Calling time on drunken emails

We’ve all sent those emotional emails we regret after stumbling home from the pub after an alcohol-fueled session.

If only there was some kind of drunkenness detector that could stop you from baring your virtual soul after a night on the funny juice.

But that sinking feeling you get the next day when you realise you’ve sent a pathetic plea for reconciliation with an old flame, or told your boss to take a running jump, could become a thing of the past.

Google have just unveiled a feature for Gmail called Mail Goggles which forces users to take a sobriety test when trying to send that late-night email. And what better way to verify if you’re in the right state of mind to send an email than by giving you some simple maths puzzles to solve.

The feature allows you to specify ‘danger zone’ times and days when you fear you might be a bit tipsy (say, after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays) – and if you try to send an email after that, it'll force you to take a sobriety test.

If you're not of sufficiently sound mind to complete some basic arithmetic puzzles then you're also not in any fit state to be emailing anybody.

The idea is being tested in the mail labs and may become a standard feature for Google users if the pilot scheme is a success, and is an amusing step forward in making the Internet ‘booze-compliant’.

Now, if somebody could just make similar drunk-filters for Twitter and Facebook, then we could finally enjoy the glorious world of alcohol without the lurking terror that we're going to end up forwarding furry porn to our mums!