I’ve had a great deal of success with Cocoa UltraSMS lately. Unlike SMSLib (the java library I’ve been using) this library responds correctly to new message alerts from the phone. So access is immediate. The messages are stored in a MySQL database and are easily accessed with Processing (and any other Java), MaxMSP, PHP, etc.

This little app works really well with OS X. For a Linux, Windows, etc, take a look at the UltraSMS framework.

For a current project, I would like to be able to receive SMS messages, email messages, and voice messages in Processing (or other Java applications). So here’s the solution I’ve got. First of all, it is very easy to send an SMS message from one’s computer to a cell phone for free (e.g. Google’s Free SMS Service). Unfortunately, it is cheaper to give than to receive. So, since I use T-Mobile, I have decided to sign up for an unlimited SMS package, which will cost $14.99/month. They offer several other plans, such as 400 messages for $4.99 or 1000 messages for $9.99. But, since there is a bit of grant money available, a couple months of unlimited SMS doesn’t seem so bad.

So, in order to get the messages in and out of Processing, I will use the SMSLib for Java. It looks like a simple solution [edit: It’s not!]. One can connect to the phone via Bluetooth and send and receieve SMSes as needed. Luckily I have access to an old Sony T610 and a new Nokia 6103. One of the two should work. Ideally, I would like to parse and route the messages straight into a MySQL database for archival and use in multiple applications.

Here are some initial 3D renderings for our Urban Echo. They are rough and will be cleaned as needed later. Part of the purpose of this exercise was to learn Google Sketchup and Google Earth. Both are now freely available for Mac and Windows. These tools are extremely useful tools for planning and rendering projects. Sketchup is also useful for designing small parts and pieces for machines such as our new laser cutter.

The geometry of the Barker Dance center proved difficult to model with no prior experience. I was able to apply the basic textures by fitting some images I captured several days ago. Unfortunately, I did not have images of the entire dance center and art buildings.

I've been looking for some weather data sources that don't require web scraping.  Here's what I have.

• http://developer.yahoo.com/
• http://www.weather.gov/ 
• http://www.weatherbug.com/api/default.asp

It's good to note that there are a lot of really great sources of data at Yahoo's developer site.  This includes traffic data, a decent map api, search functionality and more.  Google maps has a map api as well.