Dept. of products that stood a better chance two months ago

Meet the latest absurd device to separate audiophiles from their money. For a mere $900, this "Audio Desk Systeme," from a German company, will file your CD into a more precise circular form than mass-production factories can manage. As a Gizmodo writer explains: "Apparently, this prevents very slight wobbling as it spins, which can create a jitter in the digital stream that affects the sound, according to idiots." One imagines that there were a few hedge fund managers who planned to buy this -- who now have other things on their mind.

But if your portfolio is still flush enough to support a purchase of that device -- and your susceptibility to such sales pitches sufficiently high -- you may want to throw in a couple of these $1,800 audiophile power cables, too.