TresSugar

This or That: Online Games or Internet Porn?

DearSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:36:07 -0700

Your boyfriend has been acting strange lately. He seems distracted when you’re with him, and when you call, he often won’t make it to his phone before his voicemail picks up. After a few days of this behavior, you start to get suspicious. You head over to his house to make a surprise visit and oh, what a surprise! Would it be worse if you caught him on the computer . . .

This: Playing as a character in a multiplayer online game? Sure it’s just a game, but it appears to have taken over his life; he’s wholly invested in his Internet persona and even has a virtual "girlfriend."

Or . . .

That: Watching porn of all kinds, though his favorite appears to involve feet? You’re OK with porn every once and a while, but he seems to have crossed a line.

Which is worse?

Source

Flashback: Spice Up Your Sex With . . . a Computer Game?

TresSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Before there was online porn, there was the Interlude computer game. Apparently, people would shell out money for a manual and computer disk filled with someone else's sexual fantasies. Anything to keep your love life from being routine, predictable, or boring!

Source

Meet Matchmaker Amy Andersen, Part I

TresSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

I'll admit it: one of my guilty TV pleasures is The Millionaire Matchmaker. I find the orchestrated pairings entertaining and stomach-churning at the same time. Of course, there are other matchmakers hard at work without reality TV contracts.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Amy Andersen works with 800 singles, half of whom are women. Amy's company, Linx Dating, doesn't call itself a "millionaires" club; instead it fashions itself as a service for both "successful" men and women. Of course, you have to pay to play. Amy's fee starts at $6,000 for eight hand-picked matches. $30,000 gets you 15 introductions, a nationwide search, and a cocktail party. Amy also offers date coaching, image makeovers, wardrobe overhauls, fitness training, and networking cocktail parties.

This sort of "high-end" matchmaking can be controversial, so I thought it would be enlightening to ask Amy to share her take on matchmaking and modern love.

Why do people come to you for your services?

Amy Andersen: People come to me because they are educated and hardworking, (typically) young professionals who are interested in finding a like-minded, quality match. Often our clients have dabbled in online dating (to mixed results), most have attempted the bar scene to unpleasant outcomes, and due to their success and taking their professional careers seriously, they refuse to date their colleagues. Thus, the resources shrink, and choices become limited and sparse.

To find out what qualities Amy's clients look for in a date, and to see how she would answer critics, read more.

What are the top qualities a man looks for in a woman?

AA: I would say being physically fit is way up there -and keep in mind, fitness can be wide ranging; she doesn't have to be an Ironman triathlete, just someone who cares about her health and enjoys fitness - along with being confident and happy with who she is. It's also important she has a life outside the relationship - in other words, not clingy. Being warm and nurturing is also way up there!

What are the top qualities a woman looks for in a man?

AA: A woman looks for good DNA! She wants a man who is going to be a good provider - so she looks for financial stability. Our clients are not looking for a guy jockeying between jobs and floating around trying to figure out what to do with his life. She also looks for physical appearance, often wanting him to be fit or tall. And finally someone who is a good communicator, not a game player.

What would you say to critics who think you're setting up gold-diggers with men who want trophy wives?

AA: We couldn't be more opposite of matchmakers who only represent men and simply have women in their databases. Unlike The Millionaire Matchmaker or other firms, we represent both men and women, and not just average but exceptional professionals. So many of our female clients are just as, if not more, successful than their male counterparts. A critic could speculate that men gravitate toward the network to meet a highly affluent woman! It really could not be further from the truth that we work with gold diggers. Everyone in Linx is an equal, and each client pays for the service. Thus there are not unusual expectations, or women desiring rich men, or men desiring a casual hookup.

Can money buy you love?

AA: Money can buy you the option to meet someone great, but it can’t buy you chemistry which leads to love. That is left up to two people and fate.

Come back tomorrow to find out what Amy thinks about "hooking up" and traditional gender roles.

Obamas Keep Easter Rolling at the White House

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:38:33 -0700

The first family invited 30,000 friends (and a handful of bunnies) over today to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. This is the first year that tickets to the event were distributed online. The White House boiled and dyed 13,000 eggs for the roll, and all children under 10 will receive a wooden egg souvenir.

The Obamas are also using the tradition that dates back to 1878 as a chance to highlight healthy living. There are kid yoga classes, dance workshops, basketball games, and other physical activities planned. The kids were also treated to a performance by Fergie and a presidential reading of Where the Wild Things Are.

Check out some pictures from the South Lawn! Source

View Slideshow ›

Thousands Roll Dice for World-Record Game of Monopoly

CitizenSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:00:11 -0700

At least 2,500 people from around the world have passed "go" and set a new world record for the largest simultaneous game of Monopoly. The big event took place in London, but organizers say once online players (who rolled virtual dice on Monopoly's online site, cell phones and game consoles) are counted, the total number of players could rise to 5,000.

The hour-long game took place on Wednesday and was the first of its kind. Guinness required a minimum of 1,000 players in 23 locations to set the world record. (It only took an hour? Monopoly games take forever. . .)

The Monopoly board game was born 1934 at the height of the Great Depression, when Charles B. Darrow of Pennsylvania, showed the game to executives at Parker Brothers. They rejected the idea due to "52 design errors," so Charles handmade sets with a friend and was quickly able to prove demand for the game to the game company. According to Hasbro, in its 65-year history, an estimated 500 million people have played the game. Check out SavvySugar's Monopoly quiz for more trivia.

View 5 Photos ›

I always play with the car because it's the only piece that makes logical sense. I'm weird. Do you have a go-to piece? The iron, perhaps?

Source

Group Therapy: My Boyfriend's Brother is a Complete Jerk

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:00:00 -0800

I've been with my boyfriend for three years and we live together. He's a great guy and I adore his parents, but I don't know how they managed to spawn such horrible offspring as his younger brother, who's in his early 20's. He's lazy, mean, misogynistic, he smokes pot all the time and talks to people (including his lovely mother) like dirt. He's never held a job, and has a serious online gaming addiction. He spends his life complaining about "the world", "the man" and "the system". He takes advantage of the nice people around him (his friends, his parents, his roommate, etc) and I know for a fact he steals from them (nothing huge, but little things here and there). He's got an incredible sense of entitlement and thinks he's God's gift to mankind.

The problem? My boyfriend, who is so amazing almost all of the time, is for some reason in awe of his brother and tends to follow in his wake after spending time together. He'll come home with his head full of lame ideas about "society", and "the man", and I think it's embarrassing for a 30 year old man to talk like a rebellious teenager. What can I do?

[EDITOR'S NOTE: To read more GROUP THERAPY, click here or submit your own question here.]

Source

Gold Medal in Censorship? China Reblocks Websites

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:00:36 -0800

Now that the Olympics are long gone, and the world has its eyes off of China, the country's government has returned to keeping an eye on what its 250 million Internet users can access. It appears China, which has the most web users in the world, only made superficial advances in freedom of the press during the games. In other words: censorship is back!

So which sites can you no longer visit in China? Chinese language versions of international sites like BBC, Voice of America, and Human Rights Watch have been rebanned, along with some Hong Kong-based sites, because they refer to Taiwan as an independent country and not part of China.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said China had the right to censor material deemed illegal, just like other governments do. For example, the US criminalizes online technology that can be used to violate copyright protections.

Are you surprised the legacy of the Beijing Olympics probably won't include expanded freedom?

Source

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Go Online

CitizenSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:30:00 -0800

The military's intelligence battalion might think Twitter poses a danger, but two independent groups - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Ad Council - have turned to social networking tools to help veterans connect with each other. The two groups have created an online community exclusively for veterans of these most recent wars: CommunityofVeterans.org.

Since veterans make up less than one percent of the population, they often feel isolated from others facing similar challenges. The new site hopes to bring together the veterans, while also providing information about readjusting to family life, navigating the Department of Veteran Affairs, getting help for PTSD, and taking advantage of the GI Bill.

The US military has appeared increasingly willing to use the technology of the people, investing $50 million in video games to help recruit and train soldiers. Now veterans can turn to social networks to help them transition back into civilian life. Check out the TV ad for the site, and tell me what you think.

Laptops & Role Playing: Is Technology the Answer to Poverty?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:00:39 -0700

Though Dungeons and Dragons has weirdly wormed its way into the campaign, technology is popping up worldwide as not an escape from the drudgery of every day, but as an escape from poverty. Laptops and role-playing games are a double click of cure.

One Laptop Per Child, a program designed to bring technology and opportunity to kids in developing nations has completely fulfilled that mission in the tiny South Pacific island of Niue. Every single kid, 100 percent of them, now has access to the Internet on the inexpensive, rugged, waterproof (and pretty cute!) laptops. Though Niue is a developing nation, they've been ahead of the technology curve - in 2003 they were the first territory to offer free wireless to all residents.

Once you've mastered the web, can gaming be a golden ticket? Oh yes. To find out how, read more.

Almost half a million people in developing nations make their living playing online games like World of Warcraft, earning virtual goods, and the selling them to other players for decidedly unvirtual money. It's called gold-farming and its growing despite the industry's efforts to crack down. Based in China for the most part, the business garners $500 million, though the true size is hard to estimate.

Gamers gold-farm by offering services like "power-leveling" where one can pay a gamer to take one's character to a higher level faster, outsourcing one's hobbies, as it were. The game's service size is comparable to India's outsourcing industry, though relatively few know the former exists. Why do people pay to have someone else play a game for them? Says one researcher, "When you get people with more money than time and time than money the two will find a way to meet." Paying someone to play World of Warcraft for you!? Whatever next.

That said, has technology become the new Esperanto, a language the whole world speaks? Is access to it the antidote to poverty and crucial to survival?

Source

Here's #2! Who's Watching the Nashville Debate With Us?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:45:43 -0700

Get ready, 9 p.m. EDT, it's the second verse, same as the first? Decidedly not my friends, (no drinking yet!). But given that it's a town-hall-style debate, a format McCain is quite comfortable with, I expect the "my friends" to come flying, so prepare yourselves.

So the scoop: of the six million questions submitted online (!!!) only 15-20 will be answered. The candidates will answer questions from uncommitted voters and while the candidates have agreed not to include follow-up questions, though moderator Tom Brokaw hasn't himself agreed to cut them out. Most of the stories today have underscored McCain's need for a "game changer" given his favored status in the format, and his need to reverse Obama's gain in the polls.

McCain has, with a grin, signaled he's ready to shuck the gloves, and while the Obama campaign acknowledges his competence in a town hall, they're readying their gloves as well. They said, "I hope during the course of that he also has time to speak to the state of our economy, which is in deep trouble right now. But we are prepared for a very aggressive debate."

Are you prepared? Any predictions on the relative game-changeriness? Who's watching the debate with us?

Source