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USB Drive finds lost parents
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Preschoolers, Gadgets, That's Entertainment
Recently, I wrote about the USB Amber Alert kit which uses a USB flash drive to store vital information about your child, in case they are lost or kidnapped. Here's another use for these inexpensive drives that you might find interesting. Tim Fehlman, who writes the Daily Cup of Tech, loves his USB drives. In fact, as he wrote last fall, his "entire life is on that USB drive."
Naturally, with so much important data on such a tiny device, Tim was worried about losing it. So he developed the Lost Drive application. Should he lose his drive, anyone who finds it and plugs it into a computer will be greeted with a message telling them who it belongs to and how to return it.
So while this is all very cool, what exactly does this have to do with us as parents? Well, one of Tim's readers came up with a new way to make use of this nifty application. He and his wife were planning to take their three- and five-year-old sons to Disneyland. Being active boys, Erik knew there was a chance that the one of the boys might get separated from them in the park, so he took precautions.
Erik picked up three cheap, low-capacity USB drives and put the Lost Drive application on it. The program allows the user to include a custom message; Erik put his cellphone number and a secret phrase. Sure enough, his younger son wandered off and ended up in the hands of security. The guard put the USB stick in his computer and was presented with the boy's name, Erik's cellphone number, a secret phrase, and his favorite treat (to help calm him).
The guard called Erik who showed up with his USB drive containing the matching secret phrase. He was able to collect his son, complete with M&M's smeared on his face. I love finding new and creative uses for technology and I love happy endings. Congratulations to Erik for his smart idea and thanks to Tim for developing and sharing his program!
Naturally, with so much important data on such a tiny device, Tim was worried about losing it. So he developed the Lost Drive application. Should he lose his drive, anyone who finds it and plugs it into a computer will be greeted with a message telling them who it belongs to and how to return it.
So while this is all very cool, what exactly does this have to do with us as parents? Well, one of Tim's readers came up with a new way to make use of this nifty application. He and his wife were planning to take their three- and five-year-old sons to Disneyland. Being active boys, Erik knew there was a chance that the one of the boys might get separated from them in the park, so he took precautions.
Erik picked up three cheap, low-capacity USB drives and put the Lost Drive application on it. The program allows the user to include a custom message; Erik put his cellphone number and a secret phrase. Sure enough, his younger son wandered off and ended up in the hands of security. The guard put the USB stick in his computer and was presented with the boy's name, Erik's cellphone number, a secret phrase, and his favorite treat (to help calm him).
The guard called Erik who showed up with his USB drive containing the matching secret phrase. He was able to collect his son, complete with M&M's smeared on his face. I love finding new and creative uses for technology and I love happy endings. Congratulations to Erik for his smart idea and thanks to Tim for developing and sharing his program!
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
3-25-2007 @ 12:47PM
courtney said...Well that's pretty awesome! I'm going to put that idea to use right away-Thanks for sharing :)
Reply
3-25-2007 @ 1:39PM
AB said...I must be missing something, but I don't understand the advantage over a piece of paper with the same iformation in the kid's pocket -- with the obvious disadvantage that you need a computer to read a USB stick.
Reply
3-25-2007 @ 3:47PM
Heidi said...I'm with AB... I don't get it. Parents have been jotting their cell phone # on their kids' clothing for years. I can think of a lot of places where security wouldn't have quick access to a computer to read a USB drive.
Second, what's the point of the secret phrase? Identity should be verified by a Drivers License or ID Card before lost children are released to someone's custody. If the child and parent aren't the only ones who know the secret phrase, it's not really a secret, now is it?
Reply
3-25-2007 @ 5:14PM
Meredith said...I can actually see this as an additional line of defense. Although I would also use a piece of paper, those can get lost easier than a USB flash drive clipped to a zipper or a belt loop.
This is a great idea. So much so that I am tempted to get a few for all of her things.
Reply
3-26-2007 @ 2:15PM
Uncle Roger said...I would imagine that most security personnel have access to a computer these days, if only to log reports and such. As for the USB stick versus paper -- USB drives can't be read without a computer, so it's more secure. They can also hold a lot more information, including medical info.
The secret phrase, presumably, is to ensure that the person picking the kid up has a right to do so. If the kid is Bobby Smith, having an ID that says Robert Smith doesn't mean the kid should be released to you. Even if you're the kid's father/mother, you may not be the one with custody. On the other hand, if the USB drive says something like "do not release this kid unless the adult has a stick with this keyphrase", you can be pretty sure that the right person is there to pick him up. Plus, you can change it for next time.
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