The Great Toothing Hoax
About a year ago 'Toothing' was the hot new thing everyone was talking about (well, okay, that a few people were talking about). It was the idea that people were using bluetooth-equipped mobile phones to find sexual partners in public places such as commuter trains. Toothers would beam messages to other people with mobile phones, 'Hey, wanna hook up?'... and if the answer was affirmative then off the two would go. This practice got a lot of media attention, but it's turned out that it was all a hoax dreamed up by Ste Curran and friends. He tells the story here. He decided to spill the beans after people on Slashdot (Jim Hanas in particular) started wondering what had ever become of the toothing craze. Jim contacted Curran, who was the creator of the original toothing forum, and got the confession. Curran states that: Despite all the made-up ramblings on websites across the globe, despite the forums and the fan-fiction, the tabloids and the broadsheets, the perverts and the simply curious, no-one has ever ever, ever toothed. There's always the possibility that toothing was real and Curran is lying when he now says that it was a hoax, but given the two options I think it seems more plausible that toothing was always a hoax.
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Categories: Sex/Romance, Technology Posted by Alex on Mon Apr 04, 2005 |
Comments (20) |
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I'm just an ordinary commuter on the rail using it to get too and from work
So imagine my surprise when just last Tuesday a blonde temptress took all her clothes off on the train and lured me into a private compartment with me.
Imagine my further surprise when on the next day, the Wednesday I met another blonde, blue eyed temptree and she did exactly the same thing.
That evening I met with some friends and relayed my experiances to them only to discover they had exactly the same thing happen to them.
(Fair's fair, this is a joke I pinched from ISIRTA, only they do it a lot better.)
Posted by Head of Railroads - Advertising Division on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 01:42 AM
So imagine my surprise when just last Tuesday a blonde temptress took all her clothes off on the train and lured me into a private compartment with me.
Imagine my further surprise when on the next day, the Wednesday I met another blonde, blue eyed temptree and she did exactly the same thing.
That evening I met with some friends and relayed my experiances to them only to discover they had exactly the same thing happen to them.
(Fair's fair, this is a joke I pinched from ISIRTA, only they do it a lot better.)
Head of Railroads said:
"I'm just an ordinary commuter on the rail using it to get too and from work
So imagine my surprise when just last Tuesday a blonde temptress took all her clothes off on the train and lured me into a private compartment with me.
Imagine my further surprise when on the next day, the Wednesday I met another blonde, blue eyed temptree and she did exactly the same thing.
That evening I met with some friends and relayed my experiances to them only to discover they had exactly the same thing happen to them."
Didn't I read that in Penhouse Forum?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 01:54 AM
"I'm just an ordinary commuter on the rail using it to get too and from work
So imagine my surprise when just last Tuesday a blonde temptress took all her clothes off on the train and lured me into a private compartment with me.
Imagine my further surprise when on the next day, the Wednesday I met another blonde, blue eyed temptree and she did exactly the same thing.
That evening I met with some friends and relayed my experiances to them only to discover they had exactly the same thing happen to them."
Didn't I read that in Penhouse Forum?
I know jaquing was cool for a while. To send someone messages, but pretend you're not & say things like, "I love your red shirt..." So someone is searching for whoever is watching them...sort of like hide & seek.
I think a site I came across that was half decent was called jaqued.com or something.
Posted by Maegan on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 06:46 AM
I think a site I came across that was half decent was called jaqued.com or something.
(P.S. I haven't actually been to that site in about 6 months, and didn't look at it before I made the reference...so if it doesn't work, it's not a conspiracy to keep people on 404 pages on the internet...I promise.)
Posted by Maegan on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 06:48 AM
Maegan, that's creepy!
:gulp:
Posted by Boo on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 06:51 AM
:gulp:
A friend of mine (who happens to be gay) told me one day that he goes to cinemas and uses his bluetooth to try and contact other gays in the room. Don
Posted by Someone on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 07:40 AM
I love the idea of meeting someone because your phones are compatible.
So sleazy!
😊
Posted by Boo on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 07:46 AM
So sleazy!
😊
I've been trying to get my hands on a bluetooth phone for the last 2 1/2 years. WAAAAY to expensive when I was first searching for a new wireless provider...and now I don't really care.
Posted by Maegan on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 08:18 AM
It's called Bluejacking and it's really popular in Europe, which seems to be ahead of the U.S. in phone service. I've had a bluetooth phone for years and never been bluejacked. Check out http://www.bluejackq.com/ for more information on this craze.
Posted by Bill B. on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 08:51 AM
I knew there was a q in it. I didn't think I was spelling it correctly. Thanks Bill B.
Posted by Maegan on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 10:35 AM
While I've never heard anyone refer to it as "Toothing", I have indeed used Bluetooth to meet people, sometimes anonymously, most times just socially, in bars and clubs. I haven't done it in awhile, since one encounter led to my current dating relationship, but I have one buddy who successfully hooked up this way the other night. I find it hard to believe that someone intelligent enough to create a joke forum doesn't understand that once you talk about it, someone does it. I'm sure there are people earnestly trying to "Tooth" every night, everywhere.
Posted by twip on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 12:02 PM
there was an article on the news about this a while, following one girl in particular who used the camera on her phone to take pictures of people, and then send them to that individual. very funny results, as can be expected. this now goes on at my school- people can send messages to the teacher's computer if they're using a wireless tableau thing. hours of hilarity.
Posted by Nick on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 12:54 PM
This one should be easy enough to test:
Assuming you're not Brad Pitt or Sandra Bullock--
Just try going up to a few dozen strangers and saying, "Hey, wanna hook up?" (or the like). If more of them respond affirmatively than laugh at you, stare angrily, call for a cop, or throw a hot beverage in your face, then sure, that "Toothing" thing was real.
(Admittedly, using an expensive gadget to send the message might change the results somewhat, but not by that much.)
Posted by Big Gary C on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 05:49 PM
Assuming you're not Brad Pitt or Sandra Bullock--
Just try going up to a few dozen strangers and saying, "Hey, wanna hook up?" (or the like). If more of them respond affirmatively than laugh at you, stare angrily, call for a cop, or throw a hot beverage in your face, then sure, that "Toothing" thing was real.
(Admittedly, using an expensive gadget to send the message might change the results somewhat, but not by that much.)
I remember when there was an annoyingly loud buzz about Toothing. My only impression was that the name of the practice was really, really, unforgivably stupid. Not that Bluetooth is great either. Where do corps get their stupid product names anyway? "We want people to think that our wireless phone function is so great, it will make their teeth blue!"
Another thing I kept thinking was that no matter how attractive a hypothetical Toother might be, the fact that they are doing something called Toothing would be a huge turn-off, especially if they actually typed or (yech) said it.
Posted by Barghest on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 07:38 PM
Another thing I kept thinking was that no matter how attractive a hypothetical Toother might be, the fact that they are doing something called Toothing would be a huge turn-off, especially if they actually typed or (yech) said it.
I'm pretty sure the reason Ericsson chose the name "Bluetooth" was that it sounded interesting, and it paid homage to a historical figure that was important to them, namely the Danish king nicknamed "Bluetooth" who succedeed in uniting the peoples of Denmark under Christianity. I'm sure the name was assumed to be indicative of the nature of the technology, that is, bringing things together. The runic nature of the "Bluetooth" logo should also be noted.
While "toothing" might be a turn-off to some, other people get off on exactly that type of thing. Before you assume anything, I'm not one of them. I just like girls...all of them.
Posted by twip on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 11:21 PM
While "toothing" might be a turn-off to some, other people get off on exactly that type of thing. Before you assume anything, I'm not one of them. I just like girls...all of them.
Interestingly enough, my hubby is a direct decendant of that king. His family has some of his geneology stuff going back to the year 592. Freaking weirdos. 😉
Posted by Winona on Tue Apr 05, 2005 at 11:47 PM
Oh, I have no problem seeing the appeal of random and instant sex with beautiful strangers. I just don't fancy calling the process a word which most people associate with screaming babies in terrible pain, is all.
Posted by Barghest on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 03:13 AM
"Toothing" is a prominent part of the CSI:Miami episode that aired tonight, 4/18. Kinda funny.
Posted by twip on Mon Apr 18, 2005 at 08:18 PM
I have used my mobile phone to Bluetooth strangers all the time. I usually send gay porn, guys with big d**ks etc. Wait until the phone identifies someone with a stupid name (usually BigTom, RandyAndy etc) and hit send. Works best anywhere there a load of students and watch their faces as all the hetero football players get embarrassed at receiving gay porn. Works every time!
Posted by Jay on Fri Jun 03, 2005 at 06:40 AM
"We want people to think that our wireless phone function is so great, it will make their teeth blue!"
Actually, no. According to Wikipedia, it was named after a 10th century Danish king (odd, I recall reading somewhere it was named after a viking, not a king).
Posted by RAMChYLD on Mon Aug 21, 2006 at 01:00 AM
Actually, no. According to Wikipedia, it was named after a 10th century Danish king (odd, I recall reading somewhere it was named after a viking, not a king).
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