Radioactive Boy Scout

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:19 am

I finally got to the beach this past weekend......kicked back, drank beer and read an outrageous book:
http://www.amazon.com/Radioactive-Boy-S ... 0812966600

Parents, keep your kids busy --- Even if they're geeks. There's almost no information they can't get their grubby little hands on these days!

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 12:23 pm

I wonder if his scarf glowed in the dark ....

djm

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:04 pm

i read the book description. funny. i probably won't read the book. could you tell us (or pm me) if he earned his badge?

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:34 pm

Is that the kid who gleaned radioactive material a tiny bit at a time by opening up smoke detecters?

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:13 am

Yes, that's him. He opened a couple of hundred smoke detectors, scraped the radium paint off the hands of antique clocks, etc...., and collected quite a bit of radioactive material. He never really got a functioning breeder reactor, but he had the science down. He was just under-equipped. Yes, he earned the merit badge, but I don't think he made Eagle rank. He later joined the armed services, and served on a nuclear sub!

He was arrested again this past August for stealing more smoke detectors, and served 30 days. His mug shot shows apparent radiation burns on his face. Very sad, really, but an interesting read. (Personally, I'll stick with my music obsession).

KatieBell · Post by **KatieBell** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:58 pm

crookedtune wrote:He was arrested again this past August for stealing more smoke detectors, and served 30 days. His mug shot shows apparent radiation burns on his face. Very sad, really, but an interesting read. (Personally, I'll stick with my music obsession).

You would think he would just go about it the legal way and get someone to pay him to do it. And provide safety equipment to boot!

Here's his mug shot.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:05 pm

KatieBell wrote: You would think he would just go about it the legal way and get someone to pay him to do it. And provide safety equipment to boot!

Who's going to hire him? The Iranians?

KatieBell · Post by **KatieBell** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:17 pm

Wikipedia said he hoped to work as a nuclear specialist in the navy and the marines but was denied because they believe he's surpassed his lifetime dosage of thorium. He refuses to seek medical testing. Probably because of the risk that he'll be radioactive and a threat to society and forcibly detained!

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:42 pm

Nutso.
Reminds me of the tv ad where the parents watch proudly as their child shows them his newly constructed robot toy, which then vaporizes the car and the house.