Treasure (Google) maps

Here's a bonkers story which appeared on the news wires this week. It concerns 39-year-old musician Nathan Smith, who supposedly used Google Maps to help find a buried treasure along the Texas Gulf coast.
Smith is in court trying to lay claim to the find, which may contain a boat lost in 1822 during a hurricane that was filled with silver and gold.
MG Siegler, blogging on the tech website Venture Beat, writes:

...That, in and of itself would be a great story, but that’s hardly the most interesting part. First of all, Smith, who is also a filmmaker that makes documentaries about conspiracy theories surround the terrorist attacks of 9/11, says he hasn’t made a profit from his artistic endeavors since 1990. Instead, he looks for investors to fund his treasure hunting, which would in turn fund his life as an artist.
Second, he got the idea to become a treasure hunter after seeing the movie National Treasure.
Third, Smith says that half of the crew died in the shipwreck, while the other half were eaten by the local cannibal tribe.
Fourth, Smith estimates that there is $3 billion in buried treasure in the spot that he’s trying to claim.
I bet you didn’t think finding a buried treasure on Google Maps would be the normal part of the story. But something tells me Smith is just trying to get his story sold as the plot for National Treasure 3.

Read the full account of Smith's day in court on the Houston Chronicle site here It doesn't get much stranger!
Oh, and a Happy New Year to everyone!