Slashdot Mirror


Dot-com Boom's Biggest Duds, From Flooz to iSmell

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "WSJ.com looks back on some of the boom's biggest busts, and catches up with once-optimistic inventors. A creator of the unfortunately named iSmell, a USB device meant to 'print' smells transmitted by websites or videogames, says, 'It was a heartbreaking experience, because we had put so much into it.' The digital currency known as Flooz crashed and burned when a ring of thieves defrauded the company out of $300,000 using stolen credit cards. Microsoft flushed iLoo down the crapper. CueCat, meanwhile, got a second life as a bar-code reader that doesn't pick up personal information. 'The cat got butchered, but it has spawned a cottage industry,' says the device's inventor."

1 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Waste of time posting JavaScript only links !!##@@ by Acc7 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Zonk, Why would you post a link that requires javascript to get anything other than a blank page??? It just wastes our time !!! ##@@!!!##@@

    Story sounds interesting but are you going to vouch for the link and come over to fix a hacked system?? If not, then either mention the link is script only or don't bother to post it.

    disappointed