Bombs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. It can be difficult to determine if something is a bomb especially while in its pre explosion mode. Its ironic that this pre explosion period of a bombs life is also the most important time to identify them. Until sometime closer to the end of civilization as we know it, conventional bombs are the most easily obtained. A conventional bomb has three main parts. 1.) An Igniter The igniter is the part of the bomb that kicks off its metamorphosis into an exploded bomb. An igniter can be triggered with a timer, or an event, such as sudden negative acceleration, or a strong irrational or greedy belief of some human. 2.) Bomb Fuel Bomb fuel has lots of potential energy. A good bomb fuel remains relatively boring until it's suppose to start burning. 3.) Bomb Container The bomb container encloses all the other bomb parts. These three parts are not interesting unless put together properly. With any two parts, you have no bomb. If these three parts are put together in the right proportion then upon ignition a well organized bomb begins it journey into a much less organized explosion. Here is a typical, easily identified bomb: a bomb Bombs are not always as easily identified. Cluster bombs have been mistaken for food. Bombs are also hidden. Here is a shoe. At least one shoe has been turned into a bomb. shoe or bomb? Sometimes things that everything thinks is going to be a bomb actually isn't. For instance, Gigli for the DS was a massive success and wasn't the bomb that everyone thought it would be. gigle ds was not a bomb Liquids and bottles can be used as bombs as well. bomb Now, the mooninites don't *look* like bombs. Yet many things that are bombs don't look like bombs. They look like cars, shoes, bottles, notebook computers, cellphones, etc...every day objects. Thats the point. moon guys The latest bomb scare in Boston involves LED lit signs of the above cartoon characters stuck by magnets to metal structures that are used to hold things up like roads. Most people who encounter this story think, "how stupid can you be? thats not what a bomb looks like. stupid police...stupid boston people..." Yet anyone who reads "The Anatomy of a Bomb" realizes that an object isn't suspicious because it looks like a bomb but because of its placement and context. Any random shoe isn't a bomb. Any random backpack isn't a bomb. Its a matter of the surrounding situation. If you are driving along the same familiar road you always drive on and suddenly you see something unfamiliar and organized sticking to the roadway above, its fair to think its a bomb...or at least say something. When the bomb scare hit, I loved to imagine the meeting with the people who came up with this ad campaign. "The good news is our ad campaign has been more successful then any one ever thought it could have been. The bad news is that..."