Porn Drives Technology - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

tiberry · 05-08-2003, 05:20 AM

I've always had this theory, that PORN plays a significant role in the development of certain technologies. I mean, look at cameras...probably wouldn't have been such a big hit until folks figured out you could take pictures of naked women. VCRs would never have been as popular if it weren't for good porno movies. The internet - I've even seen some Virtual Reality rigs in Japan that are specifically designed to allow users to 'experience' a realistic pornographic encounter! If you have any doubts, just look at the number of views in the different forums on this board; 56,906; no wait 56,908 views compared to everything else...

Not that this is a bad thing mind you - just wanted to see if anyone else has similar observations...

rsl12 · 05-08-2003, 05:26 AM

absolutely tiberry! for every new technology invented, it seems that someone has adapted it to porn. i was utterly amazed to discover that even on the atari systems there were adult games available!

http://www.atariguide.com/3/351.htm

now, how come no-one has invented the teflon sex toy? or tyvek, for that matter?

End User · 05-08-2003, 05:32 AM

Agreed, and it probably still holds true that Porn is the only industry on the internet thats not losing money.....

Cynthetiq · 05-08-2003, 05:34 AM

It can push technology that serves it, but there are plenty of technologies that it doesn't have anything to do with such as chemistry, biology, pharmacology, automotive, aerospace... and plenty of others

tiberry · 05-08-2003, 05:57 AM

Good points Cynthetiq - not all technologies can be readily exploited by porn...but I'm sure that given enough time, mankind could (and would) use damn near every means possible to exploit every technology at his disposal in the infinate quest for sexual pleasure. (except maybe quantum particle theory!)

Ganguro · 05-08-2003, 06:36 AM

omg! i've been saying this to everyone who will listen for at least 5 years RE: internet technologies..from flash to CGI/ database integration. I stongly feel that the internet porn industry has been a catalyst in determining how media is presented to the masses over the web. Remember back before the big Compuserve Boom? Sure usenet had been around for a while, and irc and all that.. but rmemeber how the web "looked"? Big business is too finacially scared to take big risks and gamble on new tech.. but the internet porn bix needed to find a solution to push that streaming video.. push those big file downloads, sell sell sell!!!!

I have a few friends who worked for porn site, or work for them now (im actually hoping to get to work with one of them in the near future) and there is a large amount of IT duties involved in a good porn site.. Hell ask Halx.

MikeyChalupa · 05-08-2003, 09:01 AM

LINK

Quote:

Premiere Episode -- Technology and the Sex Industry

Technology and pornography have been in bed together since the dawn of man.

By Wired for Sex staff

The fusion of sex and technology has changed the world. But what effect does all this sex-driven technology have on our culture? On the first episode of "Wired for Sex," you'll see how sexual urges forge profound technological change, and how this synthesis of flesh and machine has transformed our lives and culture.

'Wired for Sex' show notes

You've just watched "Wired for Sex" and now you want more information on this episode's topics. Below we've collected links related to each segment. Come back to the "Wired for Sex" site each week to explore the topics covered on the show.

Segment 1: Visit the Adult Entertainment Expo

The Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas is the biggest gathering of porn power players in the world. This orgy of fans, pimps, and porn stars plays out over four days in January every year. For decades, adult entertainment was a small but growing part of the Consumer Electronic Shows, which take place at the same time. It was a natural fit, as the adult industry has traditionally been an early adopter of new technology, say attendees. But by 1999, the adult part of the show burgeoned into its own expo.

Voice-activated DVDs -- Adult movie director Wit Maverick is releasing a voice-activated DVD. You can ask the characters to perform certain acts and can talk to the character from a third-person point of view. Interactive DVDs are huge moneymakers. The first one, "Virtual Sex with Jenna," was released in 1999 and has become one of the Top 10 best-selling adult DVDs ever.

Here's more information on AdultDex.

Adult Entertainment Expo
Consumer Electronics Show
Voice-activated DVDs

People featured

Wit Maverick -- adult movie director
Jenna Jameson -- adult movie actress
Al Cooper -- psychologist, marital and sexuality therapy
Ginger Lynn -- adult movie actress
David Greenfield -- psychologist and authority on the Internet and Internet behaviors
Richard Kadrey -- author
Ray Kurzweil -- author, inventor

Segment 2: Cave painting to camcorders

Humans have been documenting sex for millennia, and technological advance has often been driven by this powerful urge to create and view erotic images. According to archeologists, erotic cave paintings in Europe and Asia date back thousands of years. The first illustrated erotic book was published in 1527 shortly after the invention of the printing press. More recent inventions have led to changes in the adult industry.

Motion picture camera In 1889 Thomas Edison developed the first motion picture system. Within a year, the adult film industry was born when the first pornographic film was made. It was passed among gentlemen or shown at gentleman's clubs.

Polaroid When Polaroid developed the instant camera in 1937, once again the entire erotic field saw something that they could exploit. Polaroid users could develop their pictures privately without having to get photos developed by a service.

The VCR In 1977, a new device called the VCR made watching pornography even easier when it brought triple X movies into average American homes for the first time. Adult films returned the favor by making videotape one of the most popular and lucrative technologies ever. Some believe that the VHS format won out over the Beta format because Sony refused originally to license its product to the adult industry that clamored to get it. The adult industry converted its films to the VHS standard and it took off.

Camcorder The sex-tech romance continued in the 1980s with the advent of the camcorder. In the glory days of film, only about 100 new adult titles were made every year. With the handheld camcorder, porn directors could complete an entire film in one day with a small production budget. Today, more than 10,000 adult films are produced every year in America alone.

More information

Invention of Polaroid
Important Events in VCR History
How Stuff Works: The Camcorder

People featured

David Buss -- professor, evolutionary studies
Dr. C.J. Scheiner -- psychologist, erotica and sexology

Segment 3 -- Amateur night

The bond between sex and technology has only grown stronger with the advent of mass media in the early 20th century. Film, videotape, and the Internet have brought pornographic images to more people than ever before. Amateur porn is the fastest-growing segment of adult entertainment. Homegrown sex videos and websites have attracted millions of fans. Daeron and Becca know a bit more about this than the average couple. A year ago, they began an adult website, focused on a niche fetish -- women wearing glasses. They also shot their own X-rated film, which they are distributing over the Internet.

More information

Daeron and Becca's Site: The Joy of Spex (Adult Content)

Segment 4 -- Virtual sexual partners

Now that millions of Americans are using technology to express their own personal sexual fantasies, how will this second sexual revolution end? Experts say that soon people will be able to create virtual sexual partners.

Virtual reality is still in its infancy, but devices may eventually be able to communicate directly with our nervous system and brain, allowing us to create entire imaginary worlds. But recreating even the most basic physical experience is beyond our technological grasp for now.

More information

The Far Future of Cyber-Sex

My date with the Virtual Sex Machine

People Featured

David Schlesinger -- Vivid Videos spokesperson

Originally aired April 30, 2003
Modified May 2, 2003

I remember hearing the opinion that VHS killed the superior Betamax format because Sony refused to license the Beta format to porn studios. This show apparently discusses lots of other instances where, as tiberry postulates, porn and sex drive technological advances. Polaroid cameras are another great example. What percentage do YOU think of all Polaroid pictures ever taken had a naked person on them?

-Mikey

Derwood · 05-08-2003, 10:23 AM

I think it's less that Porn drives new technology than it is the fact that the porn industry seems to latch onto and popularize new techonologies before anyone else. VHS, DVD, the internet, CD-ROM, etc. Imagine if the porn industry had decided to go with Beta-Max instead of VHS....

MikeyChalupa · 05-08-2003, 03:06 PM

That's the point, Derwood... they DID want to go with Betamax. Sony wouldn't let them. So, they used VHS which WAS available to them to use, and consumerism took over. If Sony HAD allowed them the use of Betamax, then yes, we'd all have Beta players instead of VCRs.

-Mikey

gibber71 · 05-08-2003, 04:09 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MikeyChalupa
[B]LINK

What percentage do YOU think of all Polaroid pictures ever taken had a naked person on them?

50%

The_Dude · 05-08-2003, 06:58 PM

porn is always a good thing.

05-08-2003, 05:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
tiberry Insane Location: Location, Location!	Porn Drives Technology I've always had this theory, that PORN plays a significant role in the development of certain technologies. I mean, look at cameras...probably wouldn't have been such a big hit until folks figured out you could take pictures of naked women. VCRs would never have been as popular if it weren't for good porno movies. The internet - I've even seen some Virtual Reality rigs in Japan that are specifically designed to allow users to 'experience' a realistic pornographic encounter! If you have any doubts, just look at the number of views in the different forums on this board; 56,906; no wait 56,908 views compared to everything else... Not that this is a bad thing mind you - just wanted to see if anyone else has similar observations...

05-08-2003, 05:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
rsl12 On the lam Location: northern va	absolutely tiberry! for every new technology invented, it seems that someone has adapted it to porn. i was utterly amazed to discover that even on the atari systems there were adult games available! http://www.atariguide.com/3/351.htm now, how come no-one has invented the teflon sex toy? or tyvek, for that matter? __________________ oh baby oh baby, i like gravy.

05-08-2003, 05:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
End User Insane Location: Sydney, Australia	Agreed, and it probably still holds true that Porn is the only industry on the internet thats not losing money..... __________________ People who have no faults are terrible!

05-08-2003, 05:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	It can push technology that serves it, but there are plenty of technologies that it doesn't have anything to do with such as chemistry, biology, pharmacology, automotive, aerospace... and plenty of others __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

05-08-2003, 05:57 AM	#5 (permalink)
tiberry Insane Location: Location, Location!	Good points Cynthetiq - not all technologies can be readily exploited by porn...but I'm sure that given enough time, mankind could (and would) use damn near every means possible to exploit every technology at his disposal in the infinate quest for sexual pleasure. (except maybe quantum particle theory!) __________________ My life's work is to bridge the gap between that which is perceived by the mind and that which is quantifiable by words and numbers.

05-08-2003, 06:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ganguro Army of Me	omg! i've been saying this to everyone who will listen for at least 5 years RE: internet technologies..from flash to CGI/ database integration. I stongly feel that the internet porn industry has been a catalyst in determining how media is presented to the masses over the web. Remember back before the big Compuserve Boom? Sure usenet had been around for a while, and irc and all that.. but rmemeber how the web "looked"? Big business is too finacially scared to take big risks and gamble on new tech.. but the internet porn bix needed to find a solution to push that streaming video.. push those big file downloads, sell sell sell!!!! I have a few friends who worked for porn site, or work for them now (im actually hoping to get to work with one of them in the near future) and there is a large amount of IT duties involved in a good porn site.. Hell ask Halx.

05-08-2003, 10:23 AM	#8 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	I think it's less that Porn drives new technology than it is the fact that the porn industry seems to latch onto and popularize new techonologies before anyone else. VHS, DVD, the internet, CD-ROM, etc. Imagine if the porn industry had decided to go with Beta-Max instead of VHS.... __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

05-08-2003, 03:06 PM	#9 (permalink)
MikeyChalupa Squid Location: USS George Washington	That's the point, Derwood... they DID want to go with Betamax. Sony wouldn't let them. So, they used VHS which WAS available to them to use, and consumerism took over. If Sony HAD allowed them the use of Betamax, then yes, we'd all have Beta players instead of VCRs. -Mikey

05-08-2003, 04:09 PM	#10 (permalink)
gibber71 Loser	[QUOTE]Originally posted by MikeyChalupa [B]LINK What percentage do YOU think of all Polaroid pictures ever taken had a naked person on them? 50%

05-08-2003, 06:58 PM	#11 (permalink)
The_Dude The GrandDaddy of them all! Location: Austin, TX	porn is always a good thing. __________________ "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel K Royal