With Thanksgiving weekend quickly approaching, this year's latest techno-dating gadget offers fake partners just in time for the holidays.

There seems to be something about the holidays that prompts us to turn our thoughts to love...or lust...or something like that. Last year we had the Turkey Dump site aimed at offering support for first-year students going through break-ups and now Fakegirlfriend.co brings us feigned relationships via text message.

That's right. According to Digital Life, all you have to do is save the service's phone number in your cell phone under your fake girlfriend's (or boyfriend's) name and then send a text message to their number to get a response. But if a hot sexting session is what you're after, you may be left hanging. Apparently, the generic text and pre-recorded phone messages designed to "prove" that you have a girlfriend include"Please come hang out with me? Please? I really miss you" and"I just need someone to talk to ... Call me?" All pleading...

We hear it all the time. Women who have sex (and especially those who have orgasms during sex) get attached the their male partners because of the rapid release of oxytocin into the bloodstream. This supposedly biological explanation for why women fall in love and men fall asleep after sex seems widely accepted given that women experience a spike in oxytocin around orgasm while men experience a more gradual increase.

But this is only a small part of the picture and this difference in oxytocin is measured in the bloodstream rather than in the brain. The researcher responsible for these findings wants to set the record straight and clarify that the “similarities are much greater than the differences in orgasm between men and women.” In the interview below, Barry Komisaruk explains that oxytocin is both a hormone and neurotransmitter and emphasizes that there is no scientific evidence that explains the behavioural impacts of oxytocin on humans. Check out Tracy...

Do they attack without warning? Nope.

Do they approach aggressively and poke you in the eye? Nope. (Not unless you ask them to and the mood happens to strike them.)

Are they the cause of social, economic or political injustice? I don't think so.

Bare breasts are pretty harmless. Women who walk around (or lay on the grass) topless don't spread disease, provoke violence or harm children, because nudity is natural -- and not necessarily sexual. In a culture that conflates the nudity with sexuality, sexualization and sex, we seem to forget that the simple act of seeing someone else naked is not inherently erotic. Sure, breasts may be arousing, but arousal stimuli are highly subjective. Many people are just as aroused by covered breasts, tight turtlenecks, loose t-shirts that leave a whole heap to the imagination, feet, smiles, sounds, perfume or warm apple pie. Mmm. Apple pie...and the list goes on!

Sure. Topless women can be exciting, sexy and sexual (and there's nothing wrong with...

One of the best parts of my job (and yes -- it's hard to choose a favourite in this line of work) is teaching pleasure-based workshops for men, women and couples. I have a whole series of workshops planned over the next few months and a number of participants have emailed me looking for a few tips to get them started in the meantime...

Here are 3 quick tips to improve sex and intimacy:

1. Have Oral!

Oral sex isn't just about what goes down between your legs -- it's about T-A-L-K as much as it is about S-E-X. Great communication skills make for a happy sex life and research suggests that those who talk about sex with a partner report higher levels of sexual satisfaction. And though it might be hard topic to talk about at first, the payoff is well worth it.

A few tips to get you started:

• • Choose a neutral time to initiate the talk. Don't try talking about it as you're getting hot and heavy or right after you've finished. It will feel less threatening if you don't bring it up in the...

MTV Staying Alive and iCondom Create the World's Largest Condom Map

While some American pharmacies continue to lock up condoms, MTV and iCondom are trying to make safer sex more accessible through GPS-Condom technology. Though they're yet to come out with a condom with built-in GPS (ouch!), this iPhone app allows users to locate the closest place to pick up condoms with updated maps.

Please check out iCondom's site...

Go Ahead and Masturbate!

It won't make your palms hairy. And you won't go blind. And no -- it won't make your penis or clitoris grow crooked...

But it is connected with an increased likelihood of engaging in safer sex practices. That's right! According to a new report, 86 percent of boys who reported using a condom the last time they had sex also reported that they had masturbated in the past year. Only 44 percent of those who said they didn't masturbate also reported using a condom.

Aside from the association between masturbation and safer sex, pleasuring yourself is also linked with a host of other health benefits including relaxation, pain relief, prostate health, improved mood and increased energy levels.

Not to mention the fact that masturbation cannot result in STI transmission or unplanned pregnancy. So go ahead and warm up a banana peel or charge up your favourite new sex toy and indulge a little in the name of health and pleasure.

In the past few weeks, I’ve heard three men (two clients and one friend) comment that “women are hard work” when it comes to sex. Each of these statements was framed as bit of a concern with regard to how much romancing, seduction and stimulation is required for women to experience both sexual desire and orgasm. I think this is an interesting observation shared by a number of men and I have a few thoughts on the topic…

I write (and teach) a lot about all the work that goes into sexual relationships as well as the need to cultivate desire and work for sexual arousal — and though both women and men generally require both physical (body-based) and subjective (mind-based) arousal to enjoy sex, it is possible that my work (and that of others in this field) emphasizes the need to work up and arouse women more so than men. So it follows that people may be left with the impression that women are more “work” than men when it comes to sex.

Now I...

Continued from the previous post.

With regard to basing one’s “performance” on the presence or absence of orgasm alone, this can be a huge detractor from the overall sexual experience. Not only do I hear droves of women complaining that hearing “Did you come yet?” is a total mood-killer, but when you’re focused on performance, you’re far less likely to enjoy the ride.

In short, sex shouldn’t feel like “work”, so take the pressure off. I’m not suggesting you be wholly selfish and ignore your partner’s needs, but if something feels like work, it’s probably not working. Reframe your approach to do things you enjoy and take pleasure in your partner’s pleasure and drop the goal-oriented approach.

In terms of women needing lots of romance, seduction, and stimulation, this is sometimes the case. And sometimes it’s not. Some women like lots of stimulation, foreplay and romancing while others could care...

In the past few weeks, I’ve heard three men comment that “women are hard work” when it comes to sex. Each of these statements was framed as a bit of a concern with regard to how much romancing, seduction, and stimulation is required for women to experience both sexual desire and orgasm. I think this is an interesting observation shared by a number of men and I have a few thoughts on the topic…

I write (and teach) a lot about all the work that goes into sexual relationships as well as the need to cultivate desire and work for sexual arousal — and though both women and men generally require both physical (body-based) and subjective (mind-based) arousal to enjoy sex, it is possible that my work emphasizes the need to work up and arouse women more so than men. So it follows that people may be left with the impression that women are more “work” than men when it comes to sex.

Now I wouldn’t refer to romance and sex play as...

Sex is Healthy. But it's also healthy to not experience sexual attraction.

In my business, we talk a lot about being sex-positive. This means that we see sex as a natural, healthy part of human life and that we're open to a range of interests, tastes, desires and behaviours. We try not to judge others based on their unique sexual inclinations and we believe in sexual rights -- including the right to accurate information, the right to engage in consensual activities and the right to enjoy sexual fantasies.

But this doesn't mean that we believe that people ought to engage in sexual activities or that they must have sexual fantasies if these things don't seem desirable or even natural. Each person's interest in sex varies over time with age, lifestyle, health, stress, partners, peers and a confluence of other factors. And some people do not experience sexual attraction at all -- some research suggests that approximately one percent of the population is asexual. But what does this mean?...