WordPress author Matt Mullenweg is apparently an enormous idiot, as he just lost nearly of TWENTY THOUSAND BUCKS worth of camera equipment when it was stolen from his checked baggage. His list:

• Nikon D3 (Amazon: about $5K)
• Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF (Amazon: about $1K)
• Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED (Amazon: about $2100)
• Leica M8 (Amazon: about $5400)
• Leica 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux (B&H: about $6K)
• Cards, cases, etc.

Quickie total: $19,500. In his luggage. My first thought was “Wow, writing free software must pay really well, Matt.” My second was “holy crap, that’s the dumbest move I’ve heard of in weeks.” Checking valuables was a stupid idea pre-9/11; it’s grounds for a mini-Darwin award now. Maybe next time, Matt will check some bearer bonds or untraceable gold bullion; I’m sure those will be just as safe.

It occurs to me that perhaps the trusting attitude revealed here is one reason WordPress has such a terrible security reputation; clearly, Mullenweg places abundant trust in untrustworthy institutions. Perhaps his code behaves likewise. It is my sincere hope that his post — helpfully titled “Don’t Check Your Valuables” — is the first in a series dedicated to informing his readers when he encounters these sorts of life-lessons. I eagerly await follow-ups like “Don’t Buy A Car That’s On Fire” and “That Man In Nigeria Won’t Really Send You Any Money.”