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Creative Applications for SMS?
Spinkle asks: "As the volume of global SMS traffic continues to grow at a staggering rate, new and more creative uses for text messaging are found. SMS text messaging is now achieving critical mass worldwide. Sites like Snifferdogalert
and Velocity (which, incidentally, cater to drug dealers and speeding motorists, respectively) are an illustration of the increasing popularity of the SMS facility. A culture change is taking place in the way people choose to communicate. Will the visual message become more powerful and popular as voice? What other creative applications for instant messaging are there?"
How about something to identify the sender so that one can use appropriate retaliation if SMSM spam is received?
To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
Was talking about technology in Singapore and the proliferation of SMS use there. Check out CC's website (specifically episode 1939) for more info. Some things I remember from the show include checking books out of the library (including libraries put in the mall, not just some dedicated structure near nothing popular with the kids), getting grades distributed and even ordering movie tickets in advance. With the whole SMS system for ticket purchase there was even talk of offering cut-rate pricing just before the show on remaining seating.
Wheeeee
There are currently millions of old phones which people would not be seen dead with. I don't own a working phone just pay per use ones which my friends didn't want. The cool thing is they still get free messages.
Anyway I did strip a philips phone and connected all buttons and I/O pins to a FPGA and microprocessor.
When the message comes in the ringer wire flips so you start driving the buttons to get the message. The message is the output to the LCD so i connect the lcd wires to the FPGA which latches the message.
There are lots of webstes that allow you to send free SMS messages. A bit of pearl and lego and you have yourself remote controlable car.
I can recognise when the message comes in but I still need to work on decoding the LCD screen by looking at the wires. For the time being the car drives on requests directly from the internet reather than from the phone.
Mouse powered Chips, Open source Processors and Lego
upoc.com offers a free service that links together all of the propritary cellular text messaging in the US via a web interface. It also offers stuff like public groups.
Its not necessarily an IM thing, but a text-messaging thing.
-Turkey
-Turkey
The thing about drug dealers is unfortunate. It should be easy to program a "convergence" phone (Danger Labs, Handspring Treo, etc.) to send and receive encrypted SMS messages. Yes there is obvious abuse potential. However, it's probably easier to nail an SMS user (who after all is personally carrying a phone even if it's prepaid and not registered to him) than an IM or email user (internet cafes) or a one-way pager user (unlike a cell phone which talks to a network, there's no way to locate a receive-only pager).
I live in one of the NYC boroughs and on September 11th my phone service was gone, and cell service was practically gone as well (it was actually the first to go, and later in the day, I had to dial 20-40 times to get a call through)... Cell service was pretty bad for weeks afterwards.
SMS data packets are tiny, and can typically get through when there is little or no voice service. If it is available in your locale and with your provider, I'd suggest learning to use it (and making sure your loved ones know how to use it) -- in the event of a disaster, it may be the best form of communication with the people who are close to you.
-Turkey
-Turkey
It's only a matter of time before someone DDoSes the goddamned thing and sends it careening into an embankment.
What's its SMS email address, again?
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
I set up an SMS gateway on my network and then redirected all the devices that used to message my text pager to SMS message my phone. It's nice to get one device off my belt, now if I just wasn't so cheap I'd get a Treo or Kyoceria Smart phone and make my handheld and phone one device.
Does anyone else have the problem of too many devices and not enough belt room, me cell, my Visor, my pager, my leatherman, my mini mag... too much junk!
Rule of Life Number 2: Remember, it can all go to hell at any minute. --Jimmy Buffet
That would be cool, but my mobile phone's screen isn't big enough to display
!
GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!
I wrote myself a little SMS -> LiveJournal gateway. The script idles behind an email address on my box and knows that any messages from my cellphone email address to its address should be punted through JLJ which updates LiveJournal.
Kinda lame, but its neat to update my LJ from the center of DisneyLand from the cellphone.
I was hoping for some fun tips on Microsoft Systems Management Server.
To quote the release.... "The application is a service for tourists visiting the historic city of Bath (in the UK). It guides users around the city and towards major attractions. At the same time they are involved in a 'Treasure Hunt' answering questions related to historic sites, requiring users to visit them. Prizes can be won and sponsorhsip opportunities exist for businesses located on the trail."
If I recall correctly, the backend tying openACS to the SMS gateway has also been opensourced. Check it out.
Live today. Tomorrow will cost a lot more!