Wired magazine picked up my story that appeared Wednesday in the New York Press ("Brooklyn's Own Superheroes")on their blog titled Danger Room: What's Next in National Security, which examines military and espionage technology. Writer Spencer Ackerman added an entry yesterday titled "Real Life Superheroes Gear Up With Ninja Throwing Stars, Ax Handles,Stun Knuckles"
Although I'm glad my article is being shared with Wired magazine's readership, I need to point out some inaccuracies from the post-
"He’s also got — in reserve — a legally dubious arsenal that includes ninja throwing stars"
I never mentioned ninja throwing stars in the article. There has been discussion on this blog recently about ninja stars and whether they are effective crime fighting tools, but that has been in relation to the media attention on the Viper (of Columbia, TN)and has nothing to do with the NYI.
Also- the blog ignored a very important sentence from my article-
"A lot of the “crime fighting gear” is illegal in New York, so it remains unused, stored in the apartment."
"when the New York Initiative asks the police if they can set up a patrol by downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Mall"
This sentence is wrong in two regards- it implies the NYI sought permission from the police, when they just ran the idea by them. They weren't like "can we set up a patrol here?" they were like "we're thinking of doing a safety patrol" That might not seem like a big difference, but it is, it's a completely different tone.
Secondly, the encounter with the police happened when we returned to NYI's neighborhood after we were in downtown Brooklyn. That's not Wired's fault though- that part got edited down so it's not as clear that we transitioned neighborhoods.
Other than that, there is a lot more to my article than the NYI's weapon collection. Describing that was to give readers a sense of environment. I understand why Wired focused on it- "Danger Room" is a blog about weaponry- but I hope the readers follow the links and get more out of it than just that.
Lastly, the comments section has a raging debate about...duct tape. I was misquoted in the blog as referring to it as "duck tape," leading to a debate between pro-duck v.s. pro-duct usage.
I'll admit that great debate isn't within my realm of expertise.
UPDATE: Gizmodo reprinted Wired's piece HERE. Over 20,000 views and the comments section is totally Snark City.
I can see Wired magazine inspiring some supervillains with this article. Perhaps I should step up my promotional game. FTH!
ReplyDelete-MSV
Congrats on being featured! Being misquoted must be frustrating. I personally prefer duck tape, but only when made with real ducks.
ReplyDelete"Duck Tape" is an actual brand name of duct tape.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the whole arsenal description does make it look like Z and them are mounting a personal vigilante army. That's not your fault though. The guys stockpiling the illegal items shouldn't have been eager to show them off. The cops are going to read the article and pay the boys a visit for sure.
Totally quackers. I don't actually care I was misquoted about that- I think it's funny people debate that sort of thing.
ReplyDelete"The cops are going to read the article and pay the boys a visit for sure."
For sure, huh? I don't know- the cops would have to read the article, care about it, track them down, obtain a warrant, and then care about what they find.
It's possible, but is it probable?
This reminds me of the South Park episode where Cartman plays CoonMan.
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