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Prevent Gmail From Emailing Under the Influence

Posted by kdawson on from the chili-meter-with-brains dept.

mikesd81 writes "Google has developed 'Mail Goggles,' a Gmail add-on that makes sending email from Gmail more difficult during certain times (which you can set). If you have Mail Goggles installed, it will force you to answer a series of math questions before sending out any new messages. You can adjust the math difficulty and times this option is in effect. If you get any of the questions wrong, Mail Goggles will say, 'Water and bed for you. Or try again.' Of course, if you set the math settings too high, you may have a tough time solving some of those problems in under 60 seconds, even when sober. Then again, if you're sober, you could just turn Mail Goggles off and hit send on that impassioned letter to your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend or that flame to your boss."

33 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Insensitive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't do math unless I'd drunk, you insensitive clod!

    1. Re:Insensitive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Can't type unless you'd drunk either, eh?

    2. Re:Insensitive! by ceoyoyo · · Score: 4, Funny

      All that drinking in high school. You should have known. Didn't you ever hear that you can teach goldfish tricks when they're drunk, but they can only remember them when drunk?

    3. Re:Insensitive! by sznupi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Reminds me about one exam in Uni, which, interestingly, ended up sort of like that...some heavy math exam next day, heavy drinking party developed in front of my room (it was in a good place for such things, end of the corridor with sofa/etc.). Though they realised I'm learning when trying to get me out of the room, so kept quiet. Nonetheless, somebody managed to get me out "just one shot" (of vodka, might I add). And we all know how such things end...

      Interestingly, even though I was basically late few minutes, no math exam before and after was passed by me so flawlessly...

      --
      One that hath name thou can not otter
    4. Re:Insensitive! by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 4, Funny

      Reminds me of a Maple mid term I had way back when as an undergraduate.

      10 minutes after the start, one of the class arrives late and proceeds to sit down in front of his PC. The examiner hands him the question sheet. He settles in. He was obviously a bit tipsy, and there was a not so faint smell of alcohol, particularly as he spoke. After a few minutes, we had something similar to the following exchange:

      Him: (whisper) Hey man. How'd you turn on Maple again?
      Me: Start. Programs. Math Software. Maple.
      Him: Cheers man.

      A few minutes later....

      Him: Hey man. Sorry, but, are we supposed to answer ALL the questions on this sheet?
      Me: Just four out of five.(or whatever the requirements were)
      Him: Aww right! Cheers man.

      A few minutes after that....

      Him: Hey man. Sorry, again, but... Is this a test?

      If I remember correctly, he got an A. Great guy.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
  2. slashdot needs this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    im so wasted right now

  3. If Only Slashdot had it... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 5, Funny

    mods would have more free time. Oh, wait...

    1. Re:If Only Slashdot had it... by Idiomatick · · Score: 4, Funny

      Informative?? I think the mods need it too....

  4. Very useful .... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'd probably be in contact with more people from college and a few exes if I'd had that 10 years ago. ;-)

    Cheers

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Very useful .... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'd probably be in contact with more people from college and a few exes if I'd had that 10 years ago. ;-)

      Why did you have to drag Windows into this discussion? Is this some corollary of Godwin's law that I am unaware of?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  5. Re:hurp by Laser_iCE · · Score: 5, Funny

    This sounds familiar... "You are trying to send an email, Allow/Deny" But when you "geekify" it (add some maths), it makes it acceptable. Maybe if this is popular enough, we'll see it in the next version of Windows? Can't wait!

  6. If you make owning a gun a crime... by nick_davison · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm reminded of the old saying, "If you make owning a gun a crime, only criminals will own guns."

    If you hide drunk mailing behind math problems, only Engineers will drunk mail.

    *shudders*

  7. stop the discrimination! by martin-boundary · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you have Mail Goggles installed, it will force you to answer a series of math questions before sending out any new messages.

    But what if you're a mathematician? There really should be some option to replace it with sports questions.

    1. Re:stop the discrimination! by pimpimpim · · Score: 4, Funny

      They tried it with questions about cricket at first, but for some reason all outgoing e-mail traffic stopped after that.

      --
      molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
  8. Re:No substitute for self control by mevets · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mod -1, Buzzkill.

  9. Imagine... by hyades1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    All that effort solving the math problems on time, just to type "You're a dick" and stagger off to bed.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  10. Re:Just tried it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Check your font server. I believe its busted.

  11. frist! by 8ball629 · · Score: 5, Funny

    i ws gingo to ber the first psot but i cna't fnd het buottosn :(

  12. THE LAWS OF THE NAVY by F34nor · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dost think in a moment of anger
    'Tis well with thy seniors to fight?
    They prosper, who burn in the morning,
    The letters they wrote overnight.

  13. Re:Just tried it. by chord.wav · · Score: 4, Funny

    90 and 46, and I'm currently drunk. Didn't take the time though

  14. Not going to work for me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I used to do the most difficult math proofs while drunk, just to mess with the other math majors heads. Its actually easier in a way. If I know it sober, I know it drunk. They should just scan the email for references to your mom jokes. If it doesn't have one, I'm probably drunk and forgot to include it.

  15. SMTP - CMTP ? by fortapocalypse · · Score: 5, Funny

    Complex Mail Transfer Protocol - coming soon!

  16. Re:Just tried it. by no+reason+to+be+here · · Score: 4, Funny

    Uhh...9x4=36, not 46.

    Apparently, it does work, assuming you're telling the truth about being drunk, and aren't just bad at math.

    --
    my pet machine
  17. Typo? by chris_sawtell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Isn't that supposed to read as: Google Giggles?

  18. Re:and google helps you solve them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Aside from the inherent unreliability with internet connections

    Good point! With this method, if your internet goes down you wouldn't be able to finish the math problem required to send an email message via your web-based email service.

    Wait for it...

  19. Re:No substitute for self control by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Agreed. Then again many here glorify taking drugs.

    That's because taking drugs is glorious!

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
  20. I've planned on making my house do this by harlows_monkeys · · Score: 5, Funny

    For a long time, my plan has been to build something like this into my house. When I want to adjust my thermostat, for example, I want the house to give me a quick little test to see if I'm mentally alert. Regardless of the outcome, the house would then let me adjust the thermostat.

    However, it would remember the results. And if it determines over a long period (say, a couple months), that I'm suffering significant mental degradation, to the point where I'm likely to not be able to take care of myself, the house will wait until I'm sound asleep one night (which it can determine by monitoring my temperature with infrared sensors, and listening to my respiration, for example), and then do something to kill me in my sleep (gas, probably).

    When the house is sure that I'm dead (no breathing for a long time, and body temperature down to ambient room temperature), it will then call the coroner's office to report my death.

  21. Please ignore the last post by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please ignore the last post. I really, really didn't mean it. I'm so sorry that I wrote that about my boss. So sorry. He is a wonderful, wonderful person. I am crying into my beer thinking about how I could have written that. I really really love him............. zzzZZZZZZZ

  22. Re:hurp by digitig · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe if this is popular enough, we'll see it in the next version of Windows? Can't wait!

    I don't like the idea of where that might go. "It looks as if you are trying to uninstall Vista. Please prove the Riemann Zeta Hypothesis"...

    --
    Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  23. But I am a Mathemetician!!!!! by Kryptikmo · · Score: 5, Funny

    The goggles! They do nothing!!!

  24. Re:Not just a funny by PeKbM0 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Perhaps getting drunk helped shut down the C side of my brain or something....

    .. or perhaps your hands just happened to fall on the parentheses.

  25. Re:hurp by 19thNervousBreakdown · · Score: 5, Funny

    HEY!

    I derive better when I'm drunk!

    --
    <xml><I><am><so><damn>Web 2.0</damn></so></am></I></xml>
  26. I'll be surprised if nobody else has said this... by Norwell+Bob · · Score: 4, Funny

    But I'd rather see this feature on eBay.

    [Looks at stack of Atari 800 program cassettes that he has nothing on which to run them...]