| Attack of the flirt-bots
Bummer. Wasn't artificial intelligence (AI) supposed to be more, well, ominous? Like the rogue Skynet system in Terminator, or Agent Smith in The Matrix. Something that at least threatened humanity with extinction. Something, you know, impressive. Instead we get ... "flirt-bots." Computer security watchdogs are warning about a new type of artificial intelligence software coming out of the extensive Russian hacker networks. It's a "bot" or robot program called "CyberLover," designed to dynamically interact with people through Internet chat rooms and dating Web sites. .
Pr. George's Police Suspect Online Prowler in Six Rapes
The rapist stalks his victims on the Internet, surfing popular dating Web sites and chat rooms, where he meets women and sets up sex dates. At least six times, unsuspecting Prince George's County women arrived for a date but found a masked attacker, armed with a handgun, county police said yesterday. .
Saongroup hooks up with Maybefriends
Recruitment firm Saongroup.com has made its first foray into online dating with the takeover of Irish website Maybefriends.com. The move marks a new departure for Saongroup.com and potential new investment for Maybefriends.com, which has been in operation since 2004. Saongroup.com has operations in Ireland through Irishjobs.ie, jobs.ie and NIjobs.com. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Managing director of Maybefriends.com Jill McGrath said the purchase had a certain synergy to it and could be a match made in heaven for both sites. "Recruitment sites match people with jobs; dating sites match people with people, so they aren't all that different really," she told ENN. Chairman of Saongroup.com Leslie Buckley said the company planned to grow the business "aggressively".
SheKnows Acquires LovingYou.com - #1 Marriage and Relationship Site
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- SheKnows.com (http://www.sheknows.com), one of the fastest growing online destinations for women, announced today the acquisition of LovingYou.com -- the #1 marriage and relationship site on the web. LovingYou.com is one of the top 10 online destinations for women ages 18-25 and delivers nearly half a million unique visitors per month with 12 million page views. The site has been online for over 10 years providing award-winning content spanning every stage of a loving relationship along with free interactive tools and opportunities to participate in community forums. Unlike sites focused on dating and finding a mate, LovingYou.com is a leading source for information on how to put the fire back into an existing relationship and features advice and support for staying in love.
'Kids bombarded by unsuitable web ads'
A report looking at 40 websites popular with children has found that users were exposed to more than 200 ads, with many commercial messages promoting products unsuitable for children, such as gambling and dating. The study, called Fair Game?, assessed commercial activity on children's favourite websites, including Cartoon Network, CBeebies, Neopets, YouTube, Bebo, MySpace, eBay and Lime Wire. eBay: one of the sites most popular with children. Photograph: Linda Nylind Across 40 sites, the report found that when looking at just the homepage and one additional web page a total of 211 online ads were displayed. Because many of the websites popular with children are actually targeted at older groups - including many social networking and gaming websites - some of the ads were found to be unsuitable for young web surfers.
The hottest trends in online dating
Internet dating has been great for the industry. It has warmed an entire generation of users to the prospect of getting help in dating and paying for that help. It's like a giant sales funnel. At the top are generic dating sites and at the bottom are expensive matchmaking services. Online dating does take time and money. If you have considerably more bucks, you can go straight to the matchmaking service and have a date with somebody who is compatible right away. What new technologies are you seeing in online dating? One of the biggest innovations is avatar-based instant messaging. There's a lot of talk about how Web sites like Second Life will impact online dating. I've seen statistics that 80% of people will have an online virtual identity by 2011. That seems very high to me! One site that's pioneering the use of avatars is OmniDate.com.
Founders sell HotOrNot
UC Berkeley grads James Hong and Jim Young have sold HotOrNot for a reported $20 million. Hong confirmed TechCrunch's report but not the $20 million figure. The buddies created HotOrNot, which allows users to rate people on a scale of 1 to 10, during the first dotcom wave in 2000, creating a social phenomenon. It reportedly inspired future Web sites, such as YouTube. Since then, the San Francisco site has added other elements, including turning the site into an online dating service and, more recently, developing applications on Facebook. HotOrNot was acquired by the same investors as Avid Life Media, who will create Hot Or Not Media and grow the company. Hong and Young will not be regular contributors to the new company. "Next is just to hang out and help companies I've invested in for a while, then figure things out after a nice long summer vacation," Hong said in an instant messaging conversation.
Save the Planet by Surfing the Web, 'Green' Websites Promise
On the internet, anyone can be an environmentalist. All you have to do, is, well, nothing. A number of "green" internet businesses promise users they can help save the planet by doing little more than surfing the right websites. For instance, Blackle.com claims to help you save energy by offering a version of Google that has a black background, which may cut down on your display's electricity consumption. There are green search engines, green shopping sites, and even green dating sites -- it's an impressive abundance of good intentions. .
Cyber love lost in Russian bride scam
An online Russian dating scam that Canadian police say has organized crime roots has bilked men of thousands of dollars. Several men report being duped into sending romantic gifts and money to men posing as Russian brides on internet dating sites. According to an investigation by Radio-Canada's La Facture program, the number of incidents involving Canadian men is on the rise. Francis, 29, is a Quebecer who said he was scammed after falling in love with a blond Russian named Irina Gorachkina, whom he found on a dating website. He said they started out exchanging neutral, friendly e-mails. "At first we talked about what we were like," he told Radio-Canada. "I told her I liked the outdoors, walking in the woods." Francis's e-mail correspondence with Irina grew intimate and after weeks passed was filled with declarations of love such as, "I need you like a fish needs water, like a bird needs wings.
NJ sex offenders banned from online socializing
The state Parole Board today banned the 4,400 registered sex offenders it supervises from using social networking Web sites, chat rooms and online dating services as a way to prevent them from possibly luring victims into real-world danger. The move comes after a state investigation into 268 New Jersey registered sex offenders found that using the site MySpace.com led to only two offenders being punished because existing state rules only banned those who used a computer to commit a sex crime from visiting such sites. "The protection of all of our citizens and particularly our young people makes the imposition of this new restriction critical," state Parole Board Chairman Peter Barnes said after the board unanimously approved the ban. Sex offenders will still be allowed to visit other Internet sites as well as use e-mail.
Israel Jewish Singles Dating Site Expands
It's unclear how many couples have met and married via the Internet, but experts agree that a boom in Websites catering to Jewish singles has broadened the relatively narrow opportunities open to them, especially those in small communities, or without any community at all. Virtual mating rituals reflect real world changes. First came the online chat rooms, sites for personal ads and dating services, where members can post their addresses, photos, and personal messages without committing to commit. Think online dating is just for the hip-hop, hip-hugger generation? Think again. These days, you're almost as likely to find an AARP member surfing for love on Israel Anglo Singles, the most popular Jewish Anglo virtual dating hotspots in Israel. In addition to those in their 20's and 30's, there now are hundreds of Israel Jewish singles over 40 using their keyboards to meet their next match.
For Parents: Dealing with Puppy Love CBS 42 Parental Advice for Teen ...
Do not rush your child into growing up. Their youth is the only innocent time they will have. Let your child enjoy the carefree days of childhood. * Do not label your young child’s opposite-sex friends as boy/girl friends. At an early age children often learn from their parents that being noticed by the opposite sex is supposed to be exciting. This teaches children to strive for that "special" attention. * Delay dating. Studies show, the earlier the dating experience, the earlier the sexual experience. In addition, early dating or boy/girl relationships rob children of valuable time and opportunity to learn how to develop friendships with same-sex friends. Often times when youth "go together," they exclude same sex friends.
Federal benefit programs
If you and your Japanese spouse are immigrating soon to the U.S., s/he should apply for a Social Security Number once in the U.S. as a Legal Permanent Resident. S/he cannot apply from within Japan and must apply in the U.S.
Persons headed to the U.S. on student or work visas cannot apply for a social security number overseas. Please apply in the United States.
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