Happy Valentine’s Day to all you sexy, sexy readers. Jen wanted to bring you a lovely bouquet of Quickies this morning, but she’s busy genetically altering roses to phosphoresce when you plug them into a USB port. Let’s get down to business, shall we? THE BUSINESS OF LOVE.
- Is true love rational? Sally Feldman gives you talking points for when you want to pick up that hottie at your next local humanist meeting.
- New Egg has changed their shitastic Valentine’s promotion so the girl gets to be the geek. They must read the Quickies, too. (Thanks, Tim)
- Friend of Skepchick Phil “The Bad Astronomer” Plait has a gallery of heart-shaped astronomical images. Hate Valentine’s Day? Go tell him how unscientific he’s being since that’s not what a heart looks like and anyway if you looked at it from another angle it would probably look like a skull.
- Planning to smoke a little bud before engaging in romantic entanglements this evening? If you have a penis, you might want to think twice. (SFW, promise!)
- Woo your sweetheart with an awesome Robocop-themed Valentine, courtesy of Dresden Codak‘s Aaron Diaz.
- Finally, do you really hate Valentine’s Day? Channel that into something good by naming a Madagascar hissing cockroach after the person of your choice! It’s only $10 and it helps out the excellent Bronx Zoo.
That should have a little something for everybody. Happy VD!
Bah! Humbug!
Happy Venereal Disease Day! Sorry, that’s what I read when I saw VD. I’m a product of the early 80’s.
Yes, I’m a new poster – perhaps not a very good introduction, as it happens…
Also, tell that special someone to input
contour plot x^2 + (y-(x^2)^(1/3))^2,x=-1..1,y=-1..1.5
into Wolfram Alpha. Happy Monday!
Dead or Alive, you’re coming with me … Happy Valentines Day
I think it’s really cool that New Egg changed up their Vday gift guide. A few commenters here wrote directly to them, no? Good on ya!
Also, in honor of Valentine’s Day (not really), I’m changing to my real name here. Not that it’s ever been a secret. Been meaning to do it for a while now.
EDIT: Heh! Comment in moderation.
but she’s busy genetically altering roses to phosphoresce when you plug them into a USB port
Now all I can think of is the phesphorescing garden on the roof in Better Off Ted, man I miss that show.
@mrmisconception: Oh man that really was a great show! Was it cancelled? I mean I assumed it would be as soon as I saw the first episode. I lost track once I moved to London, though.
Beginning the search for DVD memorabilia now…
@Rebecca Watson: yeah it was canceled, but at least we got 26 episodes out of it.
I was one of those who complained to NewEgg, and got a very generic response letter, so I hadn’t seen that they changed it. It is a bit better to make the girl the “geek” and the guy the “cutie,” I suppose, but only a bit. It’s still heteronormative, and I just don’t see why they couldn’t have been gender neutral. The copy would be easy enough to write, e.g., “here’s some things your geeky valentine will love!” Why do they have to gender-assign the products at all? It’s a damn motherboard, after all! I would imagine that 99% of their products are gender-neutral, and they went to an effort to scrounge out that 1% that aren’t and feature them in the promotion.
So…progress, but only a little.
mushka, exactly what i thought, but i’m a product of the 40’s.
@calliopejane:
I don’t even think the woman looks that geeky. So now glasses and a pencil are enough to make a woman geeky? I mean, there’s no reason that someone can’t be geeky and look “normal” at the same time, but I thought the glasses=geek thing died out decades ago.
And, the first gift for the geek girl listed? AN ELECTRIC RAZOR.
sigh.
@Kristin C.: So it’s no longer valentines day, I’m spreading that as far as I can.