And now a word about nude photos and Internet privacy

First, let me say that hacking is vile and there is no defense for or of people who illegally obtain information and cause damage with or to it.

Furthermore, people who save or upload files (including photos) to what they have been led to believe or were told was a "secure cloud" (which is really just someone else's bigger, more powerful, more secure computer) have a right to expect that their files and privacy will be protected.

In other words: What the hackers who stole Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, and other female celebrities nude photos and posted them on a message board did was not only wrong, it was illegal.

All that said, FOR YEARS NOW we have constantly heard about nude photos and videos and sexy texts "getting leaked." And we have heard about supposedly secure sites (belonging to credit card companies, retailers, hospitals, hotels) constantly getting hacked. So ya gotta wonder why anyone, especially celebrities, would trust or believe that their nude photos would be safe on their iPhones and iPads, especially if they had sent those photos to anyone.

Granted, I'm a news junkie (and, okay, write about technology for a living).

So do celebrities not read the news? Did they somehow miss all the stories over the last five or so years (or longer) about their friends' nude photos and videos and sexy texts getting leaked? Did they not read any of the articles about problems with mobile security, or at least hear about it from a friend? Do they not have grandmothers, or mothers, or friends who constantly told them, don't email (or text or tweet) anything you don't want your grandmother to see?

Btw, I'm not saying that people who take nude selfies or who let their boyfriends take nude photos of them are "asking for it." (Though I am constantly surprised when I hear girls and women say they were surprised and hurt that their boyfriend or friend shared that nude photo of them. Really? In this day and age that surprises you?)

Again, I am not in any way condoning what the hackers did, but...

If you are really really concerned about a nude photograph of you possibly showing up someplace you didn't intend it to, the best way to prevent that happening is... don't take a nude selfie or allow your boyfriend to take nude photos of you with his phone or iPad.

For more information on Nudiegate, read this piece titled "A comprehensive, jargon-free guide to the celebrity nude-photo scandal and the shadowy Web sites behind it" from The Washington Post.

Honesty or loyalty?

Maybe it's because I spent/d too much time following politics. (Though I am at the point where I can no longer watch cable or network news or read political blogs.) Or maybe it's because I've been binge watching The Good Wife. (It's been a long winter, people. Don't judge.) But lately I've found myself thinking a lot about the question, Which is more important, honesty or loyalty?

Or let me put it to you another way.

If you found out your child or spouse, a close relative, a good friend, or your boss (who controlled your employment/salary), did something wrong, something really wrong, as in illegal, or not illegal but something bad, something that would or could have serious consequences for this person (and possibly you, too), would you:

A) Seek out or verify the facts in the matter and if you discovered the bad thing was indeed true not shield or lie for this person but tell the truth, if called upon to do so (i.e., put honesty over loyalty).

B) Seek out or verify the facts and if you discovered the bad thing was indeed true shield or lie for this person (i.e., put loyalty over honesty).

C) Immediately refute any charges of wrong-doing, regardless of the facts, and defend your family member, friend, or boss (i.e., not even consider the facts for a minute; loyalty is more important than the truth).

Would the nature of the crime or wrong-doing make a difference? What if you found out your spouse sexually harassed an employee? Or your child bullied another child? Or your friend stole something?

I'm pretty firmly in the A camp -- honesty over loyalty. I try not to jump to conclusions but seek out the facts. And if the facts say that someone was wrong, I won't lie for them -- which has cost me many friends over the years and a couple of jobs. (We tell our children to tell the truth, but no one likes -- or wants to believe -- a whistleblower.)

Case in point: When I was in sixth grade, I spoke out against a bully, who at the time was one of my best friends. This girl took pleasure in bad-mouthing this one girl, who would let the bully say whatever she wanted, even if it was a lie. Ironically, this girl seemed to adore the bully, even though the bully made her cry. One day, I was asked to pile on the bullied girl -- and refused. I went even further, telling off the bully. The result? The girl I defended started to bully me, along with the bully, and I had no friends the rest of sixth grade.

I would do the same thing -- tell off a bully or abuser -- again, and have. (And have almost always met with the same result.) But I understand why so many kids -- and adults -- keep quiet.

Thoughts?

And now a word about nude sunbathing

And that word would be "don't."

I get that Europeans (namely the French) have a more laid back, non-prudish attitude regarding the human body. And I say bully (or whatever the French word for "bully" is) for them. But the last thing I want to see on a relaxing family beach holiday is some guy's twig and berries out foraging, especially when I'm strolling down the I-swear-the-sign-said-"no-nudity" (in English and French) beach in pursuit of a cow. And by "cow" I mean member of the subfamily Bovinae, not cow, as in an extremely unpleasant or overweight person. (I have no desire to photograph that subspecies.)

And yes, you read that right. I said cow. On the beach. (Which, alas, is also not the name of an alcoholic beverage, though maybe it should be.)

Sigh. Just thinking of how awesome that photo would have been -- a tan cow, hanging out on the beach! -- makes me a little giddy... and sad.

But I was not able to get that photo. (Though I got this one, sans cow, or vache, a bit later.)

And do you know why I was unable to get my awesome tan cow on the beach photo? Because just as I was about to get in range (I had brought only my little Canon PowerShot, not my Nikon with the zoom lens), some skinny pasty white dude stands up right in front of me -- and the cow -- and proceeds to remove his swim trunks and free willy.

The cow didn't seem to be the least bit bothered. In fact, she seemed rather nonplussed, and began grazing right next to the nude sunbathers. (There was another nude male there as well, at least I think he was nude. He was lying down, and I didn't care to look.)

I, however, was greatly annoyed. I really wanted that photo, but that would have required either a) being photobombed by a penis, or b) asking naked boy, probably in French, to kindly move so I could take a photo of the cow.

Neither option was appealing. So I quickly did an about face and stomped back down the beach, past the guy with swim trunks taking a photo of the cow -- and the nude guy -- with his DSLR with the zoom lens, frustrated that I had not gotten my cow shot and, okay, I admit it, wondering a) Isn't nude guy worried that thing will get burned*? And b) It must have hurt like hell having all (and I mean ALL) your hair removed. (On the positive side, at least he didn't have a hairy beer gut and man boobs, which can be equally traumatic.)

When I informed the spouse that some naked guy totally ruined my cow shot, he was blase. I'm not even sure if he looked up from his Kindle. Indeed, he went on to inform me that he thought he read somewhere that Happy was a clothing optional beach (despite the large sign in French and English at right before the path to Happy Beach that clearly said NO NUDITY) -- and went back to reading his book. (Unlike me, the spouse has no problem letting it all hang out.)

So no, I am not a fan of nude sunbathing (or guys in Speedos, but that is a different post), with or without cows.

The End

*Let us, please, consider that a rhetorical question and save the comments. 

So much for my nude dog walking career...

at least in La Jolla. (Click on the photograph to get a larger image.)






















Interestingly, the sign (which is posted near the entrance to Torrey Pines State Reserve in La Jolla, CA) has no prohibition against drinking or alcohol -- just naked trail mix eating dog walkers or hikers. (Guess this woman couldn't read.)

Next time I visit, I will be sure to wear a bikini and bring my cat and a flask. Wouldn't want to violate any rules.