From the I-only-read-it-for-the-articles department, here’s some interesting news from our good friends at Playboy. The media powerhouse plans to roll out a site called The Smoking Jacket with content that will compete with “tamer” lad mags such as Maxim, Stuff or Esquire.

We’re not sure exactly how the lingerie-clad models of Maxim are “safe for work,” but we’re willing to go with Playboy on this one. The actual non-pictorial content of the magazine is generally on the same level as similarly formatted content from Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair. So why should those publications get all the mid-day browsing web traffic?

“Safe for work” translates to millions and millions of men and women being able to browse Playboy’s content during the long and dreary workday without fear of repercussion from employers. It also means they’ll be able to share this content without looking like pervs and sleazeballs… almost.

Playboy has previously dipped its toes into SFW waters with its (miraculously approved) iPhone application, which made it past Apple’s strict censorship of sexually suggestive or explicit content.

What do you think — would you be comfortable justifying “safe for work” Playboy content to your boss if he or she passed by your desk? Would you mind if your coworkers browsed this site or discussed articles from it within earshot?