The mobile with a jerk alert

[T_i_B]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/15/wmob15.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/08/15/ixportal.html

Are you a mobile phone "jerk" or a "smooth talker"? Your performance can now be monitored during calls and reviews flashed up on screen. Ominously, the Jerk-O-Meter also has the ability to brief the person you are talking to - spouse, lover or boss - on your phone etiquette.

The software, developed by Anmol Madan at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, tests how much attention users are paying to calls.

The device analyses the pitch and intensity of conversations and assesses the user's involvement on a scale of one to 100. It then displays messages on the phone screen such as "Don't be a jerk!" or "Be a little nicer now". The technology can also hand out plaudits with messages such as "You're a smooth talker".

But it can also covertly monitor the other participant and send prompts such as "This person is acting like a jerk. Do you want to hang up?"

[KitchenWitch]

1. Unbelievable

to think some company paid someone to develop that. :crazy:

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. That sounds annoying.

One of the beautiful things about telephone conversations as opposed to face-to-face interaction is that if you're only giving half an ear, the other party usually can't tell.

[Clintmax]

3. Good gods!

What WILL they think of next?

[NJCher]

4. saw this on tv

Something for interpersonal communication scholars to toy with.

Cher

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

5. The last paragraph says it all

However, Techdirt, a corporate analysis firm, said: "It seems likely that the only thing people will be paying attention to is what an obnoxious jerk you are for monitoring them to see if they're a jerk."

[T_i_B]

7. Do people really need a machine....

...to work that out anyway?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. It should deliver electric shocks as you climb up the jerk-o-meter.

[asthmaticeog]

8. OK, duh.

When you're on the phone, the friggin' screen is by your EAR. Without independently moving, 180-degree lizard eyes, how exactly is one supposed to avail ones self of this service?

[T_i_B]

9. Text messages?

That way you get a little beeping noise for each new message interrupting your conversation. Either that or they hope you have your phone on loudspeaker. :eyes:

[asthmaticeog]

10. forget it

on edit: never mind, misunderstood the post

[T_i_B]

11. That's OK

I'm a lousy salesman anyway. :-)

[asthmaticeog]

12. See, what I don't get...

...is why anyone would want their conversations - even unpleasant ones - interrupted with beeping alerts informing them of their progress.

Imagine this exchange:

"Look, I know I should stay out of this, but you deserve to know he's been cheat*beep* -- oh, hold on a sec, I wanna see how I'm doing here."

"Mine says you're beeing a well-intentioned buttinsky."