Burned-in numbers like this were created by film cameras for recording the date, so almost certainly the rest of the digits were just cropped off. There’d normally be no reason to burn the exposure number into the image, though the photofinisher may have stamped it on the back of the print. I don’t know if any cameras offered this feature as early as 1982, but I doubt it. It’s also not very likely that vacation snapshots would be taken digitally in 2000; digital cameras of that era had low resolution and storage capacity and were fairly expensive compared to point-and-shoot film cameras.
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We had time-stamping film cameras in the late 90’s to mid-2000s. And let me tell you, having to set the date and time using teensy buttons on those cameras EVERY TIME you take it out of the friggin’ drawer was a Royal PITA! Because they ran on fancy, expensive little can shaped batteries that were always dead by the next time you went on a trip.
Dangit, I hold on to vents for a while don’t I…
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One time I noticed that a couple of friends – who did not know one another – were taking snaps from the same spot in front some not-obvious spot in Paris at almost the same time and posting them on FB, I guess they were eating at the same restaurant, but didn’t notice the photos in time to try to cause them to seek one another out.
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There appears to be no possibility that a photo of the May Wind sculpture (Wuyue Feng) could have been taken in 1982, at least according to the Travel China Guide website:
"May 4th Square (Wusi Square)
The May 4th Square was built in 1997 to commemorate the significance of Qingdao City in the May Fourth Movement, an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotic movement initiated by students in 1919. Covering an area of 10 hectares (24.7 acres), the square faces the office building of the city government in the north and Fushan Bay in the south. Aiming to encourage people to be patriotic, the magnificent building has become landmark architecture of the city.
Along the central axis of the square, there lies the office building of the city government, concealed fountains, dot matrix fountains and a sculpture. There is also a vast evergreen lawn and many plants and flowers dotted around here and there. Set against the imposing sculpture and beautiful natural scenery, the square presents a splendid view of decency and prosperity.
The symbolizing building of the square is a majestic sculpture which is 30 meters (98.4 feet) high and has a maximal diameter of 27 meters (88.6 feet). The shape of a swirling wind and the flaming color of the sculpture fully display the greatness of the May Fourth Movement and national power."
Also found a post on another website that supports this info:
https://www.skyscanner.net/trip/qingdao/things-to-do/may-forth-square
I hate to ruin a good conspiracy, but skeptical minds will have to look elsewhere 
for proof or nefarious intent.
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Riiight. So, tell me how it’s showing up in a photo from 1982?
This thing is bigger than we thought…
Facts never stand in the way of a good conspiracy! 
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Oh, holy fucking fucksocks; one person merely wondering about an apparent inconsistency in an image, (and all the people who felt the need to chime in with their opinions/knowledge on digital cameras and timestamps) does not a “conspiracy” make.
FUCK.
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You asked a technical question on BB and got answers… so many answers… Disappointed? 
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Yeah, one simple question and you got Boinged.
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Do I look like someone who needs to be added to the list?
And if you’ll note my original post, I just made an observation; I didn’t actually ask a question.
I’ll remember to bring lube next time.
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That’s what they would like you to think.
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So that’s where all the tin foil comes from…
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Good call, some round here will jump in real quick… 
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I have a large stockpile, in case the government tries to take it away.
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Beat me to it. My dad had one of those, with the time-stamp databack.
IIRC, Nikon and Leica also had databacks at the time.
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Yeah, I realized that the Minolta X-700 I inherited from my mom in the '90s (because she got a point-n-shoot instead) had a data back available in the early '80s too.
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Alternate headline:
Woman belatedly realizes she married the man who was covertly stalking her for over a decade
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We are constanrly monitored now, it will be interesting to see how many times people cross paths over a life time. Might be more common than realized.
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It’s some random shit you saw on the internet… You have every right to be skeptical.
lol you win internet today 
hahaha 
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When I wrote my comment, my first instinct was to merely refer to “cynical suspicion”, but thought better of it and went with “conspiracy” instead - it seemed so much more extreme and whole lot more inflammatory, just plain funnier in my opinion. Reading the later additions to this thread, I believe my instincts have been proven correct.
That said, I have discovered something in the later comments that has lead me to wonder a bit about something. When constructing protective foil headwear, be it a hat or helmet, will any old metal foil work, or must it be made of real tin? All I have ever seen and used has been aluminum foil (aluminium if you prefer), but is it safe? Will it protect me from radio waves, alien influence, sun spots, or sonic weapons? Has teknocholer stockpiled so much that it would explain why I have none? Is there a conspiracy in all of this?
WARNING: Persons denying the existence of Robots may be Robots themselves.
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