Rachelle's Reading List: Monday, Feb. 14th, 2011

by Rachelle Hruska · February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day! Today a roundup of all things Valentine. Then, what I thought of Lady Gaga's Grammy performance, an inside look at some famous people's desks, and an Anna Wintour spotting at the Knicks game. Plus, how to be cool at all times.1. Happy Valentine's Day! Pick your cupid: [NYT]

For Valentine's Day, a selection of heart-shaped images. [TheNewYorker]

The science of kissing. There's a lot more to kissing than simply puckering up. Read all about the chemistry, history, and anthropology in the magic of a good smooch! [Chron]

25 Presents for your Valentine that don't suck. [Flavorwire]

The dark origins of Valentine's Day: [NPR]

The Ken and Barbie campaign: ENOUGH ALREADY! [Howaboutwe]

Tons of love songs for Valentine's Day for only $.69. [xmusic.fm]

Valentine's Day around the world. Stunning Photos. [The Atlantic]

Hollywood's legendary on-screen couples. [VanityFair]

2. The Love List. Check out the Power Couples of the art world. [Artinfo via Hyde]

[Art-world power couples (from left to right) Josephine Meckseper and Richard Phillips; artists Carmen McLeod and Mickalene Thomas; and artist Will Cotton and Gagosian Gallery staffer Rose Dergan]

3. Check out this Marital Rating Scale. A guide from the 1930s written by Dr. George Crane on how to rate your wife! [TheAtlantic] There's also one for husbands;)

4. The Dirty Little Secrets of Search. The NY Time's David Segal goes takes an in depth look at the company that is occupying the #1 Google search result for several key words, JC Penney. How they did it, why Google does little to penalize it and why it's concerning. [NYT]

5. At Media Companies, A Nation of Serfs. David Carr takes an interesting look at how much of the value created in "media" these days is by people working for free. [NYT]

6. Lady Gaga arrived at the Grammy's in an egg. Her live performance, as my Smac'rs pointed out this morning, was completely ripped off of Madonna's "express yourself," and even peppered with a spice of "Vogue." Watch for yourself:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEcXLQYc_DI[/youtube]

Others seem to have agreed: "Iet's not forget that her latest single is just a retread of Madonna's "Express Yourself," and her primary competition is Justin Beiber." [CokeTalk]

7. Speaking of Gaga, Terry Richardson just shot photos of Lady Gaga for the magazine Supreme: [Terry's Diary]

8. President Obama will roll out a $3.7 trillion budget blueprint today that would trim or terminate more than 200 federal programs next year and make key investments in education, transportation and research in a bid to boost the nation's economy and reduce record budget deficits. [WaPo]

9. The infographic on the left compares stats of the five biggest US subway systems. [GOOD]

10. This is a bit much, Page Six. Really. File under: how to tell that the gossip column you are reading is run by single desperate young women. Check out the comments! [NYP]

11. A look at useful sites for Entrepreneurs. [WSJ]

12. Would you buy a condom called "Sedatex"? How about the subtle "Pousse L'Amour"? Check out this collection of vintage condoms, from wrappers and "envelopes" to actual tins: [BBook]

13. Do not mess with the Bess. Go read the amazing exchange the DealBreaker editor had with the COO of David Ganek's Level Global, the hedge fund that announced it was liquidating its investments. [CNBC]

14. In other NYC writer news: Joshua David Stein, the well known freelancer, is settling down at Departures in America Express Publishing. The gig comes with some obvious perks. His first assignment: Skiing in Utah. [WWD]

15. The desks of the rich and famous. The one below belongs to Yves Saint Laurent. Go check out some other famous desks here: [Flavorpill]

16. Tonight, the IBM computer Watson will take on two Jeopardy veterans: Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Go catch up on everything you need to know here: [Pat's Papers]

17. Prince William and Kate Middleton have chosen their attendants. Full list of who is going to be in their wedding party HERE: [WaPo]

18. This looks to be like just another silly exercise gimmick- stand for a few minutes on a platform that vibrates - then get off and try doing some weight lifting. You will be stronger. But, some exercise physiologists don't think it's so silly. [NYT]

19. This is exciting news! There is a Milli Vanilli movie in the works. [Today]

20. Popular VC Fred Wilson talks with Hunch founder Chris Dixon on why he wouldn't invest in Groupon or Pandora. [TechCrunch]

21. Apple is working on the first of a new line of less-expensive iPhones. The new phone would be about half the size of the iPhone 4 and cost about half of the price. [WSJ]

22. How to be cool at all times. [NedHepburn]

23. This is a great question: "How can Apple push idea of "multiple macs in the home" (MacMini! iMac! MacBook!) and not let us sync our iPhones/iPads between them? [@dens]

24. The original Valleywag editor, Owen Thomas lost 83 pounds over 315 days, using apps to track his progress. He's now telling his story to the Times, Brian Stelter style. [NYT]

25. I was lucky enough to score a ticket to the Knicks/Lakers game on Friday night. I felt really bad for missing Cynthia Rowley's show (love her!), but happy to spy Anna Wintour in the front row. If she can take a night off of fashion week, I definitely can! [NYDN]

26. Borders filed for bankruptcy this weekend, as they failed to keep pace with the digital transformation that is rocking every corner of the media landscape. [WSJ]

27. Look at this adorable photo of Alexander Wang's niece, taken at his show this weekend. So adorable! [Blackberryvision]

28. The Poetry Brothel's top spots for poets in NYC. [BlackBook]

29. Finally, I'll leave you with this photo of Bill Murray and Gilda Radner, dancing together at Studio 54's 1978 Valentine's Day Ball. [Vanity Fair]