The fact that Google returns over 25 million results for "stranger" is perfectly normal considering that the unknown creates a romantic-dramatic fascination, tinged with a bit of horror. From the romantic image in "Strangers in the Night", where Frank Sinatra sings about strangers who fall in love "exchanging glances", to Deep Purple's rock vision in "Perfect Strangers" and to Hitchcock's horror take in "Strangers on a Train", the concept of the "stranger" has always been luring.

This could not be overlooked by entrepreneurs, who, over time, have managed to turn it to profit. Whilst in the past businesses relying on the lure of the unknown were not very inventive - various types of dating (speed dating, blind dating), now the notion has been put to more creative use.

The latest business idea centred on the idea of "the stranger" is Chatroulette.com. The site, which seems like a more advanced version of mIRC, attracts visitors by bringing destiny (more likely the computer) into the equation.The interface is quite basic, but once you enter the Chatroulette world, it feels as if you are taking part in a speed-dating session with thousands of strangers, dressed or not, normal or not.

The start page is simple, with two boxes - one called "Stranger" and another, obviously called "you". Anyone using a webcam has access, and, when you press "Play", the roulette is activated, and the network displays the message "Looking for a random stranger". After that comes a window in which you chat with the random stranger. If you want to chat to someone else, you press "Next".

The one who came up with this seemingly simple idea is a 17 year-old Russian, Andrei Ternovski, and, only three months from the site's launch, it was called the Internet phenomenon of the year by the international press (The New York Times, The New York Magazine).