February 7, 2003
Cell phone cruising
Porn meets art
Penis Reflections
Hard candy
The
Virtual Sex Machine:
back to the drawing board
Mike
Phillips reports on his encounter with the Virtual
Sex Machine. For the VSM cybersex experience one requires a
computer running Windows, the Sex Machine CD-ROM and the impressively
dubbed Virtual Sex Machine Penis Stimulator Chamber.
A built-in vibrator and vacuum pump mimic the movements of the performer you choose on the CD-ROM. The product so far only offers female performers, but a gay version of the Virtual Sex Machine is in development which will include gay content along with the Penis Chamber and a butt plug. Phillips' review is less than stellar, but extremely funny. [Salon]
A recent AVN Online article documents the various, mostly failed, attempts to create a realistic cybersex experience. It concludes that the industry still has a long way to go before it can truly replicate sexual intercourse. The high costs of building even semi-realistic products means that satisfying virtual sex will continue to be the stuff of science fiction for many years to come. [AVN Online]
Cell
phone cruising
As if it
isn't easy enough to arrange for a sexual encounter through the Web,
next-generation cruising is just around the corner, or should we say
in your pocket?
Wireless carriers are required by the Federal Communications Commission to install location-tracking technology for emergency purposes by 2005. The carriers are looking at ways to make money from the technology which has led to the idea of cell-phone dating.
People would subscribe to such a service online or by text message over their cell phones. They would fill out applications with their interests and could also post pictures, because cell phones increasingly include a camera or image-viewing option.
When out and about, users could access the service asking for compatible singles in the area. After notifying the other members nearby, the system would provide the user with a list of people in close proximity and their location.
While the official use of such a service would be for dating and meeting with friends, there's no doubt many subscribers will find it a useful tool for quickies on the go. [wired]
Porn
meets art
Once upon
a time sex was relegated to our private lives, but as our society becomes
increasingly open about sexuality, more opportunities for collaborations
between pornography and art arise.
One example is the PornOrchestra project which is devoted to "composing and improvising new soundtracks for existing porn films." The new music will be performed as live accompaniment during screenings in the San Francisco Bay area, starting in March.
Theoretically,
the PornOrchestra is attempting to reinterpret pornographic soundtracks,
first by simply being present; secondly by creating sounds that recontextualize
the visual events; thirdly by inviting people from diverse backgrounds
to reflect openly on the closeted, cultural form that is porn.
[artsflow]
[link from
Daze Reader]
Another instance of porn-inspired art is the photography of Larry Sultan, who documents the poignancy that is present before and after the action on porn sets. His exhibition is titled "The Valley," after the San Fernando porn epicenter.
Most of the time the locations are private homes, which Sultan's pictures imbue with a sense of theatrical magic. Oftentimes he uses the cinematic set lighting, resulting in oddly beautiful stills poised between high artifice and real life.
Sultan's work will be on exhibit through February at Stephen Wirtz Gallery in San Francisco, and will be the subject of a major exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2004. [Salon]
Headlines
"European
Men Get New Pill to Rival Viagra" [Yahoo
News]
"AIDS panel head quits: anti-gay flap cited" [gay.com]
"GayVN Awards cancelled" - The Adams' Report [Naked Sword]
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