Automatically Display Text Message on Computer Screen

[johnrc]

Hey,

I hope that I am posting this in the correct forum.

I have setup a computer with two vga monitors at our sound booth. I have both of the monitors displaying the same thing.

What I am trying to do is to setup a way where I can send a text message from a cellphone and have it appear on both screens so that the media people can see the message.

I have tried using Twitter with different serivices that allow me to display my twitter status on a website, and then building a website that auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. The problem is that eventually twitter decedes that I've polled them to many times in to short a time, and they stop disaplying anything for a period of around one hour.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to send a text message from a cellphone that will automatically appear on a full computer screen within about 30 seconds to a minute after it was sent?

I really want to avoid using email, or IMs if at all possible.

Thanks

Pastor John

[waynehoskins]

First, welcome!

I don't think it's easily possible without spending money for an SMS gateway. However, if you could use a computer or send an email, it's much easier. Something like an (jailbroken?) iPhone where you can torch off a shell command on a networked machine.

Let's step back from the technical problem for a minute and get back to the problem that you're trying to solve with this. What is that problem?

How often must a message be communicated back to the booth? How many different messages would be necessary? (i.e., is it limited to things like "cut next song", "running late", "fill", "I'm going up after this song"?)

How about these solutions:
- SMS the guy's phone
- put in some sort of visual signalling system -- like a pushbutton and an indicator -- and use a numbered message system
- learn Morse and tap it out on a paddle
- Clear-Com or RTS handset station on the front row
- send a gopher
- walk back there yourself

Or, gosh, what about a simple system with a pushbutton and a light at both ends, where my pushbutton lights up your light? That allows for some two-way communication. You press the button, it lights up my light, I know to mute and PFL your microphone. When I'm ready, I send you a couple of dits so you know you can talk. Piece of cake. Cost: maybe $10 at Radio Shack, plus a dry pair.