Comments on: We Have Cameras.

We Have Cameras.

ericb — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:30:58 -0800

Erika Gunderson got into a taxicab in New York City this past New Year's Eve and found a digital camera on the back seat. The cab driver had no information or interest in which previous passenger might be the rightful owner. Bringing the camera home, Gunderson's fiancé, Brian Ascher, took on the task of trying to find the owner. Using clues from 350 photos and two videos stored on the camera he was able to track down the owner, Irishman Alan Murphy in Sydney, Australia and return the camera to him.

This story echoes that of two of my friends who found a digital camera in a NYC cab and were able to "hunt down" the owners of it by examining the camera's images for clues.

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:47:25 -0800

So, kids, what have we learned. Take a picture of your business card, and make Metafilter more boring.

By: billder

billder — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:48:25 -0800

Great story. And a better tip: On the first image, take a picture of your name and phone number and lock that image. So if you lose it, you can be found.

By: Octoparrot

Octoparrot — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:53:53 -0800

My wife recently cleaned out her car and put our camera, her iPod, and a few other valuables into a trash bag to bring inside. Of course she tends to quite regularly empty the trash and set it by the door not quite making it outside and I end up taking it to the trash. You can guess what happened next... It really was quite a nice camera.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:01:51 -0800

Wow. Fun story. Very cool.

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:15:56 -0800

Also fun is finding a lost cell phone and deciding which name in the phonebook to call and report the phone to. Of course "Mom," "Dad" and "Home" are the first things to look for, but if none of those is in there you have to pick a name that feels plausible and hope it's not an ex that the owner of the phone didn't delete. "Dave, I told you never to call me again." "I'm actually not Dave. I just found this phone on the ground." "Nice try, Dave. It's over." "I'm really actually not ..." [Click.]

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:20:26 -0800

A family member found a cell phone lying on the ground in a park a while ago, and just started dialing the speed-dial numbers in order, starting with #1. The first one was voice mail, but the second was the guy's wife, so problem solved. They actually stuck it in his mailbox on the way home.

By: Countess Elena

Countess Elena — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:24:13 -0800

Recently, I was trying to put myself back together after the security screening in the relatively small airport of Jackson, MS. I didn't realize that my cell phone had fallen out of my purse. Some time after I left the gate, and before I realized I was missing the phone, a security person caught up with me and handed it back. I was very pleased, but puzzled -- how had they figured it was me? Then I realized that the phone had my dachshund's picture on the wallpaper -- and I was traveling with her. I'd had to take her out of the carrier and walk with her through the metal detector. You don't see that many dapple blue-eyed dachshunds, so it was a safe bet to look for the woman who had one. I've since gotten a new phone, and I need to remember to put my dog's picture on it too.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:25:01 -0800

Also fun is finding a lost cell phone and deciding which name in the phonebook to call and report the phone to. Actually, I found a phone not too long ago. I just called the last person that they had called.

By: tepidmonkey

tepidmonkey — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:30:11 -0800

You people are clever.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:31:53 -0800

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:37:22 -0800

Actually, I found a phone not too long ago. I just called the last person that they had called. Funny enough, I was once on the other end of that exchange, when a friend lost a phone, and the student who found it called the dialed numbers until someone answered. Good thinking on his part, double points for doing so despite being seriously stoned. Dude was baked and loving it. Ahh, Boulder in the Springtime.

By: brain_drain

brain_drain — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:47:45 -0800

Last year, I found a Blackberry in the back seat of a taxi. In the center of the screen, there was a name and telephone number. I went back to my office and picked up the phone. I called the number. A woman answered. I asked for the person named on the screen. She said she was that person. I told her I had found her Blackberry in a taxi. She said she was relieved to hear it. She asked if she could come to my office to pick it up later that afternoon. I said yes. She arrived at the appointed time. I gave her the Blackberry. She said thanks very much. We shook hands.

By: seawallrunner

seawallrunner — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:57:57 -0800

the story could have taken a different turn (previously)

By: tkolar

tkolar — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:58:15 -0800

Cue Hollywood Romantic Comedy in 5.... 4..... 3.... 2....

By: Pants!

Pants! — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:59:58 -0800

It's fun to return lost dogs too. If you see a dog running down the street with a tag, a safe bet is that it's not supposed to be and that there is a phone number on the tag.

By: Devils Rancher

Devils Rancher — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:05:38 -0800

Another puzzle like this is to look at your neighborhood on Google Earth (or Google Maps w/ satellite view) and try and figure out the exact date and time the picture was taken - car at home? church parking lot full? Snow on the ground? Known construction site status? etc.. They just recently updated our neighborhood to past the moment when our large oak tree fell square on the neighbor's vintage IH Scout.

By: zengargoyle

zengargoyle — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:07:33 -0800

Twice I have found random key rings laying around and both times there's been some little bit of evidence. Hours of walking around the neighborhood checking mailboxes and initials and knocking on doors... both returned to owners. Of course I lost an MP3 player that had my contact info on the splash screen and it's still missing... f*ckers.

By: Camofrog

Camofrog — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:16:58 -0800

I work in magazines and once had to track down the people in photos taken during the 40s, often with just a date and location on the back. It was the most fun I ever had, and this was pre-internet. Probably because it was pre-internet. I called a lot town halls and historical societies. The project eventually became a book, worth more than the rock-bottom prices I see it's fetching these days!

By: stargell

stargell — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:26:45 -0800

I hope the Irish bartenders identified in the story have their green cards. Otherwise, it could be a case of no good deed...

By: notreally

notreally — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:01:10 -0800

I found a wallet in the neighborhood. Had a couple hundred in it. Belonged to a couple who had recently moved into the hood. That was twenty five years ago and the gal and my wife became best friends and still are.

By: tkolar

tkolar — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:04:53 -0800

I left my wallet in a restroom in a public park in Auckland. It beat me back to my hotel, courtesy of a couple up for the day from a suburbs...

By: rjc3000

rjc3000 — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:05:28 -0800

create a text file called "readme.txt" or "if_found_read_this.txt" with your contact info and save it on all of your flash cards, jump drives, etc. Also create a hidden file with the same info if you know how so if there is a dispute you can point to the hidden file. (no help if drive is reformatted though)

By: PareidoliaticBoy

PareidoliaticBoy — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:10:56 -0800

I keep finding these arrowheads in the gravel-pit my trailer is parked on. No hope of findin' the owners, I'm guessin'.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:08:43 -0800

It's fun to return lost dogs too. And cats. Stowaway Kitty Reunited with Her Family -- "Family's pet cat takes flight in suitcase, which is then grabbed by mistake."

By: eccnineten

eccnineten — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:49:24 -0800

I lost an iphone and some other nice stuff. If you find it, go ahead and mail it to me. Some money too, I lost some money. A bunch of it. Thanks!

By: Thoughtcrime

Thoughtcrime — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:15:17 -0800

I found a camera at the San Diego Intn'l airport just before Christmas of '06. A family from some Scandinavian country toured the U.S. and took a lot of pictures. I should have turned it into airport security but the twelve hour delay waiting in vain for the Denver airport to open and the realization that I would be spending Christmas home alone put me in a "bah, humbug" kind of mood. Sadly my detective skills have failed me and I haven't been able to figure out how to locate the owners. This heartwarming story makes me think I should try again. Anyone have any ideas? Put some of the pictures up on a website somewhere? Maybe I'll make an AskMe post....

By: humannaire

humannaire — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:39:46 -0800

Here is a great way to spend 10 minutes that can save you several thousand dollars (depending on your stuff). In 7 or 8 pt type, create little labels with your name, cel phone, and email address. Then clip them and tape them onto your laptop, camera, iPhone, vid cam, cel phone, PSP, etc. This works great! BTW, tape label directly ON to the item and not the case or protective sleeve. And tape it well and cleanly so it's conscious effort getting it off. For some, making it extra work to actually do the wrong thing is all that is needed to push it over the edge and do the right.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:25:39 -0800

Love feelgood stories. This was one of them. Thanks.

By: bruce

bruce — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:34:54 -0800

after an afternoon of beer drinking in big sur, i stopped to urinate over a cliff. i noticed a glinting object down the slope, gingerly edged over and down to retrieve - a nikon 35 mm slr, still in good shape. when i got home, took it to a camera shop for them to open and see what was inside - no film. i was slightly relieved, had already considered worst case that it was full of child porn.

By: Tube

Tube — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:36:35 -0800

Huh. I thought that when people find lost cell phones they start making random phone calls to Guyana.

By: loiseau

loiseau — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:02:53 -0800

ericb: It's fun to return lost dogs too. And cats. Stowaway Kitty Reunited with Her Family -- "Family's pet cat takes flight in suitcase, which is then grabbed by mistake."
Weird, nearly the same thing happened in Canada last spring.

By: yonation

yonation — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:41:20 -0800

also in news

By: ObscureReferenceMan

ObscureReferenceMan — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:27:49 -0800

Good story. Kind of cancels out the bad versions (thanks for the reference, seawallrunner). And good advice here about labeling stuff, too.

By: quin

quin — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:42:52 -0800

It's fun to return lost dogs too. I've become something of a master of this in my neighborhood. There is one particular dog that I've caught and returned enough times, if it's walking down the street after escaping, and it sees me, it knows it's busted and it just turns around and goes straight home. Which, as far as super-powers go, may not seem like much, but it's better than nothing.

By: maurice

maurice — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:13:19 -0800

My wife and I found a phone on the floor of a busy department store. Thinking we'd be heroes, we called the number listed under Home in the directory. The person who answered claimed no knowledge of any lost phone and seemed rather annoyed that we called.

By: !Jim

!Jim — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:44:33 -0800

I lost my wallet on a train from Würzburg (I think anyway... one of those cities you always go through) to Munich 4 years ago. I never saw it again.