Brian David Phillips

This is my site. I am Brian David Phillips. If you don't know what I'm up to or about, you probably shouldn't be here.

Interactive Drama

Gender and Gaming

by Brian David Phillips • December 6, 2004

Was looking for some references to Live Action Roleplaying and Freeforms (interactive dramas of the type I wrote my doctoral dissertation on) and stumbled across badgerbag’s gender and gaming. While I will agree that many within the gaming community are unaware that there may be a problem regarding sexism in gaming, I would note that…

Interactive Drama . . .
Live Action Role Playing Games

by Brian David Phillips • December 6, 2004

The New York Times take on LARP (live action role playing games) is worth a read. If you’re in Taipei and would like to participate in games of this type, check out the Taipei Interactive Theatre Socity.

Rumble Roses . . .

by Brian David Phillips • December 4, 2004

Picked up the PS2 game Rumble Roses . . . a bit of a guy title with hot babes wrestling one another . . . good stuff . . . take a look at the cosplayers at the UK premiere . . . Rumble Roses Premiere . . . even more good stuff.

Hypnosis Effective for Couples with Unexplained infertility

by Brian David Phillips • December 4, 2004

This is not new news it’s old news but it’s news nonetheless . . . hypnosis has been shown to be helpful for couples experiencing unexplained infertility. More and more couples are faced with infertility issues: A reported one in six couples have problems with fertility and conception and figures indicate that unexplained infertility accounts…

Hypnosis for Menopause

by Brian David Phillips • December 2, 2004

A Canadian study demonstrates that hypnosis is very helpful in the control of menopause symptoms . . . New weapon for women going through Menopause: New weapon for women going through Menopause A new weapon for millions of American women going through Menopause. Instead of taking hormones to relieve symptoms like hot flashes, many women…

Zipai and Oppai Hinpyo Kai
Self-Photography and Appraisal Hits Asia

by Brian David Phillips • November 30, 2004

The need and desire to see and be seen and to ascertain one’s worthiness is a fundamental human nature. Combine this with the exhibitionist and the voyeur and the zipai (self-photography) and Oppai Hinpyo Kai (breast appraisal) sites curently popping up in Asia make a lot of sense. Sites like EroticZipai.com and Oppai Hinpyo Kai…

64 Percent of Young Women Groped on Tokyo Trains

by Brian David Phillips • November 30, 2004

I’m all for groping . . . between consenting adults, that is . . . but this is ridiculous . . . 64 percent of young women groped on Tokyo trains: Nearly 64 percent of Japanese women in their 20s and 30s participating in a survey said they’ve been groped on trains, subways or at…

Taipei Hypnosis Workshop Meeting . . .Instant and Rapid Hypnosis Induction Methods
Good Session, Lots of Trancin’ Goin’ On

by Brian David Phillips • November 29, 2004

The Taipei Hypnosis Workshop Meeting . . .Instant and Rapid Hypnosis Induction Methods session went pretty well. We ended up with a lot fewer folks than expected as a few folks cancelled at the last minutes and others didn’t show. However, once we got underway, it was a great session. I covered the various mental…

Business Communication and Hypnosis

by Brian David Phillips • November 27, 2004

Michael Beale writes of Business NLP and Hypnosis for Communication: Would you consider it strange that many successful business people are attending master-classes on Hypnosis each year? There are many reasons why people attend such courses. One reason that appeals to the business community is the process of understanding the basic principles of hypnosis in…

Our Moral Values

by Brian David Phillips • November 24, 2004

George Lakoff has an interesting take on Our Moral Values as liberals must reposition and reframe their approach so as to combat the Strict-Father ideals of the neocons and religious right. It’s partly a matter of self-critique and parly a matter of reframe and influence. While I don’t buy some of the specifics, the general…

Fake Yahoo! Personals

by Brian David Phillips • November 24, 2004

Flshbot has a take on Fake Yahoo! Personals . . . when folks post personals that use images from celebrity models or porn stars. It sometimes seems amazing the photos folks will put up. Most of the culprits are guys pretending to be gals. They do this in part as a means to troll for…

Angels Across . . . America
What about Taiwan?

by Brian David Phillips • November 24, 2004

Victoria’s Secret has the Angels Across America tour and I’m thinkin’ . . . hey! What about us poor folks in Taiwan? Shouldn’t we get a chance to oggle incredibly hot superbabe models in their scanties? I’m thinkin’ . . yes! We should. So, where’s our Angels Across Taiwan tour? Ah well, the price of…

Sexual Tension

by Brian David Phillips • November 24, 2004

Elyse Butler, student at the Brooks Institute of Photography, wins the gold in the 59th College Photographer of the Year competition with her series Sexual Tension, an unusual series of photographs taken on adult movie sets. The images capture interesting moments and emotions, none of them pornographic. Very evocative series.

Post-Election Stress Syndrome

by Brian David Phillips • November 24, 2004

Evidently, the recount in Ohio has helped relieve some of the need for hypnotherapy among Kerry supporters . . . albeit, folks have been reporting a spike in stress-related issues as folks seek hypnotherapy after being shocked by the Bush-Kerry election results. A few conservative commentators have even gone so far as to ridicule folks…

Halo 2 . . . great but sucks

by Brian David Phillips • November 23, 2004

As some of you know, I’ve been waiting and drooling for the release of Halo 2 for the X-Box here for ages and ages. Well, finally, it’s out . . . and, finally . . . I got a copy. Lorraine picked up a copy of the local edition and an X-Box Live kit. As…

IMAX Taipei

by Brian David Phillips • November 23, 2004

Kaye, Lorraine, and I went to the opening of the new IMAX screen in Taipei . . . Friday night . . . it was great. Really great. The screen is huge, really huge. Unfortunately, the film was dubbed in Chinese. All the signs and posters are in English and there is nothing posted about…

Cleveland . . . a mass of naked flesh
Sharon Reed’s venture into gonzo reporting

by Brian David Phillips • November 23, 2004

I have mentioned this in another post, so a full entry is warranted. Many of you are already aware that I like the public installation work by Spencer Tunick (see the official Spencer Tunick webpages for more). Well, recently, Tunick went to Cleveland for another installation shoot. This is of interest to me because I…

Bangbus . . .
Investigative Reporters Discover Consensual and Legal
. . . duh

by Brian David Phillips • November 23, 2004

A Miami investigative report series has discovered that Bangbus is staged (link NSFW). That is, the models are not actually tricked into sex in the back of a van but are paid performers . . . Local10.com – News – Porn Bus Shoots Sex On The Move . . . of course, that wasn’t the…

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

by Brian David Phillips • November 17, 2004

Corbett is on to something . . . a picture speaks a thousand words . . . sure, it’s not quite as simplistic as that, but it’s awfully close. It is not coincidence . . . it is the real deal.

Hypnotic Sports Success . . . Virginia Tech Volleyball

by Brian David Phillips • November 17, 2004

Bob Reese, assistant professor of psychology at Jefferson College of Health Sciences and a doctoral student at Virginia Tech is working with the Tech Volleyball team as part of a study on visualization and sports improvement . . . Tech volleyball finds advantages in ways it never imagined. A number of studies have shown positively…

Enterprise . . . heating up . . .

by Brian David Phillips • November 17, 2004

As long time readers know . . . I love things Star Trek. My family and I have been watching the DVDs for the complete series of Star Trek: The Next Generation . . . devouring the show season by season. Once that’s done, we’ll be moving on to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as…

Could I Be Hypnotized?

by Brian David Phillips • November 16, 2004

Thomas Lux of the San Diego Reader asks the crux question . . . Could I Be Hypnotized? . . . the answer is more complex than one might expect. Some interesting background on hypnosis and mesmerism and the like as well as a take on Lux’s own experiences. Of course, the real question becomes…

We Have Ways of Making You Stop Smoking

by Brian David Phillips • November 16, 2004

Michael Fitzpatrick has a very interesting and biased take on comparison of Nazi anti-cancer campaigns against smoking and those of the Labour government in We have ways of making you stop smoking. While some of the comparison seems valid, he oversimplifies and extends implied facism even while denying the allegations. He attacks second-hand smoke studies…

Sex Between Students & Professors in Psychology

by Brian David Phillips • November 15, 2004

Kenneth S. Pope, Hanna Levenson, and Leslie R. Schover have decided they just can’t leave worm cans unopened . . . Sex Between Students & Professors . . . note the numbers and differences when genders are compared: In a nationwide survey of members of APA Division 29 (Psychotherapy) . . . 10% of the…