The power of porn
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2007 11:17 AM by Will Femia
You may be aware that there are two competing high definition formats that have the DVD industry in a bit of a log jam. In short the two formats are HD DVD and Blu-ray. They're not at all interchangeable and they require different players and if you buy into one and the other ends up being the industry standard you could be out a few thousand dollars.
While one of the stars of the big Consumer Electronics Show last week was a dual format player and dual format discs, most of what I've read says a compromise is not likely. Some Web reports are speculating that the deciding factor may have taken place this week as we've learned that Sony (Blu-ray) won't put adult content on their discs. Since porn is credited by some for shifting the critical mass to VHS***, this could be a bad (business) move by Sony. On the other hand, CNBC interviewed the guy from Vivid and he hasn't given up on Blu-ray. It sounds like that's what they really want to go with even if Sony doesn't want to. Anyway, it's always interesting when the mainstream has to acknowledge porn as a market force. NOTE: The links in this paragraph are safe for the first click only. Clicking deeper, especially on the names of these porn companies like Digital Playground will put you in NSFW territory. Oddly, the least safe link in the bunch above is the CNBC video, which is spiced up with some random non-nude pornish clips while they do the interview.
*** Since "credited by some" is pretty weak sourcing I looked for any more concrete stats or research on this. There's no question it's part of the conventional wisdom, so much so that analysts have been waiting for the adult industry to weigh in. After spending a few minutes reading about the history of the relationship between porn and technology I finally clicked this recent blog entry on the same subject. I like the first comment on that entry that points out that it's not just a matter of how much porn is consumed but that a porn consumer wouldn't want a separate format for their other media. The selling point is more along the lines of "...and you can play your porn on it."
Speaking of the power of porn, I suppose it's not a shocker that a news outlet took liberties to make a story more scary and threatening, but I don't think that means there's no story there. Among the many other angles this story could take and keep its porn hook, the original story of porn sites producing a Wii friendly format is interesting in itself. To my mind the real lead is either that the Web isn't just for computers anymore or that video games aren't just for kids anymore.
Speaking of the pervasiveness of video games, World of Warcraft surpasses 8 million subscribers worldwide. Interesting breakdown:
- North America now exceeds 2 million
- Europe passes the 1.5 million player mark
- China passes the 3.5 million player mark
The blogosphere had a strong reaction to the U.S. military attacking Iranian government offices in northern Iraq, but then, so did everyone else who is paying attention so I don't want to be redundant in this space. Two clicks that resonated for me:
- Not that we'd ever want history to get in the way of important decisions of international diplomacy but it's probably a good idea to start learning about the Iran/Iraq war.
- "It is worth underscoring what the administration's views are as to its authority to attack Iran."
"Don't let faux Klingons send real Americans to war. It's wrong." I wonder if anyone keeps track of the nerdiest speeches in Congress.
Photos of Iran that you don't often see (in the U.S.). These remind me of a collection from a British photoblogger of Iranian descent. Also here. There really is a lot of beauty there.
With all the coverage of skinny models last week (and if you can view the photo on that story without cringing you're a stronger soul than I) I didn't see much mention of the public inconvenience caused by women pursuing this ridiculous ideal. Still, this feels wrong.
Maybe in a different country (New Zealand) sheep are scarier or at least less silly than they are in the U.S.
Speaking of ridiculous movies, Blades of Glory. I'm surprised this one hasn't already been made, it seems like such an easy target. I looked for an official site and didn't find one, so I'm not sure where this trailer came from. The real question is whether you've already seen all the funny parts once you've watched the trailer.
Treehugger readers offer recommendations of natural Earth-safe shampoos. Reading the initial query, I'm wondering if the guy wouldn't be better off just rubbing his bar of soap over his head. The part about proteins and bacteria was news to me.
Speaking of learning new things, Must-know terms for the 21st Century intellectual: Redux - It's "a list of the most fundamental and crucial terms that are coming to define and will soon re-define the human condition, and that subsequently should be known by anyone who thinks of themselves as an intellectual." These aren't marketing buzzwords, they're mostly philosophical labels and tech trends.
Robert Anton Wilson died last week. I only really knew his name as one of the authors of The Illuminatus! Trilogy but a lot of folks online took a moment to praise and remember him. I wonder what he would have thought of The Number 23. (trailer) Also, this is the first death-bed blog I've ever seen. Deeper coverage at 10 Zen Monkeys.
David Carr (New York Times media critic) talks about the look and feel of his video blogging. In short, production values are secondary. I don't think he's saying anything terribly new, but what's significant is that he's saying it from the New York Times.
This photo of an ant and a microchip is strangely familiar after seen the crack addicted spider with a gun the other day.
Ziploc Omelets may be Toxic - I never heard of this trick but it sounds like it could be done with something that is more heat safe. My favorite egg cooking trick is to make scrambled eggs in the microwave. You have to stir them pretty often because they cook more slowly in the middle, but they make a kind of egg foam that's lighter than when you use a pan. (Well, what do you think this is, the Reluctant Gourmet?)
A New Sith, or Revenge of the Hope - Reconsidering Star Wars IV in the light of I-III - When was the last time you read a thoughtful consideration of the Star Wars movies?
"This is Charlie, shooting a rocker launcher in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He paid 200 USD for it." Pretty straightforward. NOTE: Contains a couple out-loud curses. NON-NOTE: The link calls up a really dramatic content warning page, but other than the couple curses there's nothing graphic or mature going on here.
"Playing games can be deadly, particularly when you take a wiimote in the chest."
Leaked publicity pics for Pirates of the Carribean 3 - Is that May 25, 2007? (Yes.) Sheesh they really churn these things out.
Negotiations have begun in the purchase of the micronation of Sealand by file trading service PirateBay.com. Negotiations have begun in the tenancy of the legally disputed micronation of Sealand by the mega Bittorrent Tracker site Pirate Bay which seeks to make the deal in order to circumnavigate international copyright laws.
The Banksy online shop is offering prints for free.
How to market your blog in 2007 - Advice on promoting your blog doesn't really change much over time but it's good to share a link like this periodically as the blogging population is constantly turning over.
RFID billboards that respond to you as you drive by. Funny description here too. How does this work and yet I only have an 85% success rate on the EZ Pass lane into the Holland Tunnel going 2 mph?
Even though I know this is a trick of perspective and what appears square is not, I can't make my eyes see it.
What questions are Chinese people trying to answer with Google? Lists of their most popular questions.
Why your computer still knows your surfing sins even if you clear the cache and browser history.
