New I.Q. test. See how you do!
- You take nude photos of yourself and you:
a. Email them to all your friends thinking they will not betray you.
b. Post them on Facebook thinking that your post is private and there’s no way anyone will see them except for your custom list.
c. Tweet about them with a link to your private photo album using code language that you believe no one but your friends will decipher.
d. None of the above.
- You have an affair, though you are married and a high profile and important politician, and you:
a. Take your girlfriend to a posh restaurant and sit in a darkened corner thinking you’re hiding even though surveillance cameras are outside the restaurant, in the parking lot, on the stores across the street, every diner in the restaurant has a cell phone with photo and video capabilities, and paparazzi are always following you.
b. Take your girlfriend to a resort telling your family you are going to a weekend environmental conference to discuss the disappearance of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker even though there are surveillance cameras inside, outside, on the ferry which takes you to the “secluded” island, and everyone there has cell phones with the aforementioned photo and video capabilities, and you are followed by the usual number of paparazzi.
c. Take photos of the two of you together on your smart phone while sun bathing nude on your private patio and mail them to selected friends thinking your friends will never betray you.
d. None of the above.
- You lie to your associates that you are going to another conference and spend a tidy fortune on luxury accommodations and perks that the taxpayer pays for and you:
a. Have your girlfriend meet you there even though there are security cameras everywhere because it’s a high-end facility and caters to wealthy people who don’t want their belongings stolen or their safety compromised.
b. Take photos of you and your girlfriend in your private room doing all sorts of interesting things and send them to your friends thinking they won’t betray you.
c. Forget to tell your other girlfriend so she gets mad and while you are away contacts the press and spills her guts.
d. None of the above.
- You’re gay but have not “come out” so you visit public restrooms and you:
a. Get caught trying to solicit sex and say you thought the guy in the next stall was an extraterrestrial and you were trying to show him how to use human bathroom facilities.
b. Get caught trying to solicit sex and say you dropped the toilet paper and wanted the guy in the next stall to give you some (paper).
c. Get caught trying to solicit sex and say you enjoy meeting new people no matter where you are and, by the way, you compliment his shoes.
d. None of the above.
Scoring is easy. If you answered anything but “d” on any of the questions, you failed, you’re an idiot, and you need to go live in a cave.
Technology is out there watching us and listening to us and if for no other reason than that, we must behave. Forget morals just for a moment. If you don’t possess morals at least have a brain and a little fear of losing your family, your job, your respect. Fear the possibility of going to jail/prison if you get caught committing a crime. Fear Big Brother. It’s just stupid not to.
My mom has friends who have sworn off all technology. They refuse to have a computer in their home. I don’t know if they have cell phones. They say they are protecting their privacy. They launched into a diatribe about technology and how safe they are compared to others.
I listened, politely, and waited. I then asked them if they watched TV and if so what service did they subscribe to? After they told me I explained their viewing was monitored and reports were made and sent to advertisers and programming based on their viewing habits. I asked if they used any banks. They did. I told them how banks operate in the computer age and even if they didn’t use ATMs or perform online banking their banks were LOADED with technology and tracked every single penny they spent and if their bank was ever hacked every detail of their lives including their Social Security numbers and where they lived would be available to the world. I asked if they shopped and if they used credit cards. I asked if they visited the doctor.
Did they have their car serviced? Did they have electricity and gas? Did they have water and sewer? Did they pay taxes? Did they write checks? (I haven’t written checks in years.) Each time I asked a question and told them where their information was being stored they turned various shades of gray. I told them to watch their pretty mailbox which is located on a lazy country lane because that’s a prime spot for opportunistic theft and once thieves obtain their mail they could have a field day. I wasn’t trying to be mean. I was trying to let them know that IT’S TOO LATE. Whether or not they have a computer or a smart phone or any other technology they are part of someone else’s technology---and have been for dozens of years. No one is safe. No one. Not even our top government leaders. IT’S ALL OUT THERE.
But mom’s friends are normal every day unenlightened folks. Do we want unenlightened people running our government? If they are so out of the tech loop they can’t manage their private lives and allow technology to narc on them, they should not be in office.
I’ve known people who have lost their jobs for a lot less than what we see on the evening news. It’s time for the smart folks who know they are being watched to educate the stupid folks who are so arrogant and empowered and wealthy they believe they can get away with anything they do.
Setting aside the moral issues of these behaviors, let’s just think about the composition of the brain matter these idiots possess in today’s tech world. Five year olds know better than to post anything anywhere of an embarrassing nature. And it’s highly likely that when a politician does something horrible and it goes viral their kids see it first. Is that what they want? Do they want their kids to see their parents in various stages of undress with or without a “friend”?
How smart are YOU? Hope you answered “d” on all the questions. If not, go away.
[No part of this content may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author. Blog series began in March 2009.]
