Hacker News Reader

Comment by jellicle | Hacker News Reader

Except there's no loophole. Registering the vehicle at purchase (or at beginning of lease) is required. Cal DMV will then send you plates. At which time your paper stickers expire.

Besides, his vehicle wasn't displaying the temporary plates either.

Look, MacObserver and all the rest of you fanboys: Steve Jobs just decided to disobey the law. There's no loophole. There's just a guy who thought the lines of his car were spoiled by license plates and who decided that, fuck it, he's a billionaire and the laws didn't apply to him.

Jobs was an asshole and a scofflaw. He'll be remembered for doing great things with Apple. Quit trying to whitewash the rest of his life. By the time you people get done with him, his Wikipedia page will talk about how he spent four hours every day feeding puppies and orphans. Sheesh. Knock it off already.

View on HN

There are no temporary plates to display. All you get is registration paperwork to keep in your glovebox.

This is false. The dealer will issue you a temporary permit which is taped in the front window.

Oh man, you read my mind, I couldn't agree more about everybody trying to whitewash the rest of his life.

This is a lot like David Letterman and his numerous speeding tickets he would get in Connecticut. He's rich and a $200 fine doesn't mean the same to him as it does to us. That's what he'd spend on an expensive NYC lunch. The same goes for Jobs.

I read the article thinking it was ridiculous. Adam Carolla, who has a podcast I listen to regularly, complains all the time about the 'chicken s' tickets he gets for not having a plate on the front of some of his sports cars. I can't imagine the tickets you would get for not having a rear plate. Every time a cop looked in your direction you'd get pulled over. Seems like more hassle than it's worth.

Jobs should've just gotten the California legislature to issue an iPlate - something designed by Jobs/Apple that looked good and the proceeds went to something worthwhile, like an Apple-approved charity.

Some European countries impose traffic fines relative to the offender's income.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-01-11/news/17823924_1_mph-li...

There's an anecdote that he parked his car so frequently in the handicap spot in front of the Apple office that some jokesters one day changed the wheelchair into a Mercedes insignia. Reportedly Steve was none too pleased.

>Registering the vehicle at purchase (or at beginning of lease) is required.

Not if you've properly backdated your stock options.

he's a billionaire and the laws didn't apply to him.

It is more likely the other way around. People who see that kind of major success are people who refuse to listen to others. Not obeying the law of displaying a license plate is just an extension of the demeanour that allowed him to become a billionaire in the first place.

I see dozens of people failing to obey traffic laws every day. Few of them appear to be billionaires.

So you believe Jobs' attitude had no effect on his success?

Sneaking Woz in after hours at Atari is another famous example of rule that he broke. We know it was in his nature. Breaking rules isn't necessarily going to make you rich, but not breaking rules definitely isn't going to make you rich.

People who are rich often disobey laws, does not equate to People who disobey laws are often rich.

Disobeying vehicle registration laws does not equal being an asshole. I doubt anyone actually makes it through a day without breaking at least one law. Quit being an asshole yourself and at least provide a legitimate reason why he was an asshole.

Parking in disabled spaces[1][2]. :)

  [1] http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Handicapped.txt
  [2] http://www.cultofmac.com/2613/steve-jobs-still-parking-in-handicapped-spaces-the-pictures/

> at least provide a legitimate reason why he was an asshole

Well, since you're asking ... I admire Steve Jobs the entrepreneur, but Steve Jobs the dad qualified as one [1]:

"Jobs's first child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, was born in 1978, the daughter of his longtime relationship with Chris Ann Brennan, a Bay Area painter. For two years, she raised their daughter on welfare while Jobs denied paternity by claiming he was sterile"

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs#Personal_life

   provide a legitimate reason why he was an asshole.

Judging by his fanboys' comments, this should be guilt by association.

Deleted comment

You think downvotes for calling somebody an asshole is HN going "down the hill"? Really?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com