The XX Factor: What women really think.

1950s Dating Horrors

Hanna, I am the product of the “simpler” '50s dating culture. My parents were young, hot for each other, met their families' requirements of looks (her) and potential earning capacity (him), and married at ages 19 and 20. Their union produced four children, lasted 20 years, and was a nightmare for all concerned. So I do not share David Brooks’ nostalgia for a time when dating had ‘guardrails.' I dated for decades in the pre-cell phone era, and it wasn’t technology that gave me an ironic, contingent feeling about my adventures. One of my male friends once said to me, “Sometimes I think you deliberately go on bad dates just so you have a story to tell” ... (Read the rest of this article in DoubleX.)

In the Future, You Will Twitter to Your Own Face

Among the uses envisioned for the "nano skins" are facial or hand displays. These displays would be synched to a WPAn, or Wireless Personal Area network. There would be a display driver implanted to receive signals and allow you and others to communicate wirelessly. This would allow you to send information about remembering things instantly or communicate to someone else discreetly, receiving a friend's text to your hand instead of your phone. You could also have the option to communicate back to your friend your mood. That way, they won't have to ask how you are doing; they can just take one quick look and know.

I envision a texting set-up similar to my computer's calendar. A timed notice would appear conveniently on my hand saying "15 min till you have to call so- and-so" or "1 day till you need to bring work cupcakes."

Dare to dream!

Throw the (Text) Book at Her

Dahlia's recent article on "sexting" asked whether it makes sense to charge teens who exchanged naked photos with producing or possessing child pornography. Apparently, that's not the only cell phone behavior that can leave a kid in cuffs. According to this report from the Smoking Gun, a 14-year-old high-school student in Wisconsin was arrested for disorderly contact for texting during class. Long story short: A teacher called a "student resources officer" after the girl refused to hand in her phone. She denied not only texting in class but also having a phone at all; a female police officer searched her and uncovered the Samsung Cricket in her "buttocks area." The person she was texting during class? Her father.

It must be maddening for teachers to deal with students texting during class. But arresting a kid for disorderly conduct? Wouldn't a suspension be a better approach than arresting and strip-searching a 14-year-old for a cell phone?