Ah yes, the internet--home of noobs, fads, and 4chan. For most, it serves as a source of information. For others, it delivers a plethora of low-brow entertainment venues. Rarely, however, is it used as a means to exact justice.

Until now, that is.

In this fast-paced world of email, instant messages, wireless synchronization, and camera phones, personal gadgets are becoming more advanced, multi-capable, and ultimately more expensive. Because of this, the latest and greatest mobile phones are being more and more sought after. But if you're desperate enough to get one--say going so far as keeping one you found in the back of a cab--then you may want to think twice. Or, at the very least, be careful how you use your hot merchandise. Because you never know when you'll become the target of a world wide internet man-hunt.

Case in point, How NOT to steal a Sidekick.

With new fads popping up on the internet weekly, its often hard to keep up with them. This one, however, has caught my attention unlike any in recent memory.

So here's the story: a couple dropped their T-Mobile Sidekick phone in the back of a New York cab. It then found its way into the hands of the cab's next patrons. However, instead of using the device's email and instant messaging capabilities to contact the rightful owner, the unscrupulous thieves decided to keep it as their own. And that's where they made the biggest mistake of their lives. You see, with T-Mobile camera phones, a copy of every picture you take can be checked online. Likewise, you can also check any screen names used to log into its AOL instant messenger client. So the phone's rightful owner, armed with the thieves images and screen name, went to the web in search of justice.

Within a day, the story was sweeping the internet. Amateur sleuths were able to track down the thieve's activity all across the net. In an almost frightening display of the information gathering and tracking ability of the internet, enough evidence was found on the thieves to make a defense attorney spontaneously combust.

You can get frequent updates on the situation at the above link. At last check, a police report has been filed, but due to the low-priority of the case, the NYPD isn't moving too fast with it. But hopefully with the unexpected publicity this story is getting, we might be able to get the ball rolling again.

Personally, I'm just glad these punks are getting their comeuppance. Being a bit of a gadget freak myself, I know that if someone decided to hold on to my lost Blackberry I'd be more than a little ticked off. And, even if no legal action is brought against the degenerates, they must still live with the public humiliation of having their thieving mugs plastered across the net.

I guess human decency still has a place on the internet. Evan, keep up the good fight, man. I support whole-heartedly what you're doing, and am impressed to no end at your perseverance and fortitude. Best of luck.