Find Your Stuff
I mentioned microchipping in the story about Rosie, and was thinking that maybe the idea about microchipping for pets came form the notion about putting tracking vehicles on cars to recover them when stolen. The difference, of course, is that pet microchips are scanned for info and don’t physically track a pet. I was thinking about how someone could recover a sentimental item, like a piece of jewelry, or their bike. When I was a kid, one of our neighbors scratched a serial number into a bike, but I guess that only works if the bike doesn’t change hands in the meantime.
Connecticut based
Foundit Lost and Found Service has started a service that helps people recover items. You place a decal with a code on your item, and then you register it on a website. This is a very interesting concept, but it still works on the honor system. If someone finds it and would naturally try to find the owner, it would be a big help to them. If the person was out to steal it, or doesn’t wish to find you, then it doesn’t work. There is nothing that compels them. However, for the honest people of the world this is a good thing. It does take critical mass, though. People need to know what they are looking at, and the likelihood in the beginning of the venture of people knowing what to do with the numbers might not be widespread yet.
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December 6th, 2008 at 2:23 am
That’s not a bad idea. I’ve picked up a couple of mobile phones in the past that seem to get left in a nearby park and have had to wait until the owner calls their own phone (after realising they’ve lost it) in an attempt to recover it. Honesty has always been the best policy also, of the two phones I’ve returned to their owners I’ve been given movie passes and bottles of wine as thanks (not that I asked for anything).
John Lampard’s last blog post..Numskull opening night photos, MTV Gallery, East Sydney