March 10, 2006
Fictional dating fad comes true for "toothers"
It started as a prank that tricked the world's media but spoof stories about people using their mobile phones to hook up with strangers have come true, according to Reuters.
... "Gabriele Petino, 32, a disc jockey from Milan, told Reuters that when the story first emerged in 2004 he assumed it was false but gave it a try.
At L'Elephant, a bar on Milan's popular Via Melzo, toothers gather once a week with manager Massimo Maruccia on hand to explain the technology to beginners.
"It's all good fun," Maruccia said. "From behind the bar, we have a good laugh too, especially when you watch people scanning the room discreetly for the sender behind their messages."
... Fabio Moretti -- an architect who runs what he says is Italy's top "toothing" site, bluetoothing.it, with a 2,500-strong community -- says the technology offers people a new way to meet and advertisers a way to reach target groups.
"It's about having fun, another way to meet, to have a chat in a nightclub," he told Reuters. "And then there is the business side, which should not be underestimated."
Related:
-- Sex, Bluetooth, Made Up Fads
-- Whatever Happened to Toothing?
-- Toothing" on CSI:Miami episode
-- Italians get bluetoothing lessons
-- Toothing" on CSI:Miami episode
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