Real Porn (Well, Boobs, Anyhow) Coming to iPhone Apps

According to Macenstein, an iPhone app maker has decided to challenge the Apple ban on porn in the App Store:

The app responsible for taking iTunes’ virginity is called “Hottest Girls” ($1.99), an app that until today was merely a bunch of Asian chicks in lingerie. However the app has gone through a massive update, and besides now boasting “You should be happy to know that the new update contains 99% non-Asian images”, it is now the first officially sanctioned iTunes app to contain topless photos.

Now, it seems likely that even before I hit publish that Apple will take down this app and perhaps even exert their power to remove the app iPhones that have already purchased the app.

The question is, should Apple do this?  If they don’t you can definitely expect to see a flood of porn-related Apps dominating the App Store.  I mean, the argument has been made that the internet itself was created originally as a better way to get porn to the masses.

Anyone wanting to see naked girls on their iPhone can always hop on Safari but if you are offline you are out of luck.  New Apps like “Hottest Girls,” while beyond silly, certainly solve that problem.

The whole issue of Apple being the moral police of what applications consenting adults put on their iPhone has always been contentious.   Apple has a great opportunity to create a reasonable age-verification process all allow users to decide just how much immoral content they can handle.

Not only would this be a big income generator but it will offer yet another reason NOT to jail-break your phone.  Something Apple would really like to see stopped.

Unfortunately, I doubt Apple will see it that way and it will be some time before the App Store opens up to all perversions.

It’s Porn Day on YouTube!

God, this is the kind of story that just makes me smile. According to ArsTechnica:

Today, May 20, has been deemed “Porn Day” by denizens of 4chan and eBaum’s World, with an organized group of users from the sites uploading video clips of explicit, adult content en masse in an attempt to overwhelm the search results. In actuality, it appears that content was prematurely uploaded on the afternoon of the 19th. YouTube has already taken some steps to fight back, but it’s disturbingly easy to find stuff you really don’t want to see, and the uploaders are changing tactics.

These sorts of mass DDoS‘esque attacks are becoming a common thing in the hyper-connected digital age.  It is now easier than ever to raise a mob (angry or otherwise) to do your bidding, especially if your bidding has a fun, subversive edge – think “No-Pants Subway Day” for instance.

I wrote about a few other versions of this DDoS-style vigilantism here.

Dating a Porn Star – Short and Sweet

The fun part of having your own blog is that you can promote your own work and that’s exactly what I am doing now.  Below is an episode of my latest foray into independent web series production.

The concept with DATING A PORN STAR is simple and, hopefully, there are enough jokes to keep it kicking for a bit.  Hope you enjoy:

Forget Skin-a-max, Hardcore Porn PPV Key to Cable’s Future

It has long been one of the cable TV’s dirty little secrets, but PPV porn is a major profit maker for companies like Comcast and DirectTV.  In the past, the option to access hardcore porn via PPV was not loudly touted, but it seems like these troubled times call for some changes:

Late last year, Rupert Murdoch’s DirecTV quietly ended its moratorium on hyping adult video-on-demand offerings on other channels. Meanwhile, the nation’s largest cable company, Comcast may soon start promoting adult content, though on a region by region basis, insiders say.(via)

Of course, many wonder how much longer cable co’s can compete against the internet, a technology, some would argue, designed largely as a cheap/free porn delivery service. Much like non-porn content, people will tend to take the easiest path toward acquisition. PPV offers a quick, simple delivery method and a high-quality picture.

It’s not clear if the ability to offer hardcore porn on demand via a cable box is going to be enough of an incentive to keep people hooked up, however, considering that online porn does not require an existing cable subscription.

Finally, it’s generally not a good sign when your business has to rely on this sort of content to stay profitable – unless your business is porn.

Playboy Fails to Get a Rise Out of YouTubers (hah, I made a punny!)

It is a dark day in the webosphere when amateur models trying out for Playboy can’t find viewers on YouTube and it appears that dark day is here.

According to SAI, Playboy’s channel on YouTube was set up to find a new model for the 55th Anniversary issue.  Sure, those submitting videos had to adhere to the YouTube rule, so no nudity but still…

“The top-viewed entrant, Destiny White of Muncie, Indiana, has a mere 98,890 views over the past month. That’s about 1 million less than this guy and his puppets generated in a week. Only 16 of the videos submitted so far have more than 10,000 views. C’mon, YouTube! Playboy is counting on you to pick their January 2009 playmate!”

What conclusions can we draw from this?  Well, considering how much real porn there is on the internet, offering not-porn posing as porn is probably not going to be a big hit.  Is this really a sign that there aren’t lots of people (ok, men) interested in helping choose the next centerfold?  I don’t think so.  Instead, I think Playboy’s partnership with YouTube was a poor choice.  YouTube just isn’t the place for this kind of promotion any more than it would be at home on CBS.

As they say in real estate, location, location, location.

Sex Sells…Books too.

I’ve been waiting for publishers to get a bit edgier with their online promotion for books.

Although this promotion (kinda NSFW) for the NYT bestseller Beautiful Children might border on simply being the porn it is modeled on I certainly see why it might get passed around the interwebs.

Of course, the big question is whether or not this sort of promotion will lead to book sales.  Considering the low cost of this type of video and the chance of going “viral” it certainly can’t hurt.