanent magnet but all tvs have a built in de- gaussing coil. Turn the tv on and of a and any stain will go away in a few days.
As far a pace makers are concerned, there a so many permanent magnets in everyday life I can't imagine how you could avoid them all.

Great googlie mooglies. This is the longest post I have ever made with no misspellings or typos. Sad isn't it.

[CottonBear]

22. Hey you can spell really well! What the hell is a de- gaussing coil?

Thanks for the information. The only time I've used magnets is in therapy wraps for horses legs although I'm not really sure if the magnets help. They don't hurt so it's worth a try.

Cheers! CB

edit: So, do you have the expensive $22 flashlight or the cheaper $5 version I've seen at the dollar store? I might get one for the car.

[Steve A Play]

23. Gauss is a measure of magnetic flux

A 'degaussing coil' is a coil of wire that has an Alternating Current (AC) flowing through it that causes the coil to emit a constantly reversing magnetic field. The effect of that constantly reversing field demagnetizes any ferrous object that is subjected to it. All CRT type televisions and monitors have a built in degauss coil around the front of the screen that is activated every time you turn the set on. You might have heard a small hum or buzz when you first turn your TV or monitor on, this is the degauss coil removing any stray magnetic field from the shadow mask in the picture tube.

If your TV or monitor screen ever gets affected by a permanent magnet, simply turn it off and wait a few minutes for the thermistor that turns the degauss coil off to cool down to room temperature and then turn the set back on. (10 - 15 seconds for most sets) The built in degauss coil will demagnetize it for you. For very strong magnetic fields left by very powerful magnets, it may require that you do this several times to completely remove the residual magnetization from screen.

Larger sets in the 32" to 45" range often have a degauss button that you can press to activate the coil after moving the set because larger screens are more prone to developing stray magnetic fields on their shadow mask from the earth's magnetic field.

Aren't you sorry you asked? :)

Steven P.

[CottonBear]

25. Thanks! I'm not sorry I asked. I had NO idea how my TV works!

You must be an engineer! :)

[tridim]

2. The fear is already instilled based on the original story

Mission accomplished as far as the terrorists in the WH are concerned.

How can the "authorities" be unsure? Is there, or is there not dynamite in the flashlight? I'm so sick of this shit.

[Bjornsdotter]

3. Reminds me of Caddyshack and the Baby Ruth n/t

[tridim]

6. Exactly!

Judge Smales: "I want this entire pool cleaned, sanitized and disinfected!"

Carl: "What? It's no big deal.. <chomp>"

[Warren DeMontague]

27. My wife and I were just talking about that scene the other night.

Not sure if, in an era of glamorous, intentional product placement, the Baby Ruth folks would let that fly these days. "Our candy looks like poo" probably isn't the kind of messaging the marketing dept. would want going out.

[Steve A Play]

4. Even more interesting

The judge asked the press not to release any pictures or video of the 'perps' face! The press, of course, voluntarily complied. What's up with that? They don't want the agent's face to be recognized?

:wtf:

Steven P.

[Warren DeMontague]

7. It's not a "flashlight"! It's an "Improvised Lumination Device"

Shit, man, if this doesn't wake everyone up to the fact that the media is priming the hysteria pump, nothing will.

[CottonBear]

8. OMG! ILD! Terror, terror, terror!

:rofl:

[madinmaryland]

11. Is o'lielly involved somehow in this?

:shrug:

[DistressedAmerican]

14. Things That Make You Go, "Hmmmm!"

[AllegroRondo]

15. I know a guy who left a metronome in his briefcase

He was a musician (Army Band). Left his briefcase at the post hospital by mistake, and the metronome started ticking. They called in the bomb squad and blew it up. We never let him forget that one.

(for those who dont know, a metronome is a device used by musicians to keep time. This was a battery operated one about the size of a pack of cigarettes. You turn it on, and it goes CLICK CLICK CLICK at whatever tempo you select.)

[CottonBear]

17. OMG! They blew up his briefcase and metronome?

:rofl: Couldn't they have x-rayed the breifcase first? Poor guy.

[AllegroRondo]

20. You would think the hospital could have x-rayed it

but they didnt want to take any chances.

[Hatalles]

21. kick and rec

[Shakespeare]

24. Idiots. And they even had the nerve....

...to refer to it as an IED instead of (what they originally thought it was:) a crude pipe bomb. Freaking war fetishists.

[radio4progressives]

26. This was stated in the very first reports... but the MEJIA made it into

a "bomb".