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Highlights | Maxim

Will Click For Food
February 2000 (The Swimsuit Issue)

Everybody snickered when Newt Gingrich proposed that homeless people should be given laptop computers. At least then they could access NeedCom and learn how to more effectively separate more prosperous souls from their spare change. Ironically subtitled "Market Research for Panhandlers," this strange site (partially funded by PBS) asks you to evaluate six actual panhandling pitches, complete with audio samples. Are you a sucker for the direct approach ("I'm asking for a little help to get a bed and a meal for the night") or do you cave to the silent persistent cup shaker? After voting with your virtual wallets in amounts of zero to a dollar, see how you compare with other Web-surfing tightwads. And no, clicking on "Get a job" is not an option.

(www.pbs.org/weblab/needcom/)