A State Police bomb squad officer in Somerville removed a device from a McGrath Highway column. (C.J. Gunther / European Pressphoto Agency)

Cartoon devices spur antiterror sweeps Enraged city and state officials readied a legal assault against those responsible for a guerrilla marketing campaign that dotted the city with battery-powered light screens, setting off fears of terrorism and shutting down major roadways and subway lines for parts of the day. (Boston Globe, 2/1/07)  For residents, fear, confusion, and outrage Image installer says they were art The man who sent city and State Police rushing to defuse what they believed were explosive devices around the Boston region yesterday and who was later arrested and charged with placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct said he was only creating art. (Boston Globe, 2/1/07) Marketing ploy exposed generation gap The episode exposed a wide gulf between government officials who reacted as if the ads might be bombs and 20-somethings raised on hip ads for Snapple, Apple, and Google. (Boston Globe, 2/1/07)  TV officials defend aggressive coverage  ADRIAN WALKER: What about next time?  GLOBE EDITORIAL: Paralyzed by a gimmick

chat transcripts:  Antiterrorism expert Richard Clarke  Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert Your view:  Consequences for Turner?  Punishment for suspects?  The scare?

Sean Stevens (left) and Peter Berdovsky found something amusing during their arraignment inside Charlestown District Court. (Globe Staff Photo / George Rizer) Months later, Berdovsky (left) and Stevens showed much more remorse, acknowledged their roles, and apologized. (Globe Staff Photo / George Rizer)

Turner Broadcasting accepts blame, promises restitution Mayor Thomas M. Menino said that the company had agreed to pay the cost of the massive effort to defuse what authorities had believed was a potential bomb plot. (Boston Globe, 2/2/07)  As suspects smirk, friends cite gentle side  Device location was factor in reaction  'Aqua Teen' leads geek-chic TV  BRIAN MCGRORY: Bad hair day in Boston  DOWNTOWN: Laughing to the bank  STEPHENSON: Bring '9-1-1' into cyberspace Arraignment video:  Part 1  2  3 photos:  The arraignment  Timeline Marketer says it acted to halt scare The New York guerrilla marketing firm that spearheaded the advertising campaign that spawned the wave of bomb scares in Boston apologized for any hardships and said it tried to stop the chaos as soon as it found out about the scares. (Boston Globe, 2/3/07) IDEAS For today's marketers, desperate times call for desperate measures Turner Broadcasting and the Cartoon Network succeeded in hijacking something that every American holds dear: our attention. (Boston Globe, 2/4/07)  JEFF JACOBY: The message in the scare  LETTERS: Fear and loathing in Boston  THE WORD: The Mooninite "hoax"

Hub's fright fuels comics
Late-night comedians and pundits spent days snickering over Boston's response to the LED ads. (Boston Globe, 2/5/07) Network boss quits, apologizes
The general manager of the Cartoon Network, under fire for approving a marketing campaign that sparked a bomb scare in the Boston area, abruptly resigned, surprising local officials. (Boston Globe, 2/10/07) Criminal charges dropped in marketing stunt
Two local artists whose guerrilla marketing stunt caused a day of bomb scares in the Boston region -- and who then fueled public outrage by appearing to make light of the incident -- apologized in court as prosecutors dropped the criminal charges against them. (Boston Globe, 5/12/07) For artists in ad scare, life goes on
Three and a half months after they scared the city by installing electronic advertisements on highways and bridges, Sean Stevens and Peter Berdovsky are crash-landing back to reality, to their old lives as penniless artists and aspiring musicians. (Boston Globe, 5/19/07)