“Mom and Dad, how did you meet?”
“Why, an algorithm created by our school newspaper, the Stanford Daily!”
While that scenario may be far-fetched, future pairings could occur thanks to the Daily’s new Stanford Dating Experiment. Launched in January, the project works like a weekly blind-dating show, but in print.
The rules are simple: Curious singles fill out an online form with their basic information and answers to personality-determining questions like, “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” (Out of 10 prompts, it’s the only one required.)
Then, using “compatibility studies and statistics,” the Daily matches up one couple each week and sends them on a blind date. Offering a surprisingly candid glimpse into students’ love lives, the series so far has been at turns awkward and cute, and overall a success. After the pilot outing, the woman rated the experience a 10 out of 10. The guy gave it a “strong 8.5,” and then offered, “I don’t have much to base this on.”
No word yet on how their second date went.
