… by causing a national security alert.

This device, shown right, is a product of a guerrilla marketing campaign done by Turner Broadcasting to promote some show that I can’t watch because I don’t own a television. It can, however, foul up my evening commute by shutting down half the city of Boston while bomb squads assess a potential threat.

I’m glad to see Boston’s police department responding quickly and efficiently to what could have been a dangerous situation.

CNN reports:

The devices displayed one of the “Mooninites,” outer-space delinquents who make frequent appearances on the cartoon, greeting passersby with a raised middle finger. Nine were reported around Boston on Wednesday, sending police bomb squads scrambling and snarling traffic and mass transit in one of the largest U.S. cities.

I’ve got a great marketing idea for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the city of Boston! Let’s send Turner Broadcasting a nice bill for the expense incurred by the city. Even better, let’s send them a bill for our time. Dear Turner Broadcasting: your recent marketing campaign caused my commute to be approximately an hour and a half longer than normal. As we both value time as money, I am invoicing you for $472.11 for the additional time and travel expenses incurred as a participant in your marketing campaign.

Please send the amount, paid in full, to: Christopher Penn, the Financial Aid Podcast, 15 Cottage Avenue, Suite 501, Quincy, MA. This invoice is Net 15 days, with a 1% fee for every day past 15 due. Thank you. Hey CC, send them a bill, too!

Update: some people are confused about what the fuss was. Compare the following photos:

The top image is the digital advertising gear. The remaining two images are IEDs, commonly used in Iraq to attack US troops.