Nerd McGuyver Tracks Down Missing Phone. Still A Virgin.

Who needs a girlfriend?

Geeks got to live out their dream of being Jack Bauer or Batman through the use of Apple’s software feature to track down a missing phone.

Apple computer, that maker of all things shiny and pretty, came out with a much hyped software upgrade for their iPhone that included a feature called “Find my phone on a map” to help you to, well “Find my phone on a map”.

Enter nerd avenger Kevin Miller, (who was in Chicago with two friends for a Lego convention), who left his new iPhone at a local Chicago dive bar. When he returned to the bar the phone was no longer there.  He then used the phone finder feature to pinpoint where the supposed thief had gone. After sending him several threatening text messages to no avail, so he gave chase. He and his buddies used a laptop to track the unwitting thief down to a Chicago Latino neighborhood where they started sending threatening texts to the guy this time in Spanish. When they found him he promptly gave the phone back to them claiming that he worked at the bar and was going to return it but was afraid that they were threatening and chasing him. Miller dismissed his claim because obviously the guy was a thief, (he is Hispanic) and that he had been outsmarted by three nerdy white guys. Did I mention they were in Chicago for a Lego convention?

Too bad Apple didn’t create a “Don’t be such a bigoted tool” app, but that’s beside the point.

While tech blogs have mentioned this story with amusement and wonder at this unintentional use of the iPhone feature, We may caution nerdom to temper their evil asthmatic cackling. People will find a way around this feature if they really want to steal the phone. Simply removing the iPhone’s sim card or wiping the hard drive is enough to reset the phone. Don’t assume that your thief is dumber than you just because you are tech savvy as they may be too. Any security feature is only as good as it’s ability to keep up with those who wish to figure out a way around these measures. This is why there are constant updates to security features.

Ultimately the best security is common sense, you also have to use your head to not put yourself in harm’s way, you know, like “DON’T LEAVE YOUR iPHONE IN A DIVE BAR WHILE YOU ARE AT A FRIGGIN’ LEGO CONVENTION, MCGUYVER!”