Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:31:07 -0800WeeblyFri, 20 Aug 2010 18:54:05 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/08/pure-dating.htmlYet another intriguing niche dating state has been created. This one is for virgins to meet other virgins.

Not surprisingly, some of the articles about it do have a somewhat cynical tone. Take this one, in which the writer says that even though the site is intended for those with pure intentions, "I confess to having a crisis of confidence in the purity of everyone who might sign up".]]>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:49:31 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/08/cougars-rarer-in-reality-than-in-popular-culture.htmlLately the idea of sexually assertive older women ("cougars") actively pursuing younger men has become very popular in the media. There have been countless reports on this phenomenon, and even a popular comedy series starring Courtney Cox. Sadly, a recent study has shown the trend to be something of a myth.

It's not surprising. Often ideas promoted by Hollywood are found to be largely false. Think of the successful American cop shows and the many cliches, conventions and stereotypes they rely on. One thing that real law enforcement officers must find consistently laughable is the speed with which fictional detectives solve crimes and apprehend the criminals.

Sure, there's more than a grain of truth in these shows, but that becomes heavily distorted by the need to tell a compelling story and be entertaining. I think the same could be said of the cougar phenomenon.
]]>Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:50:08 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/08/okcupid-says-iphone-users-get-more-sex.htmlFrom time to time dating sites survey their members on various issues and release the results to the media. It's a clever tactic, since it serves to promote these sites as well as offer some interesting (and often entertaining) information.

A recent example: Ok Cupid has found that iPhone users are more sexually active than those who use the Android phone.

The methodology might not be the best, but it certainly makes for an amusing story. And it will probably increase sales of the iPhone a little, too!
]]>Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:37:37 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/08/australian-sex-party-represented-by-famous-aussie-comedian.htmlComedians often use sex as inspiration for their material. This has a lot to do with people's anxiety about sex, which can be increased and then released by the humorist.

Sex and humor have something else in common: They are often among the first things that totalitarian regimes try to stamp out when they take power.

We're certainly not living in a totalitarian state in Australia. However, governments of all stripes do have a tendency to seek more power over people's lives than less. (And freedom of expression is certainly an issue that many people are concerned about now. The present Labor Government's plans to filter the internet have a lot of people really angry - and not just social libertarians.)

For these reasons it's not surprising that the famous comedian Sandy Gutman - aka "Austen Tayshus" - is running as a candidate for the determinedly anti-censorship Australian Sex Party. ]]>Sun, 01 Aug 2010 02:39:30 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/08/hugh-hefner-remains-unrepentant.htmlHugh Hefner has been interviewed by Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper. He will certainly have angered feminists yet again with his comment that "women are sex objects".

Still, his unreconstructed attitudes to women certainly haven't made him any less popular with the many beautiful girls he spends his days and nights cavorting with. His obvious hedonism hasn't done any harm to his health, either! Even his worst enemies would have to admit he's in very fine shape for a man in his eighties.
]]>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:57:57 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/07/blog-plagiarized.htmlEvery now and then I do a plagiarism check for this blog. I've noticed that someone is scraping the RSS feeds and using my posts without attribution and without my permission. He's so unimaginative that he's even named the section of the blog "Oz Dating". He's done the same thing to other blogs as well.

It's quite fascinating that someone would be this lazy and unprincipled. Surely it's just as easy (and a whole lot more satisfying) to do your own research and write your own posts, linking to stories that you quote or cite so that those websites and blogs get some benefit as well.

My suggestion to him would be to take some pride in what he is doing, and not simply lift other people's work and pass it off as his own.
]]>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:33:07 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/07/australian-sex-party-and-family-first.htmlAs we get closer to the federal election  in Australia things are getting very interesting. Not only are the main parties at each other's throats, but some intriguing stories are popping up relating to the minor players. One of these is the claim by the Australian Sex Party that a staffer from the conservative Family First party approached them to make a preference deal.

Family First vehemently denied the claims. However some e-mails were produced that seemed to back up the story.

If true it certainly gives weight to a widely held view about politics: when you go into it, sooner or later there'll be immense pressure on you to discard your principles.
]]>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:01:35 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/07/weed-dating.htmlFrom time to time there are reports in the media about variations on the speed dating theme. The latest one I've found is "weed dating", in which singles get to mingle while pulling out weeds in a field.

Somehow, I just don't see the attraction.
]]>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:23:57 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/07/dutch-women-paid-to-get-hitched-and-get-off-welfare.htmlMost people are familiar with that oft-used phrase, "Everything old is new again". Well, here's a perfect example of that:

Councils in the Netherlands are offering unemployed women taxpayers' money to join a popular dating agency and get makeovers. The hope is that if they find long term partners their overall sense of wellbeing will improve and thereby their employment prospects.

It's a remarkable application of what many would deem to be somewhat old fashioned and conservative attitudes to relationships (that is, that single women are unfulfilled and unhappy). The fact that it's occurred in ultra-propgressive Holland is even more intriguing!
]]>Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:51:58 -0800http://www.oz-dating.net/1/post/2010/07/online-communication-eroding-relationship-quality.htmlPundits and commentators have long been saying that the huge rise in the use of online communication such as e-mail, live chat, and vidoeconferencing has contributed to the erosion of relationships and the lack of empathy. It seems they may have a case, with two Amercian studies showing that while these online methods make connections easier and quicker, they are not as valued as those maintained offline.
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