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Microsoft's iLoo Project A Hoax

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the taken-in dept.

minesweeper writes "It appears that the 'iLoo,' a portable toilet with Internet access designed by Microsoft, was actually just a hoax issued by its MSN division in the United Kingdom. In addition to receiving press here on Slashdot, the fake release was also covered by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and Reuters. See a diagram of the iLoo here."

33 of 311 comments (clear)

  1. load of crap by Cally · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...as I said at the time. Boom, boom!

    --
    "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." -- Goethe
  2. a hoax by greenalbatros · · Score: 5, Funny

    and if you were unfortunate enough to have fallen for it, your picture and whatever it was you did in there will soon be posted on the internet for the world to see. Trusted computing my arse

    --
    this sig steers like a cow. and i can prove it
    1. Re:a hoax by Fesh · · Score: 4, Funny

      I put some thought into it... I'd have called up goatse.cx as the last thing before exiting. Talk about leaving an unwelcome surprise in the toilet...

      --
      --Fesh
      Kill -9 'em all, let root@localhost sort 'em out.
  3. Yeah, but by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    unfortunately.. it turns out Longhorn wasn't a hoax. :(

    1. Re:Yeah, but by Surak · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hmph. With no iLoo, where will users put there er, 'Longhorns'?

      --
      My journal has hot /. gossip.
  4. Typical Microsoft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    An April fool that's wayyy late.

    1. Re:Typical Microsoft by banzai51 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Come on, when has MS ever hit a release date?

  5. dont read if you offend easily by daveatwork · · Score: 5, Funny

    sooo, not only do microsoft talk shit, they talk shit about making things that deal with shit, which end up being as useful as shit, because, in the end, its all shit... :-)

  6. Whoever's responsible... by worst_name_ever · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm sure when they find out the name of the guy responsible for the hoax, his job will be flushed...

    --

    In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
  7. Does that mean ... by dereklam · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does that mean the iLoo has gone down the toilet?

    1. Re:Does that mean ... by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 4, Funny
      No, just that the current marketing plans have been flushed.

      It will be all over the papers afterward.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  8. It is Fiction? by drwav · · Score: 3, Funny

    but... I thought reality was supposed to be stranger than fiction.

  9. Hrmmm.... by sdiver · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So what are the chances MicroSoft thought this was a legit idea upon releasing the concept, only to backpedal and say it was a "joke" a few days later? Seems like and odd joke to me...

  10. BSOD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
    Just imagine if they had made one and you had to
    take a 3-flusher. All of a sudden, BSOD. The bowl
    is full. You need to flush, but the flush control is a
    mouse click and you can't reboot (that's locked out
    by their new DRM controls so only the janitor
    can reboot). Stranded


    Or, could you imagine the germs on the mouse or
    trackpad. Or you were in New York where no one
    washes their hands. Or porn....

  11. Also on CNN by TheMidget · · Score: 4, Informative

    click here (don't be afraid, it's not one of those links that are on-topic to this story in their own special way...)

  12. Not a totally bad idea. by Deathlizard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Although having a Portable PC in a Porta-potty doesn't make much sense, it seems like a somewhat good idea in a permament environment.

    I mean realistically your going to be sitting down anyway and since your basicially a captive audience you might as well read up on the news or sports while your there. It's better than reading the writing on the wall.

    Of course a paper would be just as good, but something like this built into a wall would be more up to date. It doesn't really need to be interactive either. just run headlines, Sport Scores and Stock Market tickers.

    --
    In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
    1. Re:Not a totally bad idea. by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I just keep thinking of the study where computer keyboards were found to be dirtier than toilet seats...

      I mean, do you REALLY want to be handling a keyboard that was handled by the guy in front of you, who was ALSO in the process of cleaning feces off of his bottom. Hint, the sink and soap are NOT in the stall.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    2. Re:Not a totally bad idea. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I've often wondered about this, and I think it is simply because some people take longer than others to drop a loaf. Some can force it out, but others have to let nature take it's course, so they have to sit there for ages and bring some reading material.
      In short, there are both passive and active shitters - to the active, the shitting is it's own reward. With passives, it is merely a distraction.

  13. So How Does This Affect by The+Dobber · · Score: 4, Funny


    The Open Source communities efforts to build a better shitter?

    1. Re:So How Does This Affect by aug24 · · Score: 4, Funny

      The OpenLoo project's stalled...

      --
      You're only jealous cos the little penguins are talking to me.
  14. Apple iTolete by POds · · Score: 3, Interesting

    i wonder if this was inspired by the Apple iToilet

    --


    Giving IE users a taste of their own medicine since 2005 - http://pods.-is-a-geek.net/
  15. Shit by A+Proud+American · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess this means I should cancel my GNUPoo project over at SourceForge.

  16. Damn that 5ux0r5!! by Wo-Fat · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was looking forward to writing the W32/flusher.gen virus. I had all my plans in the works. Automatic flushing, and handwashing alarms....

  17. Yes of course, they had to retract... by joto · · Score: 4, Funny

    After all, iLoo was already trademarked by Apple, the new toilet from Microsoft will be called Microsoft Shit 1.0.

  18. Absolutely not a hoax, just a major screwup! by Brian_Ellenberger · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here is the Google Cache for the iLoo.

    How can your own company hoax itself?!?! This wasn't just some Onion article or fake email everyone sent out. It was a bloody press release! And it was NOT an April Fools Trick as it dates May 2nd.

    Gee everybody was fooled into believing the iLoo was real because Microsoft issues a press release saying it was building the darn thing. Really pulled one over on us...

    MAYBE the truth is that Microsoft recieved so much bad press over it that they decided to pull the iLoo and pretend it was a joke. If that is the case, aren't there regulations against such things?

    Brian
    1. Re:Absolutely not a hoax, just a major screwup! by truthsearch · · Score: 3, Informative

      If that is the case, aren't there regulations against such things?

      In the US there are regulations against false advertising, but AFAIK press releases don't count. Press releases are released to the press (for those who couldn't figure that out) and not published by purchasing ad space. So it's my understanding a company can announce whatever they want and the press can report it. What they can't do is buy a billboard and post a picture of the iLoo on it saying "Contact your local plumber!"

      --
      Developers: We can use your help.
    2. Re:Absolutely not a hoax, just a major screwup! by Dossy · · Score: 3, Funny

      And it was NOT an April Fools Trick as it dates May 2nd.

      Uh, it would be very un-Microsoft-like for them to release something on time. It was probably intended for April 1st but release got delayed by 32 days.

      -- Dossy

      --
      Dossy's Blog
  19. Not in my lifetime... by pongo000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...would I have ever thought I would see /. ranked right up there with the big boys:

    In addition to receiving press here on Slashdot, the fake release was also covered by The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, and Reuters.

    What prestige! I bet my boss wouldn't even notice if I swapped out his beloved Journal with a copy of today's /. headlines. Hell, he might even stop bitching at me about wasting time reading all that geek drivel, now that he realizes he's been in good company all along.

  20. This was not a hoax! by Black+Perl · · Score: 5, Informative

    This time, SFgate is wrong. It's not a hoax. Read the article. It's a legitimate experiment to build a prototype for the Glastonbury festival. It's just that it got so much attention that an embarrassed Microsoft had to say that it wasn't officially sanctioned communication. This does not mean it's a hoax. The SFgate chose a poor headline, especially after the reporter verified that the project was true.

    --
    bp
  21. Do we all believe it actually is a hoax ? by tmark · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It *could* be just P.R. damage control designed to counter how silly MS was looking. The CNN article I read indicated that the legitimacy of the toilet was attested to by several other MS staffers.

    1. Re:Do we all believe it actually is a hoax ? by Fishstick · · Score: 4, Interesting

      the headline claims it was a hoax, the article says the release was "false", but then later says

      The Associated Press received confirmation of the project from both Microsoft Corp.'s Waggener Edstrom public relations firm and London-based Red Consultancy, which handles such work for the software giant in England.

      In an e-mail sent last week to The Associated Press, Red Consultancy's Ben Philipson wrote "MSN is really working on building a prototype for the Summer festivals, perhaps Glastonbury ... This is very much a 'toe in the water' experiment to gauge interest so we'll have to see how it goes, although judging from response so far it's really captured people's imagination!"

      Malina Bragg, who helps with MSN's account for Waggener Edstrom, also verified last week that the project was true.

      Where did Microsoft say that this wasn't real? All they said was that it wasn't "sanctioned commuinication" and that they "apologized for any "confusion or offense". Sounds like they just are embarassed. They might get the UK office to pull the plug on the thing, but it doesn't sound like anyone "made this up".

      Sounds like somebody just really wanted to put "hoax" in the headline, regardless of the facts.

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

  22. Microsoft incapable of making toliets... by dcavanaugh · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who would think of trusting Microsoft with a device as important as the toilet? What would stop every script kiddie in the area from using your bathroom? How far from your computer does the toilet have to be in order to prevent Microsoft toilet viruses from reading your Outlook address book? How reliable would such a toilet be?

    So you upgrade to the Palladium toilet, but now you can only go to the bathroom when Microsoft says it's OK.

    Microsoft Flush 2003 offers very little improvment over Flush 2000, but you have to buy it because of "Potty Assurance (tm)." The new requirement of having each bathroom visitor sign the EULA looks annoying at first until you realize that the hardcopy EULAs are useful as toilet paper.

  23. Darn! by neildiamond · · Score: 3, Funny

    I thought Microsoft was finally being innovative!