Karosta Prison Hotel, Latvia

Built around 1900, the Karosta Prison was initially used as an infirmary then converted into a prison. It's history was so gruesome, even the solitary confinement room featured a cryptic message above the door: ‘izeja no elles’, Latvian for ‘exit from hell’.
 

Not exactly a relaxing vacation: Inside the hotel converted from a prison where guests are punished with physical exercise for the full 'inmate experience.'

I must admit the idea appeals to me but after I saw the photo's of male guards I quickly changed my mind. If only the prison was staffed with female officers...

Research Shows: Kink is Good for You

More research on the positive aspects and health benefits of BDSM.

According to new research from the Netherlands (where else?), the psychological profile of people who participate in bdsm is "characterized by a set of balanced, autonomous, and beneficial personality characteristics.” Compared to those who engage in more mainstream sexual behavior, such aficionados report “a higher level of subjective well-being.”

Knight in shining armour

How Many Kinky People Are There?

Never enough

For a long time I have been wondering how many kinky people there are in the world. Just out of curiosity. Google cannot answer my question. I am still wondering though. So here is my theory: if you are kinky and have a Facebook account, you also have a Fetlife account.

The embodiment of kinky: The Addams Family

According to their own site Facebook has 1.15 billion monthly active users as of June 2013. I cannot find a good estimate for the number of active Fetlife users but on their site they boast 2,264,946 member (August 2013). If you divide 2.2 million by 1.2 billion you have an upper limit of 0.4 per cent of the global population being kinksters. But as they say in Dutchland: that is comparing apples and pears. Unfortunately I cannot find the numbers right now but there are several statistics claiming the number of active users on Fetlife varies between 250,000 and 500,000. If we assume the correct number is 500,000 about 0.04 per cent of all people in the world is kinky which makes for 2.8 million of us. A rounding error creeps in right away. If that number is correct over three quarters of all kinky people are on Fetlife. That sounds like a lot.

Breaking down the statistics for Dutchland with about 17 million people it would mean there are 17mln * 0.04% = 6800 kinksters living in that beautiful flat country. That does not sound right, does it? The Netherlands must be more into kink than that. If anyone knows of a better estimate, please let me know.

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Kinky Lego: Fifty Shades Of Bricks

As a child, I played with Lego. These days I spend a lot of time on silly stuff, but these folks redefine the meaning of procrastination. I especially love the first one. Fifty Shades of bricks, guess there is no escape from fifty shades, wherever you go. Several images are interrogation scenes from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay created by Legofesto. The artist created the scenes to express her concern about the war on terror. She also aims to give the abused a voice.

Viagra for Women: Yes We Can. But Should We?

Lust reaches us through our eyes. Desire comes from the heart. Whatever you are looking for, a pill can never substitute either. Nor should it.

Fifty years ago the birth control pill gave woman sexual freedom, Twenty years ago viagra for men was introduced. The next step seems to be a pill for woman that increases their libido.

The male variety has not to do with desire. It is about body mechanics.

The New York Times just published a long read about Viagra for women. The drug is called Lybrido.  Unexcited? There May Be a Pill for That. Lybrido is currently undergoing testing to see if it can be approved. It works on the brain creating [artificial] desire. Viagra for men works on the body but only when the man is already aroused. The article is rather long and boring. The comments however are the icing on the cake. A quick reading shows most people do not like the idea.

"How about a male less desire drug?" comments one reader. Others fear that women get pressured into taking pills.

Whether vanilla or kinky, sex in a relationship is essential. Sex is great fun. It brings two people closer to one another, strengthening and reinforcing their bond. At first I thought the drug was a good thing. That was before I realized how commerce, TV and social media will pressure people into taking the drug. After all we all want to be normal and average...

Sexual Chocolate Wine

This commercial from Slo Down Wines claims their 2011  sexual chocolate wine goes great with equestrianism. Really? Interesting! Why? Must be the fifty shades of grey effect. See the clip here.

Your Own Spankalicious Tardis Paddle

Exophilia is the love for extra-terrestrial life forms. I wonder if there is a specific term for a doctor Who fetish. 

Geeks love Doctor Who and kinksters apparently too. Found this paddle on Tumblr. Clearly some one with too much time on their hands created their own spankalicious tardis. Doctor's orders. Lol.

The Tardis: Not only bigger on the inside but kinky as well. (Image: Gaming in your underwear)

Light sculpture by Forms in Nature

This light sculpture definitely has the wow factor. Forms in Nature is an artwork with a light source surrounded by a dense and unruly tree and root system created in miniature sculpture. The forest is mirrored around it’s horizontal central axis and forms a circle 360 degrees around the light source and thereby leads one onto the notion of a real world versus an underworld.

Perfect for the dungeon that dares to be different (Image: Hilden Diaz)

Dominance In Space: The secret logs of Mistress Janeway

Xena the Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are action heroines with dominatrix overtones [1]. So is Captain Janeway. One talented fan made that idea come true. Captain Janeway by day. Mistress Janeway by night.

Alpha in the Delta quadrant. (Image: Novad.org)

In the 1990s Star Trek dominated the tv screens of sci-fi fans once again. Star Trek Voyager began her journey in 1995 with Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway. She was the first female commanding officer in a leading role in the history of Star Trek. I watched it whenever I could. Years later I saw the Trekkies documentary. Clearly kinky people are not the only ones who love to dress up. It had a short segment on Captain Janeway as a dominatrix.

Baucis & Philemon: Not Your Average Hollywood Love Story

One of the worst kink clichés is "the deepest love is between a domme and a sub." Too bad if you are one of 7 billion people who is not into BDSM. You are forever condemned to an inferior kind of love. How can the depth of your love depend on your sexual preference?

Hollywood does not do a better job. Most movies are about young, attractive people who have to overcome some kind of obstacle before everlasting bliss starts. For a love story of a different kind look at the ancient Greeks.

Source: Redtree times