AMHERST, MA—After walking into a meeting 15 minutes late Tuesday, graphic designer Charles Hill remained unsure of how long he should maintain the appearance of being frazzled. "When I first got there, I mentioned how bad traffic was, being careful as I did so to move and speak somewhat frantically while noisily removing my coat as though I were actually concerned about my tardiness," Hill said on his lunch break, pretending to rifle through his bag with great purpose. "I could just drop the act when we resume, but I feel like running my hands through my hair a bunch and sighing as loudly and heavily as possible while clicking my mouse and waiting for programs to load would really seal the deal. I'll just play it by ear." At press time, an unusually alert Hill was appearing to be intensely interested in what one of his coworkers was saying.