this is fyf

Was this gentleman the biggest gay pimp in Hollywood?  His book says he was.

Are you at home watching Drag Race and sort of wondering what happened to last year's winner, Raja?

Apparently she's friendly with Mario Diaz (sigh, The Cock) who is in this video with Raven, "Diamond Crowned Queen".  And she's grown out her hair a bit.  This is all I know, so back to your television and I'll go back to reading (a book).  (Via Mister Dandridge)

Internet undecided on what makes a Madonna (cocktail).

Are you throwing a Super Bowl party with a Madonna theme?   You can root for the New York Giants or the Provincetown Patriots and you've got the Madonna half time show.  The problem is what to serve for such a party.  One one-hand you have stadium/tailgate choices which are perfect for a winter Sunday.  On the other hand you have Madonna who is macrobiotic which is, like, healthy and would be surprising to your guests. (My guests would leave, for sure.)

Instead, let's focus on a theme drink for the party.  A Madonna cocktail would be appropriate, but The Internet cannot seem to decide what that exactly is.

 

 

Our first Madonna is a complex fix of Vodka (1 1/3 ounces), Peach and Kiwi Liquers (1/2 ounce each), and Blue Curacao (1 teaspoon).  All are stirred with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass and then garnished with a sprig or mint.  It sounds complex and it probably works out, but with all those liquers going on, my worry is sick stomachs and nasty blue stains on my bleached coir area rug.

 

 

 

 

Our next Madonna option is as simple as the previous was complex. A shot of cherry vodka is added to 7-Up and garnished with a single maraschino cherry.  While all the cherry action adds to your "Like A Virgin" thing, perhaps your guests will find this to be a little on the "Sandra Lee" side of the equation.

 

 

 

 

As neither "Madonna" is amazing, the search was made for "Madonna's favorite cocktail" instead.  This turned up what might be a winner,  a pomegranate martini.  Fill your shaker with 1 1/2 ounces of vodka, 1 ounce each of pomegranate and cranberry juices, 1 1/2 ounces of blueberry puree, and ice.  Garnish with lemon and you're set!  Sure it's still going to stain that rug if spilled, but it's for Madonna.

 

Still not sold?  I'm thinking you could just have a well-stocked bar, and put out some recipe cards with drinks with names like "Ray of Light", "Express Yourself", "Burning Up", and "Bedtime Stories" and still have a happy crowd. 

Will there be a new gay bar called "Wholes"?

The owners of Pieces are opening a Hell's Kitchen venue.  They've turned to Grindr users to name the new establishment.  My immediate thought is P.U.B. (Pieces Uptown Branch) but is that too clever?  Or if they wanted to be the opposite of their West Village, they could go with "Wholes" which could be a popular name, no?

There's a bar tab of $1000 to be won, so enter and enter often.  Just don't enter "Wholes" often.  Oh, wait, if you're using Grindr you ... SOMEONE PLEASE STOP ME.

Anyway, I'm not actually sure how to do that as that ad did not come to me because I'm a professional strumpet aka Grindr Extra user.   Others use plain Grindr apparently, but who can leave the screen open while waiting for notifications?  No, I need to play Nyan Cat Lost in Space, please.  Maybe Choire Sicha and Bryan Moylan can tell you as their screen shots are from regular Grindr which is for the slut who doesn't like to pay.  Oh, wait, found it.  ENTER HERE.

I'm drifting off topic.  GOOD LUCK!

Well, you can book a room at The OUT NYC now for your staycation (or get a "Sleep Share" for just $99 for a night).  Those bed linens won't be fresh forever.

Today's forecast - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

 

So last night the movie Drive was seen.  The plot was about as interesting as watching milk evaporate in a pan at low heat, but still the visuals got into my bedtime head and a long intense dream lasted through much of the night.  I went about the city stealing cars, and just moving them around.  Cars parked on the streat would be relocated a block or so away.  Cars in parking lots would be moved to different sections of the same parking lot.  A plot twist in the dream came when it was pointed out to me that there are cameras everywhere in the city and that my hijinx had been exposed.  At that point I called out from work.  Temperatures are mild and the skies are dry again, so it's a good day for committing hijinx, but be aware who (both in person and via technology) is watching, because they are watching.  Happy Tuesday, drivers.

Grindr needs to own up to being hacked and move forward.

So, do tell.  Did you log in today?  Don't worry, we won't tell you boyfriend.  Or your husband.  If you did log in to Grindr (or its premium sister-app Grindr Xtra) did you see any notice letting you know that over 100,000 user accounts had been hacked?  If your answer was no, then that would be an experience shared with all of Grindr's other users.

Last week Grindr was hacked in Australia.  Not just hacked, but comprehensively hacked:

The attackers evidently listed users’ Grindr users’ information on another site that displayed their screen names pseudonyms, passwords and bookmarked friends.  The website set up by the hackers allowed Grindr users to be impersonated, pictures to be changed as well as messages to be sent and received from their accounts without the Grindr users from even knowing.

The hacking was limited to Australian users and compromised only the data stored on Grindr, not personal billing information like credit card numbers or addresses or phone numbers.  You would think the site would get the word out to all their members, like when they send a message for a paid ad about a party in Philadelphia.  They did

n't take that route though.  Instead they wrote a blog post.

Now they could have sent a notification that would link you to said blog post if you wanted to know more about it.  You could opt to read about it or not and go about your way.  To their credit, they did post it to their Facebook page.  Unfortunately that only reaches a little over 20,000 users.  As Grindr now boasts over one million users now, that means they've only reached out to about two per cent of their users.

That two per cent reacted angrily too.  Here are some of the Facebook comments posted to their wall:

• I guess adding more ads, and arbitrary TOS deletions are more fundamental to Grindr than security. #justsaying
• Seriously, Grindr seems like its #1 priority is profitability, not user experience. After users *resoundingly* complained about your horrible pop-up/full screen ads a few months ago, they're back again and more horrible than ever. So ready to just delete the app entirely.  
• I've been a paid member of Xtra for quite some time and this is VERY disappointing. On top of that, what seem to be ridiculous and oversensitive moderation rules btw can you point me in the direction of your list of prohibited words aside from the obvious. I'm befuddled to see a screen of guys are A.OK half nekkid with a bunch of sexual solications, but rugby shorts and tongue-in-cheek flirations are too risque? Other things: new o/s = Grindr has issues, can't get all messages - trouble logging on etc. This all screams cash cow and lack of proper R&D. To balance negative with positive: the app is easy to use, the extra features of Xtra are nifty. It's a shame the end user experience is so hit and miss. Now with this MAJOR security breach, I may need some convincing as to why I (and my degrees of friends) shouldn't abandon the app. -I've deleted Grindr and advised all my friends to do the same. A company that can't be bothered to implement the most rudimentary security for its users doesn't deserve anyone's business. -Muito legal
• Delete, delete, delete! Besides, I'm sure it used to work better when we all had to be in the same place and actually talk to each other (I realise I'm being an old cart here).

While they're now focussing on a security upgrade they need to also focus on their growing public relations issue as well.  The solution often is to "admit you have a problem".  Be open and honest with your clients and let them know that resolving the issue is first priority.

Grindr, we want you to succeed.  Pull it together.