Phone cameras, floor ads, and my old school

There was a time not so long ago when you could screw up when you were out, most everyone would get a good laugh out of it, and you'd forget it as time went by and other things in life (remember, life always has other things) crowded it out. I've done many a stinker when I was younger and didn't know better. (Or maybe now, when I forget. It happens.) Anyway, you wouldn't dream of instant notoriety because of that.

Enter the camera phone.

I envy the guy who first decided "Hey! Let's put cameras in the darn thnigs so people don't need to lug them around!" I'm sure he had good intentions, but like every good thing we have a knack for figuring out how to abuse it within the shortest of time. Men using them to film up women's skirts, people filming themselves in naughty activity, etc. Even Roger "Bus Uncle" Chan rues the day someone recorded him railing at a younger bus passenger... though my comments are outside the scope of this post.

I went shopping for a new phone, and saw EVERY display phone in the shop touting a camera, and just how sharp its pictures could be. I've nothing against them--every piece of technology is ultimately an extension of the user's mind. (Unless it breaks down. Sigh.) And woe betide the user the technology fails--the greater the rise, the harder the fall.

I'm not calling for a return to the old ways and a call to revert to fixed lines. You might as well ask a comet to hit the Earth--and even that wouldn't wipe out all our coverage. Meanwhile, we've to do the best we can--to paraphrase C.S. Lewis, God knows what wretched vehicles we drive.

Something amusing did hit the news last week. Apparently some ad agency hit upon the idea of floor ads in Orchard MRT promoting the movie The Da Vinci Code, some of which featured pictures of Christ. I don't have to tell you the reaction--suffice it to say they were barriered off, and taken away as soon as station staff could.
Now, I won't mince words on my opinions of floor ads. They are at best an eyesore and at worst an utter nuisance, a hazard even. I don't know what help the damned things could be--if you aren't interested you would cast a second look at the floor of all places. If you were you'd hardly see anything thanks to people stepping all over them. Either way, the ads rugi lor, and get all beat up to show for it.
This is one idea-maker I haven't the least respect for.

Something happened at my old JC, in today's papers. Some teacher made... um... inappropriate remarks to a female student on a chat. She forgot to logout, someone discovered it... and BOOM.
It's my alma mater (virgin mother; stupid word), and so I guess I've to say something. And that is:

Whoever spread the messages, shame on you. Shame on anyone who's capitalised on this to smear the name of an institution, the people involved, and yourselves. "But everyone has the right to know," some may insist. Fine. I want everyone to know such a problem exists. I want everyone to know it can and must be curbed. But releasing the actual, salacious chat is NOT the way to do it.
Please. We don't need to know everything. What we need is to be warned, and in cyberspace, to always stay on your toes. You don't need to make an example of someone who didn't.