Detective Work

My line of IT work involves a lot of analysis. "If this, then that. Does that agree with observation?" So, it was no surprise I had to do an investigation when my boss gifted me with something he found recently.

What he found was a 2GB SD memory chip, like they use in a lot of digital cameras. He was at the New River Gorge Bridge Day when he looked down and saw it lying on the pavement.

Knowing I had a digital camera of more-or-less the type to use such a chip (and his camera didn't), he asked if I could use it. I said that I could. He assured me that he had checked and the chip was empty.

Being the non-trusting, investigative sort that I am, I checked it myself a few weeks later when I remembered it again. I didn't want to throw out someone else's photos if I could help it. The boss was wrong. There were over 700 photos on the chip spanning a period from July to October.

How tough was it to find someone to contact about returning the chip to its owner? Not hard at all. Several of the photos showed kids on an YWCA outing, all wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the local phone number. A quick Google search of the phone number on the kids' shirts said this was the YWCA in Charleston, WV. An e-mail to the "Contact Us" got a quick response, I popped it into the mail, and yesterday I was informed the owner is delighted to have it back again. Good Deed done.