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My god why is it that when someone is lost it absolutely HAS to be a terrorist abduction... The guys probably just fell off the boat and sank somewhere.

It's easy to judge from the outside, but until a body is found I can't blame them for doing whatever to try to keep the investigation open. Can't imagine losing a kid.
 
No, the terrorists want the total opposite: They want you to think that the terrorists are responsible so that people feared them.

Terrorism: Terror. Terror: Fear. Isn't it obvious? They just want us to fear them. Notice how people are STILL upset over 9/11? That's EXACTLY WHY THE TOWERS WERE HIT, IT BRINGS A LOT OF NEGATIVE TALK AND FEAR OF TERRORISTS!!

I was both joking and not.

From what I've heard, it sounds like there are some suspicious characters in this story. It seems like one of the fathers(? I haven't followed this story closely - might actually be an uncle or something) of one of the boys may somehow be related in them disappearing, and he might want the iPhone to disappear since it could contain evidence.

Obviously terrorists weren't involved. But there might be a relatively ordinary murderer trying to cover up the trail and make it look like an accident.
 
FWIW, the below model costs less than $100, has GPS, and is waterproof.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J5MQ20/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3

Amazing what you can get for $80-$100.

(BTW, AFAIK, you are not allowed to use these radio frequencies for land-land communication, correct?)
You are in the UK if you are licensed. For example they are used for expeditions, they also need to work at land as you should have land control!
I have a licence, but for you unless you have a licence it would be illegal.

(edit: a licence is an international licence so the same rules apply everywhere so I could use it in America for land to land - just if I had genuine reason and I follow protocol)


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The boat was a 19' Boston Whaler-type craft. Virtually unsinkable, but with relatively low freeboard, and no cabin or shelter from the elements.

How did they both come to be lost? I can imagine all sorts of scenarios; but probably the most likely is that they anchored the boat in shallow water and decided to go swimming or snorkeling. If one of them got into trouble, or if the anchor dragged or mooring came loose, the boat could have very quickly drifted or blown out of reach. If they were more than a mile or two from the mainland or a substantial islet, they would have very little chance of surviving very long in the open water.

I doubt the boys had any intention of traveling very far from the coast. The boat probably drifted on the current towards Bermuda.

I'm quite sure the Coast Guard and other investigators examined the recovered boat very closely. If there were any signs of a struggle or violence (bloodstains, bullet holes, scuffs and dents from ramming or boarding) the investigators haven't said so. The fact that the iPhone was found in a locked compartment suggests, to me, that the boys had no hint of trouble before they became separated from the boat.

Good reminders, BTW, about not going out on the water without appropriate communications and safety gear. As well as a solid grounding in the fundamentals of seamanship.

Good point, though if its been at sea for a few days, these sort of boats do get swamped with sea water and although they float, any blood stain or body could wash away, its a shame if these did.
Though they could have easily gone swimming though I would expect if they went swimming they would have taken gear as getting out of the sea and then spending a hour on a boat, from my experience, is unpleasant even in hot conditions.
 
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Sounds like the parents are the ones who should be investigated for letting 2 14 year olds go boating alone.....am I nuts? Disclaimer: I don't have any kids
Yes you are... at 14, kids don't want to be accompanied by their parents and have each of their moves followed. It makes perfect sense to let two teens go alone fishing, they are capable enough to do it by themselves, and most importantly, they want to be independent at this age.
 
Sounds like the parents are the ones who should be investigated for letting 2 14 year olds go boating alone.....am I nuts? Disclaimer: I don't have any kids
It sounds nuts yes and I wouldnt be happy to move from a major city and have them go out in the boat alone. But if they have lived there all their lives, they had probably learnt to drive a boat when they were big enough to take the controls.
Fine with guidance but you build that up - I went sailing when I was 14 on my own and that is much more dangerous than power boating
 
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Supposedly the passcode is already known by the parents. Thus "cracking" it is not the issue. The task at hand is to work the iPhone such that is operational, the know passcode is entered and then get the data.

Since who was in possession of the iPhone was a minor, the parents own the data. Supposedly they have already consented to search the phone. You cannot compare this to the FBI case.
 
It sounds nuts yes and I wouldnt be happy to move from a major city and have them go out in the boat alone. But if they have lived there all their lives, they had probably learnt to drive a boat when they were big enough to take the controls.
Fine with guidance but you build that up - I went sailing when I was 14 on my own and that is much more dangerous than power boating

I suppose I didn't take into consideration that they may have been experienced, however it seems that at least better communication equipment was needed, or they needed more training on it....unless something came out of nowhere and knocked them overboard. Either way, it's a shame and I hope they figure out what happened to the young men
 
Yes you are... at 14, kids don't want to be accompanied by their parents and have each of their moves followed. It makes perfect sense to let two teens go alone fishing, they are capable enough to do it by themselves, and most importantly, they want to be independent at this age.
While i agree with the general message, i'm wondering if you mean this as i read it:
Is "they are capable enough to do it by themselves" less important than "they want to be independent at this age"? Because i think "if they are capable & trained" should be a requirement... (edit; i read the responses after this comment and i think you agree ;-) )
That's still just a theory. Not proven.
But plausible, so making it a mystery requires effort...
 
No, the terrorists want the total opposite: They want you to think that the terrorists are responsible so that people feared them.

Terrorism: Terror. Terror: Fear. Isn't it obvious? They just want us to fear them. Notice how people are STILL upset over 9/11? That's EXACTLY WHY THE TOWERS WERE HIT, IT BRINGS A LOT OF NEGATIVE TALK AND FEAR OF TERRORISTS!!
Which is pretty much their ultimate goal. We may win the battle against terrorists. But we lose the war against terrorism already.
"Nowadays, modern humans are mentally too weak." My father told this to me.
 
Disclaimer: I don't have any kids
I hate it when parent's use this to try and downplay the message or common sense. You don't need to have given birth to have an opinion about kids
 
LOL so now they're admitting that there IS a back door... just they only use it for people lost at sea, not terrorists.

Awesome ethics guys :p
 
"According to the court file, Austin's stepfather, Nick Korniloff, contacted the FBI in the belief that the boys had been abducted, but no official criminal investigation was undertaken."
"The phone "potentially holds the key to answer a question that a mother desperately needs answered," the Cohens' lawyer told the judge presiding over the hearing. "And let's be clear, your honor, the boys are not declared dead.""

Lol, ok..... pretty pretty please tell me how you got "terrorist abduction" <----- YOUR WORDS; out of that.



Waits patiently for iOS 10 & the inclusion of the new "facepalm" emoji; perfect at times like this... always nice when they cite evidence proving themselves wrong... lol
*sigh*
 
So this is not mentioned in the MR article, but the boat was originally found a couple of days after they went missing, and then the coast guard "lost it" and it went missing again, AND THEN turned up in Bermuda a year later. The teens did not go anywhere near Bermuda.
 
Why isn't the NSA helping? Regardless of the device, the NSA should be the one asked first for whatever they have recorded.
 
Why isn't the NSA helping? Regardless of the device, the NSA should be the one asked first for whatever they have recorded.
You honestly think the NSA records every phone call and text message sent?

Face palm
 
You honestly think the NSA records every phone call and text message sent?

Face palm
Well, that's what they said right? How they needed to do that to protect Americans from terrorists.
So what are you saying? Are they lying? If so, why do they still exist?

This is the problem of today's voters. In denial.
Meanwhile, government agencies can practically say and do anything, while using up taxpayer's money, without any accountability.
 
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