Stacey Mackenzie hated being alone. Yet there she was, in her North Hollywood living room, on the night after Christmas, 1982. An Apple II+
personal computer was her only company. The screen`s pale glow permeated the darkness, coloring her housecoat and unwrapped presents a technological green. She`d bought the computer to help with business, a local hobby shop she owned with her husband Martin. She also managed an import company from home, and worked nine-to-five for a public utility. Martin disliked the computer
–felt it a sign of Orwellian times–but Stacey wanted it anyway and paid for it herself. Until that night, though, the Apple had rarely been touched.
The computer was hooked to a modem, a device that enabled it to talk with other computers over phone lines. Stacey slid a floppy diskette with a communications program into one of the two disk drives. The day before, a friend had given her a free service to call and, without any explanation, told her to dial it using the computer.
”When it connects, there`ll be a questionnaire,” he`d said. ”Just answer it.”
Stacey dialed. The line was busy. She tried again. She herd the high-pitched tone of modem linking to modem.
CONNECTED! flashed on the empty screen. Then:
Welcome to MMMMMM 1
Marc the Martian`s Mixed-Up
Matching and Message Machine
1881 EARTHLINGS now in the DATE-A-BASE!
you are caller 75816
— What is your FILE NUMBER? (n
none)
(the number following your name)
Stacey had no file number. She typed N. The screen cleared and displayed a message
Before you can use this system, you must answer a questionnaire giving the computer information about yourself. This will allow other users to know more about you than just a name, and hopefully foster friendships and more communication.
The MATCH function allows you to find those compatible with you on the basis of your answers to the questionnaire. The public message section allows you to leave public messages to all users.
— Do you want to continue?
— (YES/NO)
Stacey`s heart beat faster. Who or what was the Martian? What kind of questions would she have to answer? Who would read her information? She didn`t want to make a fool of herself. Or break something. She wanted to hang up.
She typed YES instead.
The first questions were easy: name (Stacey thought of leaving a pseudonym but didn`t), city and state of origin, age (39), height (63 inches), weight (125 pounds), hair color (auburn), sex (F) and sexual preference
(hetero). The rest were multiple choice. Her answers: ethnic group (white), favorite kind of film (drama/suspense), the perfect date (long, intimate dinner), favorite food (continental), current relationship status (happily married), what are you looking for in the system (an electronic pen pal), smoking (t`s like breathing air–both should be free of pollutants), current educational level (two-year degree), sexual style (depends on my mood), drugs (okay for others, but not for me), drink (now and then), what do you expect on a first date (a kiss on the cheek), my personality is best described as
(gregarious–I`d smile my way to the top), my appearance is (attractive
–thank heaven for Helena Rubenstein), hobbies (travel, tennis and racquetball, photography) and favorite music (classical, jazz, rock, Top 40, new wave).
Once finished, Stacey was given a file name and a three-number address code, her system ID. Then she picked a four-letter password for future access. When the command menu appeared, Stacey pondered the choices:
— MMMMMM Commands —
A Answer change
B Browse questionnaires
C Chat with the Martian
F Facts about this system
G Goodbye
I Immediate hangup
L Library subsystem
M Martian! Make me a match!
O Other BBS systems
P Public message board
R Read private mail
S Send private mail
U User log display
X Exit and log on again
? List commands
— What now, Stacey?
— ?,A,B,C,F,G,I,L,M,O,P,R,S,U,X or HELP
Stacey chose M. A list of her potential matches appeared:
Address Code % Age Ht. Wt. City
MATT 254 87 41 70 160 Tarzana
BOBBY 765 52 32 72 175 West Hollywood
ROB 451 64 37 68 135 Agoura
DAVID 854 25 22 69 140 Miami
— What now, Stacey?
— ?,A,B,C,F,G,I,L,M,O,P,R,S,U,X or HELP
Stacey copies the names and numbers of the men closest to her age and with the highest match percentages. Then she typed B to look at their questionnaires. Some of the men were married and only wanted to have affairs. To the others she sent a brief introductory note: she was new on the system, happily married, had a 21-year-old son from a previous marriage, her own business and wanted to correspond. Stacey felt forward writing first, but believed that nothing came to those who waited. She was encouraged by the abundance of potential electronic friends. And she perceived a much-needed adventure in the making.
After eight years Stacey and Martin had grown in different directions. She loved people. He was a loner. She was ambitious. He found little joy in hard work. She liked Thai and Japanese and Italian cuisine. He ate at the Seafood Broiler. Stacey wasn`t looking for a man to replace Martin, but it was clear to her that they had settled into a coexistence based more on comfort than challenge, on safety not satisfaction.
When dawn lit the window above the computer desk, Stacey typed G, switched off the Apple and padded into the kitchen for a glass of water. The house was quiet. She thought about the questionnaire, about the letters she`d written now irretrievably stored in a computer halfway across Los Angeles. Soon a total stranger would get her missive, browse her questionnaire and perhaps write. As she crawled into bed the possibilities excited her–and scared her. In a way, she felt like she had after her first kiss: frightened, yet fascinated. And eager to do it again. A good feeling. Like discovering a new brave world.
Earlier that same evening, at a nearby apartment, Sarah Mintz and three friends were having brandy coffee and sharing secret fantasies.
”I want to have a menage a trois with my boyfriend and another woman,”
said one.
”I want to have a menage, too,” said another, but with two strange men.”
”I want, more than anything,” the third confessed, ”to be a guest on A.M. Los Angeles.”
Sarah`s fantasy was more pragmatic. After an intermittent series of unsatisfying boyfriends, she had become cynical about dating in Los Angeles and men in general. She was tired of talk about commitment, fidelity and relationship. But Sarah was lonely. She wanted a lover. The singles bars were not for her, so the solution she`s recently devised seemed practical. Her deep, scratchy voice and nervous laughter made it sound naughty: ”I want to have an affair with a married man.”
Sarah`s friends acted surprised, as if they didn`t aprove of such behavior from the never-wed former grade-school teacher and budding feminist whose social life ran to attending NOW meetings. Or perhaps they just didn`t believe she could handle it. But Sarah knew better. Only her fantasy stood much chance of coming true.
On New Year`s Day Stacey called the Martian again. ”Hi, Stacey,” read the screen once she`d logged on. ”How are things in North Hollywood?” Then a banner message revealed that her mail slots were full. Stacey typed R at the command menu and her letters appeared. Most were variations on an
unimaginative come-on:
”You came up on my match list. I browsed your questionnaire and you look pretty interesting. Why don`t you browse my answers and drop me a line?”
Two were more provocative. GEORGE 342, a married man, wanted to have an affair. He left his phone number and suggested that Stacey browse his questionnaire to find out why. She discovered that he enjoyed getting obscene phone calls.
ROBERT 652 was in the film business. ”I also love Dvorak. Why don`t we meet sometime for wine and hot-tubbing and classical music under the stars?” He also left a phone number.
Stacey was flattered by their attempted seductions. But she couldn`t call. Better they should write to the unattached or the wayward. All she wanted was a friend.
Since her first log-on Stacey had experimented with her computer and had learned now to ”download” material over the phone to a blank diskette in her second disk drive. Also to send that information to a printer attached to the computer. She wanted to save her mail. Stacey downloaded all five messages, printed them and started a private file. Then she wrote quick answers, assuring each man that she was happily married but would still enjoy corresponding regularly. Her replies were sedate, even conservative, but inside Stacey was ecstatic. She had gotten much more, much sooner than she expected. She had to tell someone. As soon as Stacey logged off she called Sarah.
The damn thing really worked!
Stacey and Sarah had met at the downtown public-utility office almost seven years before. Sarah had lived in Hollywood but hated her neighborhood. Stacey suggested the Valley. She and Martin would help her look for an apartment. And they could carpool to work. Now Sarah lived only a few minutes away. The three regularly met for dinner. Stacey and Sarah sometimes took short vacations together, and once spent a week in Mexico.
When Sarah walked in, Stacey immediately overflowed about her new toy.
”You`ve got to see this,” she said, quickly guiding Sarah toward the computer. ”You will not believe it. MEN. It`s the most fabulous thing in the world. If you want to meet someone, this is the way and the place to do it.” Sarah approached the Apple warily. She knew nothing about computers, but she knew about Stacey`s all-consuming enthusiasms. Stacey showed Sarah her mail, then offered to put her friend on the system.
Sarah logged on and filled out the questionnaire. Age (35), height (66 inches), hair (brunette), sexual preference (hetero). But unlike Stacey, Sarah often picked the comic or shocking answer from the choices: ethnic group (boy/ girl scouts), sexual style (an animal), personality (outrageous/I`d embarrass Bette Midler), drugs (should be only taken if ill), relationship status
(single and loving it). She subtracted eight pounds from her weight. Afterward, she confided to Stacey about wanting a married man.
”I`ve told a few of my other married friends,” said Sarah, ”but they all say, `Don`t tell me. I can`t deal with it even though you`re not sleeping with my husband. But I know it`s out there, and I don`t want to like you any less for it.”`
”I think it`s a great idea,” said Stacey, promising to check Sarah`s mailbox each day, download any mail and call her right away. As Sarah rose to leave, she couldn`t help but notice Martin in the bedroom, watching TV with the sound turned down low.
Sarah also got mail immediately, including a letter from GEORGE 342. He didn`t include a phone number, but after browsing his questionnaire, Sarah sent a reply and bravely included hers. A few days later, and for seveal nights in a row, the phone rang at eleven. Sarah didn`t answer. Though she hoped it might be GEORGE 342, whoever it was was out of line calling so late. It was not something she wanted to encourage. Sarah got up for work at 6:15 a.m.
During the next three weeks Stacey used the computer constantly, writing and receiving letters, downloading her and Sarah`s mail, exploring all the command menu options. When she typed C, the sysop (system operator, Marc the Martian) broke into chat. Stacey bombarded him with questions, her fingers flying across the keyboard. He explained that the original dating system was called a DYM (for Dial-Your-Match); that many dating systems and more technically oriented bulletin boards existed in California and throughout the country; and that more were being started all the time. So Stacey downloaded the Martian`s list of other phone numbers and exhausted herself logging on to various dating systems, running matches, writing letters, chatting with sysops.
