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Today On The Web: February 8, 2010

Making news on the World Wide Web today…


Letterman, Leno Pair Up for Super Bowl Commercial (Popeater)

6 Shockingly Evil Things Babies Are Capable Of (Cracked)

Drunk-O-Vision X (College Humor)

If You Don’t Think Guidettes Are Sexy, Think Again (Uncoached)

Paris Hilton Is A Real Housewife? (TMZ)

Some People Are Genetically Unable to Benefit From Cardio (Asylum)

Kate Moss Is Comfortable Being Naked Around Photographers (Starpulse)

10 Unique Valentine’s Day Gifts (The Frisky)


Got a hot tip on a breaking story? Let us know.

Who's The No. 1 Most Desirable Woman?

Next Tuesday, AskMen will unveil our reader-generated list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2010. We already know who made the list and who didn’t, but unfortunately for you guys, here at AskMen towers, we're more hush-hush than an MP's secret expenses deal.

All we can say is this: The No.1 woman of the year, as determined by global AskMen reader votes, will come as a surprise to some of you,and the list features a healthy number of homegrown girls. But -- more importantly -- did your choice for the No. 1 position make the cut?

Tell us on Twitter who you think the most desirable woman of 2010 should be (use hashtag #MostDesirableWoman).

Check in at 2pm next Tuesday to find out if you are right.

Sony PS3 Slim Announced: Tech News

Sony PS3 Slim announced

The Sony PS3 Slim was announced yesterday at a trade show in Europe, but is it too little, too late for the console? Reports indicate that it has all the same features as the old PS3 (Blu-ray, PS1 -- but not PS2 -- backward compatibility, blah, blah, blah). The price is cheap ($299), so that’s one good point. There's also talk about an incorporated system that’ll be able to detect gamers' emotions, via audio cues and visual scanning through something called a “Sony Eye" -- talk about Big Brother keeping an eye on us. “Where’s the Vaseline, Jerry?” Check out our preview in tomorrow's Gadget of the Day. For now, let us know if you're going to buy this. Have you been holding out for a cheaper PS3 console? Do you prefer XBox or PC gaming? Is Sony too late?

Y combinator’s Demo Day

Yesterday was Y Combinator’s Demo Day, where tons of start-ups do a bit of show and tell with what they’ve been working on. The event attracted plenty of press and VCs from the Silicon Valley and some of the highlights include: FlightCaster, which gives those with airline tickets the ability to check the status (read: delays) of their flights way before the airlines make the announcement (FlightCaster launched on August 19); DailyBooth, which is like Twitter, but for pictures; and JobPic (great for these hard times -- yes, we just said “these hard times,” groan), a place where the jobless (or those looking for some supplemental income) can offer their services in a Amazon-shopping-like environment. If you’re a developer, you’ll likely want to check out Mixpanel, which offers more advanced metrics than on offer at Google Analytics; also for developers or bloggers is Olark, a new site that enables chat widgets on your site; and the list goes on and on.

Sex Tape Alert!: Today's Celebrity News

Eric Dane, aka McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy and his wife Rebecca Gayheart (apparently, she was an actress once, but we only remember her from Noxema commercials) filmed what is being labeled a "threesome sex tape" with beauty queen Kari Ann Peniche. Just say her last name outloud: "Peniche." With a last name like that, you're born to make sex tapes. It's almost a call of duty. We'd wax philosophic about the psychology of personality and the role a person's name plays, but even we don't feel like over-thinking that today.

The video isn't really much of a sex tape, though. It's just three inebriated semi-famous people cuddling and bathing together, all the while filming each other. It's a little uncomfortable at times, especially if you decide to get a group of your coworkers together all huddled in one cubicle to watch. Not a good bonding idea, trust us. The tape is really more of a sad documentary about how screwed up Hollywood people can get. At the very least, it's a warning sign to parents everywhere to not let their children grow up to have champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

In other news, Heidi Montag appeared on Ryan Seacrest's radio show yesterday and promised she's take more off next time she poses nude: "Always leave them asking for more. Next time, I'll have more to reveal." We're guessing that means an ankle or an elbow.

Don't worry, though. Heidi insists that God is completely behind her decision. "For me personally, I feel like God created the body, and the body is beautiful. The way God created us was naked. So I am not ashamed of it. I'm proud of it… This was such a blessed experience." Spread the good word, woman. Spread it.

It's Wednesday, which means you should wait til tomorrow to jump the gun.

The world is going to hell, but that doesn't make Chick-fil-A any less delicious.

Gmail Climbs The E-mail Service Ladder: Tech News

Gmail earns the bronze

We love success stories (not as much as we love sexy stories about Olivia Munn and her flaunting ways, but what are we going to do?), which is why we’re happy to report that Gmail’s unique visitors increased by 25% this year, making it the No. 3 e-mail service on the web with 37 million visitors. While these numbers are due in part to Gmail’s growing popularity, we can’t discount AOL’s fall from grace as part of the reason (AOL lost 22% of its traffic) -- AOL seems to have become that hot girl in school who breaks out with a case of herpes and then gets branded as a whore. At any rate, Gmail has a ways to go before it cracks Yahoo Mail’s 106 million users, but destroying Windows Live Hotmail’s 47 million is in sight. If the e-mail service providers had a beauty pageant, we bet if Gmail put on a G-string it would be able to beat out Yahoo in a heartbeat.

Twitter vs. Firefox 3.5

In a case of shoving sand in each others’ mouths, Twitter and Firefox 3.5 aren’t getting along. Well, maybe it isn’t quite that schoolyard, but the two aren’t very compatible -- what’s that, Chuck Woolery? Twitter is apparently working on a fix, because Twitter just hangs when updating your status or following new people who are using Firefox 3.5. Also, Firefox 3.7 doesn’t seem to work any better.

Best iPhone apps so far

There are now 60,000 apps in the Apple App store, and navigation to the most powerful and best apps is something Apple is still working on; for now, the apps on the front page are based on unit sales (and of course 99 cent apps sell the most), which means the better apps are buried. Thankfully, a list has come out telling us which are the best, such as Slacker Radio, Hey Where Are You, Textfree Unlimited, Tweetdeck, Real Racing, Sims 3, Mecho Wars, Doodle Jump, Mouth Off, and Pocket God.

Sharon Stone Naked!: Today's Celebrity News

Heidi Montag has 30 orgasms a day? Sharon Stone is still hotter

OK, we get the idea of playing yourself up for Playboy, but why outright lie? For Heidi Montag's Playboy cover interview, conducted by none other than her husband Spencer Pratt, Heidi said:
 
"I was never very sexual before I met you... I entered into a whole new realm of understanding, from fantasy to love. Or to experience a day with 20 or 30 orgasms. Before you, sex was just something that happened."

We asked our female friends what they thought of Heidi's comments, and the feeling was unanimous:

"That's total BS, and impossible."

"She's never had an orgasm, obviously."

"Smiling isn't an orgasm. She's just confused."

It seems like, aside from not even posing nude for her Playboy shoot -- which, by the way five out of five AskMen.com editors agree defeats the purpose and makes us angry -- Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt think it's OK to make a mockery of what is an iconic American magazine with a BS interview. We're just going to throw this out there, but anyone who claims to have had 20 to 30 orgasms a day either a) doesn't have the time to appear on reality TV shows or b) doesn't know what an orgasm is. We can understand that. After all, she is married to Spencer Pratt.

The sexy (actually naked!) photo shoot you should be checking out instead of Heidi's over-rated Playboy shoot? Sharon Stone on the cover of Paris Match. She's 51, and she's not afraid to appear naked or to be that damn hot. Take note, Heidi.

Internet Use An Illinois Felony For Some: Tech News

Sex offenders denied internet access

As reported in yesterday’s Chicago Tribune, a new law was signed by the Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, that prohibits sex offenders from using social network sites on the internet. The bill defines a social network as anything where users create profiles, post pictures and have networks that are accessible by other users -- all the way down to sites that allow you to leave comments (you should try it right now and post your thoughts about this below). This seems to limit a sex offender’s use of the internet to, well, nothing. While we commend the initiative to limit a sex offender’s access to potential victims, we can’t help but think that there’s a right to information or something in our Constitution. As the law is, we might as well forbid sex offenders from entering a library because there are children’s books in there.

Microsoft teams with Nokia

Microsoft swallowed a bit of pride and teamed up with a non-Windows mobile phone company (Nokia) to bring and expand the use of Office. The pride point is the realization that Windows Mobile isn’t and never will be as broad-reaching as hoped. Realizing that there are more than 200 million Nokia phones in use, Microsoft now aims to bring communication and productivity apps such as Office, IM, Sharepoint, and OneNote. Obviously, the target is business use, but future possibilities should make the Nokia faithfuls pretty happy.

What Is This Facebook Lite?: Tech News

Facebook Lite

Yes, we’re going to talk about Facebook again -- because it’s such a compelling topic and the news about it keeps flooding in. It seems that Facebook Lite prematurely rolled out, much to the chagrin of both users wishing to try it out and to Facebook staff. What is Facebook Lite? It’s an option for users to drop everything on Facebook, leaving them with the ability to simply post on their friends’ wall, send messages and build social networks. Reportedly, this is not an answer to Twitter or FriendFeed (which Facebook bought for $50 million), but an answer to its own problem of slow load times due to the fact that Facebook is a global site and all servers are located in the U.S.

Microsoft can’t sell Word

A Texas judge, Leonard Davis, has ruled that Microsoft can no longer sell, import, test, demonstrate, market, or offer customer support for future versions of Word. What? Sure, Microsoft has had legal issues in the past -- the United States v. Microsoft antitrust case comes to mind -- but this injunction seems to be a bit of a stretch. MS has apparently violated an i4i Inc. patent that prohibits the use of specific XML-reading technology. MS has also been ordered to pay i4i $290 million in damages. MS spokesman Kevin Kutz has stated that they will appeal the verdict, and given the depth of Microsoft’s pockets, it’ll certainly win. Until then, you have 60 days to get out and buy Word if you already don’t have it or are planning on buying a new computer in the near future.

There Is No Excuse For A Dull Knife: This Week In Food

Picture this: It's 2.5 million years ago. The sun is setting, you're starving, and you would love a drink right now, but beer won't be invented for another 2 million years, so you'll settle for water. You've been wandering around for hours, scratching your sloped forehead and looking for food. Now you're back at your cave with the fruit of your labors, getting ready to divvy up some gristly meat among your group of early human bros.

You hold in your right hand a stone cutting tool that, quite frankly, drives you insane. Why does this thing suck so much at cutting? Granted, you fashioned it yourself, so you only have yourself to blame, but still -- it seems to be getting worse every day. You hack away at the raw meat, trying to keep your fingers clear of the dull blade. In the back of your caveman mind, you think to yourself: "There must be a better way. But how?"

The wussification of men and their knives

Fast forward to the present day. Amazingly, this scenario continues to repeat itself -- only now, you didn't even make the tool yourself. There was a time when men carried a knife at all times, one that they kept sharp and ready. It's no surprise those days are gone -- hell, we don't even roll down our own car windows anymore. We feel it's time to reclaim knife stewardship as a masculine hallmark. Why do you settle for dull knives when they are made to be sharpened? On a related note, why do you allow low-quality knives into your home at all?

It's time to reclaim the sharp knife

Here are the facts: Sharp knives mean less chance of cutting yourself because you'll have more control as you work. Sharp knives mean cleaner, more attractive cuts, especially when it comes to meat and ripe summer tomatoes. Most importantly, sharp knives mean that you are a man, not a Cro-Magnon.

Let's start with the basis for all learning in 2009: A YouTube how-to video. It's nothing fancy, but it gives you a sense of how easy it is to maintain sharp knives yourself. Do yourself a favor and forgo any plasticky gadgetry claiming to sharpen knives. Stainless steel is best sharpened with a whetstone. A man should own one.

Now for some background: Here is an excellent video about a guy in Brooklyn who makes high-quality knives.

Finally, there comes a time when a man realizes that he must swap out his plastic-handled hardware store knife set for some gleaming stainless steel. They have a couple of big, beautiful sets on sale at Williams-Sonoma.

According to food writer of the moment, Michael Pollan, cooking is what differentiates man from beast. We at AM agree completely, and our definition of cooking includes tool usage. If you can't make your tools work for you, you're not quite cooking.

The Naked Generation: Celebrity Topic

Everyone get naked!

Last week, it was Vanessa Hudgens. This week Twilight's Ashley Greene is the latest starlet -- whose name you didn't know before yesterday -- to have naked photos "accidentally" released online. OK, maybe our use of quotations is unfair, but in the iPhone era, especially if you're a celebrity, isn't taking amateur nude photos a bad idea? Why not just pose for Playboy? Is the idea of nude pics being "leaked" sexier than planned naked photography with Hugh Hefner at the helms? Again, the quotations are just due to an assumption on our part.

In a statement issued to PerezHilton.com (Yes, Perez Hilton is apparently where attorneys go when they need to clear things up), Greene's attorney said:

"Ms. Greene is the owner of the copyrights in these photos, and as copyright owner, Ms. Greene owns the exclusive rights, among others, to reproduce, distribute, and to display the photos."

We're just going to throw this out there: We Google this stuff as much as any guy. Why wouldn't you? Awkward amateur naked photos? Who doesn't want to see that? But maybe we're being amazingly (and completely unfairly, but we're OK with that) manipulated to care about people whose names we wouldn't know otherwise? Just a thought. In all your Google searches, do you stop to think that maybe this stuff is all a ploy, or does it just not matter?

In other news, Heidi Montag's Playboy photo shoot is a disappointing mess. Covering your nipple with your hand does not count as posing nude. When did Playboy become Maxim?