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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!zben
From: zben@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Re: Funny License Plate
Message-ID: <4003@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-Nov-83 14:20:53 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.4003
Posted: Tue Nov 22 14:20:53 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Nov-83 04:07:23 EST
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 21

[From an *ancient* issue of "Computerworld"]
RENO, Nev. - When the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) computer issued
Skip Swenson a bill for $953 worth of unpaid traffic tickets, he immediately
decided to try to "fix" things.
 Swenson, whose car bears the vanity license plate "NONE", suspected there
might be some mistake, especially since he hadn't received a ticket in
seven years.
 After calling the DMV and explaining his problem, Swenson discovered why
he had been the target of the apparently errant computer.
 Every time a policeman would put a parking ticket on a car without a
license plate, he would write the word "None" in the space where the
number was to appear.  The computer would then treat this comment as an
ordinary license plate number, check it against registry listings and add
a violation to Swenson's file.
 Although the Nevada DMV has assured Swenson it is working on the problem,
he thinks he might have to modify his plate slightly.
 "It's too bad the word "NOTHING" is too long, or I'd use that", he said.
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[Good thing we don't have an "artificially intellegent" police force...]

Ben Cranston        ...seismo!umcp-cs!zben      zben@umd2.ARPA