什么是“幸运小姐”（Lady Luck）？_其他

什么是“幸运小姐”（Lady Luck）？

Many of us received allowances as children, and often for things that should have been ends in and of themselves. One young girl I knew was even paid to smile when she was woken up in the morning and given cash when she was polite to guests. Ultrinsic exploits such mercenary training. “Do you like getting good grades?” asks the site. “The right amount of cash should provide you with the needed motivation to pull all-nighters and stay awake during the lectures of your most boring professors.” The impetus? The good old green stuff. The grades? A side benefit. The wisdom gained? Not even mentioned.

To set the odds, the site, which is set to spread to thirty-six universities this year, including Harvard and Princeton, relies on an algorithm that takes into account the difficulty of the class and topic, and the student’s previous school records. The student can place a wager, betting that he’ll receive a better grade, or gamble that he’ll fail through sinister-sounding “grade insurance.” The idea has raised red flags, with some critics claiming that, though Ultrinsic may motivate, it makes the desire to learn anything but intrinsic. In fact, the strange hybrid name derives its eww-inducing prefix from “ulterior motive”—never mind that ulterior motives usually include an intent to deceive and manipulate. We’re into money here, not meaning.

Is it even legal? Online gambling, after all, is not. But, according to the site's C.E.O., Steven Wolf, Ultrinsic doesn't count as gambling because of the element of skill. "The students have one hundred percent control over it, over how they do," said Wolf. "Other people's stuff you bet on—your own stuff you invest in."