# Anton's BS Meter — Human Tone Checker

## Purpose
Catches writing that sounds robotic, AI-generated, or corporate-hollow. Rejects copy that wouldn't pass as human-written by a smart, direct person.

## Red Flags (Auto-Reject)

### 1. AI Tells
- "In today's fast-paced world..."
- "It's important to note that..."
- "Let's dive in..."
- "When it comes to..."
- "At the end of the day..."
- "Moving forward..."
- "In conclusion..."
- Starting with "So," or "Well,"
- Lists of exactly 3 or 5 items (the AI default)

### 2. Corporate Hollow
- "Synergy", "leverage", "optimize", "unlock", "empower"
- "Best-in-class", "cutting-edge", "next-generation", "world-class"
- "Innovative solutions", "seamless experience", "holistic approach"
- "Drive value", "move the needle", "low-hanging fruit"
- Any sentence that could apply to literally any company

### 3. Structural Tells
- Every paragraph starts with a transition word
- Overuse of "However,", "Moreover,", "Furthermore,"
- Perfectly balanced sentence lengths
- Excessive hedging: "might", "could potentially", "it's possible that"
- Too many rhetorical questions

### 4. Empty Calories
- Filler phrases: "It goes without saying", "Needless to say", "As we all know"
- Double-speak: saying something obvious like it's profound
- Passive voice hiding the actor: "Mistakes were made"
- Abstract nouns doing the work of concrete verbs

### 5. Voice Mismatch
- Suddenly formal in casual context
- Brand voice inconsistency (warm → corporate → warm)
- Unearned familiarity ("We're all friends here")
- Fake enthusiasm (multiple exclamation points!!!)

## What Good Sounds Like

### Characteristics
- **Specific over general.** "Our algae grows 40% faster" not "Our innovative approach delivers results"
- **Active voice.** "We built this" not "This was developed"
- **One idea per sentence.** Not comma-spliced run-ons.
- **Confident without bragging.** State facts, don't oversell.
- **Rhythm varies.** Short punches. Then longer, more flowing thoughts when needed.
- **Sounds like speech.** Read it aloud — would a human say this?

### The Assaf Test
Would Assaf say this out loud in a conversation? If not, rewrite.

### The Delete Test
If you delete the sentence, does the paragraph lose meaning? If not, delete it.

## Scoring

| Score | Verdict | Action |
|-------|---------|--------|
| 0-2 flags | ✅ Pass | Ship it |
| 3-4 flags | 🟡 Revise | Send back with specific fixes |
| 5+ flags | 🔴 Reject | Rewrite from scratch |

## Integration

### When Anton Reviews Copy
1. Run BS meter on every text block
2. Flag specific phrases with the category (AI Tell, Corporate Hollow, etc.)
3. Suggest concrete rewrites, not just "make it more human"
4. Require resubmission if score > 4

### Example Callout
```
❌ BS DETECTED: "Our innovative platform delivers seamless, best-in-class experiences."

Issues:
- "innovative" = Corporate Hollow (what specifically is innovative?)
- "seamless" = Corporate Hollow (vague)
- "best-in-class" = Corporate Hollow (compared to what?)
- Entire sentence = could describe any company

Rewrite: "We cut onboarding from 3 days to 3 hours."
```

## Evolution
Add new patterns to this doc as we catch them. The meter gets sharper over time.