Line #49 Main/ThingOMeter


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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/suck_o_meter.png]]
5
6	->''"Oh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a '''''real''' useful'' invention."''
7	-->-- '''Comic Book Guy''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
8
9	A speedometer measures how fast you go, a radiometer measures the radiant flux of electromagnetic radiation, and the Thing-O-Meter measures everything else.
10
11	Commonly seen as the Laugh-O-Meter or Applause-O-Meter, which is based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clap-o-meter Clap-O-Meter]] used in old game shows. There are thousands of variations, though-- Suck-O-Meter, Creep-O-Meter, Love-O-Meter, Sarcasm-O-Meter, basically Whatever-You-Want-O-Meter.
12
13	They're usually not very reliable, as their indicators are prone to [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale going off-scale]] or [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale even]] [[ExplosiveInstrumentation breaking]]. They generally measure things on an AbstractScale.
14
15	Though popularized by game shows and the like, this trope is OlderThanRadio at the very least: [[Art/MarriageALaMode William Hogarth]]'s 1727 satirical engraving ''Masquerade Ticket'' features "a pair of lecherometers, showing the company's inclinations as they approach 'em."
16
17	Not to be confused with any of the meters used in games (like KarmaMeter and AwesomenessMeter). Compare ThingOMatic, TheLittleDetecto, EverythingSensor and TwentyPercentMoreAwesome.
18
19	----
20	!!Examples:
21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Advertising]]
24	* Nicorette's [[https://youtu.be/-guh_693TwM "Suck-O-Meter" ad]] features a device measuring how much a situation sucks for the user.
25	* There was an interactive Japanese [=IKEA=] Christmas holiday commercial had had this thing called, a "Merry Meter".
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29	* In an episode of ''Anime/TenchiMuyoGXP'', a Good Luck Meter appears during Seiryo's search for any lucky treasures and relics, hoping to use them to counter Seina's bad luck.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Comic Books]]
33	* Sunny spends a lot of ''[[ComicBook/SunnySeries Sunny Rolls the Dice]]'' picturing an internal "Groovy Meter" (based on one she saw in a teen magazine), a measure of how well she's fitting in with her {{Childhood Friend\|s}} Deb and new friend Regina and the new "rules" of seventh grade that make her cool or not. The levels of what are "groovy" means Sunny shouldn't do a lot of things she wants to do -- like [[TooOldToTrickOrTreat go trick-or-treating]] and play ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' with her new friends -- and should do a lot of things she doesn't care about like have crushes on boys and worry about fashion. As Deb puts down things Sunny likes, she pictures her meter going down, and then up when she gets little signs of being "groovy," but she's not comfortable with most of what's expected. She finally mentally crosses the whole meter out when Deb talks about buying expensive jeans for them (to share) again and tells Deb she spent her money on what she wanted: a D&D Figure of her fighter character. Dropping her mental Groovy Meter is the last sign of her and Deb drifting apart as friends as Sunny [[ProudToBeAGeek embraces her geeky side]] and goes back to playing D&D with her new friends.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
37	* In ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'', the FLDSMDFR has a dangeometer to warn Flt if the food is going to over-mutate.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
41	* ''Film/BridgetJonesDiary'': In ''The Edge of Reason'', an acquaintance of Bridget has a habit of making stinging remarks. This is shown as a "jellyfish counter" on the screen, which increases with each remark. It decreases when Bridget manages to insert stinging remarks of her own, but eventually goes off the scale and explodes.
42	* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}''. When the team goes after the library ghost, Egon Spengler has a meter that reads PKE (Psycho Kinetic Energy) valences, which are apparently given off by ghosts. It's the one that has the "arms" go up when the PKE increases. When Venkmann goes into Dana's apartment, he brings an odd meter of some sort with a long pole that sucks in air, with a hand-pump. When Dana asks him about it, he only says that it's one of their "little toys". It's based on a real-life device called a "Bacharach Chemical Sniffer", once used to check for gas leaks and other things. One ''could'', in theory, use it to find evidence of a haunting (vapor trails and such), but con-man Venkman is only trying to look like he knows what he's doing.
43	* The movie ''Film/ThatThingYouDo'' has an applause-o-meter that determines the winner of a band contest. It's not a machine but a model standing in front of a marked-off dial backdrop; she uses her hands to show how high the applause goes. The gradations are: "You stink", "Not terrible", "Good", "Extra good", "Super", and "Wicked". (The fact that Jimmy is seriously butthurt over Guy changing the tempo on his song while ignoring the applause-o-meter redlining at the far end of "Wicked" behind him neatly foreshadows some of the problems to come.)
44	* In ''Film/MenInBlack'', Agent J comments that the Edgar Bug gets a 9 on his "Weird-Shit-O-Meter." Seriously though, Agent K uses a small soil analyzer with a row of multicolored lights to determine what kind of alien he's dealing with. ("Green" apparently means "Bug.")
45	* In ''Film/NannyMcPheeAndTheBigBang'', there is the Happy-o-Meter, which measures happiness of the pigs. The levels are "amused", "tickled pink", "cloud nine", "ecstatic" and "delirious".
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Literature]]
49	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
50	** The thaumometer, which measures a magical field in "thaums". Mind you, this is just a perfectly sensible piece of equipment for a wizard on a world run by magic.
51	** ''Literature/MovingPictures'' has the resograph, a device designed by a wizard named [[PunnyName Riktor]] the Tinkerer to measure changes in the fabric of reality. On the Discworld, said fabric is a lot more flexible thanks to [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve the power of belief]] and the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality. The name is a BrickJoke from an explanation that "thaums" are made of sub-particles called "resons", which is [[CanisLatinicus doggy-Latin]] for "thingies", so the resograph is literally a thing-o-meter. Riktor also invented the Mouse Counter,[[note]]counts every mouse in the building[[/note]] the Rev Counter[[note]]as the previous one, but for priests[[/note]] and the Swamp Meter.[[note]]usage never explained[[/note]] Regrettably, he seems not to have been very good at keeping records of what a particular thing-o-meter was supposed to be measuring or how to read it, information that would have been immensely helpful to Ponder Stibbons when the resograph starts going off.
52	* In ''Literature/MagikaSwordsmanAndSummoner'', the protagonist Kazuki has a magical ring that measures how much the girls of his harem love him.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
56	* ''Series/QueenForADay'''s Applause Meter is the TropeMaker, if not the UrExample.
57	* ''Series/{{Cluedo}}'': In the first series, the audience could vote for who they thought the murderer was. The screen did not show bar charts rising for each suspect, but instead random numbers which would suddenly stop at their final totals.
58	* ''Series/TheCrystalMaze'': Series 2 had a meter showing how many gold and silver credits had been posted in the Crystal Dome. It was not calibrated, so it only gave a very rough idea.
59	* ''Dr. Fad'', a children's game show from the late 1980s which focused on creativity and using scientific knowledge to solve problems, had a round where the contestants brought their inventions (pre-made before the show), and explained and demonstrated the items. The audience reaction was measured with an on-screen meter, with the winner decided by how far to the right the needle went.
60	* Canadian teen talk show ''{{Jonovision}}'' had an applause-o-meter to determine how much of the audience agreed with the topic ''du jour''.
61	* On ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Niles snarks that the psychic debunker they've invited over will be bringing a "ghost-oh-meter" (hard "o"). Daphne rejoins that it's called a "ghost-ah-meter" (soft "o").
62	* ''Series/TheGongShow'' used a [[ChromaKey chroma-keyed]] clap-o-meter to settle ties at the end of the show.
63	* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'':
64	** In the episode featuring ''Angel's Revenge,'' Tom Servo invents a Shame-O-Meter (pronounced "shuh-MAH-meh-ter") to measure the shame the actors in the film are feeling, using Peter Lawford as a baseline. Creator/PatButtram as [[HonestJohnsDealership a used-car salesman]] managed to reach mega-Lawfords, Jim Backus as a right-wing CrazySurvivalist registered well into the giga-Lawford range, while exposure to Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank dressed as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale nearly breaks the meter]].
65	** In another episode, Joel invents the Steve-O-Meter, which measures whether a given idea [[ItsBeenDone has already been thought up by Steve Allen]].
66	* ''[[Series/KidsCourt Nickelodeon Kids' Court]]'' has the Honorable Judge O'Meter (An applauding meter dressed like an English judge with grey-haired wig Analog VU meter for eyes and 2 LED Meters for nose and mouth). Most loud sound of the audience applauding and screaming, Wins the case. Whether the suspect is guilty or not guilty!
67	* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' had a Love-O-Meter at [[LocalHangout The Max]].
68	* An Ascendometer is a self-contained, portable unit from the ''Franchise/StargateVerse'' used to analyze neural activity in the brain. This allows people to judge how close to ascension someone is.
69	** Originally found on [=P3X=]-584 in ''Series/StargateSG1'', the device was named as such by Cameron Mitchell, leaving Samantha Carter wishing she had thought of it first.
70	** Assumably the very same device was used in ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' when they were monitoring how near to ascension Dr. Rodney [=McKay=] was during the events of 'The Tao of Rodney'.
71	* The Summarize Proust Competition on ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' uses a graph gauge to determine who can summarize Creator/MarcelProust's ''[[Literature/InSearchOfLostTime A La Recherche du Temps Perdu]]'' best. (No one can, so the prize goes to the girl with the [[FanService biggest tits]].)
72	** A variation has a man surrendering to police, claiming he's Atilla the Hun. He's asked to breathe into a Hunalzyer. Nothing happens, so he's proven to be Alexander the Great as he actually breathed into an Alexander the Greatalyzer.
73	* ''Series/TopGear''[='=]s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw7D9cDQqHo cock-o-meter]] measures how much of cock you are judging by the car you're driving. Hammond's BMW M3 [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale tops it]].
74	* ''Hot Seat'' was a short-lived ABC game show from 1976 [[note]](which premiered the same day ''Series/FamilyFeud'' did)[[/note]] in which married couples are attached to sensors that gauge emotional levels while answering yes-or-no questions about their married life.
75	* ''Series/TheSlammer'' uses a clap-o-meter to register the audience applause and decide who is the winner of the Freedom Show.
76	* ''Series/{{QI}}'': The episode "Happiness" features the "QI Pleasure Gauge," which measures audience happiness. Extra points are awarded for maxing it out.
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Music]]
80	* In the Youngblood Chronicles, a series of Music/FallOutBoy music videos, we see an Evil-Meter when [[spoiler:Patrick's being brainwashed to hate music]].
81	* "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Word Crimes" video uses a Care-o-meter to illustrate the unintended meaning of the popular phrase "I could care less".
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
85	* One ''[[ComicStrip/TheFarSide Far Side]]'' strip has a dog pointing a device at a mailman which measures the subject's level of fear.
86	* A short arc in ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' had a dork detector. Opus didn't understand why it was always going off when he was holding it.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Pinball]]
90	* [[Creator/MidwayGames Bally]]'s ''Pinball/DrDude'' has the Dude-O-Meter and the Jackpot-O-Meter.
91	* ''Pinball/FishTales'' has "Stretch The Truth", a gauge which measures how big the current catch really is -- from "5X Actual Size" to "[[{{Zonk}} Total Lie]]".
92	* ''Pinball/ScaredStiff'' is named after the "Stiff-O-Meter", which has ten levels from "Hair Raising" and "Pulse Pounding" up to "Heart Stopping" and [[TitleDrop "Scared Stiff"]].
93	* During the "Farley Claymore" mode in ''Pinball/TheShadow'', a "Hit-O-Meter" appears; making key shots results in Farley getting smacked and the meter getting emptied.
94	* ''Pinball/ThePartyZone'' has the "Rock-It Meter", which indicates how much fuel the player has collected by how far he will go, from the "Wisconsin State Line", past "The Edge of Reality", and up to "The NEW Frontier!"
95	* ''Pinball/FooFighters2023'': Certain shots will fill up the "Rock-O-Meter," tying into the premise focusing on ThePowerOfRock. In gameplay terms, it's a mechanic that can add a ScoreMultiplier when activated.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
99	* During his reign as Wrestling/{{WWE}} Intercontinental Champion, Wrestling/SantinoMarella would rate himself against the longest-reigning IC champ in history, The Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan, using the "Honk-A-Meter".
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Radio]]
103	* On an episode of ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'', the round of [[{{Calvinball}} Mornington Crescent]] ended with Humph announcing "According to our clapometer, Tim is the winner". Barry Cryer then added "Report to the clinic immediately".
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
107	* An obscure game called "Truth Detector" consisted of cards with questions for the players to ask each other, and an electronic device which claimed to detect levels of truth. The small print mentioned that it actually detected conductivity of the body, which had some semblance to reality, because liars tend to sweat more.
108	* The party game ''[[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/262543/wavelength Wavelength]]'' centers around a blank ThingOMeter-type dial. Each round it is labelled with a new pair of opposites, e.g. "Happy song - Sad song" or "Best period to time travel to - Worst period to time travel to". A random point on the dial is chosen secretly, and one player gives a clue to their team corresponding to that point on the spectrum between the two extremes. The team sets the dial and gets points for how close they got to the target.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Video Games]]
112	* A strange old PC game called "How to be a Complete Bastard" (based on a book of the same name by Creator/AdrianEdmondson, which itself was a sort-of spin-off of ''Series/TheYoungOnes'') has several meters including a "food-o-meter" and a "wee-o-meter". No need to say what those stand for.
113	* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'':
114	** Apparently, Buster Bumblechops possesses something called a "snore-o-meter".
115	** At the disco, your score is measured on the "Cheer-o-meter".
116	* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' gives us the "Vit-O-Matic Vigor Tester", a device capable of displaying a user's [[TheSixStats strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility and luck, each on a scale from 1 to 10]]. It's apparently reliable enough that a doctor can confidently use it to assess a patient's general state of health - in context of gameplay, it's how the player [[PlayerPersonalityQuiz chooses their primary statistics]].
117	** Mr. New Vegas sometimes mentions trying to measure his charisma with one - "[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale the machine burst into flames]]".
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Webcomics]]
121	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Plenty of examples, as befits an RPGMechanicsVerse.
122	** [[ThePrankster Practical jokers]] [[TheHero John]] and [[DistaffCounterpart Jane]] and their respective [[Standard50sFather dads]] have a Prankster's Gambit, a meter that shows which of them has been most successful at pranking the other. While it appears to be part of the comic's user interface, the characters are clearly able to visually see it and check it.
123	** How do [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]] know how effective their [[{{Troll}} trolling]] is? [[SarcasmBlind Kanaya]] uses the "[[https://www.homestuck.com/story/2695 Flighty Broads and Their Snarky Horseshitometer]]" in an [[SnarkToSnarkCombat exchange]] with [[LittleMissSnarker Rose]]. It ends up [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale exploding]] (after Rose goes OffTheRails and [[ScrewDestiny blows up her gate]]), because it simply couldn't take that much horseshit.
124	* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Torg is sent to Guantanamo Bay as an enemy combatant after airport security thinks [[NotWhatItLooksLike he's about to blow up a plane]]. He comes back claiming that he was set free when his Viking blood "sent their caucasiometer through the roof," so clearly he was too white to be a terrorist.
125	* The AltText to the ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' strip "[[https://xkcd.com/2060/ Hygrometer]]", which is about Cueball's compulsion to buy any thing-o-meter he hears about, says that the rate with which he collects them is measured by his ometerometer.
126	* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has the Ouchdammitometer, which measures pain in Hurtz, demonstrated in [[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-01-28 this comic]] (Not the first appearance of it, but the funnier one).
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Web Original]]
130	* Rational Wiki's [[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Irony_meter Irony Meter.]] Irony Meters are often mentioned on Fundies Say The Darndest Things, usually in in a ReadingsAreOffTheScale ExplosiveInstrumentation way.
131	-->Before reading one of karl's entries, for safety's sake I removed the irony meter from my computer and substituted a pair of [=LEDs=], for a simple binary readout. It didn't work. Somehow the [=LEDs=] transformed into high-powered lasers and were burning holes in things. Really thick things.
132	* In ''WebVideo/SonicTheHedgehog2SpecialEdition'', a clap-o-meter is used during the ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve segment.
133	* Cybershell's LetsPlay of the Genesis Sonic games started each zone with a map and an overview of the enemies in the zone, each rated on how annoying it was using a "Cunt-o-meter".
134	* In Blog/AskKingSombra, Sombra rates Equestria's three Princesses by their bitchiness using [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/1c2fc451d0277b275694249d5174b6f0/tumblr_mo7fpq1OEb1rj4ht7o2_1280.png The Royal]] Bitch-o-meter. Coffee Talk later shows [[http://40.media.tumblr.com/7f86ac2f82933b9c878614e3b2d0dc10/tumblr_ntgtqzJSEP1rj4ht7o4_r1_1280.png the Crystal Ponies']] Royal Bitch-o-meter, in which Sombra ranks [[BrokeTheRatingScale 5000%]].
135	* Webvideo/TheNostalgiaCritic once measured actors' performances on a [[HamAndCheese Not-Giving-A-Fuck-O-Meter]]. Apparently topped by Jeremy Irons in ''Dungeons and Dragons.''
136	* The Polish furry site [[http://polfurs.org Polfurs.org]] for many years featured a ''yiffometer'', a color scale in the menu bar, with a needle position depending on the number of ''Main/{{Yiff}}''-related words found in text of given page of the site.
137	* WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows goes with a "Douche-O-Meter" for Justin Bieber's "Sorry". [[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale It breaks after one lyric. Then, later, it explodes.]]
138	* ''Website/LeftFootLivingReview'' gives trade values of things that are not easily traded, such as body parts.
139	--> Noses are up three points with a half-percent sharper. Ears, down six, attached lobes favored nine-to-seven.
140	* Hockey writer Sean [=McIndoe=] assesses how weird the NHL's offseason moves were with the [[http://www.downgoesbrown.com/search/label/bizarro-meter Bizarro-meter]].
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Western Animation]]
144	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "Bossy Boots" Brain designs a machine in the episode intro called the "Boss-O-Meter" to measure how many bosses a child has in the life. D.W. makes the machine break down by overloading it.
145	** In "Bitzi's Beau" Buster and Harry have handheld Alien-O-Meters which can tell if a person or character is an alien. They are supposedly just toys that always show someone is an alien if activated.
146	* A laugh-o-meter features prominently in a the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Almost Got 'Im," where Joker rigs one up to an electric chair, straps Batman to it, and lets laughing gas leak into a studio audience.
147	* The Franchise/CareBears have, of course, the Caring Meter, which monitors how much caring is going around on Earth. In some incarnations, it's the Care-O-Meter and can take more specific readings, such as the amount of caring within a particular individual at the moment.
148	* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'''s official voting system for student council president is an applause-o-meter. This meant that, in a heated competition between Abe Lincoln and JFK for the presidency, the winner was [[TakeAThirdOption a random puppy who wandered on stage]].
149	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''
150	** Professor Farnsworth once pulled out a "cool-o-meter" which apparently measured coolness in [[Series/HappyDays MegaFonzies]]. Unsurprisingly, pointing it at Zoidberg makes the needle go dead.
151	** On another occasion, he pulled out a "Doom-o-meter" that measures just how doomed something is, in Milidooms. Of course, 1000 Milidooms = 1 Doom.
152	** When Bender, Amy and Leela are at club looking for someone for Leela, Bender mentions he has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4XzCP8sQqU "Gaydar"]] and can tell if someone is gay, unless he gets interference from a gay weather balloon.
153	** The company Kidnappster have a Liu-mo-Stat, which controls every Lucy Liu robot they have, with three settings; Plucky Lawyer (default), Icy Dominatrix, and the fullest setting of Erotic Assassin.
154	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
155	** Professor Frink's Sarcasm Detector from "They Saved Lisa's Brain":
156	--->'''Lyndsey Nagle:''' Do I detect a note of sarcasm?\
157	'''Frink:''' [''With sarcasm detector''] Are you kidding me? This baby is off the charts, [[VerbalTic mm-hai]].\
158	'''Comic Book Guy:''' Oh, a sarcasm detector! That's a ''[[SarcasmMode real]]'' useful invention. [''[[ReadingsBlewUpTheScale Sarcasm detector explodes]]'']
159	** Frink has also brought his Frog-Exaggerator to [[StockNessMonster Loch Ness]], thinking he had brought his Monster-o-meter.
160	** Also from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', in the "[[ShowWithinAShow spinoff]]" ''The Lovematic Grandpa'', wherein Grandpa Simpson dies and is reincarnated as a love testing machine at Moe's.
161	** Martin once built a device that accurately measured surprise as a school project. People learning what the device did registered "mild surprise". When they found out that Lisa had successfully turned Groundskeeper Willie into a gentleman, it went higher.
162	** When kids enter an audition for a singing contest not affiliated to ''Series/AmericanIdol'' and produced by people who claim to have never heard of American Idol, Krusty uses an applause-o-meter so he won't have to pay attention to the songs.
163	* A season 2 episode of ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics'' employed an applause meter to gauge which of the three teams would win a specific event. Mildew Wolf would hold his microphone to the camera, presumably for the viewers at home to vote by applause. Naturally, the Really Rottens got bupkis.
164	* ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'' has meters that ghosts use to gauge how miserable each town is and how well the ghouls perform in making them more awful. Naturally, when [[GenkiGirl Molly McGee]] enters the picture, the meter for her town gradually undergoes a shift.
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:Real Life]]
168	* As mentioned in the description, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clap-o-meter Clap-O-Meter]], which was a feature on many game shows in the 60s and 70s. It was supplanted by more accurate forms of audience voting, like keypads. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Definitely not to be used for diagnosing sexually transmitted infections!]]
169	** There's also the version without an actual meter - you "vote by your applause" and the judges decide who/what gets the loudest applause. Used often in Bikini contests.
170	* When discussing the development of the Platform/{{Wii}}, Miyamoto mentioned a theoretical "Wife-o-Meter" he used to measure his wife's increasing interest in video games over the years.
171	* Perhaps the most pervasive example ever would be the speedometer in your car.
172	* British election coverage always features the Swingometer, a needle that is turned from one major party to the other to indicate how many voters have switched their allegiance. Originally a cardboard prop (which was parodied in the election night sketch on ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' as spinning crazily around), it has more recently taken the form of CGI.
173	* As referenced in several of the examples above, various devices are described as being able to "test" how much two people love each other. There are stand-alone machines, sometimes seen in bars or arcades, there are pocket-sized ones (somewhat popular in Japan), and naturally several dozen written "tests" (frequently in magazines like ''Cosmopolitan'') which will supposedly rate how strong a relationship is.
174	** In 1979 inventor Carlisle Dixon patented a system for single people to identify potential friends/lovers in crowds. Each person programs a personal transceiver with musical, literary, and other preferences. When two such transceivers detect each other, the person carrying them is told how compatible they are.
175	** In 1969, back when they were a toy manufacturer, Creator/{{Nintendo}} marketed a "Love Tester". It consisted of two spherical sensors connected to a meter. The couple would hold the sensors with one hand and hold hands with the other, upon which the meter showed their "love score" on a scale from 1 to 100. The device was designed by none other than Creator/GunpeiYokoi, who loved explaining that kissing the girl would give better results.
176	* During the 1980s, the beginning of the drunk-driving-is-wrong awareness era (thanks to MADD and other organizations), bars would often install breath-alysers as a public service, so that patrons could know "when to say when." The practice was discontinued when people started using the machines to adjudicate who's-the-most-drunk contests.
177	* The id Tech 3-based games (''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'', ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty''), as well as engines derived from id Tech 3 (Infinity Ward's IW Engine) feature a Lag-O-Meter, which measures network lag during online play.
178	* {{Pun}} and Rule34 demand the Orgasmeter. Actually, already McKinsey effectively built one, only he was a scientist and didn't name it so. In the meantime you can get a similar one (that names itself so) even as an app. ScienceMarchesOn.
179	* In the US military, there are a variety of "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morale_patch morale patches]]" which aren't an authorized part of the uniform, but are sometimes temporarily attached to the uniform (and quickly removed, if an NCO or officer without a sense of humor shows up). One of these designs features a "[[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6c/ee/80/6cee807b180962e556fef979c67da409.jpg Fun Meter]]", with the needle often [[SarcasmMode all the way on full]].
180	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ThingOMeter