Swedish designer brand LELO is at it again. They recently announced what they call “A revolutionary development for the intimate lifestyle market…” It’s called SenseMotion, and it’s a line of high design couples’ massagers. Boasting motion-sensor technology more familiar to the iPhone and the latest video game consoles than sex toys, this is a first for this industry, and the first time vibrations in remote-controlled massagers can be changed via movements alone.

Lelo, no stranger to this site, and certainly to the integration of sophisticated design and strong technology have done it again. Remote controls work from up to 39 feet away, for what can only be described as a very adventurous time.

Unless you’re out there chasing tornados, braving hurricanes, or watching your garage get pelted with golfball sized pieces of hail, weather is pretty boring. Pin Up Weather is trying to change that for iPhone users. They’ve got the concept down — the $2 application teases users with videos of an attractive woman and then delivers the forecast. But if they want to us to consider their photos pinup, they have to work harder. We recommend checking out Olivia and Vargas for direction.

Almost in time for Valentine’s Day (you can give your significant other an IOU since the shipping will be late for Saturday’s silly holiday), we’re giving away two gorgeous LELO products. For her: the MIA, an elegant lipstick sized vibrator. Ultra high quality, an intuitive interface with “four modes of stimulation for total control in the midsts of ecstasy” — their words, not mine. And for the men, the BO, a rechargeable, pleasure intensifying ring for couples to enjoy together.

Want to enter to win? Comment below and for a chance to receive the set for you and your like-loved-want-to-be-loved one.

When it comes to vibrators, there’s only really one thing we need: functionality. This is not to say we don’t appreciate intricate, laser-etched designs or fanciful colors — as they cater to our non-primal urges — but a personal massager should be at least able to fulfill its basic task. JimmyJane’s products do both. For Valentine’s Day, they’re releasing version 2.0 of the waterproof, phthalate-free Form 6. And for those who are looking for sensuality but a different kind of stimulation, they also offer massage candles made from natural products, the porcelain containers of which feature line drawings, each of which is unique.

We want to turn you on to Brazil’s Alessandro Von Victor. Yeah, really, that kind of turned on. You see, Von Victor is an erotic-pop artist of the hot rod and tattoo school. The picture above is the type of G-rated work that gets his name out into the mainstream, but if you head to his site you’ll also find saucy photo-realistic, illustrations of girls that fit right in with DVDs under your bed. As a female, I find his art fun and tongue in cheek (hardly exploitative, as it might seem at first glance), and especially with the recent death of Bettie Page, it seems all the more appropriate to be writing about Von Victor. Not only can he do pin-ups, this Sao Paulo artist’s reach goes all the way to anime and manga, an interest he developed at a young age a. Bookmark this one for when you’re not at work.

So this morning I woke up in a James Bond kind of mood. Maybe it was the fact I fell asleep reading about how Amy Winehouse and her bouffant were too cracked out to record the theme song for the new Bond flick, Quantum of Solace. Maybe it was all of the gin martinis I had been drinking. I wasn’t looking, but somehow I found you — Penguin UK’s re-release of Ian Fleming’s classics. This time they’re done up in shimmering nude ’60s pinup fashion, with titles like “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” scrawled down Technicolor female backsides. Need a soundtrack to view these? Radiohead … if you’d please.

I know Valentines Day isn’t for 2 more weeks, but I had to give you a timely heads-up on the new LELO NEA Black Pearl Valentine Edition ($129). LELO is a Swedish company that specializes in luxury, design-forward pleasure objects. These aren’t your everyday vibrators — no sir — they are thoughtfully crafted to provide ergonomic pleasure and are definitely eye candy. The Valentine Edition was designed by Jesper Kouthoofd (from Acne) who chose to “interpret the romanticised aesthetics of an archetypal sweet heart tattoo.” The final product “hints at an age of innocence — vintage 1950 — with undertones of a tender naivety reserved for the realm of pristine love” (sorry to quote so much, but these words are too good). LELO sent me one of these to ‘try,’ and without telling you all of the details, let me just say that LELO will change your mind about these sorts of things; that is, if your mind hasn’t already been changed. The Black Pearl Valentine lasts 7 hours on a 2 hour charge, has LED buttons that guide you through several ‘speeds,’ and comes wrapped in a sweet and discreet box. Maybe Valentines Day will actually be fun this year. If you want to see a hands on review of the NEA, check out NOTCOT.

Have you ever beheld such a beautiful sight as this? Sure, it’s not Uranus, but it is every bit as remarkable. This is a real photo that was taken by the Cassini Probe which is currently ‘chilling’ in orbit around Saturn. It is part of a mosaic of 165 shots taken from within the shadow cast by the planet itself (I’m guessing it is analogous to an eclipse, and that the sun is directly behind lady Saturn in this shot). The probe swooped further-in for a little look-see and took some shots of the lakes of liquid methane on Titan–which is Saturn’s moon. Sexy stuff. It is stuff like this that hammers home the fact that we are but a blip on the radar. Finally, I know this post is about Saturn, but how about a little Uranus trivia (it is my favorite planet after all): my memory is telling me that Uranus has vertical rings. Is my memory correct? Leave a comment if you know.

Via BoingBoing

It’s rare I just ‘stumble’ upon an interesting shop when I’m visiting NYC– I stay pretty tapped in to my contributors (and family) living here. But, for whatever reason, until now, I’d never been inside the doors of the famed Babeland store in Soho. Today I lost my Babeland virginity and ventured inside. The shop was lined with what I expected: Sex toys of all shapes and sizes, rocket-power vibrators, how to guides and everything in between– this was nothing new. What surprised me was the decor: sleek, minimalist and clean– and the vibe( no pun intended) was unpretentious, helpful and fun. The founders Rachel Venning and Claire Cavanah really have done a great job with this shop and the overall branding. There are two locations in NYC: Soho and the Lower East Side, as well as the original Seattle, WA Flagship, and a recently (2005) debuted fourth store in Los Angeles, CA. Not surprising, Zagat recently awarded Babeland Soho with “the best shopping experience in New York.”