DCoT Helps Find Lost Child
A recent comment from Erik made my day! It seems that he has found a unique way to use the Lost Drive application that recently appeared in Popular Science. Erik writes:
This little program saved my wife and I a lot of of grief and emotional trauma while on vacation. Read on.
I am a PopSci reader and linked to DCoT via the mag. My family, which includes two VERY energetic boys, five and three, went to Disneyland for a little get-a-way. Before we went I told my wife about the ‘I’m Lost’ program that one can install on a jump drive.
We decided to buy three 32Mb drives, which are a dime a dozen nowadays, one for each boy and one for us with the same program and ’secret phrase’ on it. We also included our cellphone numbers. Two lanyards with dangling USB drives that had a ‘I’m Lost’ label adhered to them and tucked into their shirts later, we had two boys that if got lost would be found and be reunited with us quickly.
We told the boys to cry for mom or dad if they wander off or got lost and then give the USB drive to the person that found them.
Our three year old did just what we thought he would do - Disappeared. Within 13 minutes of being ‘lost’ though, my cellphone rang. My three year old whom we thought didn’t understand what we told him about the funny thing around his neck actually did what we told him. The account from our boys ‘finder’ was humorous and panned out like this: My little redheaded boy was SCREAMING for his mom. The ‘finder’ came to help him, the boy showed the ‘finder’ the labelled USB drive, the ‘finder’ then brought him to security, security plugged the USB drive in to his computer, saw the message and called me on my cellphone. When we went to retrieve our boy the security guard asked for our USB drive with the secret phrase on it. The USB drives performed just as set up to. It had my cellphone number, my boys’ first name (first name only!) to calm him down and his favorite treat.
To say the least, D-land security was very impressed and the ‘finder’ equally impressed and my redhead boy was wearing M&M’s on his lips and chin.
There it is. Not only can you retrieve lost USB drives with this you can also find lost kids. Thank you!
First of all, I’m really glad to hear that everyone is safe and sound. The biggest fear that I have is that something will happen to my kids. That must have been the longest 13 minutes of your life!
Second, that is a really cool way of using the application. I had never thought of it in that way but it is definitely something that I would consider setting up for my kids.
Third, this really makes my day. There are times when we all wonder whether or not we are making a difference in the world. Well, I sure don’t feel that way today! Thank you for sharing your story and I wish all the best for you and your family!
80 Responses to “DCoT Helps Find Lost Child”
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Mushiro's RSS feeds » March 23, 2007 Says:
November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 amThe USB drives performed just as set up to. It had my cellphone number, my boys’ first name (first name only!) to calm him down and his favorite treat. Holy cats! Saving lives and data all in one shot. Nice going, Daily Cup of Tech. — Gina Trapani DCoT Helps Find Lost Child [Daily Cup of Tech] [IMG]
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The Fieldhouse Says:
November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 amA More Secure Home WiFi DesignThe Anatomy of a VirusHigh End Router, Low End HardwareRemotely Accessing ComputersDonated/Trashed a Computer? Your Data May be at RiskWindows Update On A DiskStories of Identity TheftDCoT Helps Find Lost ChildHow Jared Was Hacked!E-Mail Request: USB AntivirusThe Vista SkipRearm DebacleMake Vista Less AnnoyingTorpark 2.0.0.2a ReleasedWhy don’t you just go Google yourself?Secure Your Computer in 20 Minutes
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David Grant dot ca Says:
November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 amSimply Recipes: Spicy Garlic Cashew Chicken Recipe Simply Recipes: Carne Asada Recipe Simply Recipes: Pavlova Recipe DCoT Helps Find Lost Child | Daily Cup of Tech morguefile.com Classroom
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ReadySetMom Says:
November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 amThank you Patty for sending this interesting tidbit from Popular Science on using flash drives to help find a lost child at Disneyland. If you don’t want to read the link, the gist is the family had their kids wear flash drives on lanyards during a day at Disney. The flash drives had the parents’ cell phone numbers, so when the lost kid was found by a concerned adult and brought to
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Improbus Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 11:03 amNow I know what to get my brother for Christmas … USB Lost Sticks for his kids. They are of an age where this is desperately needed. Thanks for the gift idea!
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slack31337 Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 12:20 pmWOW! well done. I could not imagine loosing one of my kids, I am definitely setting this up for my kids, even to just keep in a school bag or on a lanyard with a house key when they are old enough. Kudos to both of you for bringing this idea to the attention of the DCOT readers. Now all we need is for the USB to come with GPS on them and we (and the kids) are good to go

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Kevin Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 1:04 pmGood job Tim, the father as well. I really hope you get the publicity from this you deserve. You’ve got a great thing going here.
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CigarJim Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 2:23 pmThat story made my day! Well done DCOT.
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Curious Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:41 pmThis is something that needs national attention given all the kids that wind up missing and/or lost.
Such a simple use of this hardware, given that the hardware is in place used everywhere.
Kudos to the poster and we’re glad everthing turned out ok for the youngster (M&M’s can do wonderful things for a young mind…)
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slack31337 Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 4:23 pmi took curious’ idea and submitted your site to Digg (again
http://digg.com/gadgets/USB_drive_helps_find_lost_child
might want to warn your provider to bump up those pipes, if it hits front page the digg effect will be in full effect. Sorry if this causes problems. But I agree with curious this should be brought to the attention of anyone with children.
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Hypercubed Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:00 pmI too am very paranoid about losing my son. So paranoid that he is always in my sight. Even so I do the same thing but a little old school… dog tags!
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Brent Says:
March 22nd, 2007 at 9:34 pmGreat job.
Who would of thought a blog entry could take you so far.
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Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - Evil Mad Scientist project in April issue of Popular Science Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 3:34 am[…] lost kid story (dailycupoftech) […]
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Kat Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:12 amAwesome, but it’s only going to work somewhere where there are computers around. I know, I know… they’re everywhere today, but for example, some places drill it into peoples’ heads not to plug in a USB drive from an unknown source.
I think a sticker on the kid’s back with the “if I’m lost” message and your cell number would work just as well. We have those at our county fair.
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eli Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:55 amThis may be the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen on the entire internet. Just put write the info on a card?
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Mike Hersko Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:04 amNow the only thing left to figure out is what message to put on the USB.
“Congartulations!!! You’ve found my child
His name is Steve give him some M&Ms and call 123-456-7890 to claim your prize… Call in the next three minutes and shipping is free! This offer expires in 2 hours.”What do you all think? Good to go?
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stephen Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:09 amThat’s a cool idea. My family went to DisneyWorld last year, and I had some worries about losing my son. I took a Sharpie marker and wrote “My Dad’s Cell # is ###-###-####” on his chest. I like your idea better.
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t3knomanser Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 amNot to be the downer, but I’m not sure how this is superior to a laminated card or dog tag style thing? It’s cooler, sure- but more effective? I wonder.
Could it become a more effective application? I think so! I’ve now got some ideas on an app that could take advantage of this.
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mike Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:21 amSurely this is bit OTT? Do Disney not have those wristbands for your kids that you can write your phone number on when you enter the park?? A low-tech solution I know, but excludes the need for a pc.
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Brent Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:18 amI think I may get one of these mini drives, and apply it to our dog. He doesn’t run around, but you never know.
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TacoBoy Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:25 amBoy have times changed. Back when I had small kids we just had to be responsible and actually not loose our kids (especially when we knew that they were prone to wandering off).
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My Rant Site Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:51 amUSB Drive Helps Find Lost Child…
This article is about a guy (or gal?) who programmed some USB drives to help return their lost child to them. What a smart idea!
……
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Karen Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:52 amI also prefer the Sharpie message on the stomach. It’s simple, immediate, low-tech and hard to lose.
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Total Depravity Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 11:40 amiParent: Return if Found…
Last fall, Daily Cup of Tech unveiled a small application for a USB drive to help recover the drive if it’s ever lost. When the drive is plugged in, the ‘Help! I’m Lost!’ application appears with the contact information of……
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U Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:46 pmThat is really stupid. I thought an ‘army dog-tag’ style card/tag in the neck or on wrist was a simple enought idea.
btw, if you really want to do it… then add pictures of mum and dad and the pet dog as proof that you are the parents
and how about replacing ‘Please return me to:’ to ‘For ransom contact: ‘…

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sygyzy Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 4:28 pmWhy did the security guard ask for the guy’s USB drive and what is this “secret phrase” thing all about?
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I Says:
March 23rd, 2007 at 4:34 pmLame lame lame. I have an “_If Found Call ###-#####.txt” on my USB drive, but what kind of idiot
1. expects to lose his kid
2. expects whoever finds the kid to go find a USB driveFile this under I’m such a geek I deserve to die.
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duh? Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 12:10 amwhy was there not a telephone number written on said drive? Im I not getting something? what if your kid gets lost at a gas station on the road and they don’t have a computer? a cellphone number on that drive would have surely helped. and attach a small picture of the parents to the drive with the word parents- much better ID than a password?
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Dave Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 12:22 amHow do you lose your three year old? What do you mean he disappeared? You’re in friggin Disneyland. How do you even let him out of your sight for 2 seconds?
I have an idea for something to help you not lose your kids. It’s called a brain. Use it.
You fail as a parent.
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Rick Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 12:40 amHopefully the child molester that finds the kid has his laptop with him!
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Brian Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 1:02 amI wonder how hard it would be to include code that emails the parents the IP information of the computer that’s running the script?
If the kid were kidnapped and the kidnapper found the USB drive and decided to use it (slim chance, but still…) the parents would have the IP address and maybe the email address of the kidnapper.
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Nick Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 1:06 amWatch your children. I have taken my kids to disneyland countless times. They are 2 and 4. They have never wandered off, they have never been lost. You know how? You know why? Because I WATCH MY CHILDREN! Relying on the goodwill of a random stranger to put a USB stick into a computer is foolish! You’re fortunate that your child was ‘lost’ at disneyland. They constantly deal with lost children.
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Alan Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 1:37 am“File this under I’m such a geek I deserve to die.”
Ha! So true.
In addition, a lot of places disable USB drive access for security reasons. You might lose your kid at a bank and they’d have no idea what to do with the USB drive. A laminated card is such a better solution.
My family just came back from Disney and my wife put a card in an ID card lanyard that one of us got from a conference somewhere. On our first day there, we rode in the first car of the monorail with the driver. What a thrill for my kid as we drove through EPCOT, all lit up at night.
At the end of the trip, the monorail driver gave him an honorarary monorail enigineer card, which he put in his ID card holder. He showed it to everyone on the trip. Even the TSA agents at the airport, who actually smiled. I’d never seen one of those guys smile before.
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marley Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 2:24 amWhat a complete waste of time. I kinda suspect he “lost” his child on purpose just to show how cool his idea was. Pathetic.
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Janne Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 3:05 amTotally useless idea, something harder to lose and something that does not require a computer to read would be much much more useful.
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Tim Fehlman Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 3:37 amI just thought that I would throw a couple of comments in here at this point and maybe set a few rules.
1. If someone’s child goes missing, this does not make them a bad parent. Until you are in the situation yourself, you do not know how quickly or easily this can happen. Please, no more comments about how fit or unfit these people are as parents because you simply do not know.
2. I agree that this is a rather high tech approach to finding your kid that may not work in all situations and that there may be other ways around this but blanket statements indicating that there is absolutely no use for such a device is obviously false since it worked. Otherwise, we would not have this story.
3. Helpful comments will be added. Comments wasting valuable time and resources will be deleted.
Tim
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Anders Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 3:47 amSo.. is this program Windows only? And.. screaming child or not, I’m not running unknown programs on my computer..

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Amby Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 4:03 amWhat about installing a jabber client so that the finder could instant message the parents about their missing kid/keychain.
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pligg.com Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 8:24 amKind teruggevonden door USB stick…
Niet geschikt voor militairen, wel voor de rest van ons: je kind een USB stick omhangen met daarop een bestandje met daarin je telefoonnummer. Kunnen ze je bellen als je engeltje wegloopt.
Uhm, héél nuttig. Simpel een polsbandje om of een gelamineerd… -
Jon Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 9:13 amGood idea with the usb thing but..
Comment removed as per earlier post. Tim
If your good with programming, how about putting a program on the usb, so if someone ends up taking your kid, and puts the usb in their computer, the program could connect to the internet and show the location of where it was plugged in and at what time.
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Simon Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 9:50 amGood idea, but it will work for one more year.
After that, GPS will help you to locate yours kids just in seconds. -
Chris Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 10:02 amThis is a great story and all, and I love unique applications of technology but… wouldn’t telling the kid to give a grownup the POST-IT NOTE with your phone number tucked into a pocket have performed the same duty? Or put a dog tag on the same string instead of a USB drive? I mean it’s cute, but besides selling more USB drives I don’t really see the necessity.
When I saw the headline I thought maybe a kid was kidnapped, the kidnappers found a USB drive on him & plugged it in for kicks, it broadcast the IP to your email or phone… and police rushed the scene. THAT would have been impressive.
Anyway, glad you got your kid back.
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Digital Whiteboard Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 10:32 amTim, thanks for laying down those rules….I have a good friend who actually lost their kid at an amusement park and they are a GREAT parent. People just want to look at the negative side of things. ..but a story like this makes me think how effective low-tech solutions are, like the dog chain thing. Very demeaning, but I bet it would be hard to lose your kid.
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Mr.T Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 10:45 amI don’t know the brand or productname, but there is a product for not losing your kids that works like this:
The parent wears a receiving-keychain that can beep, the child wears a sending keychain. When the child is to far away, the parents keychain starts beeping.Maybe someone knows how this product is called, but might be usefull to some readers.
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pligg.com Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 11:09 amDaily Cup of Tech » DCoT Helps Find Lost Child…
A recent comment from Erik made my day! It seems that he has found a unique way to use the Lost Drive application that recently appeared in Popular Science….
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jay sheckley Says:
March 24th, 2007 at 4:24 pmi read about this on evilmadscientist.com. wow!
the whole thing is interesting, including the several legit objections, weakened by understandable fear-induced name-calling. perhaps the high-tech angle here interested the fam in special measures. if so, that was a saving grace.
true: the high tech angle is most necessary if it can help trace the ip of a kidnapper. guards and kidnappers are likely intrigued by passwords, what fun.
i imagine many kids carry cell phones now with a mom button. any highpower walkie-talkie connecting kid with parent could show a cell# and parentphoto. maybe you could jam an m&m in there too.
my toddler [who i managed to not lose via kidcarrier packs and cheapie 2nd-hand strollers] grew up into a techie who is getting the word out about this usb story. now i walk my nutty little dog on a 4 foot bungie leash belt, which frees up the hands, is less destabilizing to balance than anything attached to wrists and lets us both feel secure. why not attach everyone by [harnesses or] belts? there’s a custom bungie leashbelt maker on ebay who can build to suit too. or mom and dad could each have one kid satellite, who would also be “labelled for individual use”. i’d rather look silly than be doomed.
remember you mustnt insult anyone until youve work out your best system and have it up and running.then duplicate it for others. publicize it. by then the cranky words have had time to soften. i guess we are all worried about all children. doh!
many many congrats to the parents, the child, the guard, the finder, the kid who _didn’t_ get lost, and to everyone who writes and reads the cup of tech. -
chudez Says:
March 26th, 2007 at 12:13 ami’d just like to comment that:
1. it’s always a good idea to have a plan in case your child goes missing, and any comment to the effect that parents “should just watch their kids” is correct but shortsighted. unless chained down, children will wander off. have you ever thought about what a very dense crowd looks like from the vantage point of a 4 foot something kid?
2. a low tech solution (dog-tag, bracelet, tatoo — kidding!) is a good way to go.
3. this USB solution is also ok and works best in combination with the lo-tech approach. the advantage of the USB drive is that the USB drive can contain more info than a dog tag
fyi
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OpinionBug.com Says:
March 26th, 2007 at 6:25 amUSB Drive Helps Find Lost Child…
This looks like an incredible idea, one that I plan to use as well:
DCoT—A recent comment from Erik made my day! It seems that he has found a unique way to use the Lost Drive application that recently appeared in Popular Science. …
First of al… -
Curious Says:
March 26th, 2007 at 12:04 pmChildren get lost all the time, and realistically, no one can physically watch them 24/7 indefinitely. The responsibility for that part of the dilemma must be shared between the other family members. This does not mean one can’t try, but invariably some children are just good at disappearing and getting lost.
To place blame is not at issue here. It does not help anyone to do this. What can help us is to examine what went wrong and the solution that a family used.
This idea is sound, but not enough. Multiple forms of identification are still required to offset the lack of technology, as well as the lack of technologically incline users.
As previously mentioned ‘Old School’ definitely has (and always should) have its place. If one form of ID fails, then the other should be used. The current system of ID is starting to use both. In the future, it may be all digital and therefore could be the weak link in the digital ID world. We all may be “wearing” our ID under our skin. New technologies are being created every day, but is this necessarily a good thing? Only you, the consumer, the user, the parent, can decide.
Identification can be a good thing, as in this case. It did work for the user. This time.
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freemis Says:
March 26th, 2007 at 6:27 pmThe Angel Monitor is the one that beeps when your child “wanders” more than 30 feet from you and can be found on ebay
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Bob Says:
March 27th, 2007 at 9:20 amI think it’s great that as a society, we are generally using less paper. However, I think this is one of those cases that paper would be a better solution. Using high-tech when a low-tech solution is better is not high-tech.
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Curious Says:
March 27th, 2007 at 3:47 pmNowdays, 30 feet can mean the difference between that hotdog you’re eyeing and your child being scooped up and suddenly disappearing by someone who was watching you as well as your children.
Just about every concievable idea thought of on this subject can be defeated - with patience and a little common sense.
You should not rely on one method alone but use multiple methods for the given situation. For example, if going to D-Land, then use the USB, laminated card, marker on the tummy (under the shirt), and a maybe a monitoring system (similar to the Angel Monitor) that not only lets you hear the child but makes a loud, audible alarm to both devices when your child strays more than 30 feet. The childs device would, in essence, need be locked onto their clothing making it difficult to remove in a hurry. If the child strayed away or was taken, this would sound the alarm and draw attention from all around more so than any of the other. Although there would drawbacks on this (constant alarm, constant screaming [from the child]), can anyone put a price on the safety of one of their family members? Again, only you can decide.
A solution is just what it is - a solution to a problem. Everyone is different and will handle their problem(s) and solutions differently. The ‘Lost Child’ problem is no diferent in this respect. But it should not to be teated as a mundane problem, like a hang-nail.
It is hoped though, that they will use sound judgment when considering the safety of their family where ever they may be.
Security, at times, must be practiced and lived to truely learn from it as well as appreciate it.
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Juffo-Wup is the Hot Light In the Darkness Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 3:29 amfind out how a simple script and a usb drive can save a child read more | digg story
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manzkie dot com Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 11:45 amMajor props to the guys at AwkwardTV who found a way to boot Apple TV from an external USB drive. Why is this cool? It means you can now hack Apple TV without having to crack open the box. [Gizmodo] USB Drive Helps Find Lost Child This little program saved my wife and I a lot of grief emotional trauma while on vacation. [Daily Cup Of Tech] 10 tips for improving your wireless network at home When possible, place your wireless router in a central location in your home. [
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Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 7:29 pmthis
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my geek life Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 11:13 pmThis has got to be the geekiest idea I’ve ever heard of, but it worked! A guy gave a USB key to his kid and security used it to call him, calm his son down by knowing his first name, and giving him his favorite treat. http://www.dailycupoftech.com/2007/03/22/dcot-helps-find-lost-child/
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The Disney Blog Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 4:07 amfrom inattentive parents, and even attentive ones occasionally, every day at The Walt Disney Company’s theme parks. So how to make sure you are swiftly reunited with your lost offspring? Hang a USB Drive around your child’s neck, of course. Someone ‘Daily Cup of Tech’ figured out a way to put your contact information as a pop-up window when your USB drive is plugged in. But it took commenter Erik to show how it could be used as a child-locater device. My family, which includes two VERY energetic boys, five and
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Daddy Types, the weblog for new dads Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 5:46 ama Sharpie.” and “laminated info card, hello?” but if you’re a belt&suspenders kind of guy–who doesn’t go anywhere there isn’t a Windows XP machine within arm’s reach–then the only question is how cutesy should the USB drives be? The kidhack: DCoT helps find lost child [dcot via lifehacker] The original howto and download: Have your lost USB drive ask for help [dcot] Whoa, $50+ for a 512mb Gloomy Bear Mimobot USB? Next idea? [mimoco.com]
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Is This Thing On? Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 2:58 pmis giving away one of the CDs (but don’t feel like you need to go give me any more competition for one). Your daily dose of “Awwww…” You know research has shown that looking at cute is good for your health, so click! Hi-tech help for lost children. What a very cool idea.
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Life with 4 Kids and a Dog Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 3:31 pmis giving away one of the CDs (but don’t feel like you need to go give me any more competition for one). Your daily dose of “Awwww…” You know research has shown that looking at cute is good for your health, so click! Hi-tech help for lost children. What a very cool idea.
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Tech_Space - USATODAY.com Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 8:55 pmAs we edge toward the spring and summer family-travel seasons, Daily Cup of Tech’s got a wonderful post about a simple tech trick that may have averted a very, very bad situation at Disneyworld. I love the idea of combining a small USB drive and the Lost Drive program to help reel back one’s misplaced younger relatives — it seems much safer to me than encouraging a lost kid to
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Rants Says:
April 2nd, 2007 at 12:17 amJust in case you wanted to know what was in mcnuggets Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica Cool Red Star picture Foreign Films Electro camoflage Chinese food bad for you. New RIAA mission statement. Banning Lightbulbs USB child finder This is actually an excellent idea.Grizzlies taken off of protected list in Yellowstone. New battery technology National Security Demand letter. Ya know, every day this is feeling more and more like a police state.
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Peter Says:
April 2nd, 2007 at 9:31 am“Aw, Dad! All the other kids are wearing 4 Gig memory sticks…”
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Explore And Create Says:
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:52 pmTrackback link - http://www.DailyCupOfTech.com/2007/03/22/dcot-helps-find-lost-child/trackback/ Email this • Subscribe by email • Subscribe to this feed
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polymer clay notes Says:
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:25 pmUSB drive with the secret phrase on it. The USB drives performed just as set up to. It had my cellphone number, my boys’ first name (first name only!) to calm him down and his favorite treat. read more about how to do this yourself on lifehacker and daily cup of tech. [IMG] if you have young children, now is a good time to make a bright, colorful polymer clay cover for key drive necklaces - before your next vacation. heck, before your next visit to the mall! remember the artist who carves
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Parenting Special Needs Blog Says:
April 4th, 2007 at 5:57 pmThe blog Daily Cup of Tech had a neat item last month about a father using small USB drives — you know, the ones about the size of a keychain — to store information about his children’s identity in case they became lost at Disneyland. The drive contained a message, the
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clearview Says:
April 9th, 2007 at 3:31 pmon our recent trip to Disney World. I didn’t like it because a young lady should never raise her shirt to reveal her belly. I routinely put one of my business cards in their pockets, circling my cell phone number. Another solution utilized the power of technology by putting a USB drive “necklace” around the child’s neck with all of the parent’s contact info in a pop-up program on it. I don’t like this idea either, because the last thing I want is my lost child to
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Diary of a Cartoon Girl Says:
April 24th, 2007 at 6:03 pmThanks once again to the Spook in the Machine: A Steam Aeroplane! The Hobbit Dollhouse! (I want to live there…) A cool blog, talking about a cool Donald Duck short… Kheldar sends us: The lost child story and The software article that started it all Maggie (and/or Christina) sent us this link, a knit-your-own baby hat shaped like a plucked chicken. I think it’s gross, Phil now wants to learn to knit.
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Kitsunetachi Says:
April 27th, 2007 at 2:16 pmthe USB drive during gaming sessions, and easily port the notes to my desktop compy. Scan any computer that my USB drive is connected to for viruses. Setup my little drive to ask to be returned should it ever be lost. Doing the same kind of setup for a lost child. I want to have these for our next trip. Airports are scary places with small children that like to run. Yes I can squeeze the blood out of my child’s hand to keep her by me, but she’s tricky! (Despite the training we
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Riba Rambles: Musings of a Mental Magpie Says:
April 28th, 2007 at 4:16 pmBeen meaning to share this: An innovative use of cheap USB drives: Two lanyards with dangling USB drives that had a ‘I’m Lost’ label adhered to them and tucked into their shirts later, we had two boys that if got lost would be found and be reunited with us quickly.
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Utterly Boring - Surfing The Web So You Don't Have To Says:
April 30th, 2007 at 4:03 pmthe screen shots).Roll your own software MP3 player with Foobar2000 (I’m going to replace WinAmp with this as I just want a bare-bones MP3 player).Making paper from elephant, moose, panda, and sheep crap.How a USB key helped find a lost child (my kids are going to start carrying USB key).Save space in your Firefox tab bar with Faviconize Tab.Great least of open-source apps for PC and MacAmerican Airlines thinks women can use a web site’s power search
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Web Traffic Daily eBiz solutions dot coms verify Says:
May 6th, 2007 at 5:00 amthem and tucked into their shirts later, we had two boys that if got lost would be found and be reunited with us quickly. We told the boys to cry for mom or dad if they wander off or got lost and then give the USB drive to the person that found them. More to this story May 6th, 2007 Categories: usb . Author: webtrafficdaily . Comments: No Comments
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The Fox's Den Says:
May 9th, 2007 at 12:42 amto let anyone who finds one know how to return it for a reward. (The article describes how he wrote it, to just download the program scroll down to the Update.) One of his readers adapted that program and used it to help find his lost child at Disneyland. What a great idea!
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Information Security Blogs Says:
August 13th, 2007 at 7:22 amof sources, providing fresh looks into daily tech integration with “real-life.” My favorite and most referred to posts are his suggestions on maximizing USB memory device uses; Have Your Lost USB Drive Ask For Help, USB Drive AutoRun.inf Tweaking, andDCoT Helps Find Lost Child. Anyway…Tim had started a contest to create a new DCoT logo. Seems easy enough. Except he seemed to have attracted some strong comments from a reader who felt that these logo-design contests were “damaging” to the graphic design industry. RE:
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Chris Says:
September 2nd, 2007 at 6:37 pmI’m not a parent, but in my opinion parents should do whatever they can. True, a USB drive is not the best option, but if you put the drive and a card on a lanyard, then put tracking software on the drive, you could get the best of both worlds. 1) If someone finds the child they know who to contact 2) If they plug in the USB drive you will know where the child is.
As for losing kids in Disney World, how can anyone blame parents who lose their kids there? That place is quite literally a sea of people, stuff happens. Be prepared, and heck, is it not fun to do this little drive trick? Protect your kid and have a neat project to introduce Jr. to computers. I see a win-win situation.
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Airis Says:
September 8th, 2007 at 10:49 pmI agree with some of the people here, in that the USB drive on its own is not enough. As almost everyone has stated here, even though computers are widely available, they’re not available everywhere.
So I thought, how about having both? Think about it. What if your kid has a serious disease, like diabetes, or is lactose (sp?) intolerant, or has gluten intolerance? You could have the card or dog tag state your child’s name and contact info, and a statement that says something like “##### has ####### disease. For instructions, please read USB drive.” Then on the drive you put instructions on how to deal with whatever symptoms may occur as a result of his/her disease. That way, the person who found the child would go and find a computer on which to read the USB drive.
So, if it is a simple case of Lost and Found, there’s no need for the drive and your child gets back to you quickly. But if there is a medical problem, then they have the information needed to care for the child until you can be reached.
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Cindy Says:
April 25th, 2008 at 12:21 pmOk for all you people with “normal” children. My three year old son is Develpmentally Delayed. For all of you who do not know what that means: He is at a two year old level for emotional/social develpment and 22 months for speach. Also he WILL NOT speak to a stranger. He wears a medic alert ID bracelet. Yesterday, He BROKE THROUGH our wood fence to run away with his dog. This took all of 3 seconds. I went to get a glass of water from the kitchen and he was gone(he runs VERY fast)! We had 6 families from our neighborhood looking for him. That was the longest 15 minutes of my life.
Because we technically live outside city limits the Police Dept. will not put together a flight risk pack on him!!
He has run away many times and I caught him within 2 blocks every time before.
So before all you people with “normal” children bash others I would like you to come and babysit my 3 year old for a week and see just how many times YOU LOSE HIM!!
To all the parents doing everything they can to keep your children safe; I wish you the best and may you never have to look for your children. -
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