By the Numbers
Drinking Tonight? There's an App for That

Your nights out have a way of turning into competitions—intense karaoke showdowns, battles complete with feats of strength, epic debates over who's the better '80s thespian, Emmanuel Lewis or Gary Coleman.

It's time you start keeping score. At least where certain evening indulgences are concerned.

Introducing DrinkTracker, an iPhone app that tracks your imbibing. It's marketed as a sort of Breathalyzer, but—as is often the case—we suspect you can find more creative uses for it.

While some apps encourage good behavior—monitoring your heart rate while you run, for instance—this one appeals to your more basic instincts. You type in your personal stats (height, weight, age and gender), and the app crunches the numbers. You handle the hard part—i.e., the drinking—and give your phone a love tap each time you order another round. (Assuming, of course, you remain sober enough to remember that part.)

As the night unfolds, it tracks your blood alcohol level, how long you've been drinking and what you've had so far. From there, it's up to you to use this info to prevent any Hangover-type memory-loss scenarios. Or, perhaps, enable them.

Try to avoid stealing Mike Tyson's tiger.