Yeah, but it happens with other things as well.  For instance, I saw an article back in 1986 in the Statesman Journal about a guy in Idaho who had created an alpha radiation-to-alternating current converter.  He had it refined to the point that a small radioactive source, surrounded by the converter, surrounded by a lead can the size of a gallon soup can, was producing 75 watts.  The article contained a prediction that for $15,000 you could remove your house from the grid with this invention.  And then nothing for several years- the next home use nuclear power I heard about was the Canadian Thorium Hot Water Heater for use in the Northern Territories.  I wonder what ever happened to that guy?