Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ID

ID this WWII/Holocaust story

Johnny Assay — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:08:37 -0800

Identify the source of this story: A Jew living in Germany (or Eastern Europe) in the late 1930s sees that the situation is turning bad, and decides to flee the country. He tries to convince his parents to come with him, but they refuse to be uprooted. A few years later, in the new country, he receives a telegram from his father reading simply "You were right." He never sees his parents again. For some reason this story popped into my head this morning, and I can't remember its context. I don't even know if it's fictional or factual. Does it sound familiar to anyone?

How do you solve a problem like Maria losing her ID?

apophenia — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:46:11 -0800

What form of identification can I get in Germany? I am an idiot and I lost my American learner's permit last night. Aside from my passport, it was my only form of personal ID. Here, my ID is checked at least once a week during ticket checks on the train or when I'm boozing it up. Though I still have my passport, I'm wary of carrying it around with me everywhere.

A. Will a photocopy of my passport be a valid form of identification?
B. Can I somehow procure another form of ID here? Because I'm not German, I can't get a state-issued Personalausweis but because I'm not in America, I can't just pop into the DMV and get a new permit.

ID a tune on Youtube

derbs — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:33:44 -0800

Can anyone ID the backing track on this youtube clip? You would absolutely make my day if you could find this one.

MusicIDfilter: This song is driving me crazy. I must know what it is!

DolorousEdd — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:12:34 -0800

What is the song used in this YouTube video? I know it's kind of a stretch, but I can't get it out of my head! Recommendations of similar music are good too.

I know the names don't match, but it's really me! I swear!

arianell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:22:48 -0800

Someone purchased an airline ticket for me, but booked it under my nickname instead of my legal name. I don't have any photo ID with my nickname on it. Will I be able to fly? (I know there have been previous questions asked about this kind of thing, but none since these new TSA guidelines were implemented.)

Everyone calls me by a nickname that is very different from my "actual" first name. Say my name is Josephine, but I go by Scarlett because of my hair color.

Anyhow, my boyfriend booked a trip for us, and he forgot to reserve my ticket as Josephine instead of Scarlett. We called the airline, and they can't/won't change the name on the ticket. Instead, they kindly offered to let us purchase a replacement ticket for the low low price of $600, which neither one of us can afford.

I know that, until recently, you didn't actually have to show ID to procure your boarding pass or get through security, although the agents at the security checkpoint would flag you for an extra screening. How much has this policy changed? Does it seem likely that I'll be able to board my flight? If not, do I have any other options?

Passport to nowhere

prufrock — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:18:38 -0800

UnitedStatesIDfilter: I've damaged my passport which was my only means of identification. Replacement takes around 6 weeks. Is there any state-approved ID I can get(for domestic travel, immediately) that will not involve using this passport as a required document. I'm a non-resident alien on an H1B visa. I'm in Massachusetts.

I have an old passport that is expired but in perfect condition. Can I use them in conjunction somehow to make one valid document? The extent of the damage, by the way, is such that every bit of text is legible, the cover is a bit frayed...but the photo is totally obscured.

Can you help me identify a NW tree that's in my yard? Info, photos and ...

lois1950 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:39:25 -0800

Stumped! Can you help me ID a tree in my yard? (In the Northwest)? Here's a 'before' photo of the tree, which was trimmed today and looks awesome but everyone I know, including a few arborists ID it differently.
Here's a close up of a branch and needles

Here's what I'm pretty sure it's not:
Cryptomeria japonica
Calocedrus decurrens (Incense Cedar)
Sequoia giganteum.

If it's a juniper, what kind of juniper???
The branches smell a little like pines.
The needles are soft and sharp when green and very prickly when brown and dead.
When you look head-on at a stem, the needles are arranged like organized little x's, not spiral.
The tree is <20'
I'm in the northwest.
It's an evergreen conifer and has very small cones.
Thank you!

Replacement UK ID card

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:55:59 -0800

I've lost my UK identity card for foreign nationals and was planning to travel in 3 weeks. Is there any way to get a replacement, fast? I have lost my identity card and only discovered it this weekend when preparing for visa applications for a dream vacation in mid-September. Gulp. After tracking down, with some difficulty, the website page saying what to do, I've learnt it takes 4-14 weeks to get a replacement by post, and requires that I file a police report. There is no fast-track service listed. Does anyone have experience of getting a replacement? How long did it take? Was there any way of getting accelerated service which is not mentioned on the website? I haven't called the Borders Agency to ask, because I'd rather not report it lost until I've done that last final sweep.

Book ID: Painters trap their subjects in paintings by using bodily fluids.

snoogles — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:20:15 -0800

IDThisBookFilter: I'm looking for a fantasy book by several authors which features a family of painters who can trap people in a painting if they mix their bodily fluids in with the paint. The author(s) must have names in the second half of the alphabet, if I remember my library's old filing system correctly.
There's a scene where painters who make paintings as a way of recording contracts/transaction have an argument over what kind of style is most appropriate. I think there might be a girl who becomes a painter even though it's usually a man's job... (oh, the feminism of fantasy novels).

(I think the word gold or golden might be in the title, but it's a big stretch).

Font I.D., please.

Tufa — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:12:57 -0800

Could someone identify the font used in the headings on this webpage? I am looking for the font used in Who We Are | What We Do | Special Services. I am much obliged.

Kids putting milk in super soakers...yes

trotter — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:22:40 -0800

80's-90's movie filter: What's that one where some kids fill their Super Soakers/water guns with actual milk to destroy...monsters, I think? I remember them depleting the town's milk supply. Cheesy movie. Any ideas? This has been bugging me for awhile.

Help ID: Young adults book about kid who builds robots (out of spare parts, I think)

Alaska Jack — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:32:34 -0800

Help ID: Young adults book about kid who builds robots (out of spare parts, I think) Hi everyone, pretty basic question for my first post. I would have read this book in the late 70s or early 80s, I think. Boy builds three (I think) intelligent (I think) robot friends out of spare parts (I think). The only other clue I can offer is a mental image I have of the boy and his robot friends drifting down a flooded river on the roof of a house. Given the vagaries of memory, of course, that mental image could be accurate, partly accurate, or from another book entirely. Any ideas?

Does an Irish citizen need a passport to travel to Spain?

aelish — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:11:16 -0800

Does an EU citizen need a passport to travel between EU countries? The BF and I are planning a trip to Spain in late July. He has an expired Irish passport (yes he's a twit). He has a driver's license, but not a national ID card that I know of. Will he need a passport to go between the UK (he lives in Northern Ireland) and Spain? If he can't get his passport renewed before we travel, will his license be enough ID?

Also, how long does it take to get a passport renewed in Ireland?

thanks

Is a HealthCanada card a legit photo id?

ascetic — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:22:27 -0800

Is a Health Canada card considered government issued photo ID? My friend is visiting from Canada and I would like to know if her Health Canada card will be sufficient for US Customs and Borders. She has her birth certificate to prove her citizenship.

I invite you to name this painting

Beautiful Screaming Lady — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:05:11 -0800

Name this painting! Here's a link to one of the best portraits ever. But who is it? Who painted it? When?

invasion of the brown specks

apostrophe — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:43:56 -0800

Can you help me identify some teeny-tiny bugs that just invaded my kitchen cupboard? This is in the SF Bay Area. This morning I awoke to find a bunch of these little guys crawling around my kitchen cupboard. They are so tiny so the photo is not very detailed. I tried zooming way in and my camera is just not up to the task. I've searched online and there are plenty of images of termites and carpet beetles, but they are the close-up kind so I can't tell if these are the same. They are light brown and very interested in food. I mean, as opposed to wood, as far as I can tell. They only showed up in the one kitchen (food-storing) cupboard. Last fall we renovated our kitchen, painted all the cabinets, caulked them all thoroughly, so I suspect these are new guys and haven't had eggs lying in wait. But what do I know? We cleaned them all up and sprayed the cupboard with a vinegar solution. Please tell me this isn't some horrible thing where my walls are about to crumble away.

What are these weird things?

Beautiful Screaming Lady — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:52:31 -0800

Weird stuff I found in Canada: what kind of mushrooms are these? What kind of sea creatures are these? Mushrooms are large (I'd say around 6 inches or so in diameter, on average), browny black and abundant. Time: October. Location: woodland in the Rockies. You can't see this from the photo, but instead of gills, they have dark tan spines. They're weird and big and meaty and spiny.

The sea creatures are from Vancouver Island, and are likely just bejewelled elephant's feet stuck on the end of carrots. But in the event they're not - the ends are hard and mother-of-pearly, and end in a dark red ridge. Are they anemones? What kind?

Mom was robbed. Now what?

cuddles.mcsnuggy — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:31:02 -0800

My mother's car was robbed yesterday in Savannah, GA. Thieves made off with the originals of her Social Security card, the Social Security card of my recently deceased father, her bank debit/ATM card, her original driver's license, credit cards, documents with her address on it, business cards, and a lot of cash. She had the police involved & a report has been filed. She has canceled the credit cards and will be talking to her bank. Thankfully her checkbook wasn't taken. What else can she do, or can I help with, to prevent identity theft now that criminals have her SSN, my dad's SSN, and her drivers license and address? I'm worried sick for my poor mom. Not only did her husband/my dad pass away ten days ago, but now she's been hit with the blow of this robbery. In addition to all of the vital documents above, she lost $2,000 cash. Everything was in a small purse she had "hidden" in the car when she was doing some shopping. Thieves watched her get out of the car and waited till she walked away then broke the window.

She has started the ball rolling to get her affairs back in order; she called her credit card companies already (she had several cards but she's pretty sure she got them all) and the police faxed some kind of report to her bank. She'll be going to the bank first thing in the morning and the DMV for a new license tomorrow. The police also did a forensics sweep over her car for fingerprints and "evidence" but we're not expecting that to go anywhere. My biggest concern is -- how can she keep her (and my dead dad's) Social Security number, ID, and address from being used to open unauthorized loans, accounts, or credit cards? What's to prevent someone from using her data to run up gargantuan debts in her (or Dad's) name?

I have read through previous AskMeFi threads and I have seen these sites:
What to do when your purse is stolen
The FTC's site on ID theft
US Dept. of Justice

- Are there additional things she must do besides the tips in the above links? Better easy-to-understand sites to refer her to? She is NOT at all tech-savvy.
- None of these sites seem to specifically address Social Security card and driver's license theft: What specifically will she need to do about those? Does she need to talk to the Social Security office? What would they do to help prevent fraud?
- Have any of you gone through this and have personal suggestions?
- Is there any way at all she can recover some or all of the cash (ie: will car insurance cover anything like that)?
- She is a resident of South Carolina and the theft happened in Georgia. What additional things will she need to do, or be aware of, because of the two states involved?
- Are ID protection services like LifeLock or TrustedID worth it; or would doing that now be like shutting the barn door after the horse ran off?

Many thanks.

Movie with women ramming cars?

comwiz — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:00:15 -0800

Movie ID: Two women in a parking lot have an extreme case of road rage, started by one of the women hitting the other woman's car with the door as she opened it. They proceeded to slowly escalate the altercation, and it ends with them trying to ram each other head on, but their cars are so messed up they that couldn't move quickly enough to do any real damage. I believe this ends up being some sort of dream/flashback/fantasy sequence.

What is this? And: Is it loud?

Henrik — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:33:46 -0800

Can you identify this strange interactive sound making device? The sound making device in question.

There seem to be multiple buttons and at least one speaker on this thing. It seems to be in public (on a street pole), as the german text says: "Please refrain from switching on this damn thing at night! This is an order! You are just upsetting the residents, here. Hopefully, this finally becomes clear. 'Respect' is demanded!"

Holes will be punched.

halogen — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:41:53 -0800

My RFID Metro Q fare pass (Houston, TX public transport) specifically instructs, "Please do not bend or punch holes in this card". I want to punch a hole in it anyway. How can I figure out where exactly the chip is located so that I don't destroy it when I punch a hole in it? I suppose that it is an RFID mechanism because the card doesn't need to be swiped through a magnetic reader and doesn't have any visible stripes, it just gets tapped to a pad at the train station every time I ride. I am not sure how the cashier at my school reloads it.

It does have one tiny rectangle (approximately 5x4 mm) that is barely perceptibly raised from the surface. Can I assume that as long as I stay away from it, my card will retain its function?

It's the only way I won't lose it again; punching holes through my school ID & magnetic key to my lab and attaching them to a lanyard with my essential keys on it has been a lifesaver (yes, I am aware that I invalidated my driver's license, but I use it exclusively for identification anyway and I have a new, valid one in the car I occasionally drive--at least I don't have to get a new one every two months).

Id the beastie

koenie — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 07:22:14 -0800

Can anyone identify this snake? I encountered it during my hike in Sequoia/King's Canyon last summer.

Sweet nutcracker

Johnny Assay — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:58:07 -0800

Movie/TV ID question: a half-remembered scene where a minor (?) character cracks nuts with his wooden hand. A "colorful detail" from a movie popped in to my head yesterday evening, and I can't figure out for the life of me figure out where it's from. A character has a wooden hand that he opens and closes by using a screw/knob placed somewhere up his forearm. He uses this to crack nuts by opening the wooden hand, placing a nut in its palm, and then cranking the knob with his other hand so hard that the nut breaks. Then repeat.

That's all I remember accurately. I have a feeling that this was a minor character in the movie/TV series; perhaps it was something like a cop movie or a western, and he was doing this while the main character was talking to him? I have no idea when I saw it, though it probably wasn't within the last three or four years. Any help the hive-mind can offer would be greatly appreciated.

MovieID: I fell asleep during an action/sci-fi movie in the 70s.

anelsewhere — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:54:54 -0800

I remember going to see a movie in the 70s, falling asleep in the theater. I woke up during a confusing, killer-death-ray-satellite takes control scene. What the hell could I have been watching? I've always wondered what movie this was that I saw before I was 10. I can't date the film exactly (post or pre-Star Wars, I'm not sure). I'm pretty certain that this wasn't Logan's Run or any of the other biggies. The most I can remember is something about laser death rays being shot from satellites in orbit, maybe aliens or artificial intelligence involved, and something about a cabal of military leaders. And stuff blew up. It was kind of low budget, but I really dug the weird satellites.

ID this photo or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man will be very, very angry

taz — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:47:23 -0800

Can you ID this wonderful vintage photo? Any info appreciated... Photographer, year, background story. I found it at a photodump site and there was no information attached. I would guess that it's the aftermath of a storm (or else the float is just grounded for normal reasons) during a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but I have no idea. I'd love to see more photos from the photographer, though.