A MATCH.COM for carpooling. “Instead of having an awkward and silent car ride with a stranger, Berlingerio’s team at the University of Pisa and IBM Research is trying to make carpooling into a social experience. They tapped Twitter data to create a carpool matchmaking model based on shared interests and compatibility of the driver and passenger. This model was compared with traditional optimized carpooling methods that aim to take as many cars off the road as possible. Of the software’s 200 users, 39 percent said they were more interested in the enjoyable, social model than in a more efficient, greener carpooling model. The engineers also found that 24 percent chose to carpool specifically for the opportunity to ride with interesting people rather than to save money and time.”