Behold, the Jerk-O-Meter

Just what I’ve been waiting for. I know you have, too:

“The Jerk-O-Meter is one of many projects at MIT that aim to make cell phones and other communication devices more ‘socially aware.’”

The thing is “software for cell phones that would analyze speech patterns and voice tones to rate people -- on a scale of 0 to 100 percent -- on how engaged they are in a conversation.

“For now, the Jerk-O-Meter is set up to monitor the user's end of the conversation. If his attention is straying, a message pops up on the phone that warns, "Don't be a jerk!" or "Be a little nicer now." A score closer to 100 percent would prompt, "Wow, you're a smooth talker."

“However, the Jerk-O-Meter also could be set up to test the voice on the other end of the line. Then it could send the tester such reports as: "This person is acting like a jerk. Do you want to hang up?"”

But here’s my favorite little bit, thrown in for added value, it seems:

“The study indicated that men and women are interested in conversations for different reasons.

“The subject of the chat was more important to men than women, Madan said. "For the women, it was more dependent on who they were talking to and what the mood was like," he added. "It wasn't just about the topic itself."”

~

Moody, sensitive creatures are we.