We have examined the issue of nudist privacy in a day and age of things like Google Glass (cameras and computers built into a pair ordinary-looking eyeglasses), Instagram, and credit reporting companies that snoop into your Facebook friends and habits.
Here's one more reason why a picture of your naked tush is likely to end up on the Internet someday whether you plan it or not: the magical refocusing camera. Mashable has been carrying a lot of stories about cameras with the technology to capture millions of data points (either by having lens and software designed to capture those points from slightly different angles of light waves or by simply storing a whopping 41megapixels or more of data in a single image).
We know, we know, it doesn't seem remarkable on first glance... high resolution cameras have been around for years. The difference here is that the new cameras (including those on cell phones like the Nokia 880) allow a single picture or videos to be taken, but then to focus on any area of that picture or video with incredibly sharp resolution after it has been snapped.
Remember the 8mm film recorded by Abraham Zapruder of the Kennedy assassination that infamous day in Dallas? Now imagine if any place the camera had panned across during the filming could be zoomed in and brought into focus as if it had been zoomed in on by Zapruder himself. Imagine being able to see the characteristics of each and every face in the crowd, on the grassy knoll... even to the point of reading each and every license plate in the motorcade. Or looking into the windows of the schoolbook depository building for Lee Harvey Oswald.
It sounds like science fiction, but it is reality. Just view the sample pictures taken by a Nokia 880 camera phone, or with a Lytro camera that allows you to change focus after the fact.
What does it mean for nudists? Well, imagine lounging in your birthday suit while someone snaps a picture of your whole neighborhood from atop a 12 story building several blocks away. The neighborhood-at-a-glance may also become your bare butt at a glance if the user zooms and zooms onto your street, then your yard, then your heiney.
We at the Bare Platypus wish to enter our nomination for the name of this phenomenon: "satelliting." Satelliting works as if you could zoom into the windows of houses using Google Earth.
Imagine that the beach photographer is happily taking pictures of the seagulls, but knows the woman showing cleavage in the very, very distant background may be brought clearly into focus with a few mouse clicks long after the snapshot of the sea gulls is taken.
The Bare Platypus doesn't have any photography onsite (we do have a few illustrations). But imagine a day when there is no way to get a photo release from everyone in an image because there are people at a great distance away from the photographer who the photographer didn't even see. People who may easily be seen once post-capture focusing begins.
As the number of megapixels in ordinary cell phones continues to grow, and with the advancement of cameras with after-the-fact focusing, the Platypus predicts a day when most people will realize that there is no privacy on any beach. Maybe not in any backyard either if folks snapping pictures from a jet airplane can one day zoom in to see from 12 miles away what you can now see from 12 blocks away.
Maybe then we'll realize we're all naked, shrug, and deal with it.
Get the picture?
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Nudist Twitter Tweets Saved for Posterity
Hey Platypus readers, big news today. It seems that the Library of Congress has already stored over 170 billion Tweets from Twitter so far in its project to archive each and every public Tweet ever posted. Announced in April 2010, the project has ramped up to processing, and archiving, nearly half a billion tweets per day.
The Bare Platypus takes some pride in knowing that tens of thousands of nudist posts will be part of the archive; that is, if each and every public Tweet is indeed getting added. Many years from now, researchers will be able to get an idea of how popular simply being naked was, and is, across the spectrum. (We follow lots of you fellow bares on Twitter, but can't imagine how many more there are.)
There are already some tools at Google that analyze how often certain words appear in books over various decades.With similar data mining tools, researchers will know what was really on our minds.
There are no doubt privacy issues left to ponder. But our talk about baring our posteriors will be saved for posterity!
The Bare Platypus takes some pride in knowing that tens of thousands of nudist posts will be part of the archive; that is, if each and every public Tweet is indeed getting added. Many years from now, researchers will be able to get an idea of how popular simply being naked was, and is, across the spectrum. (We follow lots of you fellow bares on Twitter, but can't imagine how many more there are.)
There are already some tools at Google that analyze how often certain words appear in books over various decades.With similar data mining tools, researchers will know what was really on our minds.
There are no doubt privacy issues left to ponder. But our talk about baring our posteriors will be saved for posterity!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Why oh Y?
Ask any guy who grew up in the 1950's and belonged to his local YMCA and he'll let you in on a well-known "secret." Guys used to swim naked there! Moreover, there were often "solariums" or outdoor sunning porches where nude sunbathing was common. Old and young, grandpas, dads and their sons, those in shape or who needed to get in shape, had one great equalizer: you swam and sunned in what God gave ya.
Sometime, perhaps during the 1960's or so, things began to change. No doubt it had some to do with going co-ed. Then it became more difficult to avoid an awkward, unplanned, "meeting of the genders" if a female opened the wrong door or showed up during the men's swim hour.
But the change also probably had much to do with the ways society was morphing too. The sexual revolution made some circumstances take on a sexual dimension where there hadn't been one before. Decades later, many adults had come to be very uneasy about being nude in the presence of minors, even in the locker room and showers, due to growing awareness of the problems of abuse.
Consequently, nudity is disappearing in many changing areas and the group shower room has been replaced with individual cubicles. It's a bit sad, actually. The same camaraderie created by the "corporate nudity" characteristic of a Finnish sauna is unknown to many Y patrons today.
There will no doubt come a time when someone will write a blog entry that starts "Ask any guy who grew up in the 1970's and they'll tell you a well-known 'secret.' Guys used to take group showers naked and change in open rooms there..."
Sometime, perhaps during the 1960's or so, things began to change. No doubt it had some to do with going co-ed. Then it became more difficult to avoid an awkward, unplanned, "meeting of the genders" if a female opened the wrong door or showed up during the men's swim hour.
But the change also probably had much to do with the ways society was morphing too. The sexual revolution made some circumstances take on a sexual dimension where there hadn't been one before. Decades later, many adults had come to be very uneasy about being nude in the presence of minors, even in the locker room and showers, due to growing awareness of the problems of abuse.
Consequently, nudity is disappearing in many changing areas and the group shower room has been replaced with individual cubicles. It's a bit sad, actually. The same camaraderie created by the "corporate nudity" characteristic of a Finnish sauna is unknown to many Y patrons today.
There will no doubt come a time when someone will write a blog entry that starts "Ask any guy who grew up in the 1970's and they'll tell you a well-known 'secret.' Guys used to take group showers naked and change in open rooms there..."
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Want an Energy Boost? Try Naked!
This week The New York Times is running a story about energy drinks. From Monster to Red Bull and 5 Hour Energy, researchers are debating whether there is anything special in the beverages other than caffeine.
The Platypus Team are not medical researchers but we've got a suggestion for those who want a little "pick me up" in their day: Naked Time. It's a proven fact that sunshine is one of the best sources of Vitamin D you can get. We're not talking overexposure here. Just a break of maybe 30 minutes getting an all-over tan. Naked Time is even celebrated in some parts of the world, such as Germany's Munich gardens, where folks are known to sun au naturel during lunch hours.
Admittedly, it's cold at this time of year in many parts of the country, so this isn't quite as easy. But you could still enjoy your birthday suit as you drink your morning coffee. (Some Platypuses have been known to especially appreciate sipping their java from a mug with a nudist theme on it.)
Caffeine and naked go well together. Just be careful when you're pouring that hot water.
The Platypus Team are not medical researchers but we've got a suggestion for those who want a little "pick me up" in their day: Naked Time. It's a proven fact that sunshine is one of the best sources of Vitamin D you can get. We're not talking overexposure here. Just a break of maybe 30 minutes getting an all-over tan. Naked Time is even celebrated in some parts of the world, such as Germany's Munich gardens, where folks are known to sun au naturel during lunch hours.
Admittedly, it's cold at this time of year in many parts of the country, so this isn't quite as easy. But you could still enjoy your birthday suit as you drink your morning coffee. (Some Platypuses have been known to especially appreciate sipping their java from a mug with a nudist theme on it.)
Caffeine and naked go well together. Just be careful when you're pouring that hot water.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Explaining Our Current Poll
We at the Bare Platypus wish to express our thanks to those who have already cast votes in our current poll. We also encourage those who have not yet voted to do so. This poll is scheduled to run only for about 90 days so please make your entries now. You do not need to follow this blog... whoever you are, we'd like to hear from you.
There are a few reasons why we're interested in your answers. It's probably "bad science" to tell you
about those reasons ahead of time, but we're not aiming for a truly scientific poll anyway.
See, we'd like to know when people first consider giving naked a try and are open to trying it. This may shed some light on when and how nudism should be marketed and to which ages and stages of life. It may also lead to some great discussions.
In previous blog posts we've wondered out loud whether nudists are "born" (have always had a natural inclination to do it) or "made" (only begin thinking about nudity when someone else puts the issue in front of them by having an article published on the subject, directly being asked to join someone else in visiting a nude beach or skinny dipping in the back yard pool.) The poll may not extract all the answers, but it's a starting point.
For our part, there are members of the Platypus team who were raised nudists, so there was never a discussion about when, or whether, to go bare. Others probably would have never thought about nudism unless their spouse had asked them to try it. Some report trying out a nude beach while in college (California universities seem to be sited near a lot of nude beaches... what a match!).
Finally, there are a couple of us who weren't raised as nudists per se, but always enjoyed and wanted to be naked. Even (Especially?) as kids, if we could have gone to a place where we could swim naked or walk naked in a forest we would have done so in a heartbeat. We ditched our pajamas, or quietly played naked in the garage where possible.
Every nudist has a story and we never get tired of hearing their stories.
Oh, and by the way, if you're reading the Platypus and don't consider yourself a nudist, you're welcome here too! There's a ballot choice for you and we'd welcome your thoughts.
There are a few reasons why we're interested in your answers. It's probably "bad science" to tell you
about those reasons ahead of time, but we're not aiming for a truly scientific poll anyway.
See, we'd like to know when people first consider giving naked a try and are open to trying it. This may shed some light on when and how nudism should be marketed and to which ages and stages of life. It may also lead to some great discussions.
In previous blog posts we've wondered out loud whether nudists are "born" (have always had a natural inclination to do it) or "made" (only begin thinking about nudity when someone else puts the issue in front of them by having an article published on the subject, directly being asked to join someone else in visiting a nude beach or skinny dipping in the back yard pool.) The poll may not extract all the answers, but it's a starting point.
For our part, there are members of the Platypus team who were raised nudists, so there was never a discussion about when, or whether, to go bare. Others probably would have never thought about nudism unless their spouse had asked them to try it. Some report trying out a nude beach while in college (California universities seem to be sited near a lot of nude beaches... what a match!).
Finally, there are a couple of us who weren't raised as nudists per se, but always enjoyed and wanted to be naked. Even (Especially?) as kids, if we could have gone to a place where we could swim naked or walk naked in a forest we would have done so in a heartbeat. We ditched our pajamas, or quietly played naked in the garage where possible.
Every nudist has a story and we never get tired of hearing their stories.
Oh, and by the way, if you're reading the Platypus and don't consider yourself a nudist, you're welcome here too! There's a ballot choice for you and we'd welcome your thoughts.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Discussing Last Year's Poll Results
Beginning in the Spring of 2012, we asked Bare Platypus readers the following question:
"Where's your favorite place to go nude?"
From the time the poll was first posted until December 31, 2012, 308 people voted. Here's how they answered:
"Where's your favorite place to go nude?"
From the time the poll was first posted until December 31, 2012, 308 people voted. Here's how they answered:
Home and With Family = 80 votes / 25%
Nude Beach = 73 votes / 23%
Nudist Club = 68 votes / 22%
Out in Nature / Trails = 87 votes / 28 %
These results are typical of the approximate percentages throughout the history of the poll. And we think they make an interesting point. Being naked at home (about the house and in the back yard?) and with family, as well as simply being naked in nature out on trails, were the two categories that received the most votes.
Yet what do traditional nudist organizations and publications dedicate themselves to promoting? Visits to nudist club and nude beaches! It is very rare that nudity within the home and family gets discussed. Nude hiking gets similarly short shrift. Maybe it's because there isn't much money to be made from simply encouraging people to be naked in their own homes. Maybe it's because nude hiking isn't available in many locations within the U.S.
We here at the Bare Platypus can't think of a better place to enjoy being bare than in your own home... even if you never shuck your clothes anywhere else. And hiking au naturel in secluded spots? That's pretty cool too. Expect more "coverage" of both topics in 2013 right here.
01/01/2013 Walter of the Week
There are a lot of reasons to make this award. First, a new year offers lots of promise. It's a time of new opportunities. It's also a time for making resolutions: to eat healthy; to exercise more, to spend more time in your birthday suit.
And, speaking of birthday suits, the New Year's Baby usually appears naked. Or bare bummed and sporting only a sash. That makes his attire just perfect for celebrating Naked Tuesday. Naked Tuesday is a tradition started by the character Walter Bishop of the hit TV show, Fringe.
"Born" on a Tuesday and born naked, could 2103 be more promising? We don't think so. To 2013 - this Walter's for you!
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