Are you an incredibly superficial single person? Would you like science to help you find a girl that looks just like that cute one at the end of the bar, only with a better nose? Then boy, oh boy do the wacky researchers at Microsoft's Beijing labs have a new tool for you.
Eschewing the pairing-by-personality-tests strategy of eHarmony, Microsoft has just been awarded a patent for an image-based dating service. What's that mean? As the diagram below illustrates, it means that 25 years after it was released, computer scientists have finally caught up with the technology in John Hughes' teen-wet-dream comedy Weird Science.
He really likes the shape of her face.
The patent, which TechFlash accurately describes as "one of the most superficial 'innovations' in history," was actually filed more than four years ago, but only approved a couple days before the new year. And so far there's no indication that Microsoft intends to bring the facial-recognition product to market. But a boy can dream!