So how about this weather we’ve been having? First, second, or fifteenth date, there always comes that awkward moment when you and your love interest simply run out of conversation topics, peeling the labels off your beer bottles, trying desperately to think of something interesting and witty to say, and fast. Of course, if you’re alone together, this awkward silence can easily become a hot and heavy make-out session on the couch, leading who knows where; but if you’re sharing a drink at the bar or maybe still eating at the restaurant, a lack of intellectual engagement can scrap a rewarding relationship before it even gets off the ground.

Inevitably, that awkward silence is coming for you, so how can a person minimize the damage and keep the conversation moving without seeming like a complete fool? Surrounded by people yapping away about the same, tired story they probably yapped about last weekend, you may want to turn to your phone for the ice breaker that can keep your date interested. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not recommending calling your buddies or the fem squad to come bail you out — of course you need to fly solo sometimes — but now you can text a question to the new service ChaCha for some interesting and humorous, not to mention free, tidbits of information.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with ChaCha (242242), the process is as easy as sending a text message. Whenever you have a random question (e.g., How many Pixar movies have been released? What’s the best pick-up line this year? When is fig season?) and you don’t necessarily have convenient access to the Internet — let alone the time to search for your answer — just text your question, and one of their online guides will then run a search and text back the answer. Instead of arguing for hours about how many seasons Three’s Company lasted, now you can have your answer in less than a minute. Pretty amazing, and pretty useful when you’re in a dating pinch, too!

Even the ice breaker, Hey, you know about ChaCha? can start a hilarious conversation that could last all night long. And if your date has no idea, you can show them by texting ChaCha a question about something you know your date loves. If you’re comfortable and flirting already, text something steamy like, What are the chances my date and I will end up naked together tonight? Then let the ChaCha Guide help steer your date in the right direction by keeping the conversation alive and well — and hopefully giving the hot prediction for which you were both hoping.

Wait, ChaCha Guides? As in real people searching for answers to your ridiculous, late-night questions instead of receiving some lame, computer-generated response? Keep in mind, even the game show Love Connection needed a middleman to make sure the fires between two individuals stayed blazing, and the guides can provide some witty comments that will keep your date smiling — which can earn you some serious points. True, ChaCha Guides are hardly singing matchmakers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t seize the digital opportunity and bond with your date over an interesting Q&A session.