April 2005 - Page 3 of 4

Book Review: Sperm Wars by Robin Baker

Before picking up Sperm Wars, I had eyed it as a source of answers for some of the most difficult questions I had about myself and the romantic relationships I’ve been involved in. To its credit it has, in most regards, met and even surpassed this objective. It provides an unbiased scientific look at the biological programming evolution has laid upon us; how it functions, how it malfunctions, and the biological safeguards it sets inside our physical bodies and subconscious mind.

The book is divided into broad sections covering a number of general topics, and within these are individual chapters split into two parts. The first section tells a fictional story about a sexual situation, how the parties react to the situation and to eachother, and what the outcome is. The second section explains each step of the process and why the characters made the unconscious decisions they did which resulted in the conclusion. As the book demonstrates, when reproductive success is the game, there are invariably winners and losers. Our ancestors were the winners, and their lesser contemporaries were the losers.

That said, the attempted demystification of mating and the creation of families is a controversial topic, and I don’t think that this is information that everyone wants or needs to know. A girl I’m dating read selected portions of the book for 30 minutes and became depressed after being exposed to such a cold and logical explanation of a force which in her mind has always been an intangible and not-quantifiable force of God.

Overall, this book provided the information I was looking for. The science behind attraction, dating ritual, and behavior. It wasn’t a difficult read either, with relatable scenarios to explain the concepts behind our evolutionary programming. No portions of the book felt glossed over or rushed through, which might not be a surprise when you learn that this book is just over 400 pages in length. Upon finishing Sperm Wars, you probably know more about the science behind attraction and evolutionary biology than anyone else in the room.

Some other reviews on Amazon questioned the manufacturing quality of the book, and I can’t disagree with them. Certain pages weren’t printed with full contrast and were difficult to read, others printed slightly off center in relation to the page. The book isn’t binded very well, but mine didn’t fall apart. Obviously not an issue if you’re reading the Kindle version of this book. The content of the text is the main focus of my interest and of this review.

Amazon link: Sperm Wars

Learn more: Sexology on Wikipedia

Rating:

Working at Kid Castle

I’m at Kid Castle now, hanging out in the office area. I started working here yesterday, and waking up early today was a bitch. I’m reminded that aside from DJ’ing, this is the first time I’ve worked in six months. Unbelievable; it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but when I look back, it’s been an incredible half year of adventure and growth. I work until 6 today and then I’ll meet up with Qingwei, then probably go to sleep early because I’ve been missing sleep the last two days. Last night I met up with Edwin at 2Pac, had a few drinks, and hung out there for an hour or so. Glad he’s back from Hong Kong, super cool guy. I don’t really like hanging out in clubs unless there’s a really good DJ or I’m playing, but he’s of a like mind and prefers to chat about whatever rather than sit around in a loud club not being able to talk to anyone. This politics of this are different in China as the DJ’s, as they relate to their American counterparts, are vastly inferior. Before going to 2Pac I stopped by Babi, the place was insanely packed. Both rooms, both floors. It was a Friday night, but it’s incredible how that place can be absolutely rammed every night of the week, no matter what.

I forgot to write about the Madam Zung’s gig last Wednesday night, just before I left Shanghai. It was incredible, and was a good reminder about what DJ’ing is all about. The best in China, along with Lanzhou. Good crowd, good tunes, drum & bass, and some supreme CDJ1000 CD players which I’m now totally comfortable with. The learning curve on those, for someone who’s a turntable DJ, is unbelievably small. I was invited to come back to open for Intalex on the 29th, but they said they’d only pay for train fare there, and not plane, so I’ll have to think about it.