Winnipeg Free Press - March 15th
A Treasury of the World’s Worst Online Dating Stories
Like it or not, if you’re single and jumping into the dating game, chances are you are probably thinking about going online to find that special someone. Dating has changed significantly over the past decade, with an increasing number of couples meeting online.
While it might take some time and effort to land a date the old-fashioned way, now all you need is a web connection, a recent picture and hopefully some hopefully witty insight about yourself for your profile — it’s the consumerization of love, fuelled by sites like Plenty of Fish (pof.com), Match.com, eharmony.ca and in some cases, social networking sites such as Facebook. Fire up your laptop, scan through the profiles and pick someone that interests you. It’s not much different than shopping online, except there isn’t a return policy.
Dating horror stories are nothing new — it’s just easier to rack up interesting tales in the new dating world. Although I’m sure some legitimate couples have met on Plenty of Fish, for the most part, the site seems driven by the desire for fleeting hookups, not long-term relationships — hence the high percentage of bad-date stories you seem to hear from people who have dipped their toes into Plenty of Fish’s waters.
Not all dates that start online end up in disaster; it’s just a quicker, more direct way to bring people into your life. The more you put yourself out there, the better the chance you’ll have a story to add to Awl.com’s Treasury of the World’s Worst Online Dating Stories.
Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge
OUT in paperback next week, Mark Yarm’s Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge is an essential read for anyone looking to dig deeper into the ’90s rock scene that spawned bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, along with a slew of other acts that helped redefine the music industry 20 years ago.
An excellent companion to the oral histories in the book, Yarm’s Tumblr blog is ground zero for all things grunge.
Top 10 Ways to Make the Best of an Old, Crappy Computer
TECHNOLOGY is moving so fast these days, people are upgrading their devices much more frequently than in the past. If you’re light on cash or it’s just not a priority to have the latest tablet or quickest new ultra-thin laptop, you can still make the most out of your old desktop with these 10 helpful tips from Lifehacker.com.
With low-cost solutions such as trimming the number of programs you’re using on the system (get rid of all that bloatware) and upgrading your external hardrive to get some extra life from your system, buying a new computer just because everyone else is doing it isn’t your only option.
If you really want to upgrade to the new iPad or get that deal on the Blackberry Playbook, but your desktop still has some life in it, look at the ways you can repurpose or reuse your system in different ways before you put it on the curb for Winnipeg’s annual free day.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 15, 2012 E3
