Die Maschinen tun mehr, als bei der Partnersuche zu vermitteln. Sie zerlegen ihre Nutzer in Schokoladenseiten, sexuelle Vorlieben, politische Ansichten etc. und stellen somit Kontakt zwischen virtuellen Informations-Profilen her, die den Menschen dahinter als Objekt der Begierde ersetzen.

Jahrhunderte lang trug die Vorstellung romanischer Liebe den Keim der Revolution gegen Vernunft und Konventionen in sich sowie die Furcht vor dem Unbekannten. Der Spätkapitalismus zieht ihr diese beiden Krallen und verwandelt sie in ein Spiel, das nicht weniger abgekartet ist als jede Zwangsheirat.

Das Internet schreibt heute ganze Liebesgeschichten: Vom Kennenlernen über den Seitensprung zur organisierten Racheaktionen und anschließenden Seelsorge bis hin zur Scheidung – für alles gibt es einen Anbieter und noch einen, der für uns die verschiedenen Anbieter vergleicht.

Datingportale sind Maschinen, die durch Ein- und Ausschlussverfahren die Partnersuche regulieren sollen – unverbindlich und ganz individuell. Da bei so viel Kontrolle aber nichts dem Zufall überlassen werden darf, gehören Maskerade und Spionage zum digitalen Datingalltag.

Datingportale setzen allein in Deutschland seit 2006 jedes Jahr mehr als 100 Millionen Euro um, Tendenz steigend. Verständlich, dass Großkonzerne um die Gunst der Nutzer buhlen, deren Daten bei Übernahmegeschäften den Besitzer wechseln. Wer mitliest, weiß niemand.

Warum sich beschweren? Vertrauen in den Zufall ist gut, Kontrolle ist besser. Und schließlich bleibt alles beim Alten: Die einen suchen schnellen Sex, die anderen die Liebe fürs Leben und wie immer gibt es keine Garantien. Somit hätte sich wieder einmal alles geändert, damit es bleibt, wie es ist.

When we do R&B midtempos or ballads, there's an Underdogs sound.

North Americans don't understand... that our country is not just Cuba; our country is also humanity.

Beyonce has very clear ideas - she knows exactly what she wants. The thing which she then also has over other celebrities is that she has an amazing voice. She's incredibly talented, and she's an amazing dancer - she's complete. Few are like Beyonce.

Women who love themselves are threatening; but men who love real women, more so.

It is not death that a man should fear but he should fear never beginning to live.

I was the kind of kid whose parents would drop him off at the local town library on their way to work, and I'd go and work my way through the children's area.

I fear that my mind would starve and that I might find myself in danger if I had no visual information, that it's chiefly the light, the shapes, the spaces, the colors that I see that compel me to keep moving forward in life and that keep me safe.

People love stories about the mafia: 'The Godfather,' 'American Gangster.'

Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.

I think if you find that you're making a judgment on the character, than your audience will make a judgment on the character.

Average leaders inspire people to punch a time clock. Great leaders inspire industry and passion.

For all the import and message of 'The Iliad,' it's ultimately a story that's meant to be heard, and the person hearing 'The Iliad' determines what it means.

I get so nervous, I get belly pains before I go on stage.

Democracy The state of affairs in which you consent to having your pocket picked and elect the best man to do it.

I don't know if hep C is called 'the quiet killer,' but it easily could be, so unnoticeably does it nestle into your body before crankin' up the screws and letting you race to figure out what's going on.

I think we're in good shape, but the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina is in some small way mitigated by the fact that we now have more people talking about it, thinking about it and working on it, so that we will be more vigilant and ready.

If we resist our passions, it is more due to their weakness than our strength.

Psychologists call this habituation, economists call it declining marginal utility, and the rest of us call it marriage.

Working out is not a luxury, it's a necessity.

American time has stretched around the world. It has become the dominant tempo of modern history, especially of the history of Europe.

The reality is that companies are full of things that are left unspoken. And even when they are out in the open, the CEO is almost always the last to know.

I mostly don't submit to talking about my work because I would like another talk about real life.

What can you do against the lunatic who is more intelligent than yourself, who gives your arguments a fair hearing and then simply persists in his lunacy?

There are so many stories about boys becoming heroes, learning their powers and becoming incredibly heroic. There have to be those stories for girls, too.