BEIJING – Regardless what one thinks of his personality or politics, or whether you approve or disapprove of his Twitter etiquette, one thing is very clear about Donald Trump: The man appreciates the appearance of strength. Whether he’s lauding the psychological impact he assumes...

LONDON – It’s not every day you read something in which an advocate for stricter regulation of the internet comes right out and admits, in so many words, what she’s seeking is less freedom. Today was such a day, thanks to freelance writer and broadcaster Christina Patterson and...

OAKLAND, Calif. – In reading about the “Political As F**k” erotic film festival happening in the Bay Area this week, I found myself drawing connections between what seem like disparate and contrary motions within the broad, splintered entity commonly referred to as the porn...

LONDON – As the U.K. government prepares to roll out an update to the Digital Economy Act, a great deal of commentary is rightfully focused on questions about privacy, the specter of government censorship and the feasibility of age-verification in an online context. Less...

LONDON – One of the few advantages to getting older is when certain exaggerated social concerns cycle back through the op/ed pages of the international media, old farts like me immediately recognize them as recycled and retread, as opposed to new and novel. When it comes to...

WADENA, Minn. – Last week, I got all excited by the promise I would learn how to kill lust, only to be viciously let down when the “instructions” for doing so turning out to be one of those “tune in next time…” affairs. This approach to hooking your audience is the cheapest of...

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – While CamSoda’s press push announcing the company’s alleged “Penis Recognition Tech” is clearly a publicity ploy, there’s little doubt many male CamSoda users will respond by taking and uploading pictures of their penises. More incentive for men to take dick...

WASHINGTON – Back in the 1990s, when I took my first job in adult entertainment, the porn industry was not at all like the entity it has become — and it certainly wasn’t perceived by the public or the media in the same way it is today. Twenty years ago, mainstream media coverage...

DES MOINES, Iowa – If you associate with enough attorneys, professionally or personally, at some point you’re almost certain to hear some version of an old law school saying that goes something like “hard facts make bad law.” Typically, this old saw is trotted out when discussing...

WADENA, Minn. – As a former Boy Scout, I fully appreciate the need to be prepared — and I mean prepared at all times, and for all contingencies. This obsession with readiness has served me well over the years, with the notable exception of the years I spent building an...