Is Porn Addictive?

Um fusca chamado desejo, originally uploaded by neem.

I think that the short answer is yes. But, and this is a HUGE but, everything can be addictive to the right personality at the right time (or wrong personality at the wrong time). People get addicted to all kinds of things all the time.

This isn't to say that porn doesn't become a problem for some people - sure it does. But for someone who has an addictive personality, or is compulsively rolling dice, Yahtzee could become a problem. Yahtzee, however, is rarely questioned on a moral level, so they don't do studies all about whether or not Yahtzee is addictive and what should be done about it. Porn is often questioned on a moral level, so we can expect lots of chats and studies about its addictiveness (or lackthereof) in the future — just like the one mentioned in this article from WebMD.

If someone can determine that porn is indeed addictive, and that after prolonged exposure it does eat through your brain much like cocaine does (some are indeed claiming this), then certain groups have the grounds to ban it.

What about people who are addicted to finding ways to try and ban pornography?

Wank Prank?

Well, I think this is a prank. (*Careful: 18+ and not safe for work in any shape or form*)

The story is that some poor sap tried to sell his ex-girlfriend's dress on eBay because she didn't want it after they broke up (he also calls her a skank - not nice!).

The ex-girlfriend then somehow figured out to change the image of the dress into a message pointing all visitors to a site where she had posted a nude picture of the poor sap as a way to get revenge. The story on her site is that she got her friend to pose as an online-chatroom vixen from Brazil to get the pictures of him masturbating. Apparently they played "I'll show you mine, you show me yours." So, the friend would have "showed hers" to the ex-boyfriend so that the ex-girlfriend could get revenge? Hmmmm.

I think it smells of a big fat web of lies - I don't think there's an ex-girlfriend, and I doubt there was even a dress. I think some guy likes to have people look at pictures of himself jacking off, or that some online porn company is trying to get some traffic (the ads on the "ex-girlfriend"'s site are a bit of a giveaway).

Maybe I'm cynical; maybe good old-fashioned revenge really exists out there.

Have a look and let me know your thoughts.

(Link came via fark.com.)

Whoa Babies!

36 weeks bump, originally uploaded by IanL.

Having a baby can be a very nice thing, especially if you want one and you're not still in highschool...

A highschool in Ohio is reporting that 65 of its 490 female students are expecting. That's about 13%, and it's also insane.

This Canton Repository op-ed outlines some of the details and states ambiguously that "the irresponsible should get blame". Never goes so far to outline who the irresponsible are.

One sentence in the story got my back up a bit: "Teen moms will, in time, almost surely fill this lethargic parenting description, their pregnancies evidence of faulty priorities."

Faulty priorities? Interesting. I'd have thought that maybe their pregnancies could have been evidence of the faulty priorities of someone else all together.

Well, everything aside, I hope all of the babies are happy and healthy and grow up with a lot of opportunities and a lot of comprehensive sex education.

How Virginity and Chihuahuas are Similar

Virginity and chihuahuas are kind of similar, but maybe only in Hollywood. One day they're in, the next day they're out; then they're kind of in and out at the same time... And then Jessica's like "I had mine till I was married", then Paris is all like "I traded mine in for a smaller one" and then Britney's like "I had one and now I have the other!" Hoorah!

So, now we have this movie staring the most hilarious Steve Carrell all about being a 40-year-old virgin. (And recently there have been rumours floating around that Gary Coleman may be just that, but not in the context of a fictional movie...). Supposedly the movie is very funny (though, this reviewer likens it to the American Pie movies, which just got so bad after the first one that I couldn't watch the rest of them) and I'm looking forward to seeing it. But I'm always wary of constantly pairing the concept of virginity with naivete. Some virgins are certainly naive, but some aren't, and they have their reasons for staying virgins (which, I might add, doesn't always mean chaste).

But, what sounds really nice about this movie, is that they don't ostracize him or mock him because he's a virgin (which could easily be the case in a movie like this), rather, they try to help him lose it. Which is nice. Because, virginity is fine for some people, but let's face it, having sex is pretty great too.

It's enough to make you feel all warm and fuzzy - just like a chihuahua.

Read a review here, from Star Tribune.

Sex Myths

There sure are tonnes of myths out there about sex and pregnancy and contraception and disease and orgasms and all of that stuff.

Here's a fun sex-myth primer that I found in the New York Daily News.

Myths tackled include:
• Can you break your penis? (Brace yourself guys...)
• Does male circumcision lessen the fun?
• Do kegel excercises work?
• Can women really ejaculate? (And if so, what exactly is it they're ejaculating?)

Ah, the wide world of sex-related trivia. Maybe Trivial Pursuit need another edition...
Hmmm....

Size Matters

I've said in the past that the size doesn't really matter all that much. Some disagree, but I'm sticking to it. In this case, however, size DOES matter.

South African men will now have a new extra-large condom to select from when purchasing protection. Apparently, a number of them complain that available condoms are too small, and thus deter their use. Condom-makers hope that this new size will appeal to the egos of sexually active men in the population, and encourage them to buy — and more importantly use — condoms regularly.

Currently, it's reported that people in South Africa fear being labelled as promiscuous should they be caught with condoms. In a country where the HIV-infection rate is soaring, I'm not sure if worrying about name-calling should be the priority.

Just saying.

Read the story here, from BBC News.

Well, it IS Humpday

Violet Blue has done another titillating sex-blog roundup on Fleshbot.

I'd be lying if I said that this post isn't a complete cop-out because I'm still very busy, but I think you'll enjoy it anyway.

Check out the link and get lost in the lucious details of other people's sex lives for a while. (And, keep in mind - it's often explicit stuff and thus it's 18+.)

Take me to the sex-blog roundup on Fleshbot.com!

Apple's Saucy Podcasts

IMG_0988 name, originally uploaded by btnfelipe.

For any of you who don't know what podcasts are, they're mp3 files available through websites (and iTunes) that are, in essence, little portable radio shows. Thing is, a lot of them are done by amateurs. AND, there are no obscenity regulations.

So, you can see where this is going: Apple is starting to have to answer those that are asking about the more explicit "porncasts" that are showing up on iTunes. They don't seem to want to comment quite yet, and as the technology is still so young, I imagine they're trying to sort it all out.

It's yet another area where the censorship beast could rear its ugly head. But when a large (and well-liked) corporation is involved, you can bet there will be some careful treading. Maybe they'll happily surprise us all and allow people like Violet Blue to continue with their sexual podcasts and just ensure that those who aren't interested are well notified of what they're getting into.

Read the story here, at The Wall Street Journal.

Kinsey Does Japan, Brings Genitals

Kinsey Film Poster, originally uploaded by haileydai.

(Hi everyone! Life is still a bit crazy, but I knew I had to get back in the saddle. Sorry for the delay. - HD)

The big news from Japan is that for the first time EVER, genitals are going to be shown on the silver screen - thanks to the film Kinsey.

Usually any shots of pubic hair and genitals are covered by that infuriating mosiac business, but this time it'll be the full monty. Why the change of heart?

"There's nothing dirty about the scene where the genitalia are displayed. In fact, I thought it showed how serious an academic Kinsey was. This movie does not just show Kinsey's life, it also has the added value of sparking discussion about modern sexuality. There aren't too many academics like Kinsey nowadays. And, no matter how open we've become about sexuality, there are still many areas that remain taboo," Japan's foremost sexologist Kim Myung Gan tells Shukan Post. "There's a chance that showing this movie without a mosaic may deepen discussion about sex education. Hopefully, this movie could establish a precedent for how sexuality is depicted."

I hope that's truly the case. The more you know...

Read the story from Mainichi Daily News here.

I'm Sorry!

My hiatus has been extended by another week!

I don't mean to be so negligent, but some additional work and family stuff has come up and things have been a lot crazier than normal.

I hope to be back next week.

Thanks for your patience.
xo HD