Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with license

Hideous driver's license photo

AngryTypingGuy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:14:49 -0800

I have an awful photo of myself on my driver's license. I'd like to have it changed. I have a North Carolina driver's license but I just moved back to NYC. How can I get a new driver's license along with a new photo from the DMV?

Will I Lose My Driver's License?

goalyeehah — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:28 -0800

Do I have any options with the California Department of Motor Vehicle regarding having had seizures and losing my license? I have to send in form to DMV filled out by doctor about my medical history. DUH! If I take this to neurololgist I've seen, he obviously is going to fill out what has recently happened regarding seizures I have had. Having seizures = no license........or at least that is what I've been told. Is there a probability factor here. I have written a letter explaining my case. Will that have any influence or will I be tilting at windmills (or whatever the adage is)

Med history - I had a skull fracture 20+ years ago. Got into yoga as a means of healing the trauma. 3 years ago I had what doctors would decribe as a seizure and have had 3 since that time. Each time I had blacked out and was taken to emergency room. I saw a neurologist the first time it happened and got checked out. All tests were clear. I am seeing him now and going through all the tests again to make sure of what it isn't and then moving forward from that baseline.

The doctors attribute the seizures to the head injury. Whether they are or not, I am confident I can manage these and heal what is going on. I also feel deep down they are passing.

My worst fear is that it is a black/white decision and that my license will be taken away. I live in Los Angeles, am a yoga teacher, have to drive and be at place in a timely fashion. I am also just getting a business going.

HY=EY to you too, buddy

ailouros08 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:44 -0800

I'm being outsmarted by a personalized license plate (I think)! I was driving through Durham, NC last Saturday when I saw a truck with a personalized license plate reading HY=EY. The truck also had some math bumper stickers on it. What, if anything does HY=EY mean?

Where is this powder coming from?

JakeWalker — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:48:56 -0800

What is the name of the technology that produces powder (that verifies authenticity, I suppose) when you bend a drivers license or other ID card? My friend has a New York Drivers License (maybe not the newest one, but still pretty new). If you bend the license, it releases a kind of powder, presumably to verify its authenticity. I'm really curious about the technology (and not because I'm trying to make a fake ID, it is just an interesting technique), and I'm having a hard time googling for more info. Does anyone know what this security technique is called? What other states use it? Where I can find out more?

Is it realistic to ask to move to Rhode Island?

Arch1 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:36:32 -0800

May need to ask spouse to move to RI. He's a teacher; anyone able to help provide some insight? Husband teaches six grade at "Nerdvana" in MN. My very good job (both in terms of financial remuneration and satisfaction) is heading to Providence, specifically Woonsocket, RI. I believe his teaching certification would transfer-- he has a Master's-- but realities may be different. Any mefites have info on teaching in RI or nearby areas/states in driving distance? If it would help to have the detail: he's taught classical education model (including logic, Singaporean math, Beowulf) with tremendous success for five years, as well has having years with regular classrooms.

Answers will help me determine if I should even be considering this. Thanks!

How much should I ask for my photograph if it will be used on a Holiday card?

procrastinator — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:59:32 -0800

There is a photo I took, which a firm wants to use on the cover of a Holiday card. Quantity would be around 30.000. One time use. They will credit me on the back. I have no idea how much can or should I charge for it. What do you think? Thanks.

Registry info from a crusty old drive?

ian1977 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:23:45 -0800

Can I get old registry data off a 2nd hard-drive? I had a program installed on an old computer that won't fire up. I can take the hard drive and install it on a different pc...but I need to go to regedit to get the program's licence key. I go to regedit and it only seems to have programs listed on my main drive. If I move the program from the crusty old drive into the new drive, it doesn't seem to bring the licence info with it.

I just need the license info so that I can get the discount on version two of the software.

Is the license key hiding somewhere that I can find it? The FAQ of the software says I would normally be able to find it here: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ross Bencina\AudioMulch\1.0\Registered User

I think fuzzy dice are actually kind of cute

kerning — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:50:56 -0800

What's a good present to buy a 25 year old newly licensed driver? My female coworker is (maybe) getting her driver's license this weekend, after 25 years of begging rides from her friends. I thought it would be nice for my department to give her a little congratulations present, since we have done nothing but listen to her stories about her driving lessons progress for the past 6 months. But I have no ideas.

One hitch is that she actually doesn't have a car, nor does she have plans to get one anytime soon - she'll be relying on Zipcar when she needs to go somewhere outside of the city (DC). So we can't buy her the normal fuzzy dice/carmats-type present.

Anything Prime-eligible from Amazon preferred, or things I can get locally (NoVa/DC area).

How can I recover my key to Adobe CS3 from the machine it's installed on if I can't find the case?

justkevin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:56:47 -0800

How can I recover my key to Adobe CS3 from the machine it's installed on if I can't find the case? I can't find the case to my copy of Adobe CS3 Web Premium Suite (Windows XP). I've combed the office and it seems increasingly unlikely that it's going to turn up. It's still installed on my PC, but if I have to reinstall or want to move it to a new computer, I'm in trouble.

I've tried Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder and Keyfinder Thing, neither of which could find the key in the registry.

Does anyone know how to recover an Adobe CS3 Suite key from a computer?

Slightly less drama than The Bill

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:34:44 -0800

UKLawFilter: I don't watch TV. My housemates do. What legal defence do I have? I think it's necessary to expand a little I come from a house without a TV. There are few shows I'd watch, but I can quite happily live without it. My housemates however, cannot, and for various reasons (big trouble with student loans for one) have not stumped up their portion of the license fee. I've had my part sat on my desk for the past 3 weeks waiting for them to get their act together, and once I realised they weren't going to bother paying any time soon, I stopped watching even the little I had been before.

I'd love to be altruistic and say that in the (admittedly unlikely) event of this being caught and fined, my housemates would be honest and say I had not been watching TV, but I doubt they would. So let's hypothesise that this situation ends in a worst-case scenario and that I, on principle, decline to cough up. Will I have any grounds for acquittal in the eyes of the law?

Is there a regulation in Montreal setting a mimimum distance between bars?

ManInSuit — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:17:08 -0800

Is there a regulation in Montreal setting a mimimum distance between bars or restaurants? I’m doing some research on how different cities regulate the density of bars in different areas. I’ve come across a couple of sources that seem to mention, in passing, that there are regulations in the city (maybe just specific areas, maybe city wide) that specify that bars must be at least 75 metres (or 100 metres, or 50 metres) apart from each other.

While the sources I came across were reasonably reliable (two articles from the Gazette, and one mention in a document on the City Hall site), they all provided very little information, just in passing, and were also around 10 years old.

I want to find out something more definitive and/or more recent and/or more informative.

Can anyone point me to information about this? I’m hoping for something like the text of a specific bylaw that states the regulation- that would be amazing. But less definitive stuff would be helpful too: a newspaper article that states plainly that such a regulation existss, or even a blog where someone gives some detail about it. I’ve put tons of time into trying to find something, but have been coming up blank.

Any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

(And – if anyone has information on similar regulations in Montreal – not specifically minimum-distance requirements, but general restrictions on where bars can be – that would be helpful, too… But the distance regulation is the main thing I’m trying to track down).

License to _____.

reductiondesign — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:15:53 -0800

"Upgrading" my driver's license—help! I'd like to have the legal ability to drive all sorts of things. The first that come to mind are a motorcycle license and commercial driver's license. However, I don't want to own or even have access to a motorcycle, a big rig, etc. I'm not exclusively interested in cars, either: forklifts, boats, planes (though I imagine this would be a large and expensive undertaking), whatever.

What sorts of things can I get tacked on to my license, how much would it cost, what would it involve, and how do I start?

I currently live in AZ, but I have a GA license. Also, I'm 19, but if there's anything that I can't do until I'm 21 (or above!) I'd still like to hear about it.

Thank you!

How can I drive a car in CA before my license plates arrive in the mail?

twblalock — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:09:25 -0800

I am in California and I am about to buy a car last registered in Michigan. The car is here. In Michigan, the plates follow the owner and therefore the car won't come with any plates. Once I take it to the DMV and register it, will they give me some kind of window sticker or something so I can drive the car around before my CA plates arrive in the mail?

Happy cross-OS CS4ing?

oulipian — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:14:57 -0800

If I have an iMac and also a laptop running Windows XP, is it possible to get a single license of Adobe CS4 Design Premium that I can legally use on both computers?

Help me navigate the DC DMV

Bulgaroktonos — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:55:55 -0800

So after three years of living in Maryland, I'm moving inside the District, help me navigate the DC DMV. Right now my wife and I each have a MD driver's license, and we have a car titled and registered in my name alone in MD. From reading the DMV website, and an old thread here's what I know:

1)I don't need to pay the excise tax
2)I need to get the car inspected, before I do anything
3)The wait will be long and I will want to kill myself

Here's my questions
1)When do I change my insurance information? If I change it before the day I go to the DMV, won't my current MD insurance lapse and cause me problems?
2)What is the minimum set of documents I can bring?
3)Can this actually be done in a single trip?

Anyone who's done this who could walk me through the process?

Free use music

white_devil — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:37:39 -0800

I’m trying to find some creative commons or free use music for my GF to use on the video she did for Facebook as a fund raising tool for her Susan G Komen 3 day walks in October. She originally wanted Lady Antebellum’s “I was Here” but couldn’t because of license issues. I’m trying to find something in that same vein. Any suggestions of online resources or magic Google-fu would be appreciated. I read this previous question but had little luck and I have tried using the CC search engine but with crappy results.

Will Wonderful Weekends Wither Without Wheels?

LongDrive — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:12:19 -0800

Tent-phobic city-dweller seeks weekend getaway suggestions which do not require a car to reach. I've just come out of a long, high-stress period of work, and am looking to take a weekend off with a special someone to just decompress for a bit. The problem is however, my driver's license is suspended for the next three months, which puts a damper on my usual plan of renting a holiday house either in the bush or by the sea to just sit and read in for the weekend, as sometimes a new setting and some quiet can really help me recharge.

I'm wondering if anyone else had any suggestions or general ideas on how to take a mini-vacation without access to a car, keeping in mind that I'm not the person who will ever go camping, ever (again). Sleeper trains? Really expensive cab fares?

I am located in Melbourne, Australia. Bonus karma for any suggestions specific to Victoria.

I forgot about the ticket because of all my drinking...

apetpsychic — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:53:50 -0800

So I probably have a warrant out for my arrest on a very old (3 years ) ticket for possible public consumption, in New York City. I want to take care of this, but what repercussions can I expect? Do I go to the courthouse and turn myself in? Will my fine be exorbitantly higher than the ticket? Additionally, I need to renew my license in Brooklyn before my upcoming birthday. Would I be able to do this if I do in fact have a bench warrant? This is my first "I screwed up" question, so please take it easy on me! Thanks!

Scootering back to Aus (Melbourne) from UK and want to transfer my motorcyle license.

lamby — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:27:33 -0800

Scootering back to Aus (Melbourne) from UK and want to transfer my motorcyle license. I have a UK A1 class motorcycle license (A full A1 licence permits you to ride any motorcycle up to 125cc and a power output of up to 11kW (14.6 bhp) without `L' plates, carry pillion passengers and use motorways.) Can this be transferred to something useful back in Aus (Victoria) so I can ride a Vespa (150cc) with sitting any more tests or having L/P plates??

How to mitigate the damage of a dreaded interview question?

liquado — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:35:34 -0800

Question-for-a-friend filter: How do you truthfully answer a job interview question about a previous job that you were asked to resign from, because you were an idiot? Long-story-short: After six months as CSR, friend gets promoted to great job as account manager, which includes on-the-road sales visits to customers. After only four months in position, friend gets stupid, drives drunk and loses license. Company asks him to resign and offers severance package, as he can no longer drive to sales calls. Friend acknowledges stupidity, takes the golden handshake, goes back to working construction. He left the position on good terms with his supervisor.

Now, friend is applying for new sales position that will likely not require driver's license. He's almost certain to get an interview, but is not sure what the best approach is to answer the likely question, "Why did you choose to leave your last sales position?" He doesn't want to lie or be dishonest, but we're both at a loss as to an alternative/vague answer that limits the damage to his chances of getting the new position.

Thanks for any pearls of wisdom.

Royalty free images for someone else's personal use

like_neon — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:09:27 -0800

How to correctly use royalty free images for personal items when I'm using them to design something for someone else, who pays me for my time. So I'm designing my own Save the Date cards and have been using some royalty free images in them (which I will then print using Vista Print). Since they are for personal use my understanding is that I'm pretty much in the clear, whether they are free royalty-free images or something I bought from iStock. (Please correct me if I'm wrong though before I print these suckers.)

I'm wondering, what if I design cards for someone else and they pay me? I wouldn't sell them cards, just the time spent on the design and the file, which they then print from wherever they want. This would be only for personal use designs (such as the save the date card) and not for resale.

In this scenario:

1) Could I still keep using the free royalty free images, for free?
2) Are images bought from iStock still covered by the Standard license?

Or would my "client" have to pay me in cake to make it ok?

Perhaps these are all quite obviously laid out because to me it sounds like this is just what designers do, but I can't seem to get past the legal mumbo jumbo and I just want to know what the deal is.

I have tried looking online for a company that does this but they all make you buy the cards from them too, even Etsy. Do you know anyone who offers "design only" services for this type of thing? (ie limited run, non sale items, for individual customers and not like, say, a business.)

I need an international drivers license.. on the double!

nakleh — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:53:41 -0800

Has anyone from the US ever had to apply for an international drivers license? I'm a dummy and didn't realize it supposedly takes 4-6 weeks to get one! We learned from the DMV you MUST get them through AAA [which is weird, but whatever].

I'm leaving on August 14th for Israel [staying 8 days, want to rent a car for the entire stay there] / then off to Paris [staying 9 days, need to rent a car for 3] and don't have 4-6 weeks to wait. Can anyone offer some advice or personal experiences obtaining one? We found a few places online that say they can expedite for a fee, but they all look shady.

I live in NYC, and have a valid US drivers license. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

Do I seriously have to pay 100 a month insurance to drive once a month?

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:36:30 -0800

Do I seriously have to pay 100 a month insurance to drive once a month? I got in an accident/DWI a little over two years ago. My license was suspended for three months but I ended up moving somewhere I didn't need a car so I never got a new one. Now I'm going to be driving occasionally (probably once a month to once a week max) but not owning a car. I want the freedom of having a license but in Missouri, it appears that you need to have insurance to get a license, and I just got quoted at 600 dollars for 6 months. I know you are not my insurance agency but is that typical? Do I really have to pay 100 a month even when I don't own a car and am rarely going to be driving?

Mawwiage. Can I get in trouble for performing a wedding without a license?

Matt Arnold — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:21:31 -0800

Can I get in trouble for performing a wedding without a wicense? I would not sign the wedding certificate or any other paperwork. Just "perform". I am a divorced atheist permanent-bachelor who dislikes the institution of marriage and is bored at weddings, but have been asked to perform a wedding tomorrow in the state of Michigan.

A friend of a friend of a friend is getting married tomorrow because the military is sending them overseas. They will get married at a Justice of the Peace at a courthouse. That will make them completely married.

Immediately after that in a private home, with a few guests present, they want a ceremony that looks and sounds traditionally religious in mainstream American culture. They are barely religious themselves. Unable to find a Christian minister on one day's notice who would work on the Fourth of July, they started asking around for anyone with "the barest superficial veneer of religiosity". My friend thought of me for the following reasons:

(1) I graduated from Bible college. Granted, it was with an art degree. That's good enough for them, because I memorized so much scripture when I was a Christian, so I can make sure the words are right. Whenever I talk about how much I dislike my religious background, I include copious references to actual scripture passages.

(2) I have an excellent voice and am good at public speaking. I can look very conservative, when I want to. I played Brad in a stage adaptation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I balked at first, but my friend said it's an acting job, like hiring a clown for a child's birthday party. "Performing a wedding" will have an emphasis on "perform".

If I do this, I will not include "by the power invested in me" because there isn't any. The bride, groom, and all guests know all the facts about me, so it is not deceptive in any way. I would not sign the marriage certificate or any other paperwork claiming to have any governmental validity. I've never heard of anything like this, and I only have one day to find out: Can I still get in trouble? Would I only get in trouble if I charge money for the "performance"?

Define "having a suspension."

papayaninja — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:45:33 -0800

Can I get my VT Operator's License now, or do I need to wait three months? So, Vermont has a graduated driver's license program, and you have to be 18 before you can get the real Operator's License. Hooray! My birthday was last week. However, back in November I got a speeding ticket and my license was suspended for three months, beginning on December 29.

June 29 will be 6 months from that date. In addition to being 18, you "must have not had any recalls, suspensions or revocations during the previous six-month period" in order to get an Operator's License.

So the question is, is that six months from the start of the suspension (i.e. in 5 days) or is that six months from the end of the suspension (three months and five days)? My other license expired on my birthday, but I'm out of state and not driving, so it's not an issue now, but it will be when I'm back in town.