It's different this time

Here's an excerpt from the preface to "Understanding Enterprise SOA" (don't even ask how I ended up reading this book):

Clearly there was merit in bringing the market back to earth. Valuations were high and rounds of venture capital funding, rather than business models, were sustaining many poorly conceived companies. But had the "irrational exuberance" been wholly irrational? The answer will surprise many: the initial optimism was justified. In fact the potential had been understated. As we will explore in this book, the fruition of the Internet's promise is coming and the resulting value creation will dwarf even the boldest estimates of the past.

Translation: You mean the Rolex I sold you three years back was a dud? Never mind, we'll settle that later. In the meantime, why don't you look at this fantastic deal I've got for you? It's a bridge in ...