NEW GIZMO TELLS YOU IF YOU ARE TALKING TOO MUCH

Northwestern University researchers have developed the first wearable device to track how much people use their voices, alerting them to overuse before vocal fatigue and potential injury set in. They see the battery-powered, wireless device being used by professional singers, teachers, politicians, call-center workers, coaches and anyone who relies on their voices to communicate effectively and make a living. (* What about DJs? What am I, a potted plant?) The postage-stamp-sized device sticks to your upper chest to sense the subtle vibrations associated with talking and singing. From there, the data is streamed to your smartphone or tablet, so you can measure the day’s total vocal usage. Users can set their personalized vocal thresholds. When they near that threshold, their smartphone gives them an alert, and they can rest their voices before pushing them too far.
* I’ve already got a thing that tells me I’m talking too much. It’s called my wife.
* How about if the person refuses to shut up, it could set off a little siren? Or maybe give them an electric shock?
* Life has become the Eddie Murphy movie “A Thousand Words.”
* I would pay money to stick one of these on every one of those ladies on The View. “You’ve talked enough now. Save your voice for another day.”
* Please hand them out at every 2024 presidential candidate debate.