And, in a way, it did—though probably not in the manner most would expect. Momentarily departing from topics like the war, the economy, and the environment, the Times took on the most challenging topic of them all: "What Do Women Want?"

Setting aside the admittedly cheesy title, we have to admit we were surprisingly impressed with the article. For one thing, seeing the paper of record give so much attention to the science of naughty bits was a bit of a shock—a pleasant shock, but a shock nonetheless. Additionally, we were pleased to see said paper recognize nice that the science of sex is, yes, science.

But even more than that, we were excited by the fact that—after repeatedly hearing about some scientific study proving that women are turned on by everything—someone was finally willing to explain Meredith Chivers' work to us; in greater depth than just "Women: they want it all the time."

And for that alone, we'd like to commend the Times. Well, for that and for introducing us to some really fascinating sexology studies that we're eager to learn more about.

· What Do Women Want? (nytimes.com)
· Thumbnail star Ava Rose really wants a garden hose (penthouse.com)

People have been trying to answer these questions ever since Google Trends allowed them to examine global search statistics to determine both how often certain terms are being searched for but where they're being searched from. For example, did you know that searches for "anal sex" are more popular in Herndon, Virginia than any other city in the U.S.? (We had our suspicions.) The folks at Debonair Magazine decided to use Google Trends to see exactly who likes what and where they like it. But we think that if you really want to examine community standards, it's not enough to just know that people search about fucking—you need to compare naughty search terms (like "porn", pussy", and "dirt pipe milkshake") with innocent and wholesome one. (like "puppies", "rainbows", and "root beer floats"). We know people are horny, but are they hornier than your average board game playing, candy-loving, LOLcat fan? (Or are they the same people?)

So would people in your town rather think about naked bodies or adorable puppies? Big purple dildos or (Orlando) Magic tricks? We recently conducted this highly unscientific experiment ourselves and the results may surprise you! Or not! But that's science for you.

· Google Trends (google.com)
· "Searching For Sex - Global Sex Trends Examined" (debonairmag.com)

* * * * *

Previously: Google (Sex) Trends, World Porn Search Statistics

· Chickipedia (chickipedia.com, via buzzfeed.com)

. . .

· Sex Research (slatev.com, via dailybedpost.com)
· Buy: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (amazon.com)

Windows PC users rack up way more page views per visit, which means they take their time to peruse as many options as possible when browsing for vibrators, dildos and the like. However, when it comes time to plunk down the credit card and actually purchase that new bedroom plaything, it's the Mac users who spend more money on average to secure the perfect object to to stick inside themselves. (We just hope it's compatible!)

So what does it all mean? Are Windows users practical, thrifty consumers or indecisive cheapskates? Are Macheads richer and hornier than your average shopper or do they simply get off on paying extra money to own any new gadget with a shiny surface? And Linux users? You don't even want to know what those freaks are into ...

· Mac v Windows: Who Spends The Most on Sex Toys? (lovehoney.co.uk)
· Thumbnail of the one thing we can all agree on, Gianna Michaels (via danni.com, via kellyfind.com)