Many thanks to those who voted in our inaugural Troll-Off competition. Troll-Off Results: ~~~ Gold Medal, with 35% of the vote: No. 7, A. “god is punishing them for imbred sodomy” Lavey. Lavey may have had the advantage of topicality… Read More ›
moral panics
Quickhit: Internet censorship trials to go ahead
The Federal Government’s mandatory internet filtering trials, which were scheduled to begin on Christmas Eve 2008, are now set to go ahead. Telstra, Optus, and Iinet, Australia’s three biggest ISPs, are not involved. Half of the ISPs that are involved… Read More ›
QotWeek
Pavlov’s Cat, over at LP’s discussion on Helen’s post about the Rudd government’s failure to lift our Australian version of the Global Gag Rule:
I never thought I’d say this
but in some ways we Aussies are fortunate in our public opiners, despite the regularly boggling bloviations of Bolt, Blair, Devine, Albrechtsen et al: at least
On ambient intimacy and assistive devices
I was having a discussion about ambient intimacy in a couple of elsewheres, where I tried (and possibly failed) to say that what is so reviled by opinion editors and other meatsnobs can be useful in all sorts of ways.
I like the little slices of life on my friends’ livejournals, however trivial, because I just can’t access this sort chatter in my meatspace. Yes, I want to know how
Blokes calling out blokes: “Butterbodies” on Spike TV

[Left to right: Drew Barrymore, Tyra Banks, and Sara Ramirez.]
After airing those Douchebag oTY contestants, here are some mad props – to an unlikely sort of crowd, the commentariat at Spike TV.
Post-Holiday Linkdump
I’m back from holiday! Not quite back on board and blogging up a storm, but I thought I’d linkdump for some Sunday night reading for you.
One of our fellow Best Midsize Blog finalists, Zomblog, is surprised and/or confused that some Muslim people are also gay activists. (Comments warning.) This rainbow-flavoured button reads “Allah is Good/Allah is Gay/Gay Islam”.

What the fuck, Catholic Church? War on Schnitzels
OK, “What the fuck, Catholic Church?” is like shooting fish in a barrel. But here it is, anyway. The next instalment in my “What the fuck?” series.
Roman Catholic doctors and cardinals are wetting their pants with glee over the fact that an 85 year old chemist who contributed to the original synthesis of norethisterone has now “confessed”, “recanted”, or whatever
Ask Auntie Hoyden: “she swallowed my cork”
It’s time for another…. Ask Auntie Hoyden! Dontcha just love these search-terms posts? Well, I do, so if you don’t, move along, nothing to see here.
How do googlers find their way here? Most of the time they’re obviously searching for porn. Horrible, demeaning, often illegal porn. But once I’ve cut out most of that, the rest of the searchers are a source of endless amusement, diversion, curiosity, and sometimes pathos. Here are some of the search terms googlers have entered recently to end up at Hoyden About Town. Many of them didn’t find what they were looking for. And I’ve taken the liberty of answering a few googlers’ questions.
I’m having trouble making sense of this world
So… the chap with material depicting cartoon genitalia was convicted on the grounds that the Simpsons are real people; but the Lord Mayor just unveiled a realistic sculpture of a naked nine-year-old girl in Perth – legs apart, labia depicted…. Read More ›