Archive for the ‘Learn Something’ Category

Stop and Listen

Posted: May 31, 2014 by Isaac Cross in Advice, Learn Something, Philosophy
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Last night, I went and experienced a live performance by an amazing artist, a violinist named Lindsay Stirling. If you are unfamiliar with her work, here are a few of my favorite pieces of hers, including several of her joint ventures with some of my other favorite artists, including Peter Hollens and Pentatonix.

Pure Stirling:
Crystalize
Elements
Zelda Medley
Shadows

Awesome Collaborations:
Shatter Me, featuring Lzzy Hale from Halestorm
Mission Impossible, featuring The Piano Guys
Radioactive, featuring Pentatonix
Star Wars Medley, featuring Peter Hollens

Ok, so now that I have adequately promoted the artist, it time for me to complain.

I was about 8 layers of people back from the stage, and yet for half of the performance, all I could see was this:

(Image Courtesy of rollingstone.com)

(Image Courtesy of rollingstone.com)

I will admit, I took about a dozen pictures during the concert. But a lot of these people, never dropped their arms. For the entire concert, all they paid attention to was whether they were getting a good shot, either in stills or recorded video.  (more…)

Kinky Business

Posted: May 23, 2014 by Isaac Cross in Advice, Learn Something
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So, a few of you may have noticed that CollarMe.com is gone. If you bother to read the blogs and comments, you will know that this is due to a long running business dispute between the site’s two co-founders.

The root of the problem seems to stem from the fact that one of the partners trusted her “friend” to do the honorable thing and did not have a formal agreement in place to protect her interests and assure that she was treated fairly.

Unfortunately, this happens all the time when friends or acquaintances go into business together. Even if everyone involved is acting in good faith, you all might have different ideas about what the best course of action is, and if you don’t have a written agreement in place, there are going to be serious issues.

And within the Kink community, people’s reluctance to do things “on the books” makes things much worse. (more…)

My First Time in a Dungeon: The Merits of Not Censoring Scenes

Posted: May 12, 2014 by Isaac Cross in About Me, Learn Something, Life Log, Philosophy
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I first held a knife to a girl’s throat in a sexual/BDSM context in 2001. I was 16 and I cut myself pretty bad during that experience. This would not be the last time I cut myself during knife play, but I have never drawn blood from a partner unless I meant to.

A few years later, in spring of 2005, I started playing with the girl who is now my wife. We were 19 at the time.

We were not allowed into play parties, our local convention, or most other other types of events in the area. Because everything was 21+. This meant that we took most of our cues and early BDSM ideas from internet porn (which, it turns out, is not a reliable source of accurate information about responsible play). There were mistakes, some of them resulting in injury.

When I was finally turned 21, in 2006, it was a mere few weeks before Thunder In The Mountains (TITM).

Now, if you have never been to TITM, I will simply describe it this way: Hundreds of people, sometimes as many as a thousand, the largest dungeon you will probably ever see (at nearly 50,000 square feet) and some of the most famous or notorious names in Kink from around the world. (more…)

I Don’t Use Safewords

Posted: April 24, 2012 by Isaac Cross in Advice, Learn Something, Philosophy
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“I Don’t Use Safewords”

That statement probably upsets some people. There are a lot of safeword advocates in the BDSM community, but if you give me a few moments, I can explain to you why safewords are more trouble (and more risk) then they’re worth.

(more…)

Moral Relativism (Part 2 of 2)

Posted: December 19, 2011 by Isaac Cross in About Me, Learn Something, Philosophy
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In the last few days, since I posted this explanation of moral relativism on a forum, I have received a few email requests to clarify some points or respond to some other ideas, so I decided to expand on the subject with a few…

Counter-Arguments and Bad Examples

#1: It’s only wrong when other people do it. When I do it, it’s “subjective”. (Hypocrisy)

(more…)

Relative Immorality (Part 1 of 2)

Posted: December 19, 2011 by Isaac Cross in About Me, Learn Something, Philosophy
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I recently read a post in an online forum wherein a person said that female circumcision is wrong in every circumstance, including an adult female who has requested the procedure. No one really challenged him on this assertion, but several others did pipe up with various acts that they believed were “wrong” or “immoral”. So I responded with my view on the subject, which as been modified and reproduced below.

(Not that it’s relevant or necessary for this discussion, but here’s a link to the wikipedia page on female genital mutilation if you don’t know what I’m talking about and feel like learning about a disturbing practice that is primarily performed on children in third world countries.)

Fair warning: What follows is a long rant on moral relativism, a concept that many people are intensely uncomfortable with. If you can’t read and/or respond to writing on this topic without being offended and getting rude, I suggest and encourage skipping it.

(Originally posted on 12/16/11. Modified From the Original Version and Formatted to Fit Your Screen)

(more…)

What Makes You Bi?

Posted: December 6, 2011 by Isaac Cross in About Me, Learn Something, Philosophy
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This post is a re-write of a comment I wrote elsewhere on the intertubes. But I haven’t really talked about this here, so I wanted to crosspost.

When pressed, I identify as straight. I do so because I am not attracted to male-ness or masculinity. And I feel that sexual identity is based in your mind, not your behavior. I don’t actively desire sexual contact with men, so I don’t consider myself to be bisexual. I don’t even find the “hetro-flexible” label works for me because it’s not about the “right” man. I’m just not into them. (more…)

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