Silicon Valley A Hunk Hotbed?

Last year, the American Singles annual convention, held in Anchorage, Alaska, seemed destined for wild success. After all, what better place for eager single women to meet eligible men than in the state with the largest surplus of single men in the nation?

Well, that didn’t work. The convention fell on the first day of hunting season and those Alaskan hunks chose their shotguns over the women. (Could this be why there are so many single men in Alaska?)

This year, though, the American Singles convention will be held in another so-called target-rich environment for women wanting to meet men: the Silicon Valley.

Convention organizers hope they can pry all the Internet entrepreneurs away from their computers long enough to check out other possibilities.

The convention’s in November; go to www.AmericanSingles.com on the Web for details. (From Aug. 30 Salon magazine)

* An electronic Post-it note: It’s just so easy to put off unpleasantries such as getting a Pap test. If a reminder would help, now you can get your computer to let you know that it’s time for an appointment. Register at a new Web site, www.papsmear.org, and on the date you choose, you’ll get an e-mail reminder to schedule an appointment.

A Pap test is no small deal when it comes to staying healthy; since it was introduced, it has slashed the death rate from cervical cancer by 70 percent. (From September Health)

* Show them the money: What do the kids want now? Apparently more money. Nearly one-quarter of the children surveyed in a new study said they want their parents to earn more.

Kids who think their families are financially secure feel more positive about Mom and Dad. (We’re guessing financial security probably makes Mom and Dad feel pretty good, too.)

Kids say there’s no need for parents to carve out more time with them, though. Most of the children in the “Ask the Children” study said they have enough time with Mom and Dad. Ony 10 percent said they would want more time with Mom; 15.5 percent said they’d like to see Dad more. (From Aug. 30 Newsweek)

* How absurd is this? In Middle Eastern cultures where face-to-face conversation between men and women is forbidden, men are taking two cell phones to town. When they spot a woman with whom they’d like to strike up a dialogue, they toss her a phone and then call her. (From September-October Utne Reader )