Long-time readers are well-acquainted with the many good works I have done for the people of Earth. I have given them ProphetCharts [5], MarketMatrix [6], Prophet.net, a couple dozen books [7], SocialTrade [8], the Slope of Hope, SlopeCharts [9], and my beloved progeny. Closer observation yields more contributions on my part in the realm of fashion, particularly with respect to mime shirts, sweater vests, and a closet full of Ecco shoes only (no other brand will do).
Yet I have never been fashionable enough to conjure up surely one of the silliest startup ideas with, bar none, the worst name of all time: Fashism [10]. I only know of this site because I read about its demise [11] yesterday. Evidently Ashton Kutcher [12] (who, for reasons wholly alien to me, is heralded as some kind of tech-savant investing genius) put $1 million into this dog.
Even more incredibly, just as readers of Slope of Hope are called "Slopers", followers of the above-mentioned site were addressed as..........and I'm not making this up........fashists. I daresay the ubiquitous ignorance of the American public (particularly those drawn to such a site) safely shields them from the knowledge of the inhumane atrocities foisted upon countless millions of people who were tortured, raped, and gassed to death, but why bother with a little historical baggage when you can come up with a cute name?
(Note to self: open up a new mini-market to compete with 7-11 called Gestop & Go)
In any case, the entire business model of the site was as follows (don't worry, it'll only take you a moment):
That's it. That's seriously it. SocialTrade has about fifty times as much functionality, and this piece of crap got a million dollars in funding. I could, however, see its appeal.........
We're back in late 1999, people, but articles like [13] this are absolutely crammed with "but it's different this time." so don't sweat it. Everyone learned their lessons from 2000 and 2007, and it won't happen again. Honest.