technology « The Age of Reasonable Doubt

May 21, 2010

LOOKING FOR NEW TOYS?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Age of Reasonble Doubt, Eric Garland, feminism, Fran Metzman, futuristic, Integrative Spirituality, orgasm, Relationships, sex toys, sexual conventions, sexual identity, sexuality, Sexy G., technology, The Sexy G, The Sexy Gma, Wild River Review, wildriverreview.com, Women, women's lib — metzman @ 4:43 pm

By the Sexy Gma.

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I have been further perusing Eric Garland’s article, Reinventing Sex: New Technologies and Changing Attitudes, published in the online publication, Integrative Spirituality, March 24, 2010 with great interest. The title says it all. So, let’s talk about future expectations of sex in our society.

Believing that Garland has reached the apex of predictions, I read on to find it only gets wilder. In the section labeled: “Pornography and Voyeurism,” he mentions, “Specifically, there will be more pornography everywhere. For the first time, everyone will be only a click away from explicit hard-core pornography, potentially from inexpensive handheld devices that most, if not all, consumers can afford.”

Just when you thought the market for porno was saturated and had no other place to go – a new horizon is seen. Before, I likened porno to creative writing in which there are only a certain amount of plots available; (revenge, lust, love, hero saves the earth, etc.). I thought sexual positions, too, had certain creative limitations. There are so many sexual positions, variations on dildos and all those accessories. Hasn’t it all been done and said? It seems not so.

Garland talks of voyeurism and how popular a theme it is in television programing. Look at the popularity of reality shows. Everyone wants to see how other people behave in certain environments and in their own homes. Perhaps people find it exciting to compare their own lives with others. Maybe they get off on watching people in difficult or dysfunctional roles.

This great interest in wanting to know how other people live brings to mind the flip side of the coin of voyeurism. Some people, including some celebrities, enjoy taping their sexual experiences. And somehow the videos hit the internet and the world watches these people in the sack. A world-wide market is created to peek into your boudoir. Why would anyone want such a beautiful, intimate act to be sent across the globe? Is it exhibitionism at its highest (or lowest) point? This tendency of humans to enjoy voyeurism and even exhibitionism will dovetail with the coming trends. In the future it seems that cyberspace will have the capability of duplicating reality, making one feel they are participating in sexual experiences.

For instance: Garland continues: “Physical toys could improve with materials science producing substances that feel more like skin and with greater viscosity. Pornographic movies, the most popular form of sexual entertainment will see technological improvements on two fronts: computer graphic displays and haptics or “telefeel” technology that stimulates the body to create a sensation offered by the software. Both of these approaches intend to create more-realistic simulations.”

I interpret Garland’s description of haptics (and telefeel) to mean that the computer will telegraph and stimulate the senses. Telecommunication in this sense will telegraph “…pressure, vibration, texture, and heat back to a person to simulate the physical sensations of real objects.”

Again Garland says, “Once eye-fooling graphics are combined with haptics that simulate virtual physical worlds, technicians will create software to better simulate people’s sexual fantasies, approaching the limit of fooling us into believing they are really happening.”

So, this will simulate a sexual experience. There is a far-reaching road to hoe (no pun intended) when following the future porno path to ecstasy. What is the downside?

We have to ask ourselves what the effect of this ever-closer link to porno means to adults as well as children. Mature adults know the good and bad associated with pornography and may choose to watch at certain moments, perhaps to sexually stimulate a stable relationship or at intermittent unattached times in their lives. But to use the videos, toys and graphics on a steady basis to avoid a real relationship is questionable at best. Children exposed to this might grow up encouraged to think it is perfectly fine to negate the emotional component and lack of human connection in sex.

There are already large numbers of people addicted to porno and with easier and more elaborate access we may see the numbers multiply greatly. That obsession can only be seen as very questionable for good mental health. Watching porno for hours upon hours can serve to isolate people into their own worlds, disdaining conversation and intimacy. As a matter of fact, any obsession can have a debilitating effect on those who are caught up in it. (But if you are a cleaning addict I might be able to help when you see my apartment J). Just kidding.

What about the life-size dolls that have skin-like feel? Just think- you are having sex with a doll/woman who has a model number, can’t speak or think and might cost $5000 to $8000 and be made in China at a factory. YIKES! Then again, some might really like the – can’t speak or think part.

I can see using these toys for practice, occasional fun, if there is no chance someone will ever have a partner or there is a neurological problem that limits someone’s social interaction abilities. But for those who appear to be engaged socially and/or have a mate, reliance on these stimulators for physical needs on a long-term basis seems to me to be flawed. The most important aspect of sex is the mind and the emotional connection with another human. Yes, I said a good, old-fashioned human.

Well, bring on the future with all the gadgets and we’ll see.

The SexyG

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April 30, 2010

MORE AND BETTER SEX IN THE FUTURE?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Add new tag, Age of Reasonble Doubt, aging, entitlement, Eric Garland, feminism, fran m, Fran Metzman, gender roles, health, health insurance, Integrative Spirituality, liberation, manners, orgasm, Politics, poverty, Relationships, sexual conventions, sexual identity, sexuality, Sexy G., society, technology, The Sexy G, The Sexy Gma, Wild River Review, wildriverreview.com, Women, Women's Finance, women's lib — metzman @ 3:59 pm

By the Sexy G.

soldier

To continue delving into the article, Reinventing Sex: New Technologies and Changing Attitudes, by Eric Garland, published in Integrative Spirituality 3/24/10, and I quote: “While a great deal of published research on sex today covers pregnancy, disease, and violence, comparatively little expert literature available deals with how sex will change in coming decades, according to a 2003 white paper by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. This makes sense, because these topics pose the greatest risks to health and society. Very little research shows positive trends in human interaction. Not enough understanding exists to show how the basic human function of sexual behavior will shift along with trends in society and technology.

“The mainstream media cover changes in divorce and dating, but the ways in which sexuality and attitudes toward sex will change in coming decades are topics that require more investigation. Indeed, the media will cover many of these shifts, leaving fewer people to feel isolated about their natural inclinations. Unfortunately, few sexuality topics are deemed appropriate to discuss forthrightly, despite the fact that so much regarding sex is changing right under our noses.”

Wow, that’s potent stuff, but what does it mean for us? We already are aware that many people both men and women 55+ are engaging and thinking about sex into their advanced years. How has television and the internet affected us and how will it continue to have impact? Of course, porn on the internet is rampant. Even people in the workplace spend hours a day downloading porn. We’ve seen a some exposes of this happening in breaking news recently.

To continue what Eric Garland said in his article: “One arbiter of loosening public attitudes toward sex is that censors are relaxing on television. Television has come a long way from the days when married characters shocked viewers by sleeping in the same double bed. Clearly, television censors now allow much more frank discussion of sexual behavior…On an episode of CBS’s popular detective show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a murder victim is shown to be in a community of “plushies,” a group of people who enjoy sex while dressed up like stuffed animals. Never before has there been such an open discussion on the fetishes, proclivities, and preferences that are part of all human diversity. ”

I’ll never forget the first time I heard an ad for erectile dysfunction. I was kind of lackadaisical about it until I heard them say that a four hour erection could send a man to the ER. My first thought was that the man in that situation could hire himself out to several women for a period of time before heading to the ER.

But a world of revelation about sexuality and choices has emerged from the loosening of censorship which is a healthy thing I believe. Even sex toys have evolved into the electronic age (this for a later blog) for multiple and super orgasms.

Again Garland states: “Researchers are working hard to realize Woody Allen’s “orgasmatron” as visualized in his futuristic film Sleeper (1973). One U.S. surgeon has already patented a pacemaker-sized device implanted under the skin that triggers an orgasm, and begun a clinical trial approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.” (I wonder how that will work if you forget to turn it off during a job interview).

Hey, obviously from the blogs I’ve written I’m no prude and all of these new devices and changes are fine with me. But what does this say for the future? I’m looking for enhancement of the old-fashioned approach – one-on-one and person-to-person. Why isn’t there talk of improving and increasing personal intimacy? It all seems to be more in mechanical development where strides are being made. To me none of what I’m reading appears to improve actual relationships.

Why aren’t we talking about ways to minimize the different approaches as to how we socialize boys and girls? How can we make boys more sensitive and able to empathize, especially with a woman? Society encourages men to minimize or even demean emotion. Then when feelings are out of his realm of understanding we applaud that as he’s from Mars. Bull. It is so encoded in our rearing habits we don’t even notice when we do it to our children. There are unpleasant names for men who respond with emotion. This makes genders divisive and contributes to divorces.

I’m all for increasing sexual pleasure, but we have to be cognizant that we still want two humans involved. It reminds me of how frustrated we’ve become to being answered and helped by computers on the telephone. When we finally get a human voice on the line (if that’s even possible) it’s like a bright new world opening up and colors are much brighter. Same with good sex between two people.