atkinreport.com

We’re in a new era of communications, and as that old saw goes, sex always leads the way for new technologies.  Just got this survey from a “friend” whose client is, you guessed it, involved in the sex trade, but in a legit way. (Their product is sold in drugstores. ) Now, I dare you to answer these questions:

.) When it comes to social networking technology, please indicate which of
the following you have used to discuss/suggest/imply sex:

Text
IM (or other chat)
Skype
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Blogs

2.) How graphic do you get?

a. Sexually suggestive language/flirting
b. Somewhat tame description/discussion of sexual encounters/desires
c. Explicit or pornographic description/discussion of sexual
encounters/desires
d. Nude photographs or videos
e. Pornographic photographs or videos
f. All of the above

3.) What is the most explicit thing you have ever said/done via social
networking and what was your recipient’s reaction/response?

4.) What is the most explicit thing that has ever been said/done to you
through social networking and what was your reaction/response?

5.) What are your thoughts on the impact (if any) that social networking has
had on sex?
Survey says: anybody who has these examples is not going to get their next job. My advice: be careful of your digital trail. It can and will be used against you.

Someone needs to write a Face-etiquette-book. Since joining up–admittedly behind the curve–a couple months ago, I’ve been deluged with friend requests from folks who exclusing those who are actual friends, former classmates and colleages, fit into these categores: People I Don’t Know (stalkers?), People I Don’t Like–including Exes I Never Want to Speak With Again–People’s Assistants and Former Interns. The latter of which is the least noxious.  So what’s the deal? Ignore these people or block them. Seems the name of the FB game is really a numbers game….people with thousands of so-called friends, who then complain that they’re tired of reading all the stupid stuff they post, like “I’m having a beer now.” You’re right. WGAF?

And the same goes for Twitter, into which I was recently dragged, fearing even more stupid stuff like “I’m putting on mascara now.” Instead, turns out to be people promoting everything there is to promote. Just for grins, I became a “follower” of Sean Combs, aka iamdiddy, only to be swamped with update after update about how he’s partying, suffering a hangover after drinking Ciroc and Gatorade and of course, promoting, promoting, promoting. Maybe he has an umbrella man doing this from dawn into the wee hours.

Here’s another example of why we still need trained journalists: the LA Times broke the AIG bonus story that sent Washington into a tailspin and President O on Timothy Geithner damage control. Treasury Sec’y Geithner first said the $163 million in bonuses handed out to the crooks in the AIG derivatives division had to be paid because it was contractually obligated. Yet the blue-collar autoworkers had to renegotiate their contracts so Detroit’s chieftans could get a few federal bucks to keep the assembly lines rolling.

Meanwhile, no one was minding the store on the huge financial industry bailout that started last fall, and a lot of that AIG taxpayer rescue money went to pay off Goldman Sachs’ insurance claims for losses on their AIG-created credit default swaps at full price, along with other banks– a much bigger story than the bonuses. Everyone on Wall Street negotiatied a great deal for themselves, while the rest of us knuckleheads pay our taxes and watch our 401ks dwindle to nearly nothing. Matresses are looking pretty good these days…since buy and hold amounted to freak out and scrimp.

Just when you thought the furor over Octomom had died down a bit, it goes completely off the charts! I actually felt sorry for poor Nadya when she was mobbed by dozens of paps and hundreds of looky-loos as she came home from the hospital with the first two of her eight-baby litter. But then it became apparent she had Entertainment Tonight/The Insider cameras inside  her car, even as she called 911 for help–and had two of its female anchors bottle feed the babies inside the house. Media whore? Still, it was disturbing to see a mob of photographers clinging on to the vehicle as it tried to enter her garage on a formerly quiet La Habra cul de sac. The poor neighbors. How would you like to live next door to a circus?

There have been all sorts of crazy, rude and disgusting things seen in broad daylight at the steps: guys taking leaks on the neighbors’ lawns, guys blowing their nose into the air, guys spitting on the railing and everywhere else, guys littering, guys putting their jackets in someone’s mailbox and just recently, a guy throwing up in the bushes. That was charming. Lest you think I’m whaling on the Y chromosome, there has been a woman who blew her nose in her shirt, and then wore that shirt and again and again, repeating the lovely lack-of-Kleenex nose blow cycle.  But this blows past them all: a guy who religiously does 22-30 sets of steps drives up in a car with a handicapped placard. I don’t care what kind of handicap he might have or once had, anyone who can do that much strenuous exercise is NOT disabled.  I’m sure he arrogantly takes handicapped parking places that could go to people who really need them–like wounded vets and anyone else who is legitimately disabled. Unbelievable! This loser has got to give it up.

Nirvana in the frozen foods section? I always cruise the aisle hoping against hope that HD will bring back my absolutely favorite ice cream flavor of all time, Coffee Toffee Crunch. They never have. Instead, a smooth substitute that just appeared…without the addictive crunch….in something called Haagen Dazs 5. Five what, you ask, as I did.  Five ingredients:  skim milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and whatever flavor, in this case, coffee. All that, and somehow less fat, which is what gives ice cream its yummy factor.