Constantly cruising the web in search of the latest technologies that facilitate interaction, scientists at the Human-Human Interaction Institute were fascinated when they stumbled upon the Am-I-Hot-Or-Not? phenomenon. While the current technology allows people to rate each others looks from afar, there is no way to build on top of that initial interaction which might allow dialogue to develop between the rater and the ratee.

So we asked ourselves, why not bring this provocative idea to the face-to-facerealm? Well, that's precisely what we have done. So, please download our Am-I-Hot-Or-Not : Party Edition and start rating.

How does this work?

First, you need a party full of people with PalmPilots. Now you can use the Party Edition's built in beam me feature to transfer the program to your party-mates. Now you're all ready to go! When you meet someone, you can tap the "them" button and rate them as hot, or not. You just have to point your palm's IR windows at each other, and the Party Edition will send your rating over, and send you back their current rating. To preserve some level of anonymity, your display of your own rating only updates every five times you are rated.

Postcard-Ware...

In homage to the old days of BBSing we're releasing the Party Edition as "postcard-ware". That means that if you use it for free, but if you like it then we ask that you send us a postcard from where you live. Come on - postcards are cheap, and our sun-starved scientists love communicating with the real world!

Our address is:

Institute of the Future

Bldg. E15-020d

20 Ames St.

Cambridge, MA 02139