Australian Broadcast Corporation follows-up on a 3 months old story:
Biohacker Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow who was fined for implanting an Opal Card chip into his hand has had his conviction overturned. [...] Mr Meow-Meow appealed against the conviction in the District Court and today it was quashed. District court judge Dina Yehia took into account his good character, while describing the case as "highly unusual ... involving a unique set of circumstances."
[...] She said that, while there were legal issues of general deterrence, she was of the view that the objective seriousness of the offence fell towards the lower end of the range, if not the bottom.
The previous story offers the context:
Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow, 33, surgically implanted an Opal Card chip into his hand last year, so that he could swipe on and off without using a card. Transport authorities charged him for using public transport without a valid ticket and for not producing a ticket to transport officers. Mr Meow-Meow pleaded guilty to both offences at Newtown Local Court. He was fined $220 for breaching the Opal Card terms of use and was ordered to pay $1,000 in legal costs.
The lawyer representing Mr Meow Meow argued that transport legislation had advanced to include methods of contactless payment through MasterCard and some smart phones. He said that the law should adapt to all available technologies including implantable tech. But Magistrate Michael Quinn said, while the legislation may catch up with technology in the future, the law of the day must be followed.
Outside court, Mr Meow Meow said he was disappointed both offences were not dismissed and that he was ordered to pay legal costs. Despite the decision, Mr Meow Meow said he would continue to experiment with implanted technology. He said he was planning to push the boundary even further, replacing his Opal chip with one that will hold all of his personal information, including credit cards and memberships.
Why wait until the govt chips you when you can use your freedom and DIY? (large grin)
Related Stories
High School Student Injects The Book Of Genesis Into His Body
A student has injected himself with the Book of Genesis and the surah Ar-Ra'd (part of the Qur'an) because he "wondered whether it would be possible".
Adrien Locatelli, a high school student in Grenoble, France, decided to inject himself with several religious texts.
"Recent studies have reported that it is possible to convert any type of information into DNA for the purpose of storage," he wrote, publishing his initial results on the Open Science Framework.
"Since it is possible to convert digital information into DNA, I wondered whether it would be possible to convert a religious text into DNA and to inject it in a living being."
Seems like a good origin story for a religious superhero.
Related: Man Who Attempted DIY Gene Therapy Found Dead
Biohacker With Implanted Card Escapes Conviction
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:25PM (6 children)
Meow Meow Dipshit is the script-kiddie of biohackers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:51PM
I had a cat named that once.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday June 19 2018, @03:15PM (3 children)
The biohacker community appears to be flooded with people exhibiting Histrionic personality disorder. First we had the story of the dead carnival barker in the sensory thank and now this clown. Whenever I see someone pulling hand waving "look at me" stunts, I write them off as frauds. File this under "nothing to see here save for yet another dipshit, move along".
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday June 19 2018, @07:46PM (2 children)
There is a selection bias. You are more likely to hear about the ones causing controversy or getting offed, because that's what sells newspapers... I mean baits clicks.
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(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday June 20 2018, @05:13PM (1 child)
Very true. It's a shame that these frauds probably ruining it for legit researchers.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday June 20 2018, @05:21PM
No amount of antics and resulting legislation can stop people from doing biology/chemistry. Just look at the Drug War.
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(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday June 19 2018, @07:48PM
Better to be a script kiddie and do something easy than attempt something out of your league and cause infection, paralysis, death, etc.
In 20 years the chip implanting will really be script kiddie stuff. Unless it's a brain computer interface being implanted.
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(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:33PM (6 children)
Why was he granted an appeal if he plead guilty?
Incompetent legal counsel?
If the embedded chip worked, and the machine accepted it as a form of payment, then there was no crime in the first place.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by nitehawk214 on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:39PM (3 children)
He who represents himself has a fool for a client.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:47PM (2 children)
Quote original story:
So he had a lawyer for the first go, and presumably for the appeal.
So what exactly was your point?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @05:48PM
I think he was implying that you probably represent yourself. It would explain a lot.
(Score: 2, Funny) by nitehawk214 on Friday June 22 2018, @04:27PM
Correction: He who has a client named Meow Meow, has a fool for a client.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2, Informative) by petecox on Tuesday June 19 2018, @08:39PM
The issue is whether tampering with a credit card shaped government dispensed transport ticket is valid if the customer can no longer produce said card intact.
He's a harmless eccentric so they make an exception but what it boils down to is that the NSW government employs hundreds of hired goons to check for valid tickets. He then needs to justify to them.why he doesn't have a ticket on him or he'll receive a fine and be forcibly ejected from a train station.
At least now these officers will now recognise him as the weirdo from the TV instead of kicking him off the bus.
(Score: 3, Informative) by tfried on Tuesday June 19 2018, @08:48PM
Pure guesswork, here, but there was probably no denying that he did violate some terms of use, such as perhaps "you must hand over your ticket for inspection, when asked to by transport personnel", or something similar. So he pleaded guilty on the obvious in both trials.
However, rather clearly, he did not violate those terms of use in order to evade the fare, or to cause trouble, but because ... (oh well, let's skip over this point, but anyway, no damage done to third parties). And from what I understand the result of the appeal was that that $220 fine was quashed, for precisely those reasons. That "victory" was probably more than offset by additional legal costs, but it seems likely enough that he was most interested in a moral victory (or possibly just more public attention), anyway.
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:33PM (10 children)
Is that seriously his name?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:41PM (2 children)
In civilized countries you can change your name to whatever you want.
I wouldn't like to be this guys' kid though.
Somehow I don't think this name will lead to the right kind of popularity in school.
Although, if I were a judge, I would allow the kid to change their name before the age of 18.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:50PM
Changing names existed long before civilized countries, in fact long before countries at all.
It was usually the refuge of scoundrels.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @05:51PM
Especially if he named his kid Garfield.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Farmer Tim on Tuesday June 19 2018, @07:15PM (6 children)
Came for the news, stayed for the soap opera.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Farmer Tim on Tuesday June 19 2018, @07:17PM
Came for the news, stayed for the soap opera.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday June 19 2018, @07:44PM (2 children)
What's wrong with that? It's his body, his choice. Most people are glued to their smartphones anyway.
Nothing wrong with that either. It's not much different than what the U.S. National Institutes of Health does, except with the awareness that treating aging damage is worthwhile. Aubrey de Grey's approach is gaining traction.
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(Score: 2, Insightful) by Farmer Tim on Tuesday June 19 2018, @09:08PM (1 child)
On the second point, I think you misinterpreted me. While I think finding an end to aging is unlikely, there would be enormous side benefits from the research...if this is a party’s most questionable policy, they’re a pretty good party IMO.
Came for the news, stayed for the soap opera.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday June 19 2018, @09:48PM
Fair enough, it is not a very sophisticated hack. It seems like his future plans would allow the thing to be turned off/updated.
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(Score: 1) by petecox on Tuesday June 19 2018, @08:14PM (1 child)
I voted for the parry in the senate.
Having candidates with PhDs in science is preferable to populist old fogeys like Hanson or Hinch. Particularly with regards climate science, the gutting of the CSIRO and plots to privatise the ABC and BOM.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @10:26PM
Parry the Platypus? He's my nemesis!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 19 2018, @02:57PM
And this is why, as a species, we are doomed.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday June 19 2018, @03:47PM
Biohackers who shove contraband in through their sphincter muscles are routinely prosecuted when caught. This biohacker pushes a chip under his skin, and he gets a way with it? Whatever happened to equality and justice?
(Score: 5, Funny) by crafoo on Tuesday June 19 2018, @11:05PM
Hmm. Wonder if this judge will live long enough to be prosecuting people for NOT having their implanted transportation ID and credit chip.