Korean Experts Say Internet Of The Future Will Deliver Failed Business Ideas From The Past

from the still-doesn't-smell-like-a-good-idea dept

Thu, Mar 1st 2007 6:45am — Carlo Longino

A survey of some "experts" in South Korea, purportedly about what consumers will want from future technologies, is getting a bit of attention today, as it says that by 2015, the internet will deliver scents to some sort of smell-generating machine users have. Of course, this sort of thing has been tried before, and it's failed -- because people really didn't care -- while repeated attempts to revive Smell-o-vision in movie theaters haven't found much favor, either. While technology makes all sorts of new things possible, that doesn't mean they're automatically a good idea, or indeed that anybody will actually care about them.

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13 Comments

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James, 1 Mar 2007 @ 6:48am

Rediculous
I'm all for imaginative products, but smell-o (just about anything) is silly. Besides, some genius will figure out how to include a strong poop smell to go w/that nasty virus they just wrote.
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SmartAssWhizKid, 1 Mar 2007 @ 6:50am

I don't like it when friends deliver smells. Why would I want my PC or TV to?
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King of Scottland, 1 Mar 2007 @ 7:36am

Oh, Those Crazy Koreans
John Waters must be having a good laugh with this idea.

Next up: an electronic stick you put in your mouth to taste things online...Taste-O-Vision.

Could be an interesting app for the porn industry. (but what isn't)
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Jezsik, 1 Mar 2007 @ 7:44am

First things first
Deliver smells on-line? How 'bout they figure out how to deliver smells some other way first? I can't help but notice the astonishing selection of air fresheners available in the department stores. You need one container for every possible smell - and they think we'll stick a bookcase-size device beside our computer just to get some kinds olfactory output? Hey, technology geniuses, once you perfect the instant mixing of chemicals to produce smell, using a few basic ingredients, come back and talk to us.
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Casper, 1 Mar 2007 @ 7:46am

Why would I want to smell techdirt? We might have senses other then sight, but that doesn't mean we want to use them. Right now we can hear and see websites... and the majority of those who surf either have the sound turned off or listen to something they choose. Who would want to have a webpage full of advertisings smelling up your room? I don't know what viagra, pizza, and porn smell like, but it can't be good.
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MrPaladin, 1 Mar 2007 @ 8:29am

Movies that do things,,,
In Stone Mountain GA, there is a movie theatre called 4D theatre, where during the show you can get all sorts of extra things happen like feeling a breese on your cheeks, etc etc...

its novilty... but I wouldn't get a special chair and TV in my own home to do it, and I wouldn't pay a Computer company to make anything similar...
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Sam, 1 Mar 2007 @ 9:34am

Don't worry about it...
It will be part of microsoft's next OS and you won't have any choice about paying for it.
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PhysicsGuy, 1 Mar 2007 @ 9:36am

eh...
anything thing brings us closer to aldous huxley's vision of the future is fine by me :)
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Mar 2007 @ 11:35am

An application like this could have its place, but I doubt it will ever be anything more than a novelty. The only things I really think of it being useful for is for advertising things like perfume, food, scented candles, etc. And that would require us to buy a fancy piece of hardware to receive yet more advertising? I think not. Besides, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY the smells can be replicated authentically, just like electronic instruments, no matter how precise and accurate they may be, can never match the sound quality of acoustic instruments. There is simply no substitute for the original.

I think the people obsessed with this need to quit wasting their time and resources on this stupid technology and start being productive to society.
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Jack, 1 Mar 2007 @ 12:31pm

Re: eh...
I am Jack's free will.

anything thing brings us closer to aldous huxley's vision of the future is fine by me :)

You want to become a pharmaceutically enslaved drone? To each their own I guess. I suppose if the drugs work that well, I'd prolly give up my freedom for it too.

Oh wait, maybe you want to OWN the pharmaceutically enslaved drones... That could certainly have its benefits as well I guess.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Mar 2007 @ 2:36pm

"Available soon after, by 2018, will be robots small enough to swim along blood vessels in the human body finding, probing and healing any health problems they come across. "

Yes, and by the year 2000, we won't eat meals, but gain nutrition solely by eating a single pill per day. And we'll all wear silver jumpsuits.
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you know it, 2 Mar 2007 @ 12:09pm

Re:
"Available soon after, by 2018, will be robots small enough to swim along blood vessels in the human body finding, probing and healing any health problems they come across. "

i would have to say that this is correct. its already being developed.
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Bhekisisa, 7 Mar 2007 @ 7:40am

internet in future
I want a suggeation on whow south korea will use an internet in future
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