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Comment by tyingq | Hacker News Reader

I don't know that there's enough info for an outsider to reliably guess what actually happened...poison, versus microwave attacks, versus sonic attacks, etc.

However, there seems to be enough smoke to assume "some kind of deliberate attack".

That, on it's own, seems enough to dictate the path forward. More onus and pressure on the Cubans to solve it. Certainly they could provide an environment immune from most vectors.

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>> However, there seems to be enough smoke to assume "some kind of deliberate attack".

I strongly disagree. Its highly irresponsible to claim an illness of unknown source is an attack and turn ignorance into casus belli. The unquestioning certainty of an attack absent of evidence has fuelled my skepticism. I'd consider self-inflicted foolishness from US's own incompetent secret services more likely than an "attack".

There's a wide gulf in between "more pressure on the Cubans to provide a safe environment" and "casus belli".

I'm arguing there's enough evidence to ask for more action, not warmongering.

My "guess" has always been a bad taco truck (or the like). Something that maybe the locals are used to, but makes the Americans ill.

Even when the story broke, experts agreed that a sonic attack as described originally was pretty much impossible with known technology or even the known properties of sound waves. Microwaves don't penetrate walls like this. And poisoning isn't so well localized if they didn't deliberately poison some of the people.

Something strange is afoot.

Well, your Wi-Fi is in the microwave spectrum (300MHz - 300GHz), and it doesn't seem to have a problem penetrating walls with power amplifiers operating under statutory limits. What about a maser?

AFAIK, WiFi signal does not penetrate walls it reflects of them.

If it was poisoning, it'll be next to impossible finding out the source, even for the Cuban government. It could've easily been someone else (likely state actor) trying to worsen the relationship or to test how the US reacts in this case.

Or, you know, a run-of-the-mill op from the US itself, and a convenient cover with blaming the Cubans. It wouldn't be the first time of testing on own people unsuspectedly.

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