Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with plates

My speeding citation has turned into a shit snowball.

desjardins — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:19:22 -0800

Please help me navigate a mess involving an expired car registration, a speeding ticket, a lost insurance card, a license held as bond and a omg I can't even think. This involves Illinois and Wisconsin. 1. My car is registered in Illinois and I have an Illinois driver's license. The registration expires today; the license is good for awhile.

2. However, I'm (technically?) a Wisconsin resident, in that I have a lease on an apartment there, but I work in Illinois and sleep half the week in Illinois and the other half in WI. This is meant to be as temporary as humanly possible until I can stay permanently in WI.

3. I did not renew the registration yet because I was planning to get my Wisconsin license & registration this coming Friday, and hopefully avoid getting caught for the next 3 days while it's expired. Before I can register it in IL I have to get an emissions test. Of course, there will now be a late fee.

4. I got stopped for speeding today in a suburb of Chicago, I could not find my insurance card, and so I received another citation for that & my license was taken as bond. My court date is at the end of December. My driving record is otherwise clean.

5. So, I can't register my car in WI or get my WI license until I have my IL license back, correct? It's my understanding that if you have a valid license in another state, you have to forfeit it to get a WI license. I don't know about registering the car.

6. What's the ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST yet legal way to handle this? I am broke, like really broke, and the thought of having to pay to register my car in Illinois and then re-register it in WI when I get my license back is really disheartening.

7. I am freaking out and not thinking clearly, see above about being broke.

How to drive home a car bought in another state?

HopperFan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:01:41 -0800

So I bought a car from out of state...please help me with the logistics! I bought a Volvo on eBay for a good price, yay. It's about 6 hours away, though. (Ohio to Virginia)

I've read this question, and this, this, and several others - but I still have questions, because there seems to be some conflicting information.

Step 1 : Insure vehicle. I'll be doing that tomorrow, I have the VIN.

Step 2 : Go to Virginia, meet seller with car. Make sure VIN on car and title matches with what was posted on eBay.

Step 3-4-.... : ?

The questions I've thought of so far are:

1. Does the seller need to have access to a notary? Otherwise, how would signing the back of the title and the bill of sale be valid?

2. Is it true that with a signed over title and a bill of sale, I could drive this vehicle back to Ohio and placate any police officers that happen to stop me?

3. It seems like a very bad idea to fedex payment down without a title in hand, trusting he'll send me the title in exchange, just so that I could obtain temp tags here before driving down. He hasn't asked me to do that, anyway.

The car does not currently have plates. I checked auto shipping companies, but the cheapest quote is around $300. This may or may not be worth it, depending on what I learn about this registration process.

Is it possible to read the plates in this photo?

damn dirty ape — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:40:14 -0800

Is it possible to read the plates in this photo? I played with color, contrast, sharpen, and a few plugins but cant see the plate number. I can see a 5 for the first digit, but thats about it. Im guessing that there's too much distortion and reflection to make out what it is, but perhaps a photoshop expert here can figure it out. FWIW, this is a photo of a thief getting away.

Can I put these plates in the microwave, and are they full of lead?

The Card Cheat — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:31:54 -0800

My wife and I were recently given a set of '70s-era plates, bowls, etc. named Mikasa Checkmates (the "Butternut" line, as pictured here). I'm wondering if anyone could tell me if a) they're microwave-safe (on the bottom it reads "Oven To Table To Dishwasher") and b) if they're full of lead (as this site claims).

FLA in NYC?

gregvr — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:29:28 -0800

Why do so many cars in NY, CT, MA have Florida plates? When I was in the NYC area recently, I was totally struck by just HOW MANY cars i saw with Florida plates. Honestly, it seemed like I saw about as many CT plates as I saw FL plates. CT makes sense, but Florida?

Almost always these cars were less than 2 years old and tended to be more on the luxury side than the economy side.

I noticed that I see a fair amount of it here in the Boston area, but not nearly as much.

Possible explanations I've thought of:
1. There really are that many snowbirds in NYC, and they would rather register their cars in FL, because it is cheaper.
2. There's some sort of scam or loophole that allows people who do not live in FL register cars there (again, being done because it is cheaper)

Have other people noticed this? Any ideas?

Help me find fun plates and cups.

melodykramer — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:49:58 -0800

I want to buy funky plates and cups (different for each place setting) The more eclectic and weird, the better. Do you have a favorite plates/cup that you got online that are cheap, funny, and safe for human consumption?(no traces of any chemicals that may cause blindness, irritability, etc..)

Can Induction Cooktops heat utensils?

senador — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:42:11 -0800

I am looking for information on using induction type hot plates to heat lab tools/industrial implements (think scrapers, putty knives, etc.) I need to heat implements which are used to melt and form wax. I can’t seem to find any industrial/laboratory applications using Google. The only information I seem to find is about induction cook tops, etc. Has anyone had experience using induction cook tops/hot plates to heat individual small utensils or implements as opposed to larger pots and pans?

I was thinking Induction would be good as it wouldn't melt or burn any wax bits that fell on the surface. Also induction might be able to heat irregular shapes.

How to park in NYC for a week with no license plate.

Captain_Science — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:38:12 -0800

I need to figure out how to park my car for a week in NYC while on vacation...the problem? Some fine citizen stole my license plate and I can't get a replacement or even temporary one from the DMV before we leave. There is The street where I live has alternate side parking (tue and wed) and our flights work out that we leave on a Tuesday and come back on a Tuesday. Normally I might just say, eh, take the fine and chock it up to life in the city, but I am worried that if the parking attendant comes by to ticket our car and sees no plate (I do have a hand written sign in the back window with the old number and stating it was reported stolen) they will have it towed.

JFK long term parking is no go, they said flat out if the car has no plate the will tow it.

No one I know/work with in the area has a driveway (its NY) and without plates I really don't think its a good idea to drive it all the way to CT to leave it at my parents.

I am open to any suggestions from the community. Thanks!

Undiscovered thrift stores near DC?

mistsandrain — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 07:44:27 -0800

DC and surrounding area thrift store filter: I am willing to drive into rural MD or VA to find second hand/ thrift/ junk stores that have not been picked over- I am looking to buy mismatched dinnerware pieces and silver. Any recommendations? Hidden treasure troves? I am looking to rebuild my bohemian-ish stoneware kitchen set lost to divorce....

personalize my personalized plate

sephira — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 05:45:36 -0800

I need help thinking of a new license plate... I live in VA, arguably the United States vanity plate capital. I've had a personalized plate for several years now, and after having my current one for a year, it is now considered profane. I have to choose a new one, but I'm having trouble thinking of something.

Your mission: a funny or geeky license plate. Difficulty: 8 spaces, one of which has to be a dash (-) or a space. No special characters (#, $, &, etc).

Bonus points if I love the new plate more than my current.

Keep me from stealing Waffle House Plates!

keep it tight — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 18:13:52 -0800

Much like the question a couple hits below...anyone know how the purchase a Waffle House dinner set? Plates, bowls, coffee cups with the Waffle House logo?

How do I get me a "Get out of jail free" license plate?

santry — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 08:50:35 -0800

What's the significance of having a front license plate with a black background and a single, wide, horizontal blue stripe? All around Boston I've been seeing cars with a front license plate that has a black background and a blue stripe running across the middle. I'm virutally positive that they're cop-related, since the Boston College police cruisers all have them and they're on virtually every private car I see parked around the West Roxbury police station. When I see them around town they're usually on private cars that I associate with cops (mostly pickups, Crown Victorias, etc.) though occasionally I'll see one on a cheaply modded Honda (just a poseur?).

Whatever they are they've piqued my curiousity. How do people get them? Do they come with special privileges? Are they someting you get for donating enough cash to the International Brotherhood of Police Officers? If you have one, and you get pulled over, do you also have to know the secret handshake?

Sh-sh-sh-shattered!

mzurer — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 09:08:07 -0800

Where can I find square plates branded by Starbucks. My fiancée had a set of four square dinner plates in a beige-ish color. After a slight mishap, now she has a set of three. I cannot find them listed online anywhere. On the back they say Made in China for Starbucks. Anyone know where I can buy Starbucks brand plates?

Make 'n Bake Plates

tulseluper — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 09:09:38 -0800

I’m looking for a design-your-own plate kit in which you place a piece of paper (adorned with your own creative design) between a Melamine (Melmac) shell and bake it in an oven to seal it. I remember making these plates in elementary school all the time and would like to have another go at it.

The only ones I can find online are produced by a company called Plate Works (see here), but they require that you send your design (or a photo) to product headquarters and they send you back a finished plate in a handful of weeks. I’d like to do these in my own oven. Is there a company out there that lets you do it all by yourself?

Should I have these metal plates removed from my forearm?

atom128 — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 20:51:01 -0800

I recently had a pretty nasty bicycle accident and had to have two metal plates put in my forearm. I've been given the option of having another surgery around the end of the year to have them taken out, but I really want to get back to work, and to be able to ride again, so I'm seriously considering just leaving them in. Are there any downsides to that? Or conversely, if anyones chosen to have them removed, why?

Crate and Barrel Plates

Mayor Curley — Sun, 22 May 2005 14:51:30 -0800

We are considering buying Martinique Yellow dinnerware from Crate and Barrel. Some friends told us that they were less than impressed with the durability of Crate and Barrel plates. Obviously, the quality will differ from product to product, but if you have Crate and Barrel dinnerware, please tell me what you think about the quality.