Your Electrical engineer at work

[celtic]

It is almost always harmless.

Therein lies the problem.

 

[Fulthrotl]

the man has a first ammendment right to have a sign on his lawn without it being taken down by the opposition.

there are a bunch of signs up in my neighborhood, about
evenly mixed. i have noticed that one party in particular
is quite a bit more militant about it than the other party.

the evil person in me wonders what might happen tonight
if the signs were moved randomly, coinciding with my
evening walk.

none changed, just moved a few houses one way or the other.

of course, my non partisan election day t shirt reads:

"he who casts the vote counts for nothing,
he who counts the vote counts for everything"

i hear they are still counting absentee votes in florida......

 

[LarryFine]

the evil person in me wonders what might happen tonight if the signs were moved randomly, coinciding with my evening walk.

none changed, just moved a few houses one way or the other.

Better yet: swap them.

 

[coulter]

... This idiot could have killed him!

You are absolutely right. That kid's father must be a complete moron to give his son a role model showing him it's okay to be a liar and a vandal. Those kind of actions will certainly increase the risk of the kid getting killed.

carl

 

[brian john]

I disagree with what he did, but sort of understand his frustration.

At one point in time everyone on the rural road I live on was going through mailboxes at a regular rate. Thoughts were passed around as to how to rectify the situation. But it finally self corrected when the 4 brothers (with an equally idiot father) either dropped out, were arrested for other activities and/or moved on.

 

[iwire]

You are absolutely right. That kid's father must be a complete moron to give his son a role model showing him it's okay to be a liar and a vandal. Those kind of actions will certainly increase the risk of the kid getting killed.

carl

I agree with you Carl, but IMPO that does not excuse the sign owners actions either. :smile:

 

[ptonsparky]

Wow, never heard of a sign on a fence warning that it is electrified. Must be a city thing. We like to surprise the critters around here, not warn them. (Not condoning either parties action)

 

[JacksonburgFarmer]

I liked it, I like it, do it again, do it again......

I liked it, I like it, do it again, do it again......

Good for the man who put the charger on the sign.:grin: We need more people like that, if we did, the country wouldnt be in the shape it is in. The kids father saying "he just wanted to see how it was put together" BULL HONKEY!!! The kid was trying to steal the sign. Pranking someone is one thing, but when pranking, your are subject to attack yourself....AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED HERE!!! Truth be known, the kids father probobaly put him up to doing it. If a kid of mine got caught doing something like this, or got shocked, well son you deserved it....Parents running around playing cleanup for their kids....THE KIDS NEED TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH THE RESULTS OF THEIR OWN ACTIONS!!!!

 

[K8MHZ]

Bathroom humor, deleted posts

Bathroom humor, deleted posts

I grew up in the country and have a pretty good idea what the posts were without even reading them!

Beside touching a flag pole with your tongue in the middle of the winter it was just one of those things kids dared each other to do.

 

[Jhaney]

I disagree with what he did, but sort of understand his frustration.

At one point in time everyone on the rural road I live on was going through mailboxes at a regular rate. Thoughts were passed around as to how to rectify the situation. But it finally self corrected when the 4 brothers (with an equally idiot father) either dropped out, were arrested for other activities and/or moved on.

My father had the same mailbox problem a few years ago (the kids were useing baseball bats hanging out a car window) so he purchased a large mailbox placed a smaller mailbox inside of it and filled the remaining void with concrete and remounted the mailbox. The next morning he found a dented aluminum bat in the driveway. Seems they tried to take it out again with no luck

 

[petersonra]

If it won't hurt a pet it won't hurt a brat. The boy's father should have dealt with the kid out in the woodshed.

Feel free to delete this, if it hits against the site rules:


CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Shawn Turschak of Chapel Hill was tired of someone stealing McCain-Palin campaign signs from his yard. Turschak, with a degree in electrical engineering, hooked up a third sign to a power source for an electric pet fence Monday and also put up a surveillance camera.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that a 9-year-old boy with an Obama-Biden sign grabbed the McCain-Palin sign and got a jolt on Tuesday.
The boy's father, Andrew Noble, upset that his son had been shocked, showed up at Turschak's door. Soon an Orange County sheriff's deputy also showed up at the Turschak's home.
Noble said his son just wanted to see how the sign was put together. Turschak said the boy intended to swap out the signs.
Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said he doesn't plan to file charges.
___
Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com

 

[Buck Parrish]

The video showed the boys father. He came back with gloves on and took the sighn any way dragging the electric wire.

Then the owner put an other sighn up, with out electric. And it was stolen 6 hrs later.

 

[charlie b]

I'm getting into this one late, but I am with Bob all the way. Nobody has the right to cause injury to another person, except as may be necessary to prevent injury to yourself, or as may be necessary to prevent theft of, or damage to, your property. In no way would I agree that a booby trap is a "necessary" preventive measure.

That said, my opinion is that the homeowner (signowner?) should have pressed charges of theft against the boy.

 

[winnie]

Is there a UL category for devices _intended_ to cause 'harmless' shocks to humans? Are electric 'pet fence' systems tested for risk of harm to humans?

IMHO setting up a trap that is _intended_ or which has a reasonable chance of causing injury is immoral and quite likely illegal. (If it is intended to cause injury then it is illegal, but I don't know about 'reasonable chance' of causing injury.) IMHO it doesn't matter what you are protecting, such a trap that is intended to cause injury is a form of vigilantism that is not appropriate in a civil society.

That said, I am all for well designed _harmless_ traps in this situation. Stores use various trap techniques to prevent shoplifting; things that spray dye or make noise, and IMHO this is totally reasonable. I like the motion operated sprinkler idea. A spring activated stink spray. A camera that goes off with a _very_ bright flash, and posts the picture to the internet. The more you can make it a funny joke, the more you will get your point across and still keep/make friends and perhaps teach a lesson.

IMHO if the 'shock' is delivered by a device that has been tested by UL to be safe on humans, then electrifying a sign isn't illegal, but still a very bad idea because some idiot might copycat with an unsafe method.

-Jon

 

[coulter]

... The boy's father should have dealt with the kid out in the woodshed.

Possibly - Although it's also possible that if granddad had dealt with father, grandson would have done just fine

carl

 

[Security101]

IMHO setting up a trap that is _intended_ or which has a reasonable chance of causing injury is immoral and quite likely illegal. (If it is intended to cause injury then it is illegal, but I don't know about 'reasonable chance' of causing injury.) IMHO it doesn't matter what you are protecting, such a trap that is intended to cause injury is a form of vigilantism that is not appropriate in a civil society.

-Jon

As a security specialist I get asked this same kind of question all the time, usually after someone has been violated by one of these supposed "good kids" gone bad and their juvenile parents who also think it OK to do what the kid did. Questions like "can we electrify the door handles" or "the siding" or "my car" are pretty standard. I feel for them and I am totally capable of doing what they are requesting and could always use the extra cash. BUT I also know that this would open me and them up to tremendous liability and possible jail time because of the law against setting up a shot gun to the door knob as protection (I cant remember the case - it was 30-40 years ago) but there's no question you'd get busted if more than just the "shock" happened.

Trust me I would like to do it on my property, and I'm not upset that this guy did it

Jim

 

[roger]

I remember hearing about a case where a HO electrified his garbage can because of dogs getting into it, anyways a child was electrocuted when he touched it, I think it ended up that the HO was charged and convicted of involuntary manslaughter. I think it was somewhere in FL.

Roger

 

[iwire]

:smile:

I don't think anyone in this thread has suggested the boy was in the right.

If it had been me, my Dad would have punished me, not stood up for me. If it was my kid stealing signs I would punish them and not have tried to give the sign owner a hard time about it.

That said it still does not give the sign owner a right to make a potentially harmful trap.

Of course I am from MA so I am required by local law to have a bleeding heart. :grin: <JK>

 

[coulter]

Sanity check for the posters believing this attrocious, deadly trap set by the vicious vigillante was immoral and illegal.

Let's consider a few scenerios:

First let's assume this is not King County, WA. As I understand, electric pet fences are illegal there.

Joe the dog lover, buys and installs (IAW local laws) a pet fence to encourage his dog to not run into the street. Nine year old boy wanders into yard for no particular reason - just being nine, and gets shocked. Now, is Joe an immoral, vicious, vigillante, committing illegal acts?

Joe puts his sign out in his front yard and the sign gets trashed. so Joe moves the sign back inside his yard a few feet to discourage the vandals. A different nine year - first one is now smart enough to not wander into Joe's yard - goes into Joe's yard to trash sign and steps on the pet fence. Is Joe an IVVCIA yet?

How about if Joe hd purposely set the sign contacting the pet fence?

Let us know what you think - I truly am curious.

carl

 

[coulter]

...Of course I am from MA so I am required by local law to have a bleeding heart. :grin: <JK>

It could be worse, you could be from King County, WA. Rat traps are illegal. Against the law to shoot ferral cats. And as I understand, although not tested in court, it is likely illegal to tie up your dog. My buddy - lives near Kirkland, is telling me this. Says the laws came in on a poorly worded innitiative. I was sure he was just screwing with me - always telling me how lucky I am to live in paradise. A couple of weeks ago there is an article in our local paper confirming. According to the article, areas of King County are being overrun with ferral cats.

Bob, tell us true, is MA worse than that?

carl