While I was working in France, one of the English teachers I worked with showed me an article about "silent speed dating" that's all the rage in New York at the moment.
It's like the speed dating you see in movies all the time (The 40-Year Old Virgin, Hitch, etc.) where you bop from potential date to potential date 60 seconds at a time... except you don't say a word to each other. You just look into each other's eyes with a neutral expression for 60 seconds.
When it's all over, if so tempted, you can start a conversation, but during the actual "speed dating" part, no talking is allowed.
Creepy as hell, if you ask me.
I think the stuff in this article is pretty strange, too, but at least it's a form of communication. Lots of people on these forums have acknowledged how much easier it is to express themselves by typing instead of speaking. That particular couple just took it to the extreme.
When I was in college, I sent my girlfriend an IM from across the building. Her response was quick and simple: "Why the **** are you IM'ing me? Just come see me."
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