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June 01, 2008 |
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Better Than the Classifieds
FOUND by Heather
in Austin, Texas
I found this flyer duct-taped to a light pole on 6th Street in the Entertainment District. I'm an advertising major and this caught my eye because I thought it was an awesome guerrilla marketing technique used by some advertiser to get people to call in about their product; but, when I called, the guy told me he really had left his backpack in this "Joe guy's truck" and needed it back because it contained his digital camera. He was genuinely disappointed when I told him that I didn't have his backpack.
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We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework,
to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles -
anything that gives a glimpse into someone
else's life. Anything goes...
Well, gee, Heather, did you put the flyer back so Andrew could possiblly contact Joe??
yeah heather, now Joe might never get his back-pack-back
One of my friends just turned 21 and could benefit from Andrew's advertising idea:
JOE
I left my license, keys, dignity, and STD-free health in your hotel room/car/mom's house after last call. I really need them back.
Please call me at xxx-xxxx
You should know my name. Right? Or did we not...? Come to think of it- was your name even Joe?
Anyway, call me!
Well Heather -- good job! You not only reported where you found it -- you did some research!!
May Joe could look on the website inspired by PostSecret: http://www.ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/
What's Primus?
Primus is a band. I'm assuming he caught a ride to a gig with this "Joe guy"?
It's like those posters that were up all over the subway recently that said "I'm so over you Sarah Marshall." They were really odd, and we were all wondering if it was a disgruntled exboyfriend, or something. We were all really curious, and had to go to the website at the bottom. Turned out to be a movie called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". But still. It got us to look at the website. Same sort of subversive advertising that Heather was talking about. If there really WAS someone named Sarah Marshall, I'm pretty sure they are now traumatized.
I hope poor Andrew got his back pack back.
cripes! nice of you to take it and not put it back. especially since the guy was nice enough to take your ridiculous call on the premise of a advertising scheme. may an important message get lost on its way to you (or from you) all due to a self absorbed stranger.
A) I highly doubt that Andrew would have posted only ONE SINGLE SIGN in an effort to reach out to Joe and retrieve his backpack.
B) Let's not jump to the conclusion that Heather didn't SCAN and RETURN the sign.
You heartless people are the reason that so many great Finds go unsubmitted. Pirrhanas.
Oh, except for Lillabean's comment, which was funny, if a little sad.
I thought maybe Primus was a religious holiday or a hybrid car. Anyway, let's not get down on Heather for taking the sign down. I doubt Andrew would get his camera back anyway. Luckily, digital cameras are becoming cheaper every day. He probably bought a new one, which is better than the old one, for less money.
It's not about the camera, it's about the pictures.
Andrew really wanted his camera back because on it was evidence of his involvement in a crime against an innocent youth, whom Andrew hung by duct tape.
http://www.foundmagazine.com/find/2617
Forensics proved the very same roll of duct tape was used to post this flyer to a light pole in Austin, Texas.
Unfortunately for Andrew, "Joe" was an undercover FBI agent who captured Andrew's confession of the crime on a hidden video camera mounted in the truck in which they travelled to the Primus concert.
Andrew has been incarcerated for the past 18 months for his crime, and Miss Heather's removal of this flyer had no bearing on Andrew's fate.
Agent Ling Hi, You have outdone yourself!
Oh yes, the pictures. They are lost forever when the camera is stolen. When I was in high school the twin lens reflex Rolei I had borrowed from my dad was stolen when I put down my school books and camera to try on a coat in Meier & Frank, downtown Portland. I turned around for a moment and it was gone. I still remember the photos that were on that roll of film.. of my best friend's 28-year-old hippie boyfriend driving his milk truck in a downpour on Canyon Drive. I just knew they were going to be great photos, with interesting light contrast in black and white.
@Clover in the morning, putting yesterday's photos on the computer
That's a very good thing for you to be doing.
My neice battled cancer for four years and lost the war shortly before Christmas. She was a high school junior this year which meant she would be getting a senior class ring. Neice's father (my BIL) talked the company that makes the rings and asked if there was a way to get her ring early. A representative of the company drove three houses to hand deliver it to my sister and BIL. When niece awoke BIL presented the ring to neice, with sister taking pictures with her cell phone. Neice was buried two weeks later with that ring that meant so much to her.
"I doubt Andrew would get his camera back anyway. Luckily, digital cameras are becoming cheaper every day. He probably bought a new one, which is better than the old one, for less money."
The same can be said about cell phones but Sister lost her phone before she downloaded the pictures of my niece beaming with delight as her father gave her the class ring.
[Epilogue: The phone was found by someone who began using it and didn't try to return it. Sister had it deactivated by the phone company but has little or no hope of ever seeing it again. And she's got a new phone now.]
oops
A representative of the company drove three houses to hand
should be
drove three HOURS
Lillabean,
nice. -thumbs up-
How many times do I have to tell you? Don't leave your valuables in any vehicle.
I wonder how much the (Big Time) $$reward$$ was?
Freon, sorry for your loss. My son is the same age as your departed niece. Too bad your sister lost her phone with the pictures on it. It's not the most important thing, though. Still.
I usually find it mildly annoying when posters come back and correct their errors, but in your case, it made a big difference. So, thank you. I always appreciate your comments.
Thank you, Night in gale, for your sympathy and your nice comments. I usually let my typos slide but houses vs hours is a big deal. My mind seems to race on while my fingers struggle to keep up, with the result being they sometimes make it up as they go along.
I've started ending every phone conversation with family and friends with "I love you". Losing that precious child really drove home you don't know which one is the final conversation.
Calm down people if he has one computer-typed sign, up he probably has more. Geeeez, I never thought I'de be doing a smack down on you guys for being rude.
Freonz, that is really really sad. This is maybe going to sound lame, but the experience of getting the ring and the way it made your niece feel was no less happy for HER I think, even though the photos are lost to her family forever. I'm so so sorry about the whole awful thing, losing your niece. It's just not fair.
(btw, I didn't notice the typo, and read it as "hours" the first time.)
am i missing something or did heather ever say she took the sign?
she couldve jotted the # down, or even called the # from her cell phone right there on the street.
Joe, if you are out there and see this somehow, WE need OUR F***ING backpack back! And punch Andrew in the F***ING face for us for taking it!
Dick,
I find it intriguing that you have this exclusive knowledge that:
a) So many great Finds go unsubmitted, and
b) We heartless people are the reason.
You must get an awful lot of letters from disheartened souls, confiding in you their terror at the thought of submitting something which may end up being criticized on the Found Magazine comments board.
I do think that in some cases, there is a degree of overreaction when it comes to the "found" versus "taken" thing. In this case, the item was inarguably taken and not found, but the most important question here is: WHY did Heather take it? It's really not very interesting at all.
heather: hi, is this andrew?
andrew: yeah, who's this?
h: my name's heather. i'm calling about the sign you posted looking for you backpack.
a: (excitedly) sweet! do you have it?!
h: uh, no. i was really more interested in the actual sign. see, i'm an advertising student and i thought it was kind of cool that -
a: (slightly pissed) so you don't have my backpack?
h: (embarrased) um, no....
a: (really piseed) thanks for wasting my minutes on my cell phone, college girl!
I wasn't going to comment on this find & just read the comments but between Lillabean & john in grand haven I had to say that you guys are freaking hilarious! Thanks for the smile.
@Freonz- My heart goes out to you and your family.
I've seen and heard of so many pole posters that are taken down and used to phone the ppl up.
I'm sorry, but, these are not FINDS. They're thefts.
Primus Sucks.