The Fleshlight Is a Portal to the Future of Sex

The ubiquitous masturbation device marketed to men was ahead of its time—and became the bellwether for a more fluid, inclusive future.

"It's quite possible someone's having sex with me right now and I don't even know it," adult performer and director Stoya told me.

Her vulva is for sale on the internet and in stores. Or rather, a rubbery, lifelike mold of her vulva is, in the form of a Fleshlight. The outside of it looks almost exactly like her actual body. The inside is a labyrinth of corkscrew shapes, nodules, and ridges. It's dubbed "The Destroya," a name that, nine years after the product launched, still makes her laugh.

- Vice

L’amour fou n’a pas d’âge

Non, les rencontres sur l’internet ne finissent pas toutes mal, en général. Certaines finissent même drôlement bien. Entretien avec un homme pétillant, épanoui, et visiblement très amoureux. À 70 ans tapants.

« C’est génial ! » L’homme assis devant nous, derrière sa chemise rose, sa barbe blanche et ses lunettes rondes, rayonne. Littéralement. Il glousse de bonheur. Pas de doute, c’est un bon vivant. « C’est génial ! », répète-t-il, encore et encore, tout au long de l’entretien.

- La Presse

An Unbelievable Story of Rape

An 18-year-old said she was attacked at knifepoint. Then she said she made it up. That’s where our story begins.

She had reported being raped in her apartment by a man who had bound and gagged her. Then, confronted by police with inconsistencies in her story, she had conceded it might have been a dream. Then she admitted making the story up. One TV newscast announced, “A Western Washington woman has confessed that she cried wolf when it came to her rape she reported earlier this week.” She had been charged with filing a false report, which is why she was here today, to accept or turn down a plea deal.

- Pro Publica

On Choosing Life

The national birth rate, long in decline, reached an all-time low this year. Different theories have been floated to explain the trend, but none have been more revealing than the answers young people give themselves. In a 2018 New York Times survey of Americans aged twenty to 45, only 42 percent of respondents said they wanted children. According to an international report released this May, just 39 percent of millennials listed having kids as one of their life ambitions, in last place behind traveling the world, getting rich, buying a home and making a “positive impact.”

- The Point

Cannabis Dos and Don’ts: A Conversation with Etiquette Expert Lizzie Post

Cannabis seems to be everywhere, and it just may turn up at your next social gathering. It’s not shocking to encounter weed in places you previously reserved for alcohol: weddings, work retreats, cocktail parties, vacations, and even at children’s playdates (for the parents, of course).

With the growing trend toward legalization and decriminalization, cannabis has seen a rise in popularity. Shopping at a dispensary feels like a luxury retail experience; women’s magazines tout the benefits of topical CBD lotions; and being served ganja at a dinner party is simply another part of the menu. It leaves room for major faux pas, as people who partake regularly assume you do too.

- Fortune

Here's What Happens In Your Brain When You Watch Porn

For many people, watching porn may be part of an every day routine. It goes a little something like this: In a fleeting moment of boredom, arousal, or a combination of both, you head to your site of choice, make a few quick clicks to find your preferred content, stare at your screen for a few minutes, and possibly (hopefully) get off. Then, in all likelihood, you close the tab and go about the rest of your day or night without giving it another thought. So, what happens in your brain when you watch porn? Well, let's just say it can have a pretty powerful impact.

- elite daily

Gone somewhere. Back in 3 weeks.

Les tatoueurs ont-ils des droits d'auteur?

Comme bien des athlètes professionnels, comme beaucoup de ses contemporains, le joueur vedette de basket LeBron James est tatoué. Le nom de sa maman (Gloria) apparaît sur son épaule droite, et des portraits de son fils (LeBron junior) sur ses avant-bras. Il porte même le numéro 330, indicatif régional de sa ville d’origine en Ohio.

À qui appartiennent ces tatouages, même les plus chargés de très intimes significations ? Autrement dit, qui possède les droits de reproduire ces images ? Le tatoueur qui les a réalisées ? M. James ? Ou une compagnie, publicitaire ou autre, qui miserait sur l’image de la mégavedette des paniers ?

- Le Devoir

Unfiltered : XXX, Holly Randall

Photographe et réalisatrice de films érotiques, Holly Randall a voulu présenter son univers et ses stars sans les juger, sans les condamner, sans filtre. Voici Unfiltered.

Holly Randall avait 20 ans quand elle a commencé à travailler pour ses parents. Un couple de réalisateurs de contenu pour adultes formé de Humphry Knipe et de Suze Randall, une pionnière parmi ces messieurs. Deux décennies plus tard, elle baigne encore dans l’industrie du X. Et elle en a ramassé, des « histoires de guerre ».

- La Presse

Isolation Has Profound Effects on The Human Body And Brain. Here's What Happens

Imagine being confined to a small, dark room, with no social interaction whatsoever for 30 days. Not many people would jump at this opportunity.

But, in November 2018, a professional US poker player Rich Alati bet US$100,000 that he could survive 30 days alone and in total darkness.

He was kept in a small, completely dark room with nothing but a bed, fridge and bathroom. Even with all the resources he needed to survive, Alati couldn't last the month. After 20 days he negotiated his release, taking a payout of US$62,400.

- Science Alert

Most Things You Worry About Will Never Actually Happen

Persistent worrying is pointless. Here’s how to stop doing it.

In his 1915 book Worry and Nervousness, the American surgeon and psychiatrist William Samuel Sadler described worry as an “inability to relax the attention” once it had fastened itself onto a given fear. All people experience negative or troubling thoughts. But for those with worry-related mental “disturbances,” Sadler wrote, those negative thoughts are stickier and, eventually, they can become destabilizing.

- Medium

Polyamory: Beyond the confines of monogamous love

Monogamy is still very much the norm in today's societies, but different types of romantic relationships are gaining ground. For this Spotlight feature, we have spoken to some polyamorous people and asked: What is fact and what is fiction about polyamorous relationships?

- Medical News Today

Polyamory offers a unique opportunity to enjoy prolonged passion and closeness in romantic relationships

As everyone knows, the nature of romantic relationships usually changes over time. An early period of intense attraction tends to develop into a less fiery, deeper attachment bond.

According to evolutionary arguments, the early stage, which typically lasts a few years, gives the pair the time and proximity that's required for developing a deeper nurturing, supportive – and predictable – relationship. While this type of attachment is important for rearing children, and for ongoing wellbeing, it's not necessarily great news for passion.

- Big Think