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Geosquid's license plate found online

Zartimus

By Zartimus
in Canada

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Zartimus

+Zartimus

Posted
Posted

372889313_8eab7c4741.jpg

 

Ok, I took this pic about two years ago. Why is that important now? Cause it's one of two pictures on the Internet featuring the GEOSQUID license plate. Mine's the one not posted by a stupid person(although a few of you might disagree<grin>).

 

A year and a half ago someone nicked Geosquid's ultra cool custom license plate, which read of course, his geocaching moniker: "geosquid". I remember when it got stolen because he sent an email to a local geocaching list about it at the time. A few months before I had seen it for the first time at a geocaching event and thought, "Hey that is Cool!" (That's Tripper lying on the ground pretending to be a hit and run victim, not that I was trying to get anyone in trouble or anything<grin>)

 

Now what kinda freaks would steal a guy's license plate? Especially one that memorable ? Well, stupid people that's who. (One of them's a cute stupid person, but still..uhh, not bright)..

 

x1pjzf2ryhxrwhlko3ejx9mop5gkoy2av76hwnaj.jpg

 

So I cracked my morning paper open this Sunday, and there on page three, is Geosquid, in his Nissan, with his GEOSQUID plate. I had heard he got a new one, that it had cost $100, but why is he in the paper? As his blog would also state, he was checking out his blog's hit stats and followed a track-back to a search engine, that pointed back to some blog, which had a picture from the time of the theft of three 19-20 somethings holding his license plate with a stupid caption like, "Duh, dis is some plate we done stole.. hehehehe".. It was some Carleton U scavenger hunt (Carleton U, where the K stands for quality!)

 

Well that's cool! Newsworthy too! A psuedo geocaching story, woohoo!

 

You don't see the pic hoster in the photo, I guess since she posted it, she was taking it, which is too bad because she's right cute(see profile pic below)! Still, we're talking $100 bucks here, and lost time, and at least one police pull-over once he got the plate replaced and it was still showing as stolen.

 

111.jpg

 

What's a geocacher to do?

 

The story generated a ton of traffic to Geosquid's blog, and the suspect's blog(which has shut-down, gee-I-didn't-see that-coming-not-for-one-minute, Oops, too bad I kinda archived it first). I'll agree it's a cool plate. I liked it the first time I saw it but at least I didn't grab a screwdriver and pry it off the front of the car while my freinds snapped pictures!

 

Moral of the story. Don't steal a geocacher's license plate (even if you're cute!) He'll most likely know where to find you if you're stupid enough to post a pic online. God that made me laugh. I'm laughing now. I guess it's hard to know the guy you're stealing the plate from is a computer security professional. Luck of the draw I guess.

 

Hehehehehe.

 

Read about it at Geosquid's blog.

 

P.S. Hey, I just checked and GS copied her blog to a PDF before it got taken down, check it out!. Not bad, good reading!

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Nikon-Guy

+Nikon-Guy

Posted
Posted

I saw it in the paper early in the morning when I received it at my workplace.

 

Miscreants! I wonder if her blog site was shut down or she deleted it. Hmmm...

 

However, I looked and her MSN Live Spaces is still up with the pics. They even have photos of themselves stealing a pylon and a donut at a local Tim Hortons. A donut?!?

 

Was I that boring back in school? I don't remember doing this kinda stuff.

 

Okay... okay... I did other stuff, but at least I didn't post the incriminating photos on the internet.

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Couparangus

+Couparangus

Posted
Posted (edited)

What does it cost for these customized plates now?

 

Wait, I just found it:

 

Personalized and Graphic Plates

 

* 2 to 8 character personalized plates, Cost:$237.30

* 2 to 6 character plates with a graphic, Cost:$316.80

 

I was thinking of getting COUPANGUS but that's too many characters. But I think COUPANUS doesn't quite get the message I want across. ;)

Edited by Couparangus
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GPS Derek

+GPS Derek

Posted
Posted

If it helps Wal-Mart used to sell a lic plate screw that needs a key to take off... well actualy I think it's a allen head key with a hole in the center.

 

Won't stop the dedicated theif but will slow the morons that post there picture with stolen property.

 

Sister-in-law had the same problem with her custom ReMax something plate stolen from her van ( it's probably on a ReMax office wall some where not). I sent her to Wal mart and no more plates missing.

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BillsBayou

+BillsBayou

Posted
Posted

I'd contact the University administration about this. If this event took place within the rules of a sanctioned event, they could face sanctions themselves. Yes, everyone in the photo could face sanctions.

 

See if you can use the names of the people in the photo to contact them.

 

Find out from the local law enforcement people what the penalties are for this crime. The $100 cost may be above or below some threshold that marks the difference between a call from the police and an arrest warrant being issued.

 

I do not know the law. I've only heard rumors.

 

Thus...

 

In the US, this may be a misdemeanor. However, since they did this as an organized crime, it may cross into premeditation. Conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor is a felony.

 

Theft of property from a motor vehicle may make this a specialized type of crime. Especially as it involves the removal of a government issued license.

 

Maybe Geosquid should be contacting the local District Attorney's office (or whatever your equivalent is under Canadian law).

 

It'd be worth my never getting the $100 back if I knew that these people had to spend a night in jail; spend money on legal defense; have a permanent mark on their criminal records; face sanctions by their university.

 

I really don't like these people.

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BillsBayou

+BillsBayou

Posted
Posted (edited)

Geosquid's blog has a PDF. From there, I got the following link which still works:

http://meghaley.spaces.live.com/PersonalSp...p;_c=PhotoAlbum

 

I really suggest that Geosquid forwards all pertinent information to the administration at Carleton University

www.carleton.ca

 

Granted, this [bashing word removed], according to her blog, did this a year ago so she may not still be a student. However, she seemed to be taking some common curriculuum courses. She could still very well be there.

 

As I understand university suspensions, once you've been suspended (or God forbid, expelled), you CAN NOT attend another university! Well, you can't go to an ACCREDITED university. They tend to all stick together. That way, none of your classes transfer to anywhere else!

 

I'd like to see just how much damage Meghan has done to her own future.

Edited by BillsBayou
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BillsBayou

+BillsBayou

Posted
Posted

Please don't bash anyone, here in the forum or not. Geosquid, in his blog has already indicated he does not want to pursue any legal charges, just be reimbursed and teach a lesson about doing stupid things, taking pictures of said stupid things then posting them to the internet.

 

Thank you.

 

I'm not sure if I've done any bashing of the person. I'm just recommending harsh criminal proceedings. Criminals deserve nothing less. Don't kid yourself, these people are not pranksters, they're criminals. A prank is saran wrap under the toilet seat. Using a screw-driver to remove a government issued license for the purpose of driving priveldges is a CRIME.

 

I'll be happy to edit out anything that's considered bashing. So let me know.

 

From Geosquid's blog:

Otherwise, if I can't get this sorted out soon, I'm going to be forced to turn the matter over to the police.

 

It's that last part I'm trying to help with. The part where he exhausts his patience with Meg.

 

I'm certain he'll get his $100. Then he should contact the newspaper to let them know about it. They'll want to do a follow-up story. He can give them her full name if they do not already have it. After all, SHE'S the one who put her name on her blog.

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Zartimus

+Zartimus

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Please don't bash anyone, here in the forum or not. Geosquid, in his blog has already indicated he does not want to pursue any legal charges, just be reimbursed and teach a lesson about doing stupid things, taking pictures of said stupid things then posting them to the internet.

 

Thank you.

 

Geosquid is being incredibly nobel about it. If it was me, Uhh.. I'd be decidedly less so. If they don't take up a collection among the miscreants and pony up the dough, I hope he presses charges.

 

It reminds me a bit of the old thread about the kids who were destoying geocaches with a crossbow or some such thing and whizzing in the containers. They took photos of it and posted them somewhere online. A moderator found out, copied the pics (before they could be deleted) and kicked them off this site.

 

If you do something stupid, have the audacity to post a pic of it somewhere and get caught. Then lie in it.

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duhgee

+duhgee

Posted
Posted

Speaking of customized geocaching license plates (I know, it's going off on a tangent) - a couple of months back here in Guelph, my wife and I saw a white minivan with the Ontario license plate GEOCACHING on it (it was a while back, so I'm going off memory here that it was white, that it was a minivan, and that the license plate said "GEOCACHING") - I should've taken a picture. It was a legal license plate (not one of those decorative ones). We hung around for a bit to see if they'd come back to their vehicle, but alas, no. A couple of days later, some friends saw the same vehicle and the same plates. Now we're really curious who's it was! Seemed to be a pretty cool plate. Anyone know?

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geoSquid

+geoSquid

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am meeting with the young people in question in a little over an hour, whereupon they have agreed to present me with the $100.

 

It seems that the person who posted those pictures has not been happy with her newfound infamy and has been motivated to reach a peaceful and expedient solution to this matter.

 

As was noted in the newspaper article, I work in the security industry. Believe me, I am not above marching into the JP with my evidence, swearing out a charge, having a warrant issued and heading down to the police station with a "please execute" look on my face. It would not be the first person I've had arrested by a long shot ;) I used to work for the military police in technical security (although I was not a cop). Aside from that, how many Ottawa police do you think read the newspaper. You can bet that SOMEONE is waiting for my call over at the cop shop :D

 

I was also a bit of a hellraiser when I was young, and I appreciated the second chances and opportunities to apologise and make good. As an old, fat guy, I feel it would be hypocritical to get out the big stick when pointing a finger will do. But I keep the big stick handy, just in case. I also DID go to the university registrar with a question about "what exactly do you do to keep your students in line over there and how can I get in touch with <student>?". Unbeknownst to me, someone else sent the story - pre-newspaper-article - to the university's PR department. I have no doubt that those actions combined with the Ottawa Sun article contributed to a speedy resolution that didn't involve people being arrested.

 

Personally, I think she and her friends are learning a valuable lesson right now. Public embarrassment will do more than the justice system ever could.

 

I must also admit, the elapsed time has tempered my response. If they had spelled "geosquid" as all one word in their stupid caption for the picture, I'd have found it in a few days - while I was still flaming pissed-off - and likely would have announced my displeasure with police at her door. I have mellowed with age, or something like that.

Edited by geoSquid
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magellan315

magellan315

Posted
Posted (edited)

My intial thought after reading the earlier posts would have been to press charges. Sounds like public embaressment and the fact that this story is all over the web will follow this young lady around for quite a while. A much more suitable punishment that fits the crime, especially when the university's PR department has to deal with this. Glad to hear Geosquid is getting his $100.

Edited by magellan315
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Nikon-Guy

+Nikon-Guy

Posted
Posted

I'm glad that Squid was able to resolve this without getting the police involved.

 

And that it was actually taken care of faster than 'I' would've expected.

 

He does have a point though. This little bit of public humiliation has done a heck of a lot more than what a damaging criminal record could do.

 

Now that I think about it, I agree with Squid. When we were all that age, didn't we do some pretty stupid things (now that we all look back?).

 

Hope everything works out well at the 'meeting', Squid.

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TrimblesTrek

+TrimblesTrek

Posted
Posted

Speaking of customized geocaching license plates (I know, it's going off on a tangent) - a couple of months back here in Guelph, my wife and I saw a white minivan with the Ontario license plate GEOCACHING on it (it was a while back, so I'm going off memory here that it was white, that it was a minivan, and that the license plate said "GEOCACHING") - I should've taken a picture. It was a legal license plate (not one of those decorative ones). We hung around for a bit to see if they'd come back to their vehicle, but alas, no. A couple of days later, some friends saw the same vehicle and the same plates. Now we're really curious who's it was! Seemed to be a pretty cool plate. Anyone know?

 

Yikes...you caught me. Had the plates for a few years now.

 

It's actually GEOCACHE (8 letter max). :D

And it's a silver minivan...the plates used to be on a red minivan but it perished after too many "Wait...I can get closer" caches. :D

You should have hung around longer...we've met a pile of other cachers as a result of those plates. Makes it kinda hard to be inconspicuous at times though. :laughing: Not a surprise you saw it in Guelph... it's where the silver minivan calls home.

 

-TT-

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Zartimus

+Zartimus

Posted
  • Author
Posted

All is well. Got to meet a bunch of them, and they paid up. They looked pretty humble too.

 

In Ontario, you own your plates and are responsible for registering them as attached or not attached to a vehicle.

 

Excellent! People are good at heart I guess. Especially when public opinion is about to fall on them like a ton 'o' bricks and the threat of police charges is hanging in the air. People become so reasonable then.

 

Geosquid, you're a gentleman and a scholar for being so nice about it. I'm glad they ponyed up the dough. Restores my faith in party animals with no concern for anyone but themselves. Hell of a story!

 

Oh yeah, and I guess I should remind myself, that people aren't inheiritly bad, they just do stupid things sometimes(some with greater frequency than others).

 

Did you find out what the heck happened to the original plate? Tossed off a bridge?

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duhgee

+duhgee

Posted
Posted

Speaking of customized geocaching license plates (I know, it's going off on a tangent) - a couple of months back here in Guelph, my wife and I saw a white minivan with the Ontario license plate GEOCACHING on it (it was a while back, so I'm going off memory here that it was white, that it was a minivan, and that the license plate said "GEOCACHING") - I should've taken a picture. It was a legal license plate (not one of those decorative ones). We hung around for a bit to see if they'd come back to their vehicle, but alas, no. A couple of days later, some friends saw the same vehicle and the same plates. Now we're really curious who's it was! Seemed to be a pretty cool plate. Anyone know?

 

Yikes...you caught me. Had the plates for a few years now.

 

It's actually GEOCACHE (8 letter max). :D

And it's a silver minivan...the plates used to be on a red minivan but it perished after too many "Wait...I can get closer" caches. :D

You should have hung around longer...we've met a pile of other cachers as a result of those plates. Makes it kinda hard to be inconspicuous at times though. :laughing: Not a surprise you saw it in Guelph... it's where the silver minivan calls home.

 

-TT-

 

GEOCACHE was my first guess, and it goes to show how bad my memory is. My wife would've remembered for sure. I'm sure we'll run into you again around town - maybe even out 'n about at caches. Seeing the plate inspired my wife to get the geocaching.com license plate cover, at least. Thanks!

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CharlieZulu

CharlieZulu

Posted
Posted

Cripes, am I asking for it, or what??

He he, not bad... So, who's got the coveted "FTF" plate?

How better to rub it in to everyone else when they see that sitting in the parking lot!

 

TOMTEC

 

There are kiosks here and there that you can use to see if the name you want has been taken or not. I couldn't believe mine was not taken, so I went for it. Took 10 weeks to get, though.

 

I might look into those special screws, I think.

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geoSquid

+geoSquid

Posted
Posted

Not that I recommend doing so, but it is possible to build a device from a television flyback transformer that operates much like an electric fence, and install it on your car. When functioning, it would send a soft "warning" jolt to someone touching your car. Should the creature touching the car continue, it will respond with up to 50,000 volts as a clear message to "please go away".

 

I recall seeing it in Popular Electronics many years ago.

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CharlieZulu

CharlieZulu

Posted
Posted

Not that I recommend doing so, but it is possible to build a device from a television flyback transformer that operates much like an electric fence, and install it on your car. When functioning, it would send a soft "warning" jolt to someone touching your car. Should the creature touching the car continue, it will respond with up to 50,000 volts as a clear message to "please go away".

 

I recall seeing it in Popular Electronics many years ago.

 

How about one of them really cool Microwave blasters??

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AV Dezign

+AV Dezign

Posted
Posted

Not that I recommend doing so, but it is possible to build a device from a television flyback transformer that operates much like an electric fence, and install it on your car. When functioning, it would send a soft "warning" jolt to someone touching your car. Should the creature touching the car continue, it will respond with up to 50,000 volts as a clear message to "please go away".

 

I recall seeing it in Popular Electronics many years ago.

 

How about one of them really cool Microwave blasters??

 

:cool:

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BillsBayou

+BillsBayou

Posted
Posted

PUBLIC HUMILIATION!

 

WHOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This was better than any jail time. I have to agree with GeoSquid. My initial response of turning her into the police was wrong. Jail would be an over-the-top punishment for this crime. Nevermind, she'd most likely never actually be placed in a jail cell. Then a slap on the wrist from a judge is something that'd be on her permanent record (which she deserves), but she'd never really "pay" for her crime.

 

Now she pays. She's out the $100 and in for the teasing of her life. In the parlance of her generation, she's been "OWNED." Not one, but two newspaper articles have mentioned her. Both of which are on the Internet. Her name isn't listed, but EVERYONE at Carleton knows who she is now. "I did my time," would have been a "Tough Girl" response, but she doesn't get that. She's been outted and forced to pony up the cash for the cacher.

 

As for her friends? Well, hell, they've got their stupid faces smiling with the criminal evidence in their hands! They chipped in too. They're not going to get it as bad as Meg, but they're coming in a close second.

 

Someone needs to create one of those "Priceless" image editing deals:

 

"Screwdriver to remove plate: $7

Six-pack of beer to lower intelligence: $8

Digital Camera: $90

Getting caught with a photo of your friends committing a misdemeanor: $100

Having parents who are first cousins: PRICELESS

 

Ok, so I suck at the text.

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ZoomZoom

+ZoomZoom

Posted
Posted

In my youth I've done worst then that but learned after getting a good scare from the local law, at that time, that that was a no no. I was very young at the time.

 

Good to hear and read about this and know...some people are actually human still.

 

Hopefully she'll take up caching now instead of scavenger hunting.

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geoSquid

+geoSquid

Posted
Posted

In my youth I've done worst then that but learned after getting a good scare from the local law, at that time, that that was a no no. I was very young at the time.

 

Good to hear and read about this and know...some people are actually human still.

 

Hopefully she'll take up caching now instead of scavenger hunting.

 

I'm fairly certain she won't take up blogging again... :(

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The Blue Quasar

+The Blue Quasar

Posted
Posted

Thanks for a great thread... it's been very entertaining, both at home and at work.

 

I've met Geosquid and from what little I know of him, I would NEVER attempt to challenge him in any form if computer stuff was involved. I like my life the way it is.

 

Not saying he would do anything, but I get the feeling he is very aware of what he could do if he needed to.

 

All I can say is... I'm glad he's on our side.

 

:) The Blue Quasar

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