Confessions of an accidental hacker

There are days that go by that are rather an unproductive slog; then there are days when you manage to do something – or discover something largely by chance – that give you a sense of pride.

Yesterday was a bit of both. Network issues and too many little things getting in the way to allow me to see anything much through to its conclusion, left me frustrated by mid-afternoon. Then, around 4.30pm, I discovered a gaping hole in the security setup on my trusty Apple iPad. I was able to see almost all my name, address, bank and password prompt details.

On closer investigation, I was able to hack my way onto two other iPads using a bit of ingenuity and lock their owners out of their own devices.

If you’re an iPad or iPhone owner, you might want to read how easily it can be done – and how to prevent it: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/security/3333024/how-hack-ipad/

Katie Perry, kids and me

I'm not one to comment on celebrities' lives (at least in a public forum), but it was sad to hear that the crunch point for the marriage of Russell Brand and Katy Perry seemed to be about her current refusal to put her career on hold and have kids. At 25 and one of the best known pop stars in the US, she's riding as high as she ever could. Her reluctance to drop it all and drop out of sight for a while is understandable. 

There's no doubt more to the tale than this, but pressure to have kids from family and spouse is a feeling many of us know only too well. It seems to be accepted as one of life's natural steps, but it's not for us all and for many reasons.

Being told by others that the time is right when you know it isn't is very unlikely to persuade a woman to drop her stance and start bearing children, even if she can. Well-meaning enquiries from family and friends about the whys and wheres of your ongoing childlessness don't help. And what other state or medical condition other than pregnancy provokes men and women alike into sharing their thoughts with you, unbidden? New parents, expectant parents who feel everyone should experience the wonder of being pregnant, not to mention expectant grandparents who never fail to enquire when the miraculous might happen as surely it must since you've hooked yourself a man. They're all at it. 

No wonder some of us throw our hands up in the air, reach for  a glass of something soothing and try to change the subject.