I'd be interested why you think mine didn't work. Chrome extension link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/logdfcelflpgcbfebi...
It certainly could have been a matter of posting time - film42 posted early in the morning when most of the stuff was old. It only took a few votes to get to the front page, yet a lot of HN users were online and voting.
But I think perhaps the bigger problem is around simplicity and familiarity. A chrome extension is always a hard sell because to play with it I have to download something that I have to dig out and uninstall later. I want to play with something before I "buy" it. Now people are asking for film42's app to become a chrome extension, but I bet if he had posted a chrome extension few people would have downloaded it.
Getting people to a moment when they are pleased with your product before they give up on it is probably the most difficult aspect of marketing/growth.