Comments on: Flickr Self-Incrimination

Flickr Self-Incrimination

AccordionGuy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:29:21 -0800

Bill MacEwen's laptop got stolen last week, but all might not be lost. Someone in possession of the laptop -- possibly the thief -- just posted a self-portrait to Flickr using the account stored in the laptop. If you know anything about the gentleman in the photo, please contact Bill through his blog. If you like to fantasize about committing "the perfect crime", add this boo-boo to your "DO NOT DO" list.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:33:55 -0800

"Name that Theif." Okay I will, when I can spell write.

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:35:15 -0800

All right, so far my list of Larceny No-Nos is: 1) Don't upload self-portraits to the victim's flickr page. 2) Don't call someone a moron, then repeatedly misspell "thief".

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:35:43 -0800

"Theif" and "theifs". Sigh.

By: bitdamaged

bitdamaged — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:37:16 -0800

That's awesome.

By: tapeguy

tapeguy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:37:20 -0800

Even people who cant spel gud don't deserve to have their stuff stolen. Hopefully some internet detective will track this guy down.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:37:54 -0800

Don't you know it's "thier" and not "their?"

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:38:30 -0800

3) Do not remove cloting and fall asleep a scene of buglary. 4) Do not leave wallet at scene of buglary. 5) Do not buglarize restaurant via vent. 6) Do not buglarize home via chimney.

By: AccordionGuy

AccordionGuy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:39:18 -0800

Ill cut hmi sum slak -- maebe the theift haz left him to distrot to spel properlie.

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:41:51 -0800

7) Do not try to carjack a busfull of frail looking young women who turn out to be judo masters.

By: digiFramph

digiFramph — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:42:00 -0800

Why would Henry Rollins steal someone's laptop?

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:43:02 -0800

I, THEIF, HAZ GOT UR CUMPUTER, DEWD!!!

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:43:54 -0800

Why would Henry Rollins steal someone's laptop? To sell to Robert Downey Jr?

By: zennie

zennie — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:44:39 -0800

haye yuar stiollin mai gigg. eye ipproofe.

By: AccordionGuy

AccordionGuy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:45:10 -0800

By: Kiell

Kiell — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:45:27 -0800

My joke was going to be "What's the penalty these days for stealing someone's dictionary?" but clearly that line of humour is already a little tired. Good work, people.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:45:37 -0800

So not being a mac user and not knowing a thing about photobooth can I infer that the application is probably set to upload to flickr without intervention?

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:50:09 -0800

Weren't you lot taught this little mnemonic at school? "i before e, except after somebody has just stolen your laptop"

By: John Kenneth Fisher

John Kenneth Fisher — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:50:32 -0800

So not being a mac user and not knowing a thing about photobooth can I infer that the application is probably set to upload to flickr without intervention? Unless there's a third-party addon that I don't know about -- nope. The guy would have done this manually.

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:50:40 -0800

This is one of the few situations in which asking for it to be returned, no questions asked, might actually bear fruit.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:51:18 -0800

Pretty sure this has happened before. Only last time, it was somebody's Sidekick that got stolen, and the thief was a teenaged girl from Queens. The funny part was that, prior to posting about the ordeal, the original owner did manage to get ahold of the thief, who responded with a bunch of messages like, "it's my sidekick now, beeyotch! ur fucked!" Anybody else remember this? Pretty sure I saw it here on MeFi.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:52:20 -0800

So not being a mac user and not knowing a thing about photobooth can I infer that the application is probably set to upload to flickr without intervention? And did the thief title the photo himself at Flickr, since it is titled "me?"

By: Toekneesan

Toekneesan — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:53:16 -0800

Or bare fruit?

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:53:30 -0800

Unless there's a third-party addon that I don't know about -- nope. The guy would have done this manually Got it, so he likely did indeed title the photo. What was he thinking then -- that he was posting the titled photo to a different photo set/stream?

By: DU

DU — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:55:18 -0800

Oh crap, that's me!

By: zennie

zennie — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:55:43 -0800

Hazarding a guess, this may be someone who only understood so far as, "cool I can put a picture of myself on the Internet," without realizing it would be on someone's account.

By: junesix

junesix — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:56:07 -0800

Unless there's a third-party addon that I don't know about Not in this case however there is a Mac program designed just in case of theft. http://www.orbicule.com/undercover/

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:58:06 -0800

They've changed to the proper spelling -- "thief."

By: sillygwailo

sillygwailo — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:59:48 -0800

Technically it wasn't Bill's laptop, but rather one of the iMacs at Workspace, a shared office space in Gastown, Vancouver. This particular iMac (the one used to post the photo) was setup at the coffee bar with Flickrbooth installed and Workspace's account as the default account, so that anybody who came in for a coffee could, while waiting for their favourite caffeinated beverage, also take a photo of themselves. Whoever that is didn't know to change the Flickr account or, more likely, not to click the upload button after having taken the photo.

By: AccordionGuy

AccordionGuy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:01:18 -0800

It just got BoingBoinged. By the end of the day, he'll be the best-known thief in the nerdsphere.

By: rottytooth

rottytooth — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:05:59 -0800

Afroblanco, I believe it was this. Looks like he took the photos down, though.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:06:31 -0800

As a starter, I hope the Vancouver Police take the two photos to local tatoo parlors to see if "me" was inked locally.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:08:24 -0800

Afroblanco, I believe it was this. Looks like he took the photos down, though. Ah thanks for the reminder of that incident. The MeFi thread about the stolen SideKick is here.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:09:08 -0800

digiFramph writes "Why would Henry Rollins steal someone's laptop?" Ah, you beat me to it.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:11:19 -0800

SomethingAwful forum is on the case.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:13:26 -0800

ericb writes "SomethingAwful forum is on the case." For those of us who aren't going to pony up $10 just to get the exciting news, what's up?

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:16:44 -0800

Rottytooth - yup, that was it.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:17:23 -0800

I, THEIF, HAZ GOT UR CUMPUTER, DEWD!!! LOLFELONS

By: freshwater_pr0n

freshwater_pr0n — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:17:38 -0800

Whoa - the dad from "The Wonder Years" has really fallen on hard times, huh.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:24:53 -0800

Looks like Pete Sampras after 10 years in the pen.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:25:23 -0800

he'll be the best-known thief in the nerdsphere Man, dude better watch his back. Could be in for an ass-kicking. Oh, wait.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:45:10 -0800

18,989 flickr views alone ...

By: Nabubrush

Nabubrush — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:51:44 -0800

They've changed to the proper spelling -- "thief." URL's still buggered, though.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:59:58 -0800

Bill MacEwan has posted more (surveillance) photos.

By: wfc123

wfc123 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:08:55 -0800

The sad thing iz da people dat spell dat way on purpose, because dey think being stoopid iz da shit. Kindest Regards, Every Other You Tube Poster

By: Malor

Malor — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:12:12 -0800

You might think those surveillance photos are too low rez to identify anyone, but you'd be wrong. At this very moment, the local precinct commander is waving her hand, saying, "Enhance! Enhance!" That always works.

By: a3matrix

a3matrix — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:18:02 -0800

Don't worry! Help is at hand!! i just sent it to perezhilton.com...goodluck!

By: chlorus

chlorus — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:18:24 -0800

Don't know the guy, sorry.

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:20:38 -0800

It just got BoingBoinged. Was Cory Doctorow praising the thief for recognizing that information wants to be free?

By: dreamsign

dreamsign — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:21:52 -0800

The MeFi thread about the stolen SideKick is here. This won't end well. posted by intermod at 12:56 PM on June 7 [+] [!] Aww. How charmingly antiquated.

By: sidereal

sidereal — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:30:00 -0800

"our two iMac's" Bloody painful to read. Does he always write like that? Great story though, can't wait to see how it turns out.

By: solipsophistocracy

solipsophistocracy — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:54:03 -0800

Maybe the actual thief just uploaded a picture of someone else?

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:14:39 -0800

Heather from Flickr just found the IP address from which the photos were uploaded.

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:19:01 -0800

Devil's advocate: Or it could be the completely ignorant buyer of that machine. /Devil's advocate

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:23:23 -0800

Wow, what an amazing photograph. I'm completely entranced by it, like that high-society couple was by "The Kramer." The forlorn look on his face. The hint of shame and excitement. His slight baby-face features. The age inappropriate tattoos of an aging hipster. Specifically, the antiquated crappy HR Giger tattoo that was fashionable when he was 22. Its like I'm looking at the sum total of a life of bad decisions. This is some high-brow powerful shit here.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:41:30 -0800

posted by damn dirty ape This is some high-brow powerful shit here. Indeed. The look on his face suggests a combination of wonder and sadness. The thief marvels at his newest acquisition but knows he cannot fully take advantage of its technology since he does not fully understand it, and in a wonderfully ironic twist, he is unaware of his growing fame and the fate that awaits him due to his own ineptitude. The twinge of sadness we see is his subconcious acknowledgment of the fact his failure to understand that the technology he has stolen will itself lead to his arrest. The antiquated tattoos of Death on his back suggest a fascination with the inevitable coupled with his own inability to control, see, or comprehend Death itself. To the thief, Death is an image he cannot see without a mirror, much like the images he has uploaded to his account, unaware that in so doing he has contributed to his own inevitable downfall, a fate to which everyone but he can see.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:53:37 -0800

Indeed ... tis downright Shakespearean.

By: misha

misha — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:53:38 -0800

To me, the photo looks photo-shopped. The head looks odd on the body. Either that, or the thief is just ugly.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:17:01 -0800

Amidst all the smug superiority & quasi-vigilantism of the 101st Flying Keyboarders, I'd like to suggest that the person in the photo probably doesn't have all that much legal evidence pinning him to the crime, unless the grainy surveillance tape or other forensic evidence from the crime scene can somehow match up with him. Legally speaking, the photos could be of anybody, and with all this internet attention - if he gets wind of it - all the thief need do (if he is the actual thief) is get rid of the machine. Unless he is caught in possession of the stolen computer, there'd probably be enough reasonable doubt over who uploaded the photos to prevent a conviction.

By: jkaczor

jkaczor — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:19:27 -0800

damn dirty ape & fandango_matt Damn, when did this place turn into MetaPhil (m).... http://www.metaphilm.com/

By: LarryC

LarryC — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:24:04 -0800

Dad!

By: JeNeSaisQuoi

JeNeSaisQuoi — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:30:01 -0800

Why are so few questioning that that photo portraits the guy who uploaded it? Oh, right -- I forgot -- people never misrepresent themselves on the internet. You tend to forget that when you've been living in a space station long enough. You lose perspective I guess - mea culpa.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:50:40 -0800

the grainy surveillance tape or other forensic evidence from the crime scene can somehow match up with him. Here's surveillance video footage posted by macewan at YouTube. Pray tell, why is it categorized as -- Category: Comedy?

By: Joakim Ziegler

Joakim Ziegler — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:52:29 -0800

From the comments: "Did this guy theif your computer" This story is just full of geniuses.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:54:29 -0800

Pray tell, why is it categorized as -- Category: Comedy? I sure as Hell hope that this isn't meant to be a viral meme, a "buzz" advert for WorkSpace, etc.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:31:05 -0800

As an afterthought, all this internet activity has done the victim a grave disservice, I think. Assuming that the guy in the photo is one of the criminals, chances are he'd be relatively easily identifiable by the police, given the tattoos & assuming a prior criminal record (not unlikely, for an office break-and-enter). If this information were passed on to the police privately, they might have been able to track him down & catch him with goods-in-possession. On the other hand, posting the story all over the internet just gives him a better chance of finding out that people are onto him, allowing him to get rid of the evidence, construct an alibi and/or go underground or flee the jurisdiction.

By: sillygwailo

sillygwailo — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:51:19 -0800

I sure as Hell hope that this isn't meant to be a viral meme, a "buzz" advert for WorkSpace, etc. It's not. The computers were actually stolen. My guess: it's because YouTube's categories are a pretty limited set (I have to choose "Autos & Vehicles" when uploading videos of passing trains), and since it's funny that someone mistakenly uploaded a photo of themselves from a stolen computer, comedy is the best fit. I'm not speaking for anybody, I just happen to work across the street from WorkSpace and visit every so often for coffee.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:57:29 -0800

The "surveillance video footage posted (to YouTube) by macewan" is what is categorized as being "comedy," not the original two photos posted by the alleged thief (to Flickr) . I'm on the side that this is all real ... but couldn't help but take pause that the "victim" would tag the video as "comedy."

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:01:59 -0800

sillygwailo -- on second thought, I get your point. Yeah -- "macewan," WorkSpace and most of us do see this event as being comedic ("What a dumb asshole!"). Hence, I can understand why such is classified as being "comedy." "me" is by far the "sharpest knife in the drawer!"

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:02:52 -0800

*is by far not the "sharpest knife in the drawer!"*

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:03:28 -0800

couldn't help but take pause that the "victim" would tag the video as "comedy." well, it's Revenge of the Nerds, no?

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:04:29 -0800

ericb writes "Got it, so he likely did indeed title the photo. What was he thinking then -- that he was posting the titled photo to a different photo set/stream?" Or maybe he's setting up the guy sleeping with his wife. solipsophistocracy writes "Maybe the actual thief just uploaded a picture of someone else?" Glad to see I wasn't the only one to consider this.

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:55:09 -0800

krinklyfig - Not much useful, but here's the current SA chatter. Yes, I'm a goon too. (It's a RapidShare link. I'll update it after work. Sorry for the delay, but I had to work around things here...)

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:18:35 -0800

Metafilter:"It's like I'm looking at the sum total of a life of bad decisions.".

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:18:44 -0800

Anonymous Ask MetaFilter: It's like I'm looking at the sum total of a life of bad decisions. Much better.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:26:02 -0800

fandango_matt, you were quoted, completely at face value, in the story that ran on the front page of the local paper today.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:38:50 -0800

OMFG

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:34:43 -0800

They got him!

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:03:25 -0800

The man also contacted Global BC on Tuesday, telling the station he did not know the computer was stolen and that he had bought it from a friend who had bought it from someone else. See? It was a simple misunderstanding.

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:48:22 -0800

I knew it! Now I can ask my obnoxious question: I wonder how all those people who insulted his appearance compare, if a similar picture were taken of them?

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:15:59 -0800

I knew it! He had time to construct a story & engage a lawyer. Can't wait to hear the full story. Let's guess: "I bought it off a guy I met in a bar, never seen him before or since. He told me that he also bought t off a guy he met in a bar, never seen him before or since..."