I’m not holding my breath for the ultimate [Babel fish] device. But what I’d really like in the near-time is a device that alerts me to whether a person is speaking fact or opinion. To distinguish the two in conversation would be incredibly useful. I don’t want to discourage people from opinions and spin (in fact, quite the opposite!), but I do need to know how to digest what I’m hearing.

Maybe this is an extension of some sort of physiological lie-detector research? I’m going to patent it…the factpinionator.