From Nerve, more on the history of single life: Infidelity. What does it mean to be a virgin nowadays and is it important? A review of Virgins: A Cultural History by Anke Bernau. An interview with Tyler Cowen on the economics of dating. "Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm" offers up a disturbing history of the first vibrators and shows that sex toys aren't just for pleasure — they're political. Will a time ever come when women are as obsessed about vibrator design as they are about handbag design? An interview with Lou Andrea Savoir, author of Sex in Design. The New Girl Order: The Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle is showing up in unexpected places, with unintended consequences. From The New York Observer, hey, middle-aged men! Think twice about that eye lift, lest you resemble power lesbians. From American Sexuality, an article on plastic surgery and the new standard: Unnatural beauty. A study finds whether we are seeking a mate or sizing up a potential rival, good-looking people capture our attention nearly instantaneously and render us temporarily helpless to turn our eyes away from them. A cultural history of that certain something: nameless charm: A review of Joseph Roach's It. Charm by any other name: How do you say charisma in Chinese? From chutzpah to joie de vivre, different cultures have their own words that describe the X-factor.
