Massively Parallel Procrastination

An untitled post

Technology has vanquished yet another moment of social unease: declaring
one's lust only to find that it's unrequited. During the final weeks of
the school year at Wesleyan University, students can sign up, gratis,
for the web-based WeScam, "an automated system that allows you to figure
out if people you're interested in hooking up with are interested
in hooking up with you without making a fool of yourself by getting
drunk enough to pour your heart out to them or stick you tongue down
their throats." Sponsored by Alpha Delta Phi, WeScam provides a list
of classmates so students can check of the names of those they like.
(Seniors can choose anyone; others can choose only seniors. Rank does
have its privileges.) As Senior Week approaches, you get an e-mail
listing your matches. If interest in that special someone is unmatched,
she'll never know. But if it's mutual--bingo! And, yes, there is a
threesome option. This year 644 students made selections, and three
fifths got a match (or, in one lucky senior's case, 17 matches). One
senior reports that she checked off 15 names and ended up with five
matches. But, she tells us, "Most of the people I hooked up with that
week weren't from my list." Happily, spontaneity lives on.

pp 24-25, Playboy, November 2002