Unfortunately, the premise is largely unrealized and the promise remains unfulfilled.

(Editor's Note: Firefly generated enough "buzz" to be acquired by Microsoft in 1998. Redmond pulled the plug—wisely, we think—the following year.)

Agents, Inc. is not shy in its claims for the site's technology. It employs, they say, "a revolutionary set of algorithms—originally developed by company founders at the MIT Media Laboratory—that leverage the human experiences of subscribers to help users navigate large information spaces."

In fact, what the site "leverages" is our expectation that some sort of new, improved software is on offer here, just waiting for us to "harness" it to do our personal bidding. "Firefly—it's what you make of it" is the clever, suggestive and actually quite honest slogan. If you want to believe Firefly can anticipate and fulfill your desires, you are perfectly free to do so. Just as you are free to admire the emperor's new clothes.

In our case, Firefly amounted to very little. We faithfully explored the site's movie and music databases, rating myriad films and musicians in a vain attempt to "teach" Firefly our aesthetic preferences. When quizzed about Bach, for example, we responded that he was "the best" (rated 7 out of 7)—we also said as much for every Bach composition we were asked to rate. Firefly proceeded to inform us that, on average, its members rated Bach a "5" (a fact that speaks volumes about the site's audience). It then offered to predict how we would rate Bach's Musical Offering, guessing that we (like everyone else) would award it a "5". We "corrected" Firefly, then tried another Bach composition. Same result. And yet again, until we finally gave up in frustration.

In fairness, it should be noted that Firefly did somewhat better with movies. But only somewhat.

To supplement its "personal agent" technology, the site provides its members with the opportunity to interact in private chat areas, many of which are pornographic. Because Firefly generates substantial traffic, it is able to derive revenue from advertising and thus provide this and all its other services without charge.

Make of it what you will.

(Reviewed August 9, 1996)