Riiiingg!  Riiiing!  Hello?  Is This a Jerk or a Smooth Talker?

by Shelley Bueche

Researchers at MIT have developed new software technology for cell phones.  This technology, the Jerk-O-Meter (real name, folks) analyzes and measures speech patterns and voice tones, rating callers on a 0 to 100% rating for engagement in conversation. 

If the user’s conversation starts to stray off message, they might be warned by a voice that states:

Don’t be a Jerk!

Be a little Nicer Now!

Perhaps, even:

This person is acting like a jerk.  Do you want to hang up?

Geesh!  Whatever happened to the good old days, before caller ID, when you had to answer the phone before you even knew who the caller was?  Remember those great excuses?  Gotta go, my bathtub is running, the baby is crying, and I’ve just spilled hot coffee all over myself.  Those were the days my friends, we thought they’d never end …

www.cnn.com