I remember when Last.FM first introduced the Taste-O-Meter. So many contacts had ‘super’ ratings, it was great. Everyone felt fluffy and friendly and loved. My girlfriend-at-the-time had a ‘super’ rating, and that little pink bar validated our relationship for all to see.

But somewhere along the way, Last.FM tweaked the algorithm. ‘Super’ ratings became less common, and that relationship went its separate ways (though to be fair, that was perhaps not directly correlated).

The above screen grab is the first ‘Super’ rating I’ve seen in months. But, look closely, in the new design the bar is not full! No! Someone, somewhere at Last.HQ has added a new top-level rating. And, despite not being able to find an example, I think it’s quite obvious what it is.

Secretly, everyone has always understood what the taste-o-meter is really about. Sex.

Max out the meter? That’s Last.FM giving you official (and legally binding) permission to touch. The new design must obviously make it more explicit. Quite how it is rendered remains to be seen, if it even exists at all. Does it take the high road and declare your lovetaste ‘mythical’, leaving the rest to you? Or does it just replace the playlist on your fateful new new partner’s page with cheap porn soundtracks? Maybe it’s only available to staff, cruising user profiles and manipulating the tasteometer for their own gain (in which case, David, I totally need a favour…)

Can advertisers (I’m thinking of Lynx, obviously) buy ads just on pages for users aged 12 to 19 looking at girls with a high compatibility rating?

If I sound jovial, stop laughing now. The truth is of course much darker, and inevitably it’s tied to the very root of the global financial crisis. Tweaks to Last.FM’s compatibility algorithm were nothing to do with better matching the music you’re into, and all to do with Last.FM short-selling rubber stocks. Remember me when you’re reading that on TechCrunch tomorrow.