# I pit OpalCat - but my heart's not really in it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 12, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872 "2011-12-12T03:17:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/301 "2011-12-17T01:16:21Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > For my part I learned my lesson and won’t participate again. As the saying goes. You can please some of the people some of the time, but there is always that one pain in the ass that you can’t please no matter what the fuck you do. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/302 "2011-12-17T01:58:48Z")
I honestly think that Opal suffers from ‘doh’ syndrome. Like she doesn’t read social cues…and whatever’s happened with her in the past is clearly biting her now. If Opal posts about her new shoes and PosterX writes about their new cat, Opal is an attention whore and Poster X is being normal. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/303 "2011-12-17T02:14:02Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > I honestly think that Opal suffers from ‘doh’ syndrome. Like she doesn’t read social cues…and whatever’s happened with her in the past is clearly biting her now. If Opal posts about her new shoes and PosterX writes about their new cat, Opal is an attention whore and Poster X is being normal. You know, maybe there’s another facet of this. From the far too private pics she put up on her site, it may be that she truly used it as her online hard drive. So all those times she linked to pics of her “new shoes”, some thought she was pimping her site while others thought nothing of it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/304 "2011-12-17T03:56:12Z")
I figured out what was bothering me; **Opal** had a reasonable expectation of privacy for sexual pictures put on the internet behind a security password, but she did not mitigate her risk; mitigating her risk would have been taking the pictures off the internet after they had served their purpose (or not putting them on in the first place). I find the hackers 25% at fault, and **Opal** 75% at fault. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/305 "2011-12-17T04:12:32Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I figured out what was bothering me; **Opal** had a reasonable expectation of privacy for sexual pictures put on the internet behind a security password, but she did not mitigate her risk; mitigating her risk would have been taking the pictures off the internet after they had served their purpose (or not putting them on in the first place). I find the hackers 25% at fault, and **Opal** 75% at fault. Did anyone else hear a gavel bang and an “all rise!” after this? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/306 "2011-12-17T04:34:40Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Did anyone else hear a gavel bang and an “all rise!” after this? _doink doink_ (Sorry, I had to do it) ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/307 "2011-12-17T04:37:50Z")
But, . . . wait! We need a sidebar over an unreasonable line of questioning, a valuable piece of evidence damned as fruit of the poisonous tree, and a completely unexpected twist in the plot that takes us in a direction eerily reminiscent of a recent headline news story! ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4bbf92/32.png) [@Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Hamsandwich)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/308 "2011-12-17T05:38:43Z")
You folks lost me a bit. Why are you still posting about this? This woman obviously has issues and that is fresh fodder for internet trollers. But why persist? She isn’t worth your time of day. Lock this shit. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/309 "2011-12-17T07:01:40Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I figured out what was bothering me; **Opal** had a reasonable expectation of privacy for sexual pictures put on the internet **behind a security password** , but she did not mitigate her risk; mitigating her risk would have been taking the pictures off the internet after they had served their purpose (or not putting them on in the first place). **I find the hackers 25% at fault,** and **Opal** 75% at fault. Except there was no password and there were no hackers. So it’s more like Opal is 99.5% at fault, and dickheads on the internet are dickheads regardless of how het-up people get about it. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/310 "2011-12-17T07:03:14Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I figured out what was bothering me; **Opal** had a reasonable expectation of privacy for sexual pictures put on the internet behind a security password, but she did not mitigate her risk; mitigating her risk would have been taking the pictures off the internet after they had served their purpose (or not putting them on in the first place). I find the hackers 25% at fault, and **Opal** 75% at fault. There was no “hacking” involved. The URL for the page I am on right now is [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=14574938](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=14574938) What happened to Opal is no different than me seeing that address and erasing the end so that it reads [Straight Dope Message Board - Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb) to get to the main page. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/311 "2011-12-17T07:44:42Z")
Well, she appears to have learned something over the past week [“I would ask you what it’s about but rather than bother you I’ll wikipedia it for a synopsys.”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14573863&postcount=32) ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/312 "2011-12-17T08:39:18Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > or start looking at homes with (or near) stables (and consequently increase my commute by an hour) so you can buy him a fucking pony. Where do you buy fucking ponnies? P.S: I dont think it is an appropriate gift for a kid though. But I’m old fashioned. ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/313 "2011-12-17T11:40:05Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Where do you buy fucking ponnies? Why at the X-rated pony store, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/314 "2011-12-17T16:52:22Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > If Opal posts about her new shoes and PosterX writes about their new cat, Opal is an attention whore and Poster X is being normal. It is more like, in a thread about new cats someone posts that theirs “loves to play with red ribbon” and Opal comes in with “that reminds me of my new red shoes”. A lot of her posts are well meaning and germane to the conversation. It is the far to frequent tangential personal anecdotes and asides that get under the skin and derail the thread. The derail in the **So much for more dollar coins** thread is a typical example. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/315 "2011-12-17T19:20:49Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Did anyone else hear a gavel bang and an “all rise!” after this? Yeah, baby! I’m channelling Judge Judy! > [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > Except there was no password and there were no hackers. \ There were no hackers? There was no password? I thought she password-protected the gallery? It was as simple as backspacing on an url? Buh? Okay, I have to change my judgement to “no reasonable expectation of privacy” if it was basically out there for everyone to see if they bothered to look. While I’m at it, does anyone know if the pictures were removed from the internet after they were discovered? (I’m sure it’s somewhere in all these threads, but I’m too lazy to go look.) ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/316 "2011-12-17T19:41:45Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Yeah, baby! I’m channelling Judge Judy! > > There were no hackers? There was no password? I thought she password-protected the gallery? It was as simple as backspacing on an url? Buh? Okay, I have to change my judgement to “no reasonable expectation of privacy” if it was basically out there for everyone to see if they bothered to look. While I’m at it, does anyone know if the pictures were removed from the internet after they were discovered? (I’m sure it’s somewhere in all these threads, but I’m too lazy to go look.) Yep, absolutely no hacking and no passwords. Opal **claims** that there were passwords at one point, but that the protection disappeared when her site was upgraded. However, at the point they were found, they were on a publicly-accessible website without any protection. And yes, the pictures appear to have been removed. Of course, anyone who viewed them before could have saved them, and if they were cached in search they may be available still that way. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/317 "2011-12-17T20:10:36Z")
If somethig’s digital, it’s public. No exceptions. Always make that assumption. ---
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/318 "2011-12-18T11:36:51Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Where do you buy fucking ponnies? > P.S: I dont think it is an appropriate gift for a kid though. But I’m old fashioned. Depends on where you live. My cousins all had ponies, but then again, their parents raise horses… ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/319 "2011-12-18T11:56:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If somethig’s digital, it’s public. No exceptions. Always make that assumption. Coming next week, on _Celebrity Proctologist_ . . . ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872/320 "2011-12-18T12:28:29Z")
> [@YoDoc](#): > > Depends on where you live. My cousins all had ponies, but then again, their parents raise horses… I hate anyone who ever had a [pony](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RDLqb3umsw) when they were growing up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-opalcat-but-my-hearts-not-really-in-it/605872.md?page=17)