Against Government and adult industry wishes.

Global web domain authority the IANA has added the .XXX “sponsored” top level domain (sTLD) to its root nameservers on Friday, according to the organisation's records.

The names sex.xxx and porn.xxx resolved under the new TLD for the first time on Friday, DomainName News reported over the weekend.

These and the website of the newest top level domains  registrar, ICL Registry, now resolve under .XXX.

ICANN had approved the .XXX adult content domain in March after seven years of debate and despite opposition from its Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). The regulator initially approved ICL Registry's application for the TLD in 2005.

The Australian Government had opposed .XXX, arguing that it would not segregate porn but duplicate it since these websites would remain on .com.

Last October, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy told ICANN that there was a “lack of identified public benefit” from the TLD.

The wholesale price for .XXX domains will be higher than other TLDs at US$60. According to ICM Registry spokesperson Greg Dumas, it could offer higher protections against malware threats than .com sites.

ICL claimed in a Twitter update to have almost 600,000 pre-registrations.

The company has established three routes to reserving a .XXX domain. Those inside the adult industry can reserve a name for fixed or indefinite period, while the third route will be for outsiders that want to block a name from being used. This type of customer would secure a “blocked name”.

A likely source of revenue for ICM Registry will occur in the event that two applicants have applied for the same name. It plans to settle such conflicts by holding a “mini-auction” between approved applicants.

Source: CRN

A man caught fire Wednesday evening inside a San Francisco porn store and was fighting for his life in the hospital after suffering third-degree burns, KCBS-TV reported.

Arson experts said it was not clear what ignited the fire but police said the man had been watching videos in a private booth when the blaze erupted.

The man ran out the front door of the adult arcade "engulfed in flames" and was spotted by police standing across the street, a police spokesman told KCBS.

"He came out of the building already on fire," Lt. Kevin McNaughton said.

Firefighters, who luckily were only about a block away on an unrelated call, raced to the scene and doused the flames.

Source: News.com.au

A major win has been scored in Europe against the content industry and several governments who are trying to impose censorship on the internet through ISPs. The European Court of Justice, the highest court in Europe, gave a preliminary opinion which states that no ISP can be forced to filter the internet, especially not enforce copyright.

The advocate general's preliminary opinion is not the final ruling, but the Court generally does follow his advice. We're talking about filtering systems that could be imposed upon ISPs by courts, spurred on by the content industry, of course. The advocate general is clear.

"Advocate General Cruz Villalón considers that the installation of that filtering and blocking system is a restriction on the right to respect for the privacy of communications and the right to protection of personal data, both of which are rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights," Villalón opines, "By the same token, the deployment of such a system would restrict freedom of information, which is also protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights."

Since this is the highest court in Europe, which bases its rulings on what is, for all intents and purposes, the European constitution, it can't be overruled by a higher court. If the court adopts the opinion of the advocate general, it would strike a major blow to the content industry, which has been trying to limit the freedom of the web - attempts which are of course greeted with joy by governments the world over.

A government - not the individuals within it, but the whole - innately strives to strengthen and extend its power, and since the internet has proven to be a threat to that power by empowering the people, anything that curtails the freedom of the web is welcomed - silently, but sometimes openly - by governments.

Rick Falkvinge, founder of The Pirate Party, points out what the consequences of this possible ruling are. "This means that Eircom can no longer be forced to eavesdrop on its customers to filter out certain parts, and it means that Danish ISPs can no longer be mandated to censor The Pirate Bay and AllOfMP3. Black Internet in Sweden can give the finger to the court order to block The Pirate Bay. Many, many aggressions from the copyright industry stand to just fall flat on their face," he details, "You would think that respecting fundamental rights wouldn't need to go to the highest level, but now it has, and they have been respected."

The only thing that could classify as a loophole is that laws that require ISPs to censor the web can still potentially be enacted, but they must be tested against a set of very strict criteria. Falkvinge, however, claims this isn't really a loophole at all, since the criteria are incredibly strict.

This is very good news for internet users in Europe, and a major win for the freedom of information. It also makes it more difficult for governments to get their filthy, inefficient, and chocking grip on the internet.

"The way forward for the copyright industry appears permanently blocked," Falkvinge concludes, "I hold it as absolutely improbable that they'll get paragraphs in the referred European Charter of Human Rights that puts the copyright monopoly before the sanctity of correspondence, of personal data, and freedom of information."

Source: OSnews

Many of the daily habits -- from the cold remedies you use to the food you eat -- could be behind your flagging libido.

Treating the problem with drugs could not probably be the answer. In fact, the solution might be simpler, the Daily Mail reported.

A few of the passion busters are:

White bread: Eating too much white bread and other refined carbohydrates can zap your sex drive, says Helen Bond of the British Dietetic Association.

'Foods such as white bread release the sugar more quickly than their wholegrain counterparts and too much sugar is associated with energy slumps,' which mean no energy for sex, she adds.

Cold and flu remedies: Over-the-counter cold and flu remedies are well-known libido dampeners, says John Tomlinson, specialist in men's sexual health and trustee of the Sexual Advice Association.

Abercrombie & Fitch's preppy style has made it a favourite with teens and tweens.

But the fashion chain was the subject of outrage today after it released a range of bikinis for eight to 14-year-olds with padded cups.

The Abercrombie Kids 'Ashley push-up triangle' top, which retails for $24.50, features thick padding in the cup to give the illusion of a larger chest size.

But psychologists today called the design 'appalling' and 'dangerous'.

Speaking to FOX411, parenting expert Dr. Janet Rose said: 'This is appalling. If a parent buys a padded bikini for an eight year old, children's services should be called.

'The sexualisation of teens is bad enough and now this trend is trickling down to our babies.'

Hustler Video is resurrecting the world’s most famous vampire.

The company announced today that it will release its 3D parody of the classic horror tale, “This Ain’t Dracula XXX 3D” directed by Axel Braun this fall.

“It’s going to be a masterpiece. We’re not just making porn anymore. With the introduction of our new 3D camera, bigger budgets, and the overwhelmingly large caliber of theatrically talented performers, we’re discovering that we have the ability for not just pornography, but sensual and erotic filmmaking,” said Drew Rosenfeld, Hustler Video's creative director.

He added, “Everyone is eager to know what the future of porn will be. This is it. This is adult entertainment personified. We’re changing the way people view our movies. It’s not about popping in the DVD, grabbing a bottle of lube, and stroking one out. It’s now about the experience — the lust, the temptation, the eroticism, and of course, the release.”