porn

Covers gone wild: Are Amazon, Apple and B&N selling soft-core porn e-books?

They have names like "Bent Over," "Double Teamed," "Bedded by the Boss," and "Hot Daddy Cop." They're all part of a bawdier form of romance writing that's generally referred as erotica or erotic romance, and they're all in the Amazon Kindle catalog as well as Barnes & Noble's Nook catalog.

Needless to say, most of the books feature scantily clad figures, often intertwined, on their covers. Now, we're not prudes, but when a woman's bare behind shows up in the top 100 list on the Kindle (as is currently the case with "Bent Over"), you start to wonder whether someone over at Amazon might get a little concerned about its image and what the young folks who own Kindles might come across in their browsing. (Start clicking on "related titles," and things go downhill quickly--from the risque to the downright perverse.) … Read more

Xbox 360 tech to prevent kids from viewing porn?

If 11-year-olds can easily sign up to Facebook, surely they are smart enough to do all sorts of other naughty things--like downloading pirated TV shows and, well, other types of film that 11-year-olds should most definitely not watch.

It seems, though, that Microsoft, perhaps channeling the security philosophy of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, is intending to do something about the rampant deterioration of our society's moral core and pip.

For Geekwire reports that the company has applied for a patent on technology that would allow it to guess the age of anyone using an Xbox 360 peripheral.… Read more

How the Web is less pornographic than you think

It's easy to believe that we are surrounded by smut.

Whenever people talk of the Web, they seem to be sure that it's merely a repository of naughty content for little boys who sit staring into their screens for 16 hours a day.

This may all be true. It also may be, though, that the little boys' activity is somehow balanced out by the righteous behavior of society's remainder.

My laps were positively dancing when I read a lengthy and stimulating Forbes piece which attempted to disabuse the nihilists and naysayers of the notion that the Web … Read more

Porn sites can now register for .xxx domain name

Porn and adult entertainment sites can now officially register under the .xxx domain, the domain's operator, ICM Registry, announced today.

The new .xxx top-level domain is open not just to porn sites but to nonporn sites that want to block the use of their names on the .xxx domain. Located in Florida, ICM is managing and supporting the new domain but will work with 50 individual registrars around the world to handle the actual registrations.

Promoting the advantages of .xxx to potential customers, ICM said that holders of the domain name will be able to tap into global marketing … Read more

The 404 896: Where 'tis a far far better thing doing stuff for other people (podcast)

We have big announcement to make today! At the end of this month, CNET will begin a daily block of live podcasts, starting with The 404! You asked for longer episodes, so we're extending the show to fit in all the news headlines of the day, plus Calls From The Public, more weekly segments, including the return of Tang that Tune, and more!

On today's extracasual episode, we jump into a few stories we weren't able to discuss yesterday, like Apple losing yet another unreleased iPhone prototype, Germany lifting a 17-year ban on Doom 1 and 2, and a Tang That Tune with a surprise ending!

The 404 Digest for Episode 896

Apple loses another unreleased iPhone (exclusive). Doom finally unbanned in Germany. Apple customer accidentally given store hard drive.

Episode 896 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 888: Where you have a weak electrochemical bond (podcast)

You can stop holding your breath for someone to port Android onto the HP TouchPad--it turns out someone already has, in secret! This Reddit thread has pictures and video evidence of an HP TouchPad purchased at Best Buy on Saturday that boots up with Android already on it.

And if that doesn't work out, Hack N Mod is offering a $1,500 bounty to anyone who can successfully achieve the five different tasks involved in rooting and booting Android.

In other news, did you know that the "Fifth Element" movie was based on only the first half of director Luc Besson's original 400-page script? Reddit strikes again and tells us that the second story, called "Mr. Shadow," wasn't made, but we can't help but dream about its story...

Also, PETA is launching a porn Web site that pulls the old bait 'n' switch by drawing in Netizens with dreams of dirty movies, then exposing them to gruesome movies exposing the mistreatment of animals. Those two things go together, right?

The 404 Digest for Episode 888

A guy who gets a TouchPad at Best Buy discovers Android already on it. Modders offer a bounty for an HP TouchPad Android port. PETA plans to launch a porn site. Today I learned that "The Fifth Element" was based on only the first half of Luc Besson's original screenplay.

Episode 888 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Report: PETA to launch porn site

Animal love is a difficult thing.

Sometimes, it can lead people to such extremes that they tend to diminish the significance of, well, people.

These thoughts course through my being as I read reports that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals intends to unleash a porn site.

Reuters, in the midst of a wider exposition of .xxx domains, reported that PETA doesn't intend, as do so many ethically upright companies, to block its .xxx domain. No, the organization's representative reportedly declared that Peta.xxx will be a porn site that "draws attention to the plight of … Read more

Apple OKs Cinemax app, despite anti-porn policy

A new app has arrived at the iTunes store that may violate Apple's own policy of keeping pornographic material off its app store.

The company has given its blessing to the Cinemax Max Go app, which provides on-demand access to movies and programming on mobile devices to the cable channel's subscribers. The app also includes a Max After Dark tab, which allows streaming of some of the channel's softcore programming, which helped earned Cinemax the nickname "Skinemax."

The app includes a disclosure that states users must be at least 17 years old to download the … Read more

The 404 877: Where you learn a lot about people at the beach (podcast)

Jeff's back in the studio after his vacation week, and any positive vibes floating around in the air are obliterated when he tells us about the things you can learn about people just from spending time at the beach.

Unsurprisingly, none of us plan to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," despite its 80-percent "fresh" rating on RottenTomatoes.com. We're also ripping a page from the Obvious News section and talking about TV porn sales going down in recent years, and playing a handful of voicemails carefully chosen by Mr. Bakalar.

The 404 Digest for Episode 877

Big surprise: TV porn doesn't sell like it used to. FBI releases child ID iPhone app.

Episode 877 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more