Users grew attached not despite the errors, but because of them. The SASSIE felt like a quirky roommate, not a surveillance tool. FogBank died in 1996 after a class-action lawsuit. It turned out the SASSIE 2000’s “random mood suggestions” weren’t random at all—they were pulled from a hidden 500-line text file of stock phrases written by a single overworked intern named Kevin. Kevin had never studied psychology. He just liked ambient music and horror films.
Because the SASSIE was wrong in interesting ways . fogbank sassie 2000
The SASSIE 2000, by contrast, used flawed, analog, environmental data. It would declare a room “nostalgic” when someone just opened an old book. It once flagged a cat as “mildly contemptuous” (accurate). Another time, it interpreted a nearby subway train as “impending doom” and started playing Gregorian chant. Users grew attached not despite the errors, but
By Alex Rinehart Retro Tech Chronicles