Sparring, Snooping, And The Modern Relationship
by Thomas S. Roche
Published August 11, 1999 in Scope

Today's relationships are hazardous things, requiring the sort of resources previously reserved for SWAT teams and the Navy Seals.

See also...
... by Thomas S. Roche
... in the Scope section
... from August 11, 1999

To get into shape for those intense relationship discussions, why not try the SlamMan Cyborg Sparring Partner? It's a life-sized mannequin that uses target LEDs to run you through 15 professional boxing routines, lighting up each time you land a punch. It takes four AA batteries. $399.99.

Do you know who you're sleeping with? "Oh no you don't," says National Search & Discovery. But for less than a hundred bucks, you can find out! National Search & Discovery will run no fewer than six separate background checks on your lover, spouse, or fiancé -- including a credit history, a verification of education and employment claims, a DMV report, a social security number search, and a four-level search for a criminal record. The cost of all this shamusing? $99. Think your relationship is built on trust? Hah!

Thomas S. Roche is a GettingIt staff writer.