sextoys

These are my links for October 25th through October 26th:

  • Scary Sex Toys – Sex Toys That Are More Scary Than Sexy | Cory Silverberg – the sex toys below are ghoulish not just in their looks, but in misguided conception, poor design, and sometimes obvious danger.
  • Social Networking – Legal and Ethical Issues for Lawyers and Investigators | Private Investigator Public Records Internet Search Privacy Reporting – PI Buzz – Much of the discussion concerned access to profile content, – the difference between civil and criminal (where there’s the familiar prosecution/defense imbalance) cases – whether certain information should be private even if it can be viewed by unintended parties.
  • Kids and Sexy Costumes: The Problem With Halloween | BlogHer – Without a doubt, Halloween is a survivor; one that sticks around by absorbing the qualities of the culture in prominence where the holiday is celebrated. The truth of the matter is that Halloween is not a holiday for kids. The shift to kids is a very recent thing in its epic history, and I think the emergence of more and more sexualized costumes is both a reflection of our culture’s attitudes toward sex and an attempt to take the holiday back.
  • Dr. Dick on Demand: Sex and the Aging Male – I’m receiving a startling number of correspondences lately from older men and their partners, highlighting the sexual difficulties of the aging process. It’s not surprising that these people are noticing the changes in their sexual response cycle as they age, but it is astonishing that they haven’t attributed the changes to andropause.
  • Editorial – Oklahoma vs. Women – NYTimes.com – What persuaded the judge was not the affront to women’s rights, but a technical defect: the law addressed disparate issues in one bill in violation of the state’s Constitution. Still, the victory for reproductive freedom is heartening.
  • How to Talk to Kids About Pornography – Tips for Parents on Talking to their Kids About Pornography | Cory Silverberg – If I could only give you one reason why you should at least think about talking to your kids about pornography it’s that, if statistics are to be believed, they are likely to encounter some of it before they reach an age where they’ll be able to critically understand what they are seeing.
  • Google Docs Batch Export – Now you can export all your documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDFs from Google Docs in a ZIP archive.
  • Time to boycott Scholastic Books? Lauren Myracle’s ‘Luv Ya Bunches’ banned from school book fairs – Last week theSchool Library Journal and other sources reported that Scholastic Books is banning Luv Ya Bunches (a young adult novel by Lauren Myracle) from its book fairs because one of the main characters has gay parents and thus fails to “meet the norms of the various communities that host the fairs.”
  • Rainbow Response Coalition – Welcome to the home page of Rainbow Response, a grassroots coalition that brings together organizations and leaders from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) communities, along with traditional domestic violence service providers and government agencies. We collaborate to increase the awareness about Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) amid the relationships of LGBTQ individuals, educating within the LGBTQ communities and beyond.

These are my links for October 21st through October 22nd:

  • Mollena Williams Named Ms. SF Leather 2009 | San Francisco Bay Times – Originally from New York, Mo has been active in the BDSM community since 1996. She is a founding member of the Crowded Fire Theater Company and speaks at leather events across the U.S. on many kinkcentric topics. Over the next year, Mo will be at every major leather event in the Bay Area and will produce several fundraising events to benefit Bay Area non-profits organizations. Mo plans to travel extensively and, in March 2010, will be competing for the title of International Ms. Leather here in San Francisco.
  • NYS Updates Rape Kit, For the First Time in 20 Years | WNYC – For the first time in 20 years, New York is overhauling the way it collects forensic evidence from sexual assault victims. They found the rape kit needed to be updated to include more areas of the body for possible DNA collection. Evidence will also be gathered in a different sequence, from head to toe so it's not destroyed.
  • Two Yale Law Grads Settle Suit Against Once-Anonymous Online Critics | ABA Journal – Law News Now – Two graduates of Yale Law School have settled their defamation lawsuit against several online critics who wrote nasty comments about them on the law school discussion board AutoAdmit.
  • Rape Is a Pre-Existing Condition? The Heartlessness of the Health Insurance Industry Exposed | Health and Wellness | AlterNet – Some women have contacted the Investigative Fund to say they were deemed ineligible for health insurance because they had a pre-existing condition as a result of a rape, such as post traumatic stress disorder or a sexually transmitted disease. Other patients and therapists wrote in with allegations that insurers are routinely denying long-term mental health care to women who have been sexually assaulted.
  • The Daisy Dick Strap-on/Strap-off rope harness | Feel the Love – I spent the entire weekend on into tonight mucking with it and ended up making a decorative dick harness that can be taken off, reused, and even washed (theoretically). It can be sized to custom fit any body. The centerpiece knot is a modified doubled up version of the Good Luck Knot, which can be seen here.
  • The Gender Illusion | jaysays.com | – Caster outwardly threatens the gender illusion with her deep voice, masculine build and female identity. Because of her amazing athleticism she is now scrutinized and labeled in an attempt to disenfranchise her from her own identity. The boundaries of her gender and the legitimacy of her very existence are being judged by people who have no way of accomplishing such a task.
  • Judge shoots down challenge to Craigslist erotic services • The Register – The ruling by US District Judge John F. Grady is good news not only for Craigslist but for any US-based website that accepts comments, photos, or other types of user-submitted content. The 22-page decision made it clear that a provision in the CDA, or Communications Decency Act, fully immunizes the site for user-supplied ads even when they "provide" contact details for prostitutes and brothels.
  • KinkForAll (aka. KinkCamp) / KinkForAllSanFrancisco – KinkForAll San Francisco will be the first sexuality unconference of its kind in the Bay Area! Imagine what would be possible if you combined TED Talks with BarCamp. Welcome to KinkForAll! Now, get ready to change the world. Don't worry, it's actually not very difficult, and it's a lot of fun. icon smile Bookmarks for October 21st through October 22nd
  • WordPress › WordPress Exploit Scanner « WordPress Plugins – This plugin searches the files on your website, and the posts and comments tables of your database for anything suspicious. It also examines your list of active plugins for unusual filenames.
  • WordPress 2.8.5: Hardening Release – We have also been working on trying to make WordPress as secure as possible and during this process we have identified a number of security hardening changes that we thought were worth back-porting to the 2.8 branch so as to get these improvements out there and make all your sites as secure as possible.

model with inside xlatb 182x300 XL Adult Toybox from FYN

Some of my toys are lucky enough to have their own cases, but the large majority came in plastic or cardboard packaging that have long gone to recycle.  For a long time, I stored my sex toys all over the house: some hidden in drawers, others in shoe boxes, in the medicine cabinet and under the couch; none of the places ideal for safe storage.  Now I have my collection of favorite toys all packed in one place so I can easily find them: my new XL Adult Toybox from For Your Nymphomation™.

The XL Adult Toybox is made of faux black leather and measures 18″ x 13″ x 4″, slightly larger than a lap-top bag.  It is a hard storage case that is very firm and durable.  It features a zipper closure and lock and key to keep you toys safely hidden away.  Despite its sleek appearance, the XL Adult Toybox has ample storage.  Inside the moisture-resistant interior are six clear zippered pouches in various sizes that can be rearranged on the Velcro strips.  It also features Velcro loops for paddles or crops and an elasticized nylon pouch on the bottom for other odds and ends.  If you need more pockets, you can buy them from FYN.

xltoybox 240x300 XL Adult Toybox from FYN

Here is my toy box stuffed with toys.  In there I can fit five dildos, five vibes including their cases, a large nipple pump, wrist restraints, a vibrating cock ring, and in the plastic pouches my batteries, condoms, two small lubes, two medium lubes, my toy cleaner and my smart balls attached by one of the Velcro strips.  I like the fact that the toy box will fit my toys with their cases to keep them orderly and separate from each other.  I also ordered the Foot Long Case from FYN to put some of my good quality toys in that didn’t have cases and it fits neatly inside the XL Adult Toybox.  Ideally, it would be great to have a variety of their smaller cases for single toy storage, and then pack them away in a larger toy box like the XL Adult Toybox, Adult Toybox or the Adult Toy Chest. FYN has several unique storage cases including a Hitachi Magic Wand Case that is next on my list!

I now store my sex toys out in plain view in my home office in this toy box and it looks like just another office case.  It could just as easily be stored under the bed or in a drawer if you wanted.  The toy box is also great for carrying your sex toys around for play parties as well, although to fit my bdsm gear I would need the Rolling Toy Trunk, as the XL Adult Toybox would only fit floggers and medium size items.  For me it is perfect for storage and now I can throw away those old shoe boxes and keep my favorite toys snug, happy and dry.

Check out For Your Nymphomationâ„¢ for all your adult toy storage needs.

 XL Adult Toybox from FYN

Links for 11-3-04

by Viviane on 11/03/2008

in del.icio.us, sex

Fresh Air has an interview with Cynthia Gorney about how abortion is playing out in this election cycle.

There is now Mad Men fan fiction. [via Fimoculous]

The color red turns men on.

It’s now legal to buy sex toys in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

A new study shows overweight women have more sex. Why yes, they do.

Ten things I absolutely hate about heteronormative dating.

Weekly Feminist Reader

The latest issue of the Midwest Teen Sex Show video podcast is up (it’s about HPV) and it’s spookily hilarious.

Betty Dodson has a post in which she recalls teaching a masturbation for men workshop in 1983.

Rachel Kramer Bussel has a site about Sarah Palin erotica. You betcha!

Greta Christina on writing porn in public.

There are so many blogs carrying sex toy reviews, which is why it’s great that Pleasurists has been set up. It’ll be a weekly adult product review roundup site, similar to the Sugasm.

WordPress 2.7 Beta 1 is now available for download. Read about how the navigation been substantially reorganized.

Mashable has a post about Sixteen Great Twitter Moments

cyberglass felicity Review: Cyberglass Felicity

Pretty cool looking, eh?

I have to say, I’m a big fan of glass toys. I like the rigidness of them, the colors, the weight of them in my hand (and well, vagina), the way it feels when my muscles contract around all the different finishes and textures- the ridges, the bumps, the swirls. And the Cyberglass Felicity has all that and then some.

It’s gently curved tip is great for g-spot stimulation – just a little back and forth or twisting motion and you’re set. The swirls along the shaft make for some awesome sensations along the walls of your vagina and that little, round, “knobbly” bit toward the bottom of that picture up there? Great for the your labia. Or, you know, your insides if you turn it around and try it the other way – really, there just isn’t a wrong way to use this toy.

If you’re interested in trying out a glass toy, but don’t have a lot of money to spend on your experimenting, the Cyberglass Felicity is a great and relatively cheap place to start.

slimline g twin Review: Slimline G Twin

As soon as I saw it, I thought the Slimline G Twinand I would were meant to be. Upon first glancet reminded me of my beloved Orchid G except, wait! What’s that? The added bonus of clitoral stimulation?

Well, gee – I was smitten.

In theory, this toy is perfect. However, i found the insetable portion to be a little too long when taking into consideration the placement of the extra clit-stimulating “egg”. When I inserted the shaft as far as I could comfortably enjoy it, the outside egg didn’t quite reach my clit. I don’t consider myself to have THAT shallow of a vagina, so I was a little perplexed.

When I rocked the toy back and forth a bit, I was able to get some mild stimulation on my clit, but doing so took the direct vibrations away from my g-spot. The vibrations in the egg aren’t as stong as I had hoped, either.

If you’ve got a deeper vagina, this toy would be great for you. It is solid in your hands (and vagina), silky smooth and easy to clean. I also happen to think it’s awesome-looking and still love the basic concept of it. Plus, if it works for your anatomy, it’s a steal for the price!

hitachi Review: Hitachi Magic Wand & G Spotter Attachmentg spotter attachment Review: Hitachi Magic Wand & G Spotter Attachment

Oh, the Hitachi Magic Wand. The toy every girl should have in her arsenal. The toy I couldn’t wait to get my hands on and take for a ride.

I thought I’d love this toy. I wanted to love this toy. I tried to love this toy but in the end, it just isn’t for me. See…my clit? It’s just really, really sensitive. Even on the lower of it’s two settings, I could not take direct pressure from the Hitachi. When I complained, friends offered suggestions:

“Try it over your clothes.”

“How about with a blanket between you and it?”

“Just put it on your labia and let it barely graze your clit.”

So, I stuck with it and I had one very intense and very fast orgasm. So fast, that I’m not sure I even enjoyed it as I think I spent most of it with my teeth clenched and my free hand knotted into a tense fist.

With the G-Spotter Hitachi Attachment, I was able to endure both the low and high vibrations for a bit longer, but it didn’t give me an orgasm because my girl bits started to go numb before I even got close and I just couldn’t take it any longer. However, if you like seriously strong vibrations, don’t mind a LOT of noise and really want to check out what all the fuss is about, the Hitachi might be for you.

Personally, though? I think the Miracle Massager would make a much better fit for my own anatomy. And hey – the Hitachi really does make one hell of a massager for those other tired, not so sensitive muscles.

Sex toy reviewer Audacia Ray tries to get rid of a sex machine she acquired on the job.

Download the 25 minute director’s cut at www.daciaslovemachine.com

Just a great all around dong.

BATON ROUGE – The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has denied petitions by Travis County (Tex.) D.A. Ronnie Earle and intervenor-defendant State of Texas to rehear the Reliable Consultants case, in which a three-judge panel found that the sale and use of adult novelties for purposes of sexual stimulation was protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

“Treating the Petition for Rehearing En Banc as a Petition for Panel Rehearing, the Petition for Panel Rehearing is DENIED,” wrote the panel of judges who originally struck down Texas’ obscene device law, speaking for the majority of the Circuit. “The court having been polled at the request of one of the members of the court and a majority of the judges who are in regular active service and not disqualified not having voted in favor, the Petition for Rehearing En Banc is DENIED.”

“What that means is that by my count, 10 of the judges voted against the rehearing and eight voted for it,” said attorney Clyde DeWitt, once a prosecutor in Texas. “The ‘no’ votes would include any of the eligible judges who didn’t want to take a position one way or the other; they’re then automatically counted as votes not to rehear the case.”

Of the eight who voted to rehear the case, however, seven chose to author or join in dissents expressing their disagreement with the original panel’s ruling. Most of the dissenters’ objections raised two issues: 1) that the original panel should not have expanded the substantive due process rights acknowledged under the Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas, and 2) the panel should not have overruled an earlier Fifth Circuit case, Red Bluff Drive-In, Inc. v. Vance, which in 1981 had upheld Texas’ anti-sex toy law.

However, according to First Amendment attorney H. Louis Sirkin, who argued the Reliable Consultants case before the Fifth Circuit, a recent ruling by the Texas Court of Appeals may prevent the federal circuit ruling from being applicable to anyone except Reliable Consultants’ own stores, or mail order shipments to Texas from PHE, Inc. (Adam & Eve), or products sold in PHE’s Texas stores.

Link

Review: Stubby G

by Meg on 07/20/2008

in sex, sextoys

2683776301 6979ed76b1 Review: Stubby G

I’ve been a little uh, into my g-spot lately. (Ok, a lot.) So when I was approached by Vibe Review and asked to pick out some toys to review, it wasn’t surprising that most had the letter “G” in their name, including the Stubby G.

The Stubby G is made by Fun Factory and designed by the awesome “sexperts” at Good Vibrations. It comes in two colors (pink or blue – mine is the blue and it’s very pretty) and is made of 100% medical grade silicone. It takes two AA batteries and surprise – batteries are included!

Aside from the fact that I think this toy looks really cool, it feels good in my hand and is very easy to operate. It’s pretty basic – no pulsing or waves of vibration – which if a feature I sort of really love in my sex toys. Instead of a mess of buttons to operate, there is one large dial on the end which controls the level of vibration and true to the boasts on the packaging, it is extremely quiet.

Normally, it takes a lot more than a little g-spot attention to get me off, but with this toy, I’ve had awesome orgasms without any direct pressure on my clit. The base of toy is slightly flared and has ridges on it and while it doesn’t offer total dual stimulation, if you get on your knees and rock back and forth with this toy nudged up against something (say, your favorite purple pillow), it gives you a great little tease to your clit on every upstroke.

(just sayin.)

The obvious bonuses of this toy are all the bumpy ridges (which feel pretty fantastic when your muscles are squeezing all around them) and that great little curve on tip. For me personally, the length was perfect – just long enough to nestle itself up against my g-spot and offer a relatively hands-free and immensely enjoyable time. And aside from the part where I had a really hard time figuring out how to get the battery compartment out of the toy (here’s a clue – you have to push really, really hard), there was nothing about the Stubby G I didn’t love.

And oh yeah, I think it nearly made me squirt. For the first time ever.

So, uh…SOLD.

Yay, Sex Toys!

by Meg on 07/17/2008

in sex toys

Oh, hi there! For those who may not know me, I’m Meg – former writer of a little blog known as The Tales of a Teacher (and Slut). Dear Ms. Viviane has given me the oh-so-fun job of reviewing sex toys and products for The Sex Carnival and now that it’s summertime (with all its supposed easy living), I finally have the time to do the job justice.

I’ve been busy doing my research (ahem) and have plenty of toys to get me started, thanks to the super kind and generous folks over at Lelo and Vibe Review. However, I’d very much like to make this a regular and lasting gig, so if you have something you’d like reviewed, please do get in touch!

purplepassion Purple Passion has reopened

Do you have everything you need for Leather Retreat or TES Fest? Purple Passion reopened on June 5th and judging from the pictures Hilton sent me, it looks great!

They have a website, but only about 10% of the is on the site so call or email them.

Summer hours: during the summer they will be open Monday thru Saturday, and closed on Sundays. Hours: Mon – Wed noon to 7pm; Thurs-Fri noon to 9pm Sat Noon to 8pm.

211 West 20th St (Between 7th & 8th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Voice: 212.807.0486

More photos are on Flickr.