knighting is just ‘double tap to Like’ cept it’s a queen doing it, I could knight you if I wanted
— Ayesha A. Siddiqi (@pushinghoops) September 15, 2015
On Monday, Irving, Texas 9th grader Ahmed Mohamed was arrested at school for bringing in a homemade clock to show his engineering teacher. Police decided the device was a “hoax bomb,” though they neglected to call in even a hoax bomb disposal unit. Mohamed’s school sent home a letter telling parents that “the Irving Police Department responded to a suspicious-looking item on campus yesterday,” by which they presumably meant a Muslim child.
The story was picked up by Buzzfeed, Techcrunch, and Slate, among others. Anil Dash got involved, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Andy Ihnatko blogged about it, social media blew up, and at some point the whole event created a kind of non-orientable Take manifold; a Klein bottle of crappy opinions with only one side and no bottom. For example:
- White nerds are victims too!
- You know who’s really to blame? THE TERRORISTS!
- But terrorists DO use technology!
- I am only willing to feign concern as a ploy to advance my own grievances!
- Hey we make clocks too! Buy our clocks!
For comment, Tabs reached the Take Tree, currently consulting on this phenomenon at the Stanford High-Energy Take Lab:
“I can’t even with this,” said the tree.
Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of “Hackers,” the worst hacking movie that everyone loves anyway. Private bus company Leap announced an industry-leading partnership with Fiverr. Jeff Bezos added a free subscription to moribund local newspaper The Washington Post to Prime, Amazon’s cheap-shipping-and-unwanted-media bundle. The Neko Atsume live stream is over, and it’s probably just as well that you missed it, given the high risk of sleeping cats. Some guy from, I guess, a TV show or something (?), lied about being in 9/11, potentially violating the Buffalo Wild Wings standard of integrity. Nihilist Arby’s IRL: “There is nothing Venmo can do to comfort you.” Terrifying Robot Update.
from that hedge my friend
— i wish you (@wouIdstepback) September 14, 2015
Today’s Opportunity: If you like Today in Tabs, the NY Times David Carr Fellowship might be for you.
Today’s Song: Run the Jewels and TV On the Radio, “Angel Duster“
~And we didn’t go to Dallas, cause Jackie Onassis said that it ain’t safe for Muslims yet~
Today in Tabs is so glad to be back! Sorry I took yesterday off but traveling back from XOXO put me in the nap locker all day. Thanks as always to Alison Headley for the Take Tree, Fast Company for our home on the web, and you for subscribing by email.