Image via CrunchBase

If they had invented this for pay phones in the 1990s, I might not be married today.

I’m talking about Google’s new Mail Goggles, an optional service in Gmail that seeks to eliminate drunken late-night weekend emails.

Users who sign up for the service have to complete a set of 5 simple math problems in 60 seconds before they can send an email on weekends between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

According to the New York Times, Mail Goggles was created by a Google engineer with real-world experience in the matters at hand:

A Gmail engineer named Jon Perlow wrote the program after sending his share of regrettable late-night missives, including a plea to rekindle a relationship with an old girlfriend, he wrote on the company’s Gmail blog.

Does this mean there will soon be services to prevent drunken texting and Twittering?

It seems technologists view technology as the solution to everything! I mean, really, why not just, a) get over it, or b) stop drinking?

As you may have inferred from the brief vignette above, I’m glad I called my then-girlfriend and confessed my feelings that night. We’ve been happily married for 17+ years.

If only they could limit this service to surly drunks . . .