LINCOLN, Neb. – Every so often, I’ll hear someone refer to a three-year prison term as a “light punishment,” or complain modern prisons are more like country clubs than correctional facilities. When I hear such things, I immediately suspect two things about the speaker: He or she...

MENLO PARK, Calif. – The technologies behind social media platforms may be modern, but the conundrum predates the printing press: When it comes to depictions of sexuality, where is the line drawn between “pornography” and “art”? Among the intriguing details that have emerged from...

WASHINGTON – Once upon a time back in the 1980s, a hacker took over a digital message board on the campus of a major American university, on which he then proceeded to display a variety of profane, inappropriate, disgusting and, in some cases, quite funny messages. I’ve looked up...

NEW YORK – In the world of porn, there’s often quite a bit of begging. Even outside the realm of BDSM, where pleading with one’s dom is often part and parcel of the role playing, you hear plenty of supplication along the lines of “yes, please fuck my ass,” or “don’t stop, please...

MIAMI – When a publicity stunt succeeds, it’s a good thing. This can be true even if the stunt involves some manner of deception that eventually comes to light. Every so often, though, the stunt works a little too well, leading to backlash and recriminations those behind the...

DALLAS – Let’s say, for the sake of argument, there was a company or manner of business you’d prefer didn’t set shop up in your hometown. How much tax revenue would you support your city government spending to prevent the event or presence? Before you answer, consider this...

CHICAGO – Of the many myths and half-truths which surround the adult entertainment industry, one of the most persistent is the notion the adult industry is a major driver of technological development. Porn, you’ll hear people say quite authoritatively, is the reason VHS won out...

SALT LAKE CITY – Are the devoutly religious more apt to become compulsive porn viewers, or are they simply more likely to term themselves “porn addicts” due to feelings of guilt and shame they experience every time they spy an exposed naughty bit? In a study drawing on a sample...

PHILADELPHIA – Here’s the thing about laughing last: Before you can be said to have done so, you first must be certain no additional chuckles are forthcoming. As the New York Post tells it, porn performer Mia Khalifa just had the last laugh with respect to former University of...

LOS ANGELES – In controversies involving two or more parties telling very different stories about the same events, the truth is often to be found somewhere in between the polar ends of the narrative. As I read the claims and counterclaims unfolding between the producers of Hot...