Crowdfunding campaign kicks off for mixed-reality hologram partners.

Hybri—the mixed reality app that will allow users to create custom hologram companions through the power of AR, VR, and AI—just launched a Kickstarter campaign for pre-orders. 

The project is seeking $250,000 in funds. The high-figure goal has been raising some eyebrows and is the target of criticism from some Future of Sex readers.

EDITOR’s NOTE 16/03/21: Hybri’s crowdfunding campaign was canceled after failing to meet its fundraising target in December 2020, according to the virtual companion project. The Future of Sex editorial team has since reached out to Hybri requesting confirmation of proof of concept and has yet to receive a response. 

We featured Hybri on Future of Sex back in April, but the company has added several updates to the app since then.

They include an interactive map integration, real-time weather function, and TimeTravel, a new feature that allows you to review your memories in AR/VR including any panoramic image or video from your phone in 360 VR. 

Hybri CEO Richard Donczi told Future of Sex:

You can see your pictures, talk about memories and even walk in space with your model who recognizes people and objects in the image using artificial intelligence.

Based on early subscriber feedback, they’ve also added Anime versions of their original models which brings yet another element of fantasy to reality.  

The Hybri team says its artificially intelligent avatars will have fully customizable personalities and appearances, even allowing users to upload images of loved ones with its PhotoScan function. 

This means it’s not just about creating the perfect virtual partner; it also allows for users to create hologram versions of family members or friends.

One video on their Kickstarter page shows a user named Dora interacting with a hologram of her deceased father, a feat that is both technologically impressive and incredibly poignant.

Though Hybri’s summer Kickstarter launch was scheduled before the coronavirus pandemic, it now comes at a time when a much wider range of consumers are potentially interested in virtual companionship due to social distancing and a decrease in physical intimacy.  

In an interview with Forbes Donczi said:

“Based on the number of subscribers (which is now over 20,000) there is a great demand for such an application,” he says. “During this period, the number of physical contacts has been reduced to a minimum, which is why we expect such an application to be beneficial for everyone.”

The app’s three different game play modes also makes it affordable, meaning users can choose to engage via a standard VR headset or simply through the app on their phone, removing the need for expensive external hardware. 

Customers can subscribe to the company’s Kickstarter campaign now while Hybri is still in development and receive 50% off the retail price. The app will be ready for use in about a year. 

Image soures: Hybri

The post Virtual Lovers on the Rise As Social Distancing Keeps Us Apart appeared first on Future of Sex.

“The more you tip, the more we can pay it forward!”

For anyone who says Los Angeles nightlife is over due to the pandemic, they’ve clearly never attended a Zoom strip show hosted by the Cyber Clown Girls.

The virtual experience was created by a collective of out-of-work strippers to generate income after their club, Jumbo’s Clown Room, closed at the beginning of quarantine.

However, their weekly events have evolved to include a philanthropic component, with portions of each show’s proceeds going to social justice organizations such as Black Lives Matter LA, the Sierra Club, and the Martha P. Johnson Institute.

So far, the Cyber Clown Girls have raised over $13,000 for social and environmental justice causes, and as the girls say, “The more you tip, the more we can pay it forward!”

A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream

Co-founded by dancers Gabrielle, Reagan (Megan Rippey), Coco Ono (Kayla Tange), and Kitty, the Stripperina (Kelly Vittetoe) the Cyber Clown Girls present themed showcases twice a week.

They feature a rotating cast of Jumbo’s current dancers, alumni, and friends from neighboring clubs, all live-streaming from their respective homes.

On the night I attended, the theme was A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.

It included the use of green screens, fairy costumes, Shakespeare trivia between dances, live gesture painting, and playful audience banter in the chat moderated by the host, Reagan, or as she was known for that night, Titty-tania, Queen of the Fairies.

It was magical.

“It’s really been a blessing to be able to experiment and play around with different technologies and make new kinds of art,” Rippey says of the show’s whimsical and theatrical elements.

“A lot of us are actors and performance artists as well so we have a lot of costumes on hand. But you don’t need a pole or a bunch of props and fancy lighting to make the show entertaining,” she explains.

“It’s important that the show be creative without the pressure of worrying about high production value. All the girls really need is a cell phone and a corner of their apartment to put on a good show.”

The rise of the virtual striptease

The Cyber Clown Girls, who have been performing online since early May, are one of several LA striptease and burlesque groups that went virtual out of necessity, as most exotic dancers were not eligible for unemployment or pandemic assistance from the Stimulus Relief Bill.

Jumbo’s was one of the few, if not only, strip clubs in LA that has complied with the new California Law AB 5 that classifies independent contractors as employees, qualifying the current dancers to receive unemployment benefits.

“There wasn’t really anything that existed yet for our community,” Rippey says.

“Current Jumbos employees were a rare exception, and we know how privileged that is. That’s one of the reasons we created CCG. We took the radical initiative to create a streaming virtual live show that generates income for our stripper sisters, allows for uninhibited creative expression, and provides support for nonprofits, social justice and climate justice organizations during this unprecedented pandemic.”

Donating to social justice causes has become part of the DNA of the show, especially after the George Floyd protests swept the nation in June.

“That really changed things for us,” Rippey says. “While we’d been successful supporting each other during quarantine, it became obvious that our scope needed to be bigger and we really need to put our focus on these social justice issues, and harness our power for the greater good. It became a rallying cry for us.”

Cyber clown girl power

The virtual platform has also given the CCG dancers a new sense of agency.

“It’s definitely shown all of us that strippers and women are very capable of doing things on their own and creating and managing their own shows that support their community and their creativity,” Rippey says.

“It’s really been lovely seeing the customer response and how they’re supporting this idea. They love seeing us empowered and that feeds into the show’s success.”

Rippey believes that the shift toward virtual entertainment could have a lasting impact on the industry, from reforming how strip clubs operate and address issues like wage theft to how dancers and fans interact with each other.

“Our fans have developed a relationship with the performers and they care about them and support this endeavor. I think even when it’s safe to return to in-house performances again I could see us doing a monthly show where we can reconnect with our non-local community.”

Halloween party

Cyber Clown Girls’ upcoming Halloween special on October 29 might be a good indicator for how future streaming shows could operate in a COVID-safe environment, but with a higher production value than what is available on Zoom.

The Bourbon Room Hollywood will serve as a multi-stage venue for the Cyber Clown Girls and will be streaming on an independent platform by Rolling Live Studios.

Viewers can even preorder canned cocktails made by the bartenders at LA’s Harvard and Stone, or purchase packages that include access to VIP rooms and an afterparty with a costume contest.

As always, a portion of the proceeds will go towards social justice causes, which will include @genderjusticela, Save Our Stages LA, Clean Air Task Force, and @blmlosangeles.

Tricks & Treats: A Cyber Clown Girls Halloween, Live at the Bourbon Room
Thursday, October 29, 2020. 8 pm PST
Tickets at rollinglivestudios.com

Weekly Cyber Clown Girls shows on Zoom
Wednesdays, Saturdays
$5-$20, plus tips encouraged
More info at www.instagram.com/cyberclowngirlsshow

Image sources: Chad Goei. PSA Bench ads campaign by 10K Advertising @10k_advertising photography for campaign byMarc Goldstein @lefrenchgoth

The post Out-of-work Strippers Raise $13,000 for Social Justice Groups with Cyber Strip Shows appeared first on Future of Sex.

The mixed-reality project plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in May.

While Blade Runner’s reboot might have taken place in 2049, hologram companions like the character Joi could be available much sooner. 

The company Hybri is developing a mixed reality application that will allow users to create their own “digital human AI partners.” The app will enable people to interact with avatars in custom VR locations or any real-world environment through mobile augmented reality (AR) technology. 

EDITOR’s NOTE 16/03/21: Hybri’s crowdfunding campaign was canceled after failing to meet its fundraising target in December 2020, according to the virtual companion project. The Future of Sex editorial team has since reached out to Hybri requesting confirmation of proof of concept and has yet to receive a response. 

The app will be accessible via a standard VR headset or Google cardboard and directly viewed on a mobile phone or tablet. Additionally, Hybri’s companions will respond to voice and gesture control so external hardware isn’t required to give them commands. 

Users create their digital partners, or Hybrids, from one of six basic models and can customize everything about their appearance from clothing and hairstyles to body types and the sound of their voice. The app’s Photoscan function will even allow users to personalize their partner with the face of a real person by uploading any photo from their media library.

According to Hybri’s website, its AI-powered models live independent lives with unique personalities and behaviors. 

And although the app will provide over 50 sexual poses and animations to experiment with, not all Hybrids are designed for sex. Some can be configured just for friendship or platonic love, while others might be more difficult to establish any emotional connection with at all. 

During the initial setup process, the app will ask you if you want your Hybrid’s temperament to be playful, caring, funny, sexy, smart, or even violent. It’s up to the user to determine what kind of relationship they want from their digital partner; as Hybri says, “depending on your model’s configuration, they will miss you or argue with you. You can chat with them all day or even give them orders; the choice is yours.”

The developers of Hybri will allow pre-orders through its upcoming Kickstarter campaign in May of up to 50% off the eventual sale price. Early supporters will be able to purchase the app for $49 or the Hybri headset for $199. The Hybri system is expected to become available in December 2020. 

Image sources: Hybri

The post Hybri Wants to Bring Intelligent Hologram Sex Partners to the Masses appeared first on Future of Sex.

The best adult-friendly alternatives for when you get kicked off MailChimp.

Mailchimp isn’t the only email marketing service out there; however; the majority of mainstream newsletter services have all adopted the same policies regarding adult content under the law SESTA/FOSTA. 

Future of Sex recently interviewed BDSM educator Tara Indiana in the first of our two-part article series on how SESTA/FOSTA not only censors what content is publically shared online, but also controls what’s distributed privately through email newsletter services. 

Read Part 1: Why SESTA/FOSTA Bans Adult Content in Private Email Newsletters

Since the law passed in 2018, Indiana has moved from platform to platform in hopes of maintaining communication with her students. However, it’s become a game of cat and mouse, signing up for a new service, only to be banned again in a matter of days or weeks. 

“It’s like an unseen enemy,” Indiana said. 

I never know how long it will be before I’m locked out again or they’ll flag my newsletter as spam and it still won’t get delivered to my students, even if my account is still active. These constant interruptions in communication are really damaging to my livelihood and to others like me.

Salty, an online feminist newsletter that publishes articles about sex work, kink, dating, and LGBTQA+ issues has also been banned from multiple email marketing companies, including Mailchimp. 

Salty’s founder and director Claire Fitzsimmons told FutureofSex.net, “I think it’s important to talk about how stressful and alarming it is when something like that happens. You just feel totally disempowered.” 

Salty has since moved to an open-source platform for distributing its newsletter, and while it allows for fewer content restrictions, it comes with its own set of challenges. 

“We didn’t have a developer when we first started out so we had to hire someone to help us properly migrate our data to the new platform. Not having the technical knowledge to navigate open-source software can be a big roadblock for a lot of people,” Fitzsimmons says. 

So what are the best options when it comes to looking for a newsletter service that won’t censor content if you work in the adult industry or share information related to sex work? Here are the four best MailChimp alternatives: 

YNOT Mail

YNOT Mail is a full-service email marketing platform that’s found a niche supporting a variety of legal adult businesses and entrepreneurs, from webcam models and sex toy retailers to adult film companies and distributors. 

Unlike mainstream services like MailChimp or AWeber that specifically prohibit explicit content in their “Acceptable Use” policies, YNOT Mail is committed to “working with businesses that can’t get the priority they deserve with other email marketing platforms [and helps] them navigate an increasingly dangerous environment for email marketers, where simple mistakes can have big unintended consequences on email deliverability.” 

That means, they’ll work with you to ensure your newsletter doesn’t get flagged as spam. YNOT Mail’s prices range from $20 and 40 per month and it provides built-in email templates and an HTML editor which allows users to easily create and send out campaigns. 

Sendy

Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter application that runs on Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), a cloud-based email sending service through Amazon Web Services. 

It can integrate with other third-party apps like WordPress, and though it’s more barebones than Mailchimp, Sendy doesn’t charge a monthly fee.

Users can purchase a license for a one-time fee of $59, and pay an additional $79 for assistance installing the service. Once it’s up and running, Amazon SES’s scalable, pay-as-you-go model will cost you $1 per 10,000 emails.  

Moonmail

MoonMail is another cloud-based email marketing service that is similar to Sendy in that it runs on Amazon SES; however; it doesn’t require you to self-host or set up and configure your own server, and is also more secure in terms of your vulnerability to hacking when self-hosting. 

While it’s helpful that no technical knowledge or developer support is necessary to get started, when reached for comment regarding their policies on adult content, a Moonmail representative said content would need to be reviewed before approving. 

This potential obstacle is avoidable if you use their open-source option but you’ll need a self-hosted server. Paid plans start at $21 per month.

phplist

phpList is an open-source newsletter manager that is free to download and use. And because it’s open source, users always maintain full control over their data, and there’s an international community that contributes to the source code’s development and security. 

Similar to the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com, phpList.org provides its free software for users to install on their own servers. phpList.com offers the same open-source newsletter service but it’s installed on phpList’s servers and managed for a low rate that varies based on the number of subscribers or messages sent. 

For example, the $1 plan allows users to send 9,000 messages per month or connect with 3,000 subscribers for only $1 per month. phpList provides basic templates with documentation for customizing campaign designs, or you can receive paid support and further customization from a phpList developer. 

Regardless of which email marketing service you choose, Clare Fitzsimmon’s advice for those at risk of being censored is: 

Don’t get too attached to any one platform and be in charge of as much of your own content and content distribution as you can. We get targeted because of the work that we do and we need better digital platforms that will protect us from the people who want to harm or erase us. Until that exists, you just have to stay nimble.

Image sources: Gerd Altmann

The post 4 Email Newsletter Services That Won’t Ban You for Adult Content appeared first on Future of Sex.

In the wake of the new bills, sex educators and activists are getting kicked off of mainstream social platforms.

When BDSM educator Tara Indiana opened her inbox on her birthday, she expected to receive a few well-wishes and celebratory emails.

What she didn’t expect was a message informing her that her Mailchimp account had been shut down for violating the company’s Acceptable Use policy. 

“They don’t give you an explanation and there are no second chances. You’re just locked out with no access to your data,” Indiana told Future of Sex.

“The most shocking aspect is that this wasn’t an ad on a public platform. This was my private correspondence to the people who had signed up for my newsletter.”

Indiana has worked as a Dominatrix for more than 30 years but retired in 2016 to pursue teaching and advocating for sex workers’ rights full time. Of her 5,500 Mailchimp subscribers, 1,500 were students who regularly attended her classes on the Art of Female Domination. 

Read more: 4 Email Newsletter Services That Won’t Ban You for Adult Content

What the ffff…OSTA?

Prior to her newsletter ban, Indiana had also lost access to about 70% of the websites and social media platforms that she had used to promote her classes. Her new blacklisted status is due to the 2018 dual bill SESTA/FOSTA, or the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act. 

Presented to the public as a way to curb online sex trafficking; the bills actually harm the people they’re supposed to protect, largely because their sweeping language doesn’t differentiate between sex trafficking and consensual sex work or any related content. It also makes online platforms legally responsible for any user-generated content pertaining to sex. 

As explained in an article at Vox: 

Instead of directly targeting websites known to facilitate sex trafficking, the SESTA-FOSTA hybrid essentially sets up a template for ‘broad-based censorship’ across the web.

Writer Aja Romano argues the bills weaken “a famous and longstanding ‘safe harbor‘ rule of the internet: Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act…. Section 230 has allowed the internet to thrive on user-generated content without holding platforms and ISPs responsible for whatever those users might create.” 

After SESTA/FOSTA passed, websites immediately began eliminating adult-related content from their platforms for fear of being held liable under the new law, consequently silencing countless sex workers, artists, activists, and anyone using sexual language flagged through keyword searches and hashtags. 

“I’m not even technically or legally a sex worker any longer. I’m an educator,” Indiana said

I use my platforms to promote my classes and my political activism. But because I teach within the BDSM community and use words like fetish or kink in my newsletter, I’m targeted under the law just for informing my students about those classes. 

Indiana added that SESTA/FOSTA does little to stop online trafficking because by censoring all adult content, it subsequently deletes the digital trail that used to exist on social platforms and websites. This information helped aid in identifying online sexual predators and human trafficking rings.

Not only does the law push sex traffickers further underground, it forces consensual sex workers back onto the street because it’s taken away their ability to safely screen clients online and share information with their peers.

While SESTA/FOSTA puts marginalized communities at greater risk (there’s been a significant uptick in street prostitution and violence against sex workers since 2018, according to SF Bay Area officials) Indiana added that “anyone who cares about the freedom to share and distribute information or content online without censorship is impacted by this law.”

Image source: Clker-Free-Vector-Images, OpenClipart-Vectors

The post Why SESTA/FOSTA Bans Adult Content in Private Email Newsletters appeared first on Future of Sex.

A closer look at Caroline Spiegel’s online platform Quinn.

Online audio erotica is nothing new. 

For years, sites like Literotica and Reddit have been go-to sources for free aural sex recordings (in varying degrees of quality), and even Tumblr contained an extensive library before its NSFW content ban in 2018. 

But as the podcasting industry continues to generate an estimated $679 million in revenue, there’s a growing market for adult-oriented podcasts that cater to listeners who are tired of sifting through subreddits for specific kinks or sexual interests. 

Enter Quinn, the latest audio erotica startup whose minimalist, Spotify-esque interface is a visual respite from the chaotic jumble of pop-ups, animated ads, and grinding bodies that makeup mainstream sites like PornHub. 

Launched by Caroline Spiegel, the 22-year-old sister of Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, Quinn’s platform curates user-generated recordings and filters them by tags like erotic ASMR, guided masturbation, domination, dirty talk, and even accents. 

“Audio porn really gets at the sort of non-obvious intangible parts of sex that visual porn just doesn’t get at it in the same way,” Spiegel said in a recent interview with Bloomberg. 

Unlike Dipsea, another audio erotica site that charges $8.99 per month, Spiegel is still considering ways to monetize Quinn in a world where “people are not prepared to pay for porn.” Currently, users can only tip Quinn’s content creators. 

While the platform was initially created with millennial women in mind, after beta testing, Spiegel’s team found that almost half of Quinn’s users were men, which means the assumption is false that men are more drawn to visual porn while women prefer audio instead. 

Quinn’s research proves that giving users the freedom to imagine the scenes that accompany what they’re listening to appeals to all genders, and while audio pornography may never outpace its visual counterpart, it’s filling a niche where emerging sex tech often false short. 

“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh VR porn is the future and the more graphic, the more in-your-face kind of porn the better,’” Spiegel said. “Quinn is kind of a contrarian take. Human desire is more complicated and people want content they can really relate to, truly connect with.”

Image sources: whoalice-moore

The post Growing Audio Erotica Market Is Busting Gender Myths appeared first on Future of Sex.