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1.  

   on kids blowing stuff up and publicity

   

   Old_Eng_Hand, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 11:41am

   
   

   Boys have always been interested in blowing stuff up. I think my daughter would love to have the opportunity as well. I know my son would love to. I certainly played with high energy chemistry in junior high through high school (unfortunately, my rockets tended to go boom far more than zoom). Also catapults, mortars, etc. At the time, I figured that as long as nobody got hurt and nobody's property was damaged, the police weren't going to look too hard about boom's in unpopulated areas. As the population has grown more urbanized, they have gotten less tolerant of this activity. I had a co-worker (a farm boy) whose family celebrated the 4th of July with 2 cases of dynamite.
   
   Taking video's of your experiments and posting them is something else again. If you are going to do that, you deserve what you get. But YouTube, or equivalent media port is not responsible for the kid's action. The fact that some kids may try to emulate or surpass some other action is irrelevant.

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2.  

   Re: on kids blowing stuff up and publicity

   

   Ima Fish, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 11:55am

   
   

   I agree. Boys have been blowing stuff up as long as there has been stuff and a means to blow the stuff up.

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3.  

   Re: on kids blowing stuff up and publicity

   

   Iron Chef, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 12:16pm

   
   

   I find some of this stuff incredibly entertaining. Especially those WillItBlend Episodes, and the creativity that came from the Mentos experiments were real fun for a while.
   
   I write this as I sip a blended coffee drink I made with my Blendtec blender. While I won't go so far as to blend my ipod or a video camera, it's comforting to know some folks still have a sense of humour.

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4.  

   

   Rose M. Welch, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 12:48pm

   
   

   Whatever happened to blaming the library for kids knowing how to blow things up? That was the last villian, and they tried to censor them also.
   
   If you don't like it when kids blow things up, then prosecute the parents for neglect after it happens. It will make the news in a big way, and a dozen shitty parents will taken notice.
   
   Problem as close to solved as it ever will be.

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5.  

   

   some other guy, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 12:51pm

   
   

   Oh noes! The way we filmed stuff blowing up in the old days is caused by Youtube time-travellers! How will we ever be safe?
   
   ....ahhhh *remembers fondly filming blowing things up with an old-style, tape-based, video-camera, and just blowing things up without the filming*

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6.  

   Let's burn the books also

   

   Pyromaniac, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 12:55pm

   
   

   Many pounds of home made gunpowder expended as a teenager. No Internet back then, I had to get the knowledge from books.
   
   I know! Let's ban all the books with the formula for gunpowder!!
   
   Oh, wait, Ray Bradbury wrote a story about that once. Fahrenheit 451 or something?
   
   
   How about we point the "xyz must control ____" people to one consistent set of principles? May a combination of the Constitution (if they are US based) and Bradbury's work?
   
   Of course, that would require reading... and, since all knowledge is bad...

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7.  

   

   Jake, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 12:57pm

   
   

   Blaming the library? Hell, I learned how to make a fertiliser bomb in middle school chemistry class.

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8.  

   While you are playing the blame game...

   

   Ajax 4Hire, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 1:14pm

   
   

   blame news for showing the military blowing stuff up;
   blame Movie Studios for showing cars blowing up;
   blame Radio for corrupting the minds of innocent youth;
   
   It sure is NOT the kids fault.
   
   Oh and don't forget the blame the parents.
   and society, the president, schools, fluoride water, CocoSugarBomb cereal.
   
   It sure cannot be the kids fault.

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9.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 1:21pm

   
   

   When I was growing up it was Dungeon and Dragons that was corrupting kids, then next decade it was MTV, and so on. Everyone looks for a scapegoat to blame for their own mistakes. I have three boys and they all have the see-if-breaks/splats/explodes gene. You, the parent, have to be on constant guard against adolescent stupidity. It is your job.

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10.  

    Fault

    

    Sean, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 1:32pm

    
    

    It seems to me that there is no fault here. Some things just are. If we just shut down an exploratory outlet instead of ensuring that some degree of safety is observed, aren't we just creating a race of middle managers without the benefit of mistakes and achievements to guide them?

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11.  

    Kids blowing things up? We were doing that in the

    

    Ray Trygstad, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 1:40pm

    
    

    I had LOTS of friends who blew MANY things up in the late 60's/early 70's with no YouTube at all for inspiration. They even manufactured their own nitroglycerin, a pretty tricky process. A couple of them spent one summer afternoon blowing up granite boulders in a lot right across the road from the local San Diego County Sheriff's substation. The deputies did come over to check on them, but since they they were properly attired in coveralls and hard hats they just let them continue; you think they might have noticed that THEY WERE ONLY 15 YEARS OLD. One guy even was caught (before detonation) with the entire footbridge leading to the back gate of our junior high all wired up and ready to blow. Nobody ever had any intention of hurting anyone, no revolutionary crap, they just loved to watch things BLOW UP. (And what 15-year-old boy doesn't?)

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12.  

    Another one?

    

    Chronno S. Trigger, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 1:51pm

    
    

    I know why this is "news".
    
    "Anastasia Goodstein, author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online"
    
    Another idiot pushing a fear mongering book.
    
    I've been blowing crap up for years before the Internet and I still am. I make my own home made fireworks after the PA ban on the good ones. I never once put a video online.

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13.  

    Re: Another one?

    

    Anonymous Coward, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 2:22pm

    
    

    Wow, not too smart posting that online... now the Police will be raiding YOUR home

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14.  

    I'm innocent, officer...

    

    Doug B., Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 3:21pm

    
    

    YouTube made me do it.

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15.  

    Re: Re: Another one?

    

    Chronno S. Trigger, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 3:25pm

    
    

    That's kinda the funny part. They cops always stopped by to watch.
    
    Plus, I don't live there any more ;)

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16.  

    Youtube and parents

    

    Jeff, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 3:44pm

    
    

    If the parents are so outraged by what thier kids are finding on the internet, then they should turn off the internet, and take an active roll in thier kids life

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17.  

    

    GrammarMan, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 4:57pm

    
    

    Perhaps YouTube acts as an incentive for the destructive teen (or anyone for that matter) to reveal their "cool" new tricks. Like showing off; many enjoy the prestige. But blaming YouTube... that just seems like a cheap way to get some attention and place blame.

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18.  

    

    X, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 6:01pm

    
    

    Is blowing stuff up, as long as it's not damaging anyone's property, even illegal?

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19.  

    Re: Youtube and parents

    

    Iron Chef, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 6:02pm

    
    

    If the parents are so outraged by what thier kids are finding on the internet, then they should turn off the internet, and take an active roll in thier kids life.
    
    Hey, did you know it's Girl Scout Cookie Time again?
    
    You have a point. Keep the kids busy in the "real" world. Get them involved in sports or scouts 4H (yes they are still around) or sport. Of course if you were a good parent, you probably would have known it Girl Scout Cookie Time was coming... A few months ago.
    
    Quick Think Fast-- Who bakes the cookies they sell? Answer correctly on TechDirt within 5 minutes and you get a prize!

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20.  

    

    Rose M. Welch, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 6:47pm

    
    

    I knew it was Girl Scout cookie time. Those bitches set up outside my store every year... I should sue them for making me fat, rofl. After all, there is no such thing as personal responsibility anymore.

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21.  

    KABOOM

    

    another dumb teen boy, Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 7:47pm

    
    

    I would blame my school because they gave me a mac book to take home perfect for getting inspration and getting the final product all over the internet. But i woulden't do that because it would be stupid and consider that the school has loaded this thing with all kinds of monitering programs but i am not sure if they have a key stroke logger on here. But they do say that anything that i put on here is not private at all so thats kinda iteresting i think that this year will be fun. And then if i was to make a bomb i would start with coke and menthos and move up from there. But making ur own glycerin sounds like fun. I have an indian chem teacher she is really cool but no matter what she won't blow anything up in class. But i think we will ignite some h2 aftet preforming electrolosys on some H2O yes i iz nerdy/geek...
    
    w00t

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22.  

    

    Nick (profile), Mar 3rd, 2008 @ 9:39pm

    
    

    What about the camera maker's responsibility? I demand that they have a bad-behavior-auto-shutoff feature at once!!

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23.  

    Re: Re: Youtube and parents

    

    Anonymous Coward, Mar 4th, 2008 @ 6:07am

    
    

    elves??

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24.  

    support our adolescent males

    

    decline, Mar 4th, 2008 @ 7:22am

    
    

    and so these adolescent males videos are somehow different and a more negative influence than all the military videos on youtube....

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25.  

    

    Rekrul, Mar 4th, 2008 @ 6:18pm

    
    

    What about the camera maker's responsibility? I demand that they have a bad-behavior-auto-shutoff feature at once!!

    
    
    I demand that camera makers incorporate an orientation sensor that shuts off the camera if the idiot holding it turns it sideways!

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26.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Mar 9th, 2008 @ 2:08pm

    
    

    toatly over the top do u think you got the skills to do another one maybe u can but try to do another one

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27.  

    [email protected]

    

    johneenwebber, Mar 14th, 2008 @ 2:22pm

    
    

    oh yea nooooo

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28.  

    thats stupied

    

    timison, Apr 1st, 2008 @ 7:47am

    
    

    you can't blame youtube for kids blowing up stuff.when kids blow something up it's thair idea to do it.

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29.  

    

    Brian_D, Apr 11th, 2008 @ 7:57am

    
    

    I get tired of the blame youtube junk that goes around.
    
    Kids beating up kids, stealing things, blowing things up, etc. all occurred before computers were even thought of. It's just parents blaming everything on a big company like youtube instead of actually looking at their own parenting or blaming themselves for not watching out for their kids more.
    
    I know parents can't MAKE their kids act better, but they should look at the crap their kids do and actually realize that most of it has nothing to do with youtube or the internet. They want to blame something besides themselves as the parent or their kids.

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