(iverson's) currentbuzz: "Smell-o-vision" was better.

Whatever the reason to go for the nose, these movies with scratch and sniff are not giving proper credit to the classic of all scratch n' sniff, John Water's Pink Flamingos, and the real "smell-o-vision" projector invented by Michael Todd and Michael Todd Jr.

The first smell-o-vision movie, Scent of a Mystery, featured Elizabeth Taylor in an uncredited role. She was seen from behind, leaving a room, and her scent would remain. She was married to Mike Todd then, prior to his death in a plane crash. The Todds' smells were generated by the projector. Too bad for them that our olfactory senses experience "fatigue" and soon get used to any smell. Lucky for us, especially if we must be near something foul smelling.

The Times is among several newspapers looking into new ways to use fragrance to entice marketers to buy more ad pages. The loss of ad revenue to online media is a major reason for the economic difficulties of publishers like the Tribune Company, which owns The Times.

Source: nytimes.com