I believe these are a classic example of a thought to be ingenious inventions that were an utter flops.
And no, I've never come across them in real life.
Well, I missed the last few updates due to being on holiday, and it's getting pretty good. I'm rooting for myself over Letty here.
Anyway, you can probably guess that I've already seen (well, read) death note.
Chris, I checked your calculations, and you forgot to carry the 2. This means that the consequnces are in fact far more dire and extend not just to NE but to the entire internets.