My idea is spawned from reading emails on various email lists, groups and boards. The level of spelling, grammar and punctuation can't be hovering at more than a grade 3 level on the internet. I am sure everyone has read an email at some time and thought to themselves,'my god, how stupid is this person.' Well now you can find out!! The Email IQ estimator will generate an estimated IQ of the person writing the email based on how far the written prose deviates from the standard accepted language. This could generate all sorts of benefits like IQ filters where you could set your newsgroup reader to filter out anyone with an IQ less than XXX, or XX, ok and I am sure it can be done, X. (I can't take all the credit, this idea was generated on a board I am on between frustrated individuals like myself) (It's also my first idea posted on this board) :) TBK
-- TBK, Sep 24 2002

Readability Calculator http://www.stylewri...eadabilitycalc.html
[Amos Kito, Sep 24 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

I haven't had my IQ tested since I was four, so I can't remember what hoops they made me jump through but I'm fairly sure that people with low IQs can write beautifully and people with high IQs often misplace apostrophes and get confused by homonyms.
-- calum, Sep 24 2002


Ewe no Calum, I think your'e write.
-- half, Sep 24 2002


//XXX, or XX, ok and I am sure it can be done, X//
homonymphs = ok and I am sure it can be done, XXX
-- thumbwax, Sep 24 2002


someone tell me, am I on a low board or a high board?
-- po, Sep 24 2002


Two exclamation points in a row would drop the score by 50%.
-- bristolz, Sep 24 2002


As others I think have already aluded to, this might serve perhaps as a good education indicator, but a lousy measure of overall intelligence. But on second thought, so is IQ.
-- RayfordSteele, Sep 24 2002


N over number of "lol"s x length of text.
Where N is a constant determined by the weight of the email and it's average speed. Otherwise a math professor would come out with IQ 20.
-- pashute, Nov 29 2002


Let's see, if the address ends in .edu, +20 IQ points. If email originates from AOL or WebTV address, 0 points if you have a similar address address, -20 if you don't. Email from Nigeria, China, or Korea, -50 IQ points (not because those countries are dumb, but most of the spam I get seems to come from them). Finally, email mentioning halfbakery, +50 IQ points. :)
-- mrouse, Nov 29 2002



random, halfbakery