Why Not Start Your Weekend on Wednesday?

Slate’s Tim Harford doles out some solid advice.

I already do!

Who’s your daddy?

[This piece is really really old news by blogosphere standards, but it got a little lost in the exam shuffle. Here it is anyway]

For those of you who haven’t already seen it, the Daily Beast recently ran a piece last week written by a Melissa Beech (pseudonym) on her sugar daddy relationship:

Some might call it prostitution. I call it a “mutually beneficial arrangement” that pays for my killer wardrobe.

Well, this isn’t strictly a 21st century phenomenon,  it’s certainly made more accessible by such quality websites as Seeking Arrangement (the “Elite Sugar Daddy Dating Site”). The article is clearly meant to stir the controversy pot, but all the same, there are so many questionable things going on here. Whether or not you agree with the morality of what she’s doing is one thing, but I am going to have to  object to the tone she uses throughout the article- it reeks of smugness. In her humble opinion, she’s clearly struck the jackpot and isn’t shy about letting everyone know:

As for the allowance, he doesn’t just cut me a check. He simply ensures that I need never worry about expenses. I rent a $1,600 apartment in the city, for which he pays the rent in full. I carry an AmEx Black card in both our names, and use it for things like shopping, spa trips, manicures, and tanning; the bill goes to him.

In a time of massive downsizing and economic turmoil, I’m glad she still has the wherewithal to continue her weekly spa trips and tanning sessions. Not that I don’t love money and “nice things” as much as the next girl, but there’s a vapid, utterly soul-less materialism here that’s hard to handle. I’m happy that she seems to have found an arrangement that works for her, but the fact that she feels the need to shove it in everyone’s face is a bit excessive.

What really guiles me is this sense of post-feminist empowerment she uses to justify  her actions. It’s like she’s saying: I’m smart, reasonable and perfectly capable of “making it” the normal way-BUT why bother? This is a far better deal:

Besides career advancements, he’s given me a chance to live the type of life I never would have experienced on my own. We went to London and Paris last spring, where we saw the sights and shopped at stores like Chanel and Dior. How many other college students are wearing Christian Louboutins to class?

Like all business relationships, this one’s probably going to come a premature (for her) end.  Let’s hope by the time that has happened, she’s a found a way to fund all the fancy trappings she so clearly enjoys. I can’t imagine those Christian Louboutins come cheap.

Tuvalu can’t get no lovin’

Global warming is causing small Pacific island paradises to come up with some strange contingency plans:

1) The President of the Maldives wants to buy a new island.

2) Australia rejects Tuvaluan request for citizenship (for ALL 12,000 residents).

Will someone tell her to shut-up?

Arianna Huffington, the Queen-bee of blogging has made no secret of her friendship with President-elect Barack Obama… in fact, she never let’s us forget it! She recently commented:

I only text three people – my two teenage children and Barack Obama.

And  the prize for most insufferable Internet personality goes to…

Bebes phoques, continued.

Nigel Barker, America’s Next Top Model judge/resident hunk/photographer extraordinare leads the protest in front of the Canadian embassy in Washington.

Something about seals… does anyone else find this totally random/incongruous?

Please tell me this wasn’t inspired by Palin’s little radio show comment.

Blue is for boys…

Korean artist. Jeongmee Yoon. takes pictures of some enforced gender stereotypes- namely children’s preferences for pink and blue. It’s interesting that these colour preferences seem to transcend culture and geography. Ultimately, these stereotypes are so pervasively represented in media and advertising that the inculcation of every child’s mind seems inevitable. Colour preferences might seem harmless, but I wonder what other gender stereotypes are subtly being reinforced by a child’s surroundings. At least the E-Z Bake Oven comes in turquoise…

Credit to Andrew Sullivan’s blog for the redirection.

Updated: I thought I had too much time on my hands…

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeF7yLkEECs]

What type of blogger are you?

Typealyzer analyzes the word patterns of a blog and then spits out a generic “blogger profile.” Cool, but perhaps only slightly more reliable than a Cosmo Quiz.

I’m apparently, a “Thinker”:

The logical and analytical type. They are especialy attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.

Things I love, Vol. 2

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference in Toronto modeled after TED. The speaker’s were a diverse lot ranging from authors to internet entrepreneurs. Although it didn’t quite have the star power of a real TED conference, it still managed to have its moments. This week’s “Thing’s I love” edition is inspired by some of what I saw:

1. Bumptop: one of the coolest things I saw at the conference was a neat little program called Bumptop. Anand, the company founder, was a U of T Master’s student, who turned his thesis into an opportunity to revolutionize a space that hasn’t changed in long time- the computer desktop. Bumptop is an interactive 3D interface that gives you unprecedented control over your desktop. He showed us an updated version of his awesome program, which I am now beta-ing! This is a great example of where technology should be headed over the next few years- the program is innovative, intuitive and really functional (it mimics a real life desk space). Microsoft should be taking notes. Check out his TEDtalk here:

2. Urtak U2 feature: I know I’ve blogged about Urtak before, but this update deserves another mention. The U2 feature let’s you see how the answers to two questions relate. Now you can investigate all sorts of “useful” correlations! For example:93% of people who feel chocolate is a luxury spend five hours or more on the computer a day. Go crazy… but remember correlation doesn’t equal causation [post hoc ergo propter hoc]

3. Dragon’s Den: BBC Version One of the most interesting things about the weekend conference, was the opportunity to interact with and hear from a number of young entrepreneurs. I’ve always admired those with the gumption and commitment to start their own businesses. In fact, I hope to be among them someday. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with a great idea and a lot of drive.

So that leads me to my final “thing I love” : the television show Dragon’s Den. The show’s concept essentially sends aspiring entrepreneurs into the “den” to pitch ideas to the “dragons”- successful business magnates. The entrepreneurs hope to raise capital from one or more of the “dragons, who in addition to investing their own money also provide contacts, mentorship and advice to the young businesses. Although I could do without the cheesy music and some of unnecessary drama, the show is actually very compelling. Most of the ideas are horrible and it can be almost painful to watch some of these people embarrass themselves in front of the camera. But, every once and a while, there’s a brilliant idea that can start a bidding war among the dragons. The CBC version is pretty entertaining, but I’m a bit partial to the British version because the UK dragons seem to be willing to invest huge sums of money in ridiculously risky products. Plus, they almost always seem to fight each other. In good Canadian fashion, the CBC dragons are far more sensible- although probably harsher on the entrepreneurs. Check out both the UK and the CBC version.

Here’s a clip, for those who are interested:

Hairstyles Obama should not have

From the Root, via Slate Magazine.