Time for our favorite essay device: compare and contrast. Article 1: The New York Times: For Women in Silicon Valley, It Seems Like Strikeout.com. Article 2: The New York Observer: They’re Single, Ambitious, Worth Millions, But Can New York Women Download Their Megabyte Egos?. Article 1 mentions a five to one ratio of men to women in the Silicon Valley dating scene. The men complain about gold-diggers who are just trolling for millionaires. One well-traveled male says “the women are quite stuck up here.” Oh how wonderful. But though men have a hard time finding a date, the women don’t seem to be coming up with much either: “the good guys that are available don’t come out of their cubicles.” In Article 2, various male Silicon Alley execs reveal their dating issues. “I have two people I dated in the last three years who dated me specifically to leverage their careers.” They also echo the gold digger sentiment, with one guy stating that if a woman starts talking about charities like she wants to be the next Melinda Gates, she’s only interested in dollar signs. Meanwhile, the women complain about the web workaholics: “Thirty minutes after the millennium, my boyfriend was back on the computer.” and “if you’re looking for someone who’ll be home by 7 to cook dinner with you after work–someone to share a sane, stable life–Internet people, men and women alike, are probably not for you.” To me, none of this sounds new. It’s the same old themes, played out with the money and atmosphere of the new Internet economy. Men and women have been miscommunicating about dating and relationships for eons. And using each other to get ahead. And working too late. On both coasts and everywhere in between. (Observer link via Robot Wisdom. For another take on the NY Times article, read Salon’s criticism of the New York media for jumping on the Silly Valley gold digger idea.)