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Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation
Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation mimics a write-in advice column, in which anthropomorphised animals of all kinds ask for help with their sex lives. That is just the framework, however, for an entertaining tour of the natural history and evolutionary biology of sex. Pretty much every aspect of animal sex is at least touched on, though the "all creation" of the title is an exaggeration -- there's only the occasional reference to plants and bacteria, with nothing (for example) on the fascinating topic of pollination.
The columns are grouped thematically in thirteen chapters, divided into three parts. Part one covers the "expenses" involved in sex, female promiscuity, conflicts between males, and alternative strategies for those who are poor and small. Part two covers sex and cannibalism, sex and violence (male and female), love potions and homosexuality, and monogamy. And part three looks at incest, at hermaphroditism, facultative sex and other variants, and at asexuality and theories for the evolution and persistence of sex.
Each column typically runs to four or five pages, beginning with a question.
Dr. Tatiana never answers directly, but looks around first at other species with similar or related problemsDear Dr. Tatiana,
I'm an Australian redback spider, and I'm a failure. I said to my darling, "Take, eat, this is my body," and I vaulted into her jaws. But she spat me out and told me to get lost. Why did she spurn the ultimate sacrifice?
and sets the question in a broader context"... most guys prefer not to be eaten at all. ... In the scorpion Paruroctonus mesaensis, the male whacks his partner several times before racing off; in the wolf spider Lycosa rabida, the male tosses his lover in the air, leaving her in a crumpled heap as he hurries away.
... In the bristle worm Nereis caudata, something similar goes on but for once it's the man who eats his wife.
... Do other males eat their mates? I have never heard of it. But note: this is not to say males don't eat females. They do. Just not during sex. Platonic cannibalism is a problem for creatures from apes to amoebae. It's depraved out there."
before finishing with the answer, if there is one."... It goes without saying that such a death wish can evolve only in special circumstances. That is, being eaten must mean you leave more offspring than if you are spared. So far, your species is the only one known to meet this criterion. A male redback who gets himself munched fertilizes more eggs than a male who survives. Why? ... it turns out that sex takes longer when she's chewing away on you, which gives you the chance to deliver more sperm and thus fertilize more eggs. So your challenge is to make yourself more appetizing."
Links to many different areas of biology are explored."The secret is picking your moment. Female redbacks aren't greedy; when they're not hungry, they don't eat. If you offer yourself right after she's feasted, forget it. You've got to wait until she gets that mean and hungry look in all eight of her beady little eyes. And then, for what you are about to receive, may your kiddies be truly thankful."
And for those who want to follow up specific topics in the technical literature, there are thirty pages of notes, giving annotated references for each column, with pointers into a forty page bibliography. (Though a short recommended reading list of non-technical popular works on evolution would have been a more useful inclusion for most readers.)"Lysin, the protein that determines whether an abalone sperm can enter an abalone egg, is evolving at record speed. Tantalizingly, abalone are also splitting into new species at a startling rate."
Sex Advice to All Creation assumes no background in biology, and there's the occasional wordy or repetitive explanation. But even scientists for whom the evolutionary biology is old hat are likely to find some new details in the natural history. The chatty tone and the framing conceit of an advice column -- extended in the last chapter to a mock television show -- remain entertaining and decorative, never pushed so far they become annoying or distort the science.
"If you are not a hermaphrodite, incest is best if you come from a species where males have only one set of genes. If you're not a member of such a species, I urge you to avoid sex with your nearest and dearest."
You can purchase Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Next thing we are going to see penis enlargement stories.
It said that this book won't get me laid, and guess what. It didn't. 4 stars.
I was dissapointed when two thirds of the way through the book ended (it was a small paer back to start with) the last third was notes etc. ;)
But regardless it was a fun read, turned a few heads on the train
ERR 411[Max number of witty sigs reached]
...should not have 'creation' in the title.
I was suprised to not see this, but here's a link to Dr Tatiana's Website.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
.... when you can get better advice for free:
http://www.sosuave.com/ - this one is my favorite for content, but the interface sucks
I haven't looked at this one much, but it has potential.
http://fastseduction.com/guide/
and a couple more:
http://www.blowmeuptom.com/index2.html
http://askmen.com/
No, I wouldn't consider myself a player - far from it, but yes I do read these websites. You can always learn from others even if you don't agree with their philosophies. If you'd consider yourself more of a "niceguy" than a "player", you should still read this stuff and figure out what you need to do differently to start scoring.
Real slashdotters doesn't see this as a problem.
God is REAL! Unless explicitly declared INTEGER
"The secret is picking your moment. Female redbacks aren't greedy; when they're not hungry, they don't eat. If you offer yourself right after she's feasted, forget it. You've got to wait until she gets that mean and hungry look in all eight of her beady little eyes. And then, for what you are about to receive, may your kiddies be truly thankful."
This is some good advice. The best way to get laid is not to pursue, and not to give a shit. If she's interested, let her chase you down. Hell, make her wait. Then when the time is right, BAM! Crazy, hot, dirty monkey sex.
Dude, you run a porn aggregating site. You have a serious credibility problem on this subject.
No. But I should say that's the most original first line from a /. book review in a loooooong time......
1. No sig. 2. ???? 3. Profit!!!
Step 1) Move out of your parents house and into your own apartment/house/townhouse/condo.
Step 2) Invite female friend for dinner.
Step 3) ????
Step 4) uh, profit? More like score!
Ok MODS, I'm ready for you!
-Cyc
/.'s 10 Millionth
This book review does not do this book justice. The book is much better than the reviewer seems to give it credit for. The book teaches you a vast amount natural history and biology in a way that is in such stark contrast to the typical dry and often times unrefined and boring presentation of scientific literature that you find yourself quite eager to delve into the next chapter. In particular, the book is actually funny and you find yourself laughing at the subtlety of the setups that the author puts the creatures in. You get the feeling like she spent literally days watching shows like Jerry Springer and contriving these scenarios. All the broached taboos that make shows like Jerry Springer so facinating to some people are represented in this book through the sex lives of various animals. It is almost unsettling at times how, things that are so universally verboten in our species are normal in other species. The book continues to surprise you with the extremely deviant sexual behavior and breaks down your aversion to it by explaining how it fits into the context of the lives of the creatures that practice it.
The breaking down of taboos surrounding sexuality is the slightly hidden agenda of the book. By presenting, the wide breadth of sexual behavior in the animal kingdom, in such a matter of fact way you become increasingly aware of how limited your own sexual repitoir truly is. The universal truths that you unquestioningly accept such as incest is bad, and females are chaste while men are promiscious are not quite as universal as you have been led to believe and that opens you up to a new way of thinking about the world.
Toward the beginning of the book and near the end Judson lifts her skirt just a little bit and hints at the book's hidden agenda and her personal feelings about sex after writing this whole book about on the topic. What she revealed and what she kept hidden reminded me of that old quote about bikinis, "What it reveals is suggestive, what it conceals is vital". This few paragraphs very effectively communicated to me that Ms Judson was not just a well lettered academic; the very pretty Ms. Judson also understands human sexuality and in particular the art being a seductress. She did this so well that after I finished the book, I had a serious crush on her for several weeks.
"How so called geeks and hackers can not pick up books and study this baffles me." Show me the book that can compensate for two decades of missed basic socialization experience that most people go through. Where is the book that advises one on how to attract intelligent women that aren't swayed by "seduction methods" - the ones that do not frequent rowdy clubs, or dance to gangsta rap (perfectly fine hobbies, but not shared by all males who desire mates)? And, most importantly, what "neuro-linguistic" trick will transform a decidedly ugly male into something that is desirable to human females? No, alcohol doesn't count - see above. Some of us are interested in something more than toll-free prostitution - actual relationships, for instance. While males are stereotyped as creatures obsessed with appearances, it seems that for men there is a "sliding scale" of what is acceptable, and we can move our standards up or down as required, depending on what is available. For women, however, one can't help but notice that there is a minimum standard of "male beauty" which rarely varies, and women - with their controllable sex drive - are perfectly happy to remain celibate until a visually appealing and culturally-appropriate male is found. It is a fallacy that all males who are alone are lazy, stupid, or simply do not know where to look.
The interview is available in OGG, MP3 and Real Audio.