Desiring Lawnmower

Gentlemen Broncos

We're big fans of Napoleon Dynamite, and all things Jared Hess. My claim to fame is that I had classes with John Heder (Napoleon) and even had a film class with Jared Hess' wife Jerusha at BYU. The next hit from the Hess team is "Gentlemen Broncos" due out later this year. Fans of Flight of the Conchords will recognize Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ronald Chevalier. I am so stoked for this film! Hit up the trailer. Thanks Jeff for the link!

Priceline.com Quality Guarantee?

I'm searching for a hotel on Priceline.com and I read their "Quality Guarantee" which states, "If the hotel you purchase does not match our promise below, just call us before your check-in date and we'll change or cancel your hotel reservations at no charge." Alright. I'm just curious about how you would know that your hotel is sub-standard before your check-in date? If you get there, check in, get into bed, and there are scorpions in the bed, is it too late to change or cancel your hotel reservation at no charge? Sheesh!

Hands-On With the New Zune HD

CNET has a good hands-on review of the new Zune HD that Microsoft will be releasing this fall. The Zune HD supports 720p video content, although the Zune HD screen resolution doesn't support it, and it gets scaled down to 480x272. The review says, "Speaking of Wi-Fi, the Zune's new Web browser smokes. Not since first using the iPhone have I been this impressed with a mobile Web browser." I don't think the Zune HD will be replacing my iPod Touch any time soon. Will you be buying a Zune HD?

Incipio, a Successful Company

Don't you love it when you have a good experience with a company? You're looking for something, and a business offers the exact item you want, at the exact price you are willing to pay. It feels great!

I have been trying to find a nice-fitting, nice-feeling cover for my iPod Touch ever since I got it about a year ago. I purchased a handful of inexpensive covers (6 total) over the last year from Case-Mate, and from a few eBay sellers. The covers either broke, or they did not fit my iPod at all. Why is it so hard to find a good, affordable case for iPod Touch / iPhone?

Then I found Incipio. I bought a black dermaSHOT silicone cover for my iPod Touch 1st generation for $4.99 (w/ free shipping). It fits perfectly, has a smooth feel to it, providing a durable, non-slip surface, but one that doesn't stick when you try to remove it from your pocket. The first one had a tear in the bottom left corner, but they quickly sent me a replacement without any heckling. Incipio has a wide array of nice covers for all types of gadgets including iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Zune, Nintendo DSi, Amazon Kindle, and MacBook.

Incipio is a private company headquartered in Irvine, CA with offices in Hong Kong and Tennessee, and distributors all over the world. Incipio does a fantastic job marketing their products and providing the customer service to back it up. Their product packaging is well-designed and even reminds one of Apple's product packaging "experience." Incipio's web site lets you shop by device and quickly find the product you need. Shipping is free and arrives promptly. Incipio is a company that is positioned for success. If you've got a gadget and you're looking for a quality cover or case, check out Incipio. Full disclosure: Incipio sent me some pamphlets and stickers when I told them I'd like to do a write-up on them.

What good gadget cases or covers have you found?

Sunday Sketches

The Brain Science of Pornography Addiction

Regardless of one's moral or religious beliefs, the prolific saturation of pornography on the Internet and in the media cannot go unnoticed. It's no surprise that the availability of pornography is increasing, especially with an explosion of Internet-connected mobile devices and portable media players. Despite the economic hardships that many industries have suffered in recent years, the revenues of the pornography industry continue to grow. It is estimated that by 2013, the revenue from pornography on mobile devices alone will reach $4.9 billion. In the United States, the pornography industry annual revenues are estimated at approximately $13 billion, and over $97 billion worldwide, according to a 2006 statistic (obviously outdated), with the U.S. being one of the top producing countries.

What is it that makes consumers of pornography so addicted, and why does the porn industry continue to profit? Mark B. Kastleman, author of "The Drug of the New Millennium," says, "We need pleasure. We are pleasure-oriented beings." Exercise, music, certain foods, and other healthy activities can cause the release of neurotransmitters in the brain and give us pleasure. Just as a drug addict gets a surge of pleasure from taking illegal drugs, exposure to pornography produces an extreme chemical release of neurotransmitters in the brain. Some of these neurochemicals include dopamine (released with the same intensity as with cocaine use), norepinephrine (which causes the brain to remember the details of the exposure), oxytocin (which creates a powerful bonding with the viewer to the images), and seratonin (which creates a calming, peaceful feeling). In the same way that illegal drugs trick the brain into releasing its own endogenous chemicals, pornography fakes the brain into releasing a powerful cocktail of addicting, pleasurable neurotransmitters. Essentially, the addiction to pornography is not that different from actual chemical addiction. There is no ingesting or injecting of an actual substance, but viewing pornography can produce the same chemical release of neurotransmitters in the brain just as pharmaceutical or illegal drugs do. Jeffrey Satinover, M.S., M.D., Psychiatrist and Professor at Princeton University says, "modern science allows us to understand that the underlying nature of an addiction to pornography is chemically nearly identical to a heroin addiction: Only the delivery system is different, and the sequence of steps." Specialists who treat people with pornography addiction often say that it is harder to overcome a pornography addiction than a drug addiction because it involves many other complex emotions and situations, and because sexual attraction is built into our DNA.

What's more alarming are the psychological and behavioral impacts of pornography. Research indicates that consumption of pornography leads to adverse affects including increased marital distress, decreased marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction, infidelity, increased appetite for more graphic types of pornography and sexual activity associated with abusive, illegal or unsafe practices. Children who are exposed to pornography are at risk for developing sexual compulsions and addictive behavior, and face an increased risk of exposure to incorrect information about human sexuality long before a minor is able to contextualize this information in ways an adult brain could.

After repeated exposure to sexually explicit images, the brain habituates, or "gets bored," and the same images no longer cause the neurochemical release, according to Kastleman. Consequently, an individual will typically go to a more novel or disturbed level in order to get the same neurochemical release again. Kastleman mentions an interview with an FBI agent who handles child porn cases. The agent confirmed that in almost all of the cases that he sees, men usually start out by viewing "harmless" pornography, and after repeated use, the only thing that will give them the same level of pleasure is acting out against real people, or to view content that is more extreme, forbidden, or illegal. Kastleman cites research that links pornography use to child abuse, rape, incest, and sexual abuse.

Regardless of whether or not you think pornography is acceptable, today's technology allows us to see what happens chemically inside the brain during exposure, and to understand the reason behind the addictive nature of pornography. Anything that is as addictive has the potential to enslave individuals, affect their most critical relationships, and lead them to commit dangerous or illegal acts.