Friday, March 11, 2011

People of Go Transit. I think you may be on to something...

Below is a text exchange I had last week with a person who thinks I'm a time traveler. My replies are in green.

Hi So I found your little blog today and I just want to say congratulations for ripping off my idea. A few years ago I had told people I used to sit with on the train that I was going to start a website called People of Go Transit and I would document all the things people do on the train.
What I'm saying is your site is not unique and you should be careful about what you do with people's ideas.

Hi, what train do you ride?

I don't ride the train anymore but I used to

Okay ... what train DID you ride?

I used to take the train to Whitby.

When was that?

How do you mean?

What year?

1997

Do you own a Delorean?

No, what's that?

It's the car from the Back to the Future movies

Okay and your point is?

Because in 1997 I lived in the west-end of Toronto and drove to work

(pause)

So I was hoping I could borrow your time machine because it's the only way I could have stolen your idea and 1997 is more than a "few years ago"

How long am I supposed to know you've been riding the train for?

It says so on my web---, or I'm sorry, seeing it was your idea, on *your* website

How do I know that?

How do you know what?

What it says on the site?

Jesus Christ. Did you even read it?

No, I just saw you have a blog after my friend posted it on Facebook

So you saw that I have a blog and you immediately figured someone had stolen your great idea about people riding GO trains from 1997 ???

(pause)

Hello

(pause)

I'm sure I'm not the first person to sit on a GO train and watch a person hug a support pole and use it like it's $3 Beer Night at some brass pole joint and think to myself, ya know? Someone should write a blog about the crazy stuff people do on a GO train.

Before you accuse someone of stealing an idea, have some merit to your claim such as a draft copy of content, or how about that you actually registered a domain name (ie. peopleofgotransit.com)? However, I do think your name for such a site is a good one so instead of whining to me, how about you actually do something with your idea (which is now over 14 years old, by the way).

At least I'm actually doing something with mine.

5 comments:

  1. lolMarch 11, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    sounds like a relative of KP's....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan-1March 12, 2011 at 12:19 AM

    Amazing how many people don't know what a DeLorean is.

    Oh yeah, I actually invented the iPod years ago when I was riding the bus and though of it. I think I'll go accuse Apple of ripping off my idea now...

    ReplyDelete
  3. UncleMarch 12, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    WTF is wrong with people......

    I have an idea about cold fusion.....I'm not gonna bother working on it though. I'll wait for an actual genuis to come up with it and then I'll claim it was mine all along.

    ReplyDelete
  4. karyMarch 12, 2011 at 6:00 PM

    I think they just watched Social Network and thought that when CJ starts raking in the big bucks, they want their share. The only explaination.

    ps vacation was good. I look like one of the brown girls that keep posting in the shoutouts. browngirl5

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tim KMarch 14, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    Hi! New reader here. I once had this idea that the Internet would be on computers.

    ReplyDelete

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