I used to joke about this a few years back: it would be only a matter of time when we were able to get ‘custom’ license plates that connect to your network instead of those static vanity plates. You know, another kind of URL that connects the dots to a social network.

Yikes! It’s here!

BUMP just launched at DEMO, the launchpad conference for tech companies.

Which means those cryptic, ridiculous (and often egoistic) plates could someday be channeled into a way to connect with others on the road. It works through an app on a Blackberry, Android or iPhone.

Here’s how the VentureBeat site describes how BUMP works:

“When Bump users see someone in a car they want to communicate with, they take a picture of the person’s license plate. The Bump iPhone app (pictured right) or a similar BlackBerry app passes along a message, like “Way to use turn signals” or “Would you like to go on a date?”

• More about how it works here.
• If you like to ‘claim your license plate’ (meaning, register it in the network) use this page.