It requires an emailer to solve a few easy maths problems quickly before hitting the "send" button. The service is set by default to come into force only on weekend nights, although the settings can be changed.
Google's theory is that if your mental faculties are sufficiently intact to answer the questions, you will have been composed enough to be aware of the consequences of whatever you have just typed.
The goggles were developed by Jon Perlow, a Gmail engineer who admitted he had been inspired by his own weaknesses. "Sometimes I send messages I shouldn't send," he wrote in his company blog announcing the new feature.
"Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together."
He derived the name from the slang term "beer goggles", used to describe the distorting effect of alcohol on one's perception of members of the opposite sex.
To activate Goggles, Gmail users should click the "Settings" link at the top of a Gmail page, then go to the "Labs" section.
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