Astrid Bergès-Frisbey: The Next Hot Thing

Astrid Bergès-Frisbey is going to be one of the stars of the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the series.

Damn. Per Wikipedia, "Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (born 26 May 1986) is a Spanish-French actress, currently residing in France. In 2008 she made her feature debut in the film Un barrage contre le Pacifique. In April 2010 it was announced that she would play a mermaid in the 4th installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise due out in 2011. Astrid Berges-Frisbey also led the Spring summer advertising campaign for French Connection as the woman." YES - it's true: she is THE woman. Or, she's gonna be soon enough.

Not only that, but they've replaced Keira Knightley with Penelope Cruz - ooo heck yea. OMG, if you haven't already, you HAVE to see Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Not only does this movie have the usual Allen wit, it has Cruz at her loca chica bonita best AND a hot makeout scene with none other than Miss Scarlett Johansson (the recent divorcee). Haha, I can't help myself, but that just reminded me of Iron Man 2 and that first scene when Scarlett enters the boxing ring with the other dude and basically kicks his ass. Unfortunately, this little game of six degrees of hotness sadly ends with Gwyneth Paltrow, but whatever. She's not terrible actually, but I think she's got that rep of not being all that pleasant to be around. Oh well, whatever. It's that fine line between feisty and bitchy, and Cruz plays it to perfection. It's like that U2 song: the girl where you feel crazy with her and crazier without her.

The crazy thing is gonna be how much play this chick's gonna get in the summer of 2011. It'll be like what happened to Monica Bellucci when Matrix: Reloaded came out. Look out, here comes Astrid!

Are HBs The Root Of All Evil?

This quick proof would make us believe so...

A Thought Bubble Walks Into A Bar...

Check out: Seven Dichotomies In A Bar

Network Effects

Emmanuelle Chriqui

Network effects are the effects users of a good have on the value of the good for other users. For example, Facebook's value increases each time a person joins, because having a larger network makes it more likely for another new user to join. Over time, these effects can be significant. Consider Friendster, which may have been the first major social network. Since the quality was poor, fewer people joined, reducing the value of the network.

In social settings, network effects have several implications. First, they dictate how popular events are. If you know all your friends are going to Party A, but no one you know is going to Party B, guess which party you are going to go to? Obviously A. Why? Because network effects gave it higher value, independent of the venue or cost as compared to Party B. There are, of course, exceptions, but do not overlook network effects.

Another way to think about this is: where will the HBs be tonight? A party that has hot people attending is likely to draw even more attractive people to it. Ironically, a sausagefest tends to draw more sausages. If you understand this, you will be better able to filter out which parties will have a good male:female ratio and which ones won't.

The second area in which network effects matter, although not exactly in the same way, is reputations. If you can identify a social network, your reputation in that network will affect how all its members perceive. In a small network (say, 2 random girls at a bar), who cares if you annoy them? However, in a large network (say, a female co-worker among the 30 female co-workers you have), each member carries much higher value. You wouldn't want to piss off the female co-worker because she will trash you to all her friends, ruining the entire network for you.

Network effects work as a multiplier. Understand them, and you will multiply your own results. Onward, brethren!

Is LJBF Impossible?

Alina Vacariu: Supermodel? Could we ever "just be friends"?

Is "Let's Just Be Friends" (LJBF) impossible? It's a common question that many AFCs face.

The simple answer? Yes. Yes it is impossible.

But like, anything, there are exceptions. What you really want to ask yourself here is why would you want to be friends with this HB. What's the potential upside? Downsides? In my experience, there isn't much value in a LJBF situation. There's always the tension from before hanging over any interaction, poisoning it, preventing you from being your natural, relaxed self.

All this being said, why even pursue it? Well, in rare cases, a LJBF makes sense. Examples include, you have to work with the HB, she shares genuine interests with you (of a nonsexual nature), or she has lots of hot friends and she's happy to set you up with them. Heh, and of course there's the rare LJBF-but-really-lets-be-"friends with benefits." Generally speaking though, these are rare situations. In most cases, if a HB LJBFs you, tell her fuggedaboutit!

40 Unwritten Rules to Live By

There are many 'lists' out there of rules for guys, a man-code, or whatnot. Usually, I don't think much of them since most of the advice is obvious or common sense. I'm not going to claim this list is much better, but for some reason, I liked it. According to this list, there are 40 unwritten rules for guys. Here are the first 10:

1. Never ask a woman if she wants to have sex by asking her if she wants to have sex.

2. It is more important to have good health insurance than good health.

3. Don't bluff more than once in a poker game with friends.

4. When one of the big bosses at work unexpectedly says something really cheery and friendly to you, he means absolutely nothing by it. Not even if he's your father.

5. Wear as much black as you can. It makes you look slimmer and cooler. But avoid black jeans.

6. When someone in your family is going through a divorce, always side with the blood relative.

7. Pointedly praising something unusual a person owns or has done will make you appear far smarter in his eyes than a 10-minute discourse on world events.

8. Yes, speak softly and carry a big stick. But don't mumble. And don't swing the stick.

9. The man who can't dance, can't converse, and can't provide psychological support to a woman is only half a man; the other half can't cook, can't clean, and badly wants a drink.

10. Do not get a visible tattoo larger than your penis.

Keep reading to find out the other thirty.

The Interactive Singles Map

Jane Seymour aka the Cougar in Wedding Crashers

The New, Interactive Singles Map is a fascinating little site. The map shows the gender imbalance in major American cities, selected by age group. Basically, it explains why we all feel like every bar is a 'sausage fest.' That's because it is, no matter where you go!

Interestingly, as you increase the age, the imbalance tips the other way, towards female. In other words, it's cougar-hunting season, everywhere.