<![CDATA[Valleywag: Romance]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/valleywag.com.png <![CDATA[Valleywag: Romance]]> http://valleywag.com/tag/romance http://valleywag.com/tag/romance <![CDATA[ Google boys seriously in love with biotech ]]> What are Sergey Brin and Larry Page really obsessed about? Look no further than their choice in lifemates, says Attila Csordas. Sergey Brin married 23andMe cofounder Anne Wojcicki — and also lent the company $2.6 million, which Google repaid when it invested $3.9 million in the company. Larry Page's fiancée, Lucy Southworth, is close to earning her Ph.D. — a feat neither Page nor Brin has accomplished. Her field of study is biomedical informatics, a field which harnesses high-powered computing for biotech research. Larry and Sergey made their billions on online advertising, a business the pair openly despised when they created the Google search engine. The heart has its own code, and in Larry and Sergey's case, I think it's DNA base pairs.

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Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:27:04 PST Owen Thomas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=322883&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ "How will this software get my users laid?" Here's how. ]]> rapture.jpgNICK DOUGLAS — "Your 'use case' should be, there's a 22 year old college student living in the dorms. How will this software get him laid?" You know what's fun? Applying this maxim by hacker/programmer/nightclub owner Jamie Zawinski to every technology you can think of. Let's.

BitTorrent: Guy asks girl to watch movie. Guy downloads movie in two hours with BitTorrent. Guy and girl watch movie. Guy gets laid.

Wii: Guy upgrades from Nintendo 64. Guy suffers "Wii elbow." Guy soldiers on. Guy loses weight. Girl digs guy. Guy buys second controller. Girl trounces guy at Wii Tennis. Guy gets laid.

LiveJournal: Girl puts down razors. Girl picks up laptop. Girl blogs. Girl blogs. Girl updates mood. Guy IMs girl. Girl puts on best eyeliner, least-ripped black fishnets, meets up with guy. Girl gets laid.

iTunes: Guy and girl plunk down laptops in cafe. Girl connects to guy's iTunes. Guy changes iTunes library name to "Hey, are you that cute girl with the Dell?" She changes hers to "Yeah, you the boy with the giant smoothie?" "Yep. Try the Apples In Stereo. Good band." "Hey, you're pretty cute yourself. Got an extra seat at that table?" Guy gets laid.

Facebook: Guy talks to girl. Girl agrees to lay guy if he gets 150,000 group members. Guy forms group with self-explanatory title. Guy gets 150,000 group members (mostly guys). Guy gets laid.

LinkedIn: Girl grows out of Facebook, deletes profile to stop stupid guys from inviting her to groups named "If this group gets 150,000 members I'll get laid." Girl joins LinkedIn. Girl gets job. Girl meets guy at industry conference. Girl doesn't get his info. Girl finds him on LinkedIn. Girl gets laid.

Gmaps mobile: Guy heads to restaurant for date with girl. Guy gets lost. Guy looks up restaurant on phone. Guy finds date. Date goes well. Guy gets laid.

iPod: Girl sees guy on subway. Girl offers earbud (having, of course, discreetly wiped it off first). Guy and girl listen in stereo. Shins change guy's life. Girl gets laid.

OS X Dashboard widgets: Guy writes widget to say "Will you marry me?" Girl sees widget. Girl says yes. Guy gets laid forever.

So. You got one?


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Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:57:02 PST Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=233037&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Utterly unreliable rumor: Is Google VP Marissa Mayer dating Co-founder Sergey Brin? ]]> sergey-marissa.jpgDisclaimer: Google has every reason to hunt down leakers by spreading false rumors.

That said, a reader swears that prominent Google VP Marissa Mayer and co-founder Sergey Brin are dating, and have been for at least six months.

While such a corporate pairing would be juicy, it's most definitely bull — Sergey was spotted with girlfriend and Googler Anne Wojcicki at Burning Man in August.

Valleywag broke the news (sure, "everyone who's anyone" knew it but real people didn't) this February that Mayer's old boyfriend was Google's other cofounder, the nerdier and supposedly less handsome Larry Page. At one point, Mayer allegedly dragged Larry in front of Google staff and made him announce that they were a couple.

Hope you find that leaker, Google.

Update: Someone called Sergey, from a credible email address, writes in: This is not true for me and Marissa.

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Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:50:24 PST Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=214051&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Double-fisted Eric Schmidt gossip ]]> Two insidery tips about the Google CEO arrived this week. Eric Schmidt's request that photographers hide pictures of him and his wife becomes so much clearer with these details. Tipster 1 says:

Schmidt blocked photos of he and his wife while up at his new $16million home in Nantucket. Maybe his girlfriend Marcy Simon would be upset as she waited in the house he recently purchased for her in New York's Fire Island for only $1million. He was a frequent visitor out in Fire Island last year but he has not been seen there yet this summer. All leads to credence that he doesn't want to upset the PR diva.

Tipster 2 says:

Good posting yesterday regarding Eric Schmidt and not allowing photos of he and his wife. Probably was real sensitive about it as he is away in France for the week with his girlfriend Marcy Simon for her annual birthday trip with him. Last year is was Lake Como, Italy.

In related news, Valleywag needs an agent who can visit the Redwood City courthouse. E-mail tips@valleywag.com to volunteer.

Earlier: Please don't photograph the Google CEO and his wife; his girlfriend would flip

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Fri, 04 Aug 2006 10:06:56 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=192167&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Man sues MySpace because he screwed a 14-year-old ]]> No wonder MySpace is scrambling to stop sexual harassment — everyone who gets laid through the site ends up suing MySpace.

So get this. First, a 14-year-old girl sued MySpace because she met a 19-year-old on the site who pretended to be in high school. This is, of course, MySpace's fault.

Now, the 19-year-old (college student Pete Solis) is countersuing — also against Myspace — because the girl pretended she was 15. "He's been, in effect, just as much a victim — if not more," says his lawyer. Solis is facing felony charges of sexual assault, which would be just the same if the girl was 15. This is, of course, MySpace's fault.

The couple in question met online, lied to each other, met in person for burgers, went to a movie, and then fooled around in Pete's back seat. This is all, of course, MySpace's fault. And the lovers' pain can only be assuaged with millions and millions of Rupert Murdoch's dollars.

A Countersuit in the MySpace Case? [TIME]
Earlier: Girl sues MySpace because boys are too hot [Valleywag]

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Fri, 23 Jun 2006 12:21:22 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=183026&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Help us, Craig: Get geeks laid (again) ]]> It was such a ball last time, so let's do it again — hook up Valley geeks who posted on Craigslist. Whether your reasons are more like geek-lover Maryam Scoble's or geek and geek-lover Tara Hunt's, there's no denying these guys (and, ok, maybe one girl) are hot properties.

W4M

  • First one's a winner: "I prefer guys in tech because I've never met a dumb one and love technology, which means I'm cool with computer pieces all over." This 25-year-old wants a guy from 25 to 35.
  • A 31-year-old software engineer throws two dogs into the deal. She just returned from the Netherlands, and she's a wine, cheese, and crying-at-the-movies fan. And she's utterly selling herself short as "slightly cute."

Ladies, M4W is after the jump.

M4W

  • 35-year-old software engineer seeks "discreet" college student for "outdoor sports." Oh. Actually he probably means those literally. Boring.
  • One entrepreneur's headline says it all: "LOOKING FOR LOVE SOUL MATE FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" No, startup founders aren't 13 now — this one's 44. "My startup project is my dream and I am working towards my dream and I know my dream is going to come true soon. My second dream to have loving soulmate and life partner with whom I want to be until end of this lifetime."
  • If this next one's sense of humor doesn't get you hot, don't worry — he just wants something platonic. "I always give things a chance to grow on me, INCLUDING moss, because I'm be a fungi to be with."
  • Today's charity case could really use a friend on Oracle Parkway in Redwood City. In the last week, this gentleman's posted two separate missed connections, three appeals in the section called Casual Encounters. Reward his hard work — he just wants an IM/e-mail flirt partner.

Strangely, on the eve of SF Pride 2006, all the geek posts are straight. Send any good W4W or M4M (or fantastic W4M or M4W) posts by Valley tech workers to tips@valleywag.com.

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Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:04:32 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=182132&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Schmidt to get hitched to media relations star ]]> Eric Schmidt - ValleywagA few months ago, we noticed that Google CEO Eric Schmidt had a rosary partner other than his wife Wendy. Well, since then, it's become no secret that Eric and his wife are on the outs, and no one know what happened to his fellow churchgoer. Meanwhile, all eyes have been on Eric's bosses, perpetual bachelors Larry and Sergey.

Well, according to this tip, Eric could beat both of them to "I do."

Google CEO Eric Schmidt was spotted with his girlfriend Marcy Simon on Saturday on the beach in the French Riviera with Marcy sporting a huge yellow diamond engagement ring. I guess he actually is divorced and is readying for a long-term relationship.

Chances are, that's President Marcy Simon of PR and media consulting firm WCTV. Aha, Eric wasn't just looking for love. The efficient exec knows that now he can score free advice to prop up Google's flimsy PR arm. (And maybe throw in some private public speaking lessons.)

Earlier: Valleywag exclusive: Oh Schmidt! [Valleywag]
And: Larry Page ain't engaged [Valleywag]

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Mon, 19 Jun 2006 17:17:08 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=181859&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Why the Valley's not getting laid ]]> As the President of the Colonies said in Battlestar Galactica, if the human race is going to survive after the Googlers Cylons attack, we're gonna have to start making babies. So why does all of Silicon Valley have such a hard time getting it on?

  • Sun CEO Jon Schwartz's ponytail (pictured) has a 40-mile-radius aura of unsexiness.
  • As Tom Foremski found, Cox Interactive keeps blocking Craigslist. Granted, if I wanted to see Cox on Craigslist, I'd just go to m4m. But seriously, the Internet provider is keeping geeks from the only way they know how to hook up. [Silicon Valley Watcher]
  • They write jokes like Wife 1.0 OS. "Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean and Sweep 3.0 , Cook It 1.5 and Do Bills 4.2." Har har. [Craigslist]
  • When they actually do post ads, geeks write shit like: "I'm looking for someone who doesn't want to be a wife right now, but misses some of the aspects of being a wife. That is, taking care of a man. I'm a 35 year old bachelor, a software professional, and I'm in the middle of a project right now." Come on now, Michael Arrington — you're not really a software professional. [Craigslist]

After the jump, the "keep the damn bars open" theory.

  • And who are the suave, snappily-dressed men to offset the nerds? Venture capitalists. Oh, perfect, because as admin assistant Sand Hill Slave can attest, nothing's hotter than a coked-out stripey-wearing VC associate who keeps bragging about his job. [Sand Hill Slave]
  • And the women of the Valley? "Hot for Silicon Valley" isn't a slam on real looks — it's a slam on every woman who insists on wearing a pantsuit from the 90s.
  • Closing time in San Francisco: 2 AM. Closing time in San Jose: 2 AM. Closing time in Cupertino: 2 AM. Come on, California lawmakers — bar-going geeks need at least another hour to loosen up.
  • The bedroom's out of wifi range.

Then again, it could be worse — we could all be in Washington, with all the romance of Silicon Valley and all the intelligence of Miami.

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Thu, 08 Jun 2006 14:46:36 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=179440&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Guest post: Larry, Mari, Sergey, and Eri make their own Google gossip ]]> Are the public faces of Google all wagging the dog by seeding their own gossip? One reader says the Google soap opera is scripted. But watch where you step in this sticky conspiracy theory — sprinkle some "sic"s and "alleged"s in there. Before the jump, the theorist gives the mounting evidence. After the jump, their theories.

Did a bit of math today and am willing to share anonymously:

1. Pre 2006:
a) circulating gossip pertaining Google execs
- Sergey Brin shares rides to work. Delivered by the matrimony quasi sister-in-law
- Larry Page made a printer out of Lego. At the age of 9.

b) juicy factoids pertaining Google execs not made public
- Larry Page dating Marissa Meyers
- the founders' harem of PAs (see flickr and comments around)

2. Come 2006:
1. The Larry Page, Marissa Meyer hot office affair former levels of collegiality finally revealed. By none other than the M&M herself.
2. Excruciatingly juicy details of said affair come to light: M&M used to time Larry Page with a metronome.
3. Few months within new relationship, new Larry Page girlfriend (if you have doubts: far right, with the bottle) splashed all over the tabloids.
4. Staged, but offending (for the parties involved) at the same time jet posing of Larry Page and exec girlfriend. Staged, but coy leaking of said pictures. Blamethrower aimed at other exec girlfriend. Oh, the drama!
5. Sergey Brin feeling slightly offended of all the attention directed to fellow co-founder. Larry Page offers a joint stunt - "We are getting married!" No, not to each other, although that might be an option, if the stocks dip low. As in "Hollywood aging star posing for Playboy" desperation.
6. Sergey Brin takes the wheel in his own two hands: mixes drugs, outrageous amounts of money, young cuties and sex in the same party-news. Comes out feeling sorry for himself. So, do we.

Few personal observations and unanswered questions:
- Eric Schmidt, the one who will most likely be pointed out as the sleazy one in a routine line-up including the founders, comes unscathed as a lamb. (I am not in any way suggesting that he is, simply implying that Sergey and Larry still have boyish charms.) Is that whole thing a personal vendetta? Was it Larry and Sergey who dug out Eric's personal data last year and tipped CNET, so that he needs to retaliate?
- Maybe the Google founders joined the super-exclusive, at_least_5_billions_net_worth, year 2K complacent, web 2.0 gossip-a-month club "Chez Hilton"?
- Or maybe, just maybe, gossip and celebrity rumors constituted the majority of searches on Google in the past years, so the Google's PR machine steered clear of the land of flowers, bunnies, shared car-rides and "don't be evil" lullabies?
- Is Valleywag arousing (compare number of comments on the gossipy news as opposed to regular ones) its own readership by throwing in sex and scandals. Amidst the serious journalism, that is.

Of, course I may be all wrong. It may as well be a terrible misunderstanding. But until proven wrong, am eagerly anticipating the next twists on the Google soap opera.

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Wed, 17 May 2006 14:36:26 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=174510&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Craig Newmark's girlfriend demands to be outed ]]> Craig Newmark - ValleywagOne of Craig Newmark's endearing habits is his continual reference to "the girlfriend." But at last night's Wired Rave Awards, Craig Newmark broke form and said "my girlfriend." When I ribbed him about it, he pointed out this recent story from the London Times:

Newmark calls his girlfriend the Girlfriend, as if he's never had one before. ("I got the Girlfriend tickets for that show, which gave the Boyfriend good Boyfriend points," he confides.) Eileen Whelpley, aka the Girlfriend, is a technical designer for Gap and a talented flamenco dancer. She hates being called the Girlfriend and is unafraid to tell Newmark so - or me. She insists her correct name is used in this piece.

By the way, Craig's proud of Eileen's flamenco skills — he hasn't seriously danced ever since ballet lessons landed him in the hospital.

Falling for super-geek [London Times]
Photo: SXSW 2006 Sunday [Laughing Squid on Flickr]

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Wed, 17 May 2006 13:40:46 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=174496&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ MySpace Tom orders half-price ass-by-air, said random Asian girl ]]> MySpace\'s Tom Anderson - ValleywagHoo boy. Maybe it's an authentic MySpace Tom story, but something this over-the-top could just be one girl's idea of a star-fucking story. Tom's a widely reported Asian fetishist and a bit of a perv, sure — but flying girls to LA for some action? Is Tom that Hollywood?

In any case, sounds like this girl deserves a "Tom is NOT my friend" tee. The story, passed through another boy:

So, I hooked up last week with this half-Asian very hot Suicide Girl on - where else - MySpace.

Post-dirty sex, she's telling me "Tom from MySpace really liked that picture of my ass. He wrote me last month (post bad press) and told me he wants to 'hit my ass.' He offered to fly me to LA, but —"

Discover Tom's caveat after the jump.

"— he'd only pay for half the flight as the last girl who he flew to LA was hooking up with other guys in LA while he was at work."

Thus, without a full free ticket, she passed on his offer of cut-rate anal.

So, if you're only getting some of the trim (or ass as the case may be), you should only pay for half the flight?

And this is - as well as post bad press - post multi-million dollar "extra retention bonus."

Classic.

Tom's alleged excuse about "the last girl" sounds sketchy. Hard to believe a girl tapping Tom Anderson would need more LA hotties to keep her satisfied — unless this was during Tom's emo phase.

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Mon, 08 May 2006 15:25:14 PDT Nick Douglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=172330&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Tomgirl Tiffany Chao ]]>

How do you break the 12-photo rule and get 51 snaps on MySpace? Step 1: Date Tom Anderson.

MySpace Tom's secret Real Friends list is still a mystery, but here's one girl who's definitely on it. Tiffany Chao ( is just 22 (to Tom's 30) and fits Tom's rumored demographic just fine. Judging by their photos and comments, they're a real hot item. They headed out to Chichen Itza together, and they hang out on Tom's stomping grounds in L.A. And when Tiffany posted a snap of her and Joaquin Phoenix (or at least a wax figure of Jo), Tom got defensive: "he is 7 feet tall, but i'm 7'1,"" he commented from his secondary friends-only profile.

But one detail really made me perk up: Tiffany lists herself as "single." Either Tom's due for a lot of MySpace drama, or he's still single too — which means you could hook up with the Myspace Mastah and get your own 51-picture profile.

Tiffany [MySpace profile]

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Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:30:48 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=170096&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Larry Page ain't engaged ]]> Google threesomeA reader counters the report that Larry Page (pictured, top) is checking out rings. Looks like he and his Google co-founder Sergey Brin (pictured, bottom) are still holding off on their personal mergers. At this rate, Eric Schmidt (pictured, monkey in the middle) will hook up (again) before his bosses do.

I know Lucy (relative) - and she does not think that Larry is responsible for the ring as they have no plans to becoming engaged anytime soon. Sergey isnt engaged either. Now maybe both women will be surprised with rings they don't expect?

It's hard to believe that as paranoid as Larry is about privacy that he would allow himself to look at rings in front of other people.

Again, it's your call whether this is a true relative, or an Adsense sales rep with a rich fantasy life.

Earlier rock-buying rumors: Larry Page is still shopping for rings [Valleywag]
It all started here: Which Google guy got engaged? [Valleywag]
More Larry rumor-quashing: Did Sergey Brin get engaged? [Valleywag]

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Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:00:00 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=169354&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Did MySpace's Tom Anderson do Asian porn? ]]> Tom Anderson - ValleywagThis morning's best unsubstantiated (and uncorroborated on the Internets) rumor: MySpace founder Tom Anderson started in porn, says a reader:

Wanna know the reason MySpace is so seedy? Before MySpace, Tom Anderson ran a porn site called TeamAsian.com. The first profiles were of the asian girls he used to photograph and put on his site.

Other rumors have floated around that Tom keeps a second profile to collect Asian girls as friends. (Gee, another white boy in tech who's crazy for Asian girls, who'd have thought?)

Not that there's anything wrong with all this — just that Tom may as well 'fess up. He's already made his millions, what's the worst that could happen?

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Fri, 21 Apr 2006 11:31:46 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=168890&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Larry Page is still shopping for rings ]]> Larry Page - ValleywagA theoretically trustworthy source (can we upgrade to "demonstrably knowledgable"? Anyone?) passes on another tip for Google Founder Hitch Watch:

Larry has recently been looking at girl's engagement rings at meetings, rather than paying attention. Larry is not a jewelry guy, so either he is thinking of buying De Beers, or he could be thinking about getting engaged.

Earlier: Which Google guy got engaged? [Valleywag]
And: Did Sergey Brin get engaged? [Valleywag]

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Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:12:56 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=167448&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Did Sergey Brin get engaged? ]]> Larry Page and Lucy Southworth - ValleywagA reader sends an update on the Google founder hitch watch. So far, we heard that either Sergey Brin or Larry Page got engaged, but we had no idea which one. Based on this report, either Sergey and Anne are the (alleged) engaged couple, or Larry can't afford a ring yet:

Lucy Southworth is my TA for a class I am taking at Stanford. I have looked in class and there is no hint of a ring (believe me I have checked). Must be Sergey and Anne...

Unless, of course, it's just a silly rumor. But that's what we're all about.

Earlier: Which Google guy got engaged? [Valleywag]

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Fri, 14 Apr 2006 10:58:22 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=167363&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Which Google guy got engaged? ]]> Looks like someone's in for a big argument about the prenup love! A terribly unconfirmed rumor says that one of the Google founders got engaged.

Larry Page and Lucy Southworth horizontal - ValleywagDid Bachelor #1, Larry Page, pop the question to Stanford sweetheart Lucy Southworth?

sergey-anne-small.jpgDid Bachelor #2, Sergey Brin, hook up with girlfriend Anne Wojcicki?

Who knows? Well, a few of you, actually. Get an anonymous e-mail account and tip off tips@valleywag.com.

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Thu, 13 Apr 2006 18:41:03 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=167199&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Help us, Craig: Getting Silicon Valley laid ]]> dancing couple - ValleywagI look out at this valley and its people, and I say, "Damn, these people need to get laid." Which is projection, sure. But as a public service, Valleywag picks the cream of the crop from the Valley's tech-industry Craigslist personals. And remember, if it doesn't work out, you can always give us the gossip.

M4W
¬ San Jose software engineer seeks ticklish Asian beauty (especially ticklish on the feet, please).
¬ Startup co-founder in Saratoga looking for a loving soulmate. Kinda wordy, but if you've ever gone to a "Oh, just one more thing!" demo session, that shouldn't surprise you.
¬ "I don't make sex; I make love," says a San Francisco software engineer. And he's willing to start with the phone or e-mail. So go get some...um..."phone love."

W4M
¬ Will a big tall engineer whisk away this blonde, blue-eyed Scandanavian? Watch out, you'll probably have to fight half the Google team to win her heart.
¬ A "proud participant in the Web 2.0" is "up for some company — hiking, cooking, or staying up all night integrating peer-to-peer solutions across the enterprise (or something).
¬ "Jewish woman looking for her bashert" seeks, first of all, someone who knows what a bashert is (Gentiles: it's a soulmate. It's not you), with a college degree, who's "a good person." Yep, she's in a high-tech startup, but she's not an engineer.

W4W
¬ Way down in Campbell is a "sexy Indian girl," "bit of a nerd but very sexually outgoing," seeking a sexy Chinese girl. Married? No worries, so's she.

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Thu, 06 Apr 2006 09:23:53 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=165580&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ And suddenly I'm 13 again ]]> Ever since getting dumped by Google, Dictionary.com has let itself go.

Word of the day [Dictionary.com]

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Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:09:24 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=165410&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE: We ID'd a Google Romancer. ]]> jon-steinbeck-google.jpgThe male member of Google Romance's model couple has (assuming the tipster's honest) been ID'd:

don't know the girl, but the guy is a product marketing manager named Jon Steinbeck. I don't know about any relations, but the name is no joke.

The tipster goes on to say some terribly unkind things, but suffice to say the "User B is kind of full of himself" line is, in their opinion, funny 'cause it's true.

So we just need the name of lovely User A. Clue me in at tips@valleywag.com.

Earlier: Who's that Googler: the Google Romancers [Valleywag]

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Mon, 03 Apr 2006 14:15:21 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164821&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Who's that Googler: the Google Romancers ]]> Google Romancers - ValleywagHow'd we miss this Google gal? The Google Romance model was the perfect poster girl (with such a cute poster boy!) for the seductive power of contextual ads. Says a reader:

i'm assuming she's an employee...how did we miss her in the contest? i beg you, use your awesome powers of persusaion to find the answer to this riddle.

gracias.

—anonymous grad student

Good question! And who's her boy, too? Google insiders, fire up your anonymous Hotmail accounts and tip off tips@valleywag.com. Meanwhile, I'll pump my contacts. But Google's a big and scary place, and we'll need some Distributed Stalking to uncover the Google Romance lady's identity.

Google Romance [Google]
Earlier: Google Romance [Valleywag]

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Mon, 03 Apr 2006 12:37:10 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164793&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ More bangs for the buck: Ben Brown IMterview ]]> Ben Brown\'s strong tongue - ValleywagOnline matchmaking is just like the real world: shit happens. The Wall Street Journal points out a few failures and the new effort to perfect it — we can do it better with TECHNOLOGY — from eHarmony, True, and Match.com. And the goal is always marriage.

But there among the big boys is San Fran's favorite do-it-for-the-sex dating site, Consumating (NSFW if you're lucky). I pulled founder Ben Brown over for an IMterview.

Valleywag: So. All these success stories gone wrong. How often has that happened to Consumaters?
Ben Brown: Everything we've heard has basically been, "OMG, I totally met a guy from Consumating last night, and he was hot and we did it. He lives in Brooklyn. I think he might have a blog."
Ben: http://www.amandarin.net/2006/03/first_date.html
Wag: Are you keeping track of these? How many bangs per profile have you logged?
Ben: We don't have accurate numbers, of course, but we speculate as many as 5 or 6 bangs per profile.
And that's just with normal use.
Our power users might expect to get more bang for the metaphorical buck.
Wag: And it's all free, right? Only cost is the loss of the potential for actually meeting people in bars?
Actually, if you started charging, would that be illegal under prostitution law?
Ben: Hardyharhar
Wag: Does anyone actually get married? Your demographic is all too hipster to settle down.
Ben: When someone from Consumating decides to walk down that path, they will notice that our silent footprints will quickly disappear.

After the jump, the law of accelerating hotties.

Mismatched.com [WSJ]

Wag: So the other sites in this WSJ story have millions of users. (Except for JDate, but its 148k users are running the world so they count triple.) You have 11 thousand. Who cares about Consumating?
Ben: 11,000 people care, Nick! And they care deeply.
Let me correct myself.
11,304.
Wag: That's major growth!
Ben: That was in only 3 days.
Wag: 1% a day. You'll skyrocket to millions by Easter.
And then— SINGULARITY.
Ben: Yes, we expect total world domination in w4.
err q4.
Wag: I'll edit that. No one will know you can't type.
One last thing: admit, on the record, how you met your girlfriend.
Ben: Here's the real secret. Katie is actually my sister.
Wag: Thanks, Mr. White.
And when the world starts going at it like bunnies, we'll blame you.

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Mon, 03 Apr 2006 11:14:54 PDT ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164773&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Google Romance ]]>

This year's Google prank: Google Romance. It's actually witty.

Profile Upload Rejected

You gave it your best shot, but things don't always turn out how you expected. This is because you either:

1. Fell for our April Fool's joke, in which case ha ha, wasn't that amusing and harmless and mostly in good taste and not all psychologically damaging under various and sundry aspects of contemporary tort law, please don't sue us...

Google Romance: Tour [Google]

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Sat, 01 Apr 2006 15:36:59 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164533&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Sexual Jeeviants 2: Celib-ask-y ]]> The butler didn't do it! In response to the dossier of dalliances from the olden days at Ask Jeeves, a tipster claiming to also be from the manservant-firing search company says none of those reported sexual escapades really went on:

ex-jeeves says: you've got some of your facts wrong in this Ask Jeeves post. i worked there for 3.5 years from 1999-2003 and a lot of what you've got here is hardly credible. there was a decent amount of frivolity but this stuff is just stupid.

"on the VP's bed" - how does two people have sex in someone else's bed? is your "informant" implying that the VP was involved? this was a dot.com and there were a lot of VPs. were they leaving work and breaking into a house to sleep in the bed? that doesn't even make sense.

One assumes there were company parties. Though it sounds like this tipster wasn't the sort who got invited.

Earlier: Guest story: Sexual Jeeviants [Valleywag]

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Fri, 31 Mar 2006 14:20:16 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164447&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Guest story: Sexual Jeeviants ]]> Jeeves - ValleywagAsk.com finally killed their best asset, the lovable butler Jeeves. What better excuse occasion for an ex-Jeevester and friend of Valleywag to reminisce.

Today I was thinking about Ask Jeeves, due to their having recently dropped the butler. And believe me, back in the old days, there was all too much "dropping of the butler" all around if you know what I mean and I think that you do.

1. One employee's father was a member of the Bohemian Club and repeatedly invited Jeeves' only black supervisor to orgies.
2. One lady employee's girlfriend made dame-on-fella butt-humping movies for a living.
3. Two employees, one of whom was married (not to the other) had sex in the CEO's office and on the VP's bed. Repeatedly.
4. The sysadmin insisted that during his time in the adult film industry he was known as "Dick Tushman."
5. The only thing we could never find on the internet was the phrase "used celebrity underwear."
6. Dick Tushman and the CTO used to spend a great chunk of their time asking the hot young twizzlers who worked at Jeeves to "act" in their home-made adult films.
7. The CTO later went on to marry a stripper-law student-hooker, later indicted on fraud charges for hiding her alleged hooker money.

Dropping the butler is an end of an era. Jeeves employees were called "Jeeviants" for a reason. The people who work there now probably spend their work hours working *snort* and their off-time doing sudoku puzzles and protesting the war.

This mercifully non-name-naming list was brought to you by "That Chinese Broad."

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Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:44:54 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164196&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Geeking out: The Kottke-Hourihan wedding ]]> Wasn't that New York blogger wedding so grand? Oh dear, you weren't invited? No worries, neither was I. But we can peek at the wedding of Blogger founder Meg Hourihan's wedding to designer Jason Kottke. The highlights of Meg's Flickr set:


Jason to Meg: "I rented it at half-price. But at 6, we need to let a film crew through for 'Bruce Almighty Two.'"

hk-hmm.jpg
Jason considers wearing this to the ceremony.

hk-jasons-dad2.jpg
Who invited Jack Nicholson?

After the jump, Kottke and Meg catch Saturday night fever.

Photos by Eliot Shepard: Wedding [megnut on Flickr]

hk-kiss.jpg
"Who's the dude?" "Some guy she found on the Internet."

hk-anil-alaina.jpg
Blogger Alaina Browne to husband and Six Apart VP Anil Dash: "Perfect, the photographer's here. Shut up and look noble."

hk-point-dance.jpg
Meg's dad will bust some caps in yo' ass, cracka.

hk-uncle.jpg
It's somewhere between the Electric Slide and the Chicken Dance.

hk-dirty-dancing.jpg
Actually, he was just checking if she'd spilled some wine.

hk-stewart.jpg
Flickr's Stewart Butterfield, overcome with emotion, needs a hug and a good sit down.

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Thu, 30 Mar 2006 09:19:33 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=164102&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Larry and Lucy: the source revealed (a bit) ]]>

Last week, I capriciously decided the public reached a consensus that the semi-anonymous hot Larry and Lucy pics were taken by a good friend of the Stanford grad and her billionaire Google boyfriend. Now a tipster says:

Those pics of Larry and Lucy were taken in Larry's jet by Serge's girlfriend. That is why it looks so casual. Someone got a hold of the pictures on a picture storing sight. I guess even family pictures aren't sacred any more.

No reason we should necessarily believe this tipster, other than faith in "honor amongst gossips," but it's as good a story as any. So, mysterious Smugmug surfer, consider this yet another chance to creep out of hiding, come clean of all your wrongs...and show us all the other good pics.

Earlier: Larry and Lucy flying high [Valleywag]

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Mon, 27 Mar 2006 22:19:51 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=163402&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jason Kottke and Meg Hourihan wed: Most Flickr'd ceremony ever ]]> meg-jason.jpgThe blogging power couple that conquered Metafilter (and some rag called the New Yorker) makes it official. Ex-SFers Jason Kottke and Meg Hourihan say "I do" tomorrow in NYC.

In lieu of wedding gifts, the couple suggests charitable donations. A good idea — unless you want to buy them a $160 saucepan.

[Update: wedding page removed.]

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Fri, 24 Mar 2006 19:34:43 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=162941&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Larry and Sergey -- a bond that can't be broken ]]> Look, I didn't want to say it. Or even imply it. Vaguely suggestive news photos of a recumbent Larry and Sergey meant nothing. Not even if Sergey looks great in drag.

But after blogger Richard MacManus dug up this damning photo taken by Google's Jason Shellen last year:

sergey-tee.jpg

Which brought back memories of Larry and Sergey's hot tub adventures in Wired, just about that time:

ls-hottub.jpg

With all that evidence, it must be declared —

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are two very close, very loving straight guys.

Sergey in drag [Stanford]
Understanding Google [Richard MacManus]
Sergey loves Larry [Jason Shellen on Flickr]
The Birth of Google [Wired]

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Thu, 23 Mar 2006 17:22:33 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=162650&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Overanalyzing Larry and Lucy ]]> ll-triple.jpg

An amateur photo sleuth commenting on Search Engine Herald lays out, in excruciating detail, the red flags raised by the Larry Page/Lucy Southworth makeout pics. "Zaza" makes a few excellent (if creepy) points:

Lucy's got a sweater on when she's horizontal with Larry — a sweater that wasn't in the sitting-up shots. So that pic was probably taken first.
Is that the New York Post in the background? There must be some connection with that Post paparazzi job on Lucy.
They know the camera's there — but hey, that could just be a friend, not the press.

So maybe this was a staged leak. In which case, rock on, you crazy Google kids. Keep up the fun.

Larry Page and Lucy Southworth pictures [SEH]
Earlier: Larry and Lucy: We cannot overstress the hotness [Valleywag]

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Tue, 14 Mar 2006 14:05:55 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=160527&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Larry and Lucy: we cannot overstress the hotness ]]>

In the interest of jacking up the post count fully appreciating the love of Lucy Southworth and her boyfriend (that guy, wossname, can never keep these billionaires straight) Larry Page, here's another of the photos sent to Search Engine Herald this week.

Dear SEH tipster: First off, hope the wounds are healing from whatever beating the Google founder must have given you. Second, why tip off a real search blog when you can send art like that to a fake blog like Valleywag? tips@valleywag.com, man. tips@valleywag.com.

Larry Page and Lucy Southworth pictures [SEH]
Earlier: Larry and Lucy flying high [Valleywag]

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Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:07:29 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=160453&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Larry and Lucy flying high ]]>

Google co-founder Larry Page and his Stanford girlfriend Lucy Southworth, reportedly en route to Hawaii last fall, have an on-jet makeout session. Search Engine Herald scores photos the New York Post would've killed for. Check out their other pics and see if your first thought is "OMG, Larry's cheating with Nicole Kidman!"

Next up: photos of Sergey flipping the cushions.

Larry Page and Lucy Southworth Pictures [Search Engine Herald]

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Mon, 13 Mar 2006 09:31:47 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=160157&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ NY Post outs Lucy Southworth, Larry Page's girlfriend ]]> lucy-post-small.jpgLucy's been outed. The lady who won Larry Page's heart was named by the New York Post as "Lucy Southworth." Sez the Post, the bright young Stanford student has degrees from the the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford. She's done medical work in South Africa and "wants to better the world."

But there's a tidbit that somehow didn't make it into the Post — the Southworth family is connected to the Bushes. In 2005, Lucy's sister Carrie married high into Bush staff. Her husband (Coddy Johnson) worked as the national field director for Bush's 2004 campaign. It's not a new family connection — Coddy's dad roomed with Bush at Yale.

Man, if Page is as liberal as he seems, that's gotta be one awkward Thanksgiving dinner.

Update: Thanks to the readers who sent in photos. Of COURSE the Post went all paparazzi. Full-page shot after the jump. Granted, she looks much cuter when posing.

Page Girl [NY Post]
Couple go to White House dinner [St. Joseph News-Press]

lucy-southworth-post.jpg

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Mon, 27 Feb 2006 12:59:58 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=157256&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Jeff Weiner's fiancee dated Quincy Jones ]]> quincy-lisette.jpgThe Hollywoodization of Yahoo continues — The fiancee of VP Jeff Weiner, it turns out, dated Quincy Jones.

Charity head Lisette Derouaux dated Quincy for five years, according to the music man's documentarist (and a few event photos). Quincy even produced a song named "Lisette" — which, granted, he didn't write himself. Ah well, still an honor, I'm sure.

It's not clear why they split; they're reportedly still friendly. Anyway, she met Jeff (maybe through Quincy's friend and Jeff's boss, Terry Semel), and they're now engaged. Maybe she just wanted to embrace the New Media. Best wishes to them. But if Jeff ever gets on Lisette's nerves, she totally should mutter, "Flashes of Quincy."

Basie & Beyond review [Pop Matters]
Jeff and Lisette [Flickr]
Earlier: Jeff Weiner wins everything [Valleywag]

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Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:13:56 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=156085&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Geek pickup lines from Anil, Om, and others ]]> Geeks are the best lovers — and not just because of those toned finger muscles from twelve-hour typing days. They're sweet-talkers too. Here are pick-up lines submitted by some of the Valley's smoothest operators.

Anil Dash (VP, Six Apart): "Baby, I'd like to acquire you like I'm Yahoo."
Nancy Einhart (senior editor, Business 2.0): "I've been told my compensation package is quite ample."
Om Malik (blogger and senior writer, Business 2.0): "Baby, you can flash my router any day!" (GIGAOM BONUS: "Your office or mine?")
Ben Brown (founder, Consumating): "Wanna cyber?"

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Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:47:18 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=154787&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Craigslist guessing: Startupper stuck in sexless marriage ]]> craigslist-logo.jpgA "VERY successful" businessman with a flipped startup under his belt seeks a "one-woman relationship" — not counting his wife, of course.

The downtown San Jose resident hasn't, uh, seeded her capital fund in twenty years. He stays with her for the kids, but for the last few years he's been sneaking out every week to meet a special someone.

Now that someone's gone, and a lucky lady can step in for a "discrete, honest" affair — presumably just honest in the moments they're not being discreet.

In the comments or e-mail, guess which successful software exec needs extramarital love. Read the ad before it's taken down.

Sexless marriage? [Craigslist, South Bay]

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Fri, 10 Feb 2006 17:51:12 PST ndouglas http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=154216&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Silicon Valley Romeo ]]> question.jpgA blind item: which wandering search engine exec has now shacked up with a PR adviser to his most bitter rival? It's a sweet story, a Romeo and Juliet for our times. In business, their two great companies, alike in dignity, pursue an ancient grudge. Behind the scenes, friends say he's leaving his wife for the new girlfriend. How goes the line, in Shakespeare? "My only love sprung from my only hate." Your guesses, after the jump.

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Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:16:17 PST Nick Denton http://valleywag.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=153242&view=rss&microfeed=true