Tracking Thieves With 'Find my iPhone' 424
An anonymous reader wrote in to say "A friend of mine who just got an iPhone 3GS and has Mobile Me just used the "Find my iPhone" feature to track down his lost and subsequently stolen iPhone. This story involves three nerds wandering sketchy streets with a MacBook, and ends with a confrontation at a bus stop."
No remote shutoff (Score:3, Interesting)
A way to remotely set the phone to full volume and play a siren-tone non-stop would be nice too.
Or a remote self-destruct feature.
Single Best Story I have read on Slashdot (Score:5, Interesting)
This is awesome. (Score:2, Interesting)
Why not have it endorsed by law enforcement? You go to the police, say my $400 (and to some $600) phone was stolen. Maybe a lawyer can verify this, but I recall the grand theft charge being lowered to something around there.
The issue would be getting the police to believe that the little blue dot is a real blue dot, with someone's real stolen phone at that location.
Re:Amazed ... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Single Best Story I have read on Slashdot (Score:3, Interesting)
I down want to tarnish your enthusiasm for the story, but it has all the signs of an intended viral, paid up by Apple marketing. Do not forget all the stunts they pulled. I would say, 10% this is a genuine story.
Oh no! A ticket from the PC police! (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm not sure what your problem was given the account was factual.
Would you rather they have said "Uniquely singular ethnic neighborhood"? Would that have actually served to illustrate what they did was kind of a bad idea?
Why should people be forced to lie because you feel uncomfortable with the truths of how some areas of a city are? Is it not true there are some ethnic areas of a city that are a bit dangerous to wander around in if you are not of that ethnicity?
Re:Walking around "sketchy streets" a Macbook? (Score:3, Interesting)
Too bad it wasn't an Android phone. "Where's My Android" doesn't need a laptop to track a phone.
Re:Please Drop the Us V Them Mentality (Score:3, Interesting)
Xenophobia was a survival trait. It's part of being human. So is being able to use reason to overcome it when it is not appropriate.
It's sickening to here all the newcasters or commentators saying "how could anyone do this?" or "how could a parent ever do this to their child?". They know how someone could do it. We all know. Some people just don't want to admit that somewhere in the dark recesses of their mind are hidden away all those thoughts. The fact that they never act on those thoughts never occurs to them. They are just taught to be ashamed for the mere existence of those thoughts, free will be damned.
Political Correctness will be the doom of us all while we sit around going "la la la I'm not thinking what I just thought" with our ears plugged and eyes closed.
Re:This is awesome. (Score:5, Interesting)
"Chasing criminals and stolen property is the job of the police."
"They often have bigger things to worry about than random petty thieves"
So he should just let his phone go? Let the bad guys win? You just said that he should leave this to police, and that the police won't give a shit about it.
Re:Please Drop the Us V Them Mentality (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:LoJack for your iPhone? (Score:3, Interesting)
Philadelphia has over 400 murders a year, and has for the past couple years. My father is a doctor, and apparently Scandanavian doctors come to Philadelphia with the express purpose of studying gunshot wounds, since there are several per day in Philly.
If you were driving through North Philly or parts of West Philly, your friend very well may have been right that you were driving through a 'war zone.'
Re:Please Drop the Us V Them Mentality (Score:4, Interesting)
" i think that sucks and we will only be able to make claims regarding the elimination of racism when *no one* has any particular feeling regarding their fellow man other than those merited by the facts of the interaction."
I remember a South African adverstisement on the early days post apartheid: it was about a school bus full of angelical blonde boers fitted to play soccer, I think they were green shirts, let's accept that being the case. When they get to destiny they get out of the bus, see the team they are going to play against and suddenly all their faces sadden. Camera points were they were looking at and we see the other team is made up full of black children.
Then, one of the white boys, still saddenned, asks his trainer: But, but... they wear green shirts too! How will we distinguish between us???
Finally one of the teams go playing with shirt and the other without to resolve the problem, both teams laughing with the joy of sports.
I *never* have seen a better presentation of what racism is and what the goal to achieve should be.