Here’s how it works:

Text ‘oscar’ (no quotes) followed by your message to 41411. For example:

oscar happy bday!
oscar you’re late

Send your text anytime tomorrow, and you’ll automatically be logged in for the evening. You can easily unsubscribe at any time via a reply (simple instructions included in message), but we don’t recommend that because you’ll be missing out on a crazy underground gossip convention. You will be unsubscribed automatically and forever the following morning anyway. If people use it and like it we’ll do it for every future TNO too.

Only one disclaimer: please don’t hurt anyone, just have fun with it!

Also, to whomever is actually hosting TNO, bartenders can get in on this too. They can offer a free beer to the next idiot who takes his shirt off, beer specials for first person to recite the contents of a message, and so on. Bartenders might want to participate too!

Ok everyone, please try this out, for real, cuz we think it’s cool and fun. We will appreciate your feedback after the night is over. Thanks and have fun!

A few questions answered

Q: How does this work?
A: Well it’s built on a service called Textmarks (www.textmarks.com). It’s free and great for prototyping mobile applications

Q: Is it really anonymous?
A: Well it is assuming that you are not already a member of Textmarks, where you’d have a username associated with your phone number. Even then people would have to know what your username is.

Q: Is this spam?
A: It’s an opt-in service, so no. Be aware that while we are testing this version, you will receive every message from every subscriber. In the future we hope to have more filtering options. You can unsubscribe at any time using instructions provided in messages you receive, and tomorrow morning we will manually forever unsubscribe anyone who has not already done so.

Q: What’s up with the ads? Are you clowns cashing in on this?
A: We wish. Since Textmarks is free, we have to give something back in the form of letting them put some stupid ads in the bottom of the messages. On this issue, Josh says, “Whatevs.”

Here is a screenshot of our mySQL message database. It’s clear that our service was being used as intended.

You can try it out for yourself using this sample script.

You’ll want to auto-subscribe users just to take out a step of the process. Just make sure they know they are being subscribed. To broadcast all messages to all subscribers, set up your Textmarks configuration something like this:

Gaining interest in Brooklyn’s historic waterfront has sparked the goal of bringing the residents of nearby neighborhoods closer to it. The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway plan aims to match the ideals once achieved by Olmstead in the nineteenth century when he designed Prospect Park and the country’s first Parkway. Existing documentation about the project is detailed and outlines existing conditions, planning principles, design objectives and funding issues. In fact, the plan for the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway closely mirrors the objectives and concerns surrounding our upcoming Azuero Earth Project project in Panama. We believe that studying this waterfront project, an endeavor occurring right here at home, will prime us for Panama. Studying a project so close to us, in an area with which are already familiar, will allow us to enter Panama with an acuteness that can only save precious time and help to avoid missed opportunities. We look forward to such an undertaking, and we are confident that we are proceeding in a manner that will reward us with valuable experience that will make a positive and lasting impression on the Azuero Earth Project.

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Ted begins the cooking process by placing most of the necessary ingredients on the counter. He pulls a chef’s knife off the wall and a sharpening blade from a drawer. Then he sharpens the knife by the sink. After removing some hangar steak from its butcher paper, he slices it into chunks on top of the paper and seasons it.

After seasoning the meat Ted takes a small break to check email on his phone. He then continues the cooking process by slicing some tomatoes and hearts of palm to add to leftover salad.

When the salad is prepared he washes and peels potatoes. Ted then takes another break when he uncorks a bottle of white wine and drinks a glass. After a glass of wine he slices an onion, repeated wipes his hands on his shirt, and talks to his girlfriend who just arrived. During their chat he adds the potatoes to boiling water. He consults a cookbook for tips.

Using an oven mitt as a potholder, he pulls a cast iron pan out of the hot oven that he neglected to remove before preheating. He continues the preparation by chopping garlic. Noticing that his girlfriend is not occupied, he hands her a carbon steel pan to be scoured. Again Ted wipes he hands all over his shirt.

The actual cooking begins when he melts butter in the pan. The flame was accidentally extinguished by Ted’s attempt to lower the heat. Reigniting the flame requires the aid of a cigarette lighter.

While the butter is melting, Ted retrieves some additional ingredients from the refrigerator. He adds the onion and garlic to the hot pan and returns the lighter to its owner. While the vegetables are cooking, he removes some leaves of thyme from their stems. When this is done he drains the potatoes.

After draining the potatoes he adds some roughly chopped mushrooms to the softened vegetables and stirs them. After a moment of cooking together, he integrates the cooked potatoes to the pan. He kindly hands a beer to one of his guests.

Then he begins browning the meat in the carbon steel pan. Once they are browned he puts the pieces into a baking sheet and puts it in the oven. To the meat pan he adds a series of ingredients that will become a sauce.

When everything is finished he plates the food for his guests and displays his accomplishment.

In major cities, many users of taxi cabs are wealthy. Since the price of a ride from point A to B can easily approach $20 in Manhattan alone, a cab ride can be considered a luxury to some. Outside of New York City, a cab can be a useful vessel to those who do not own cars but still need a way to get to work or other points which other modes of public transportation (i.e. trains, buses) do not reach.

There are a number of services offered to the rider of a taxi. The rider is provided with a bill of rights, identification of the driver, access to windows for temperature control, clear sight of the meter, and a privacy window between rider and driver. A receipt is available to customers upon request. Recently users began noticing video screens where information such as news, weather, and GPS coordinates are available for viewing. Finally and ideally, the rider is provided with a knowledgeable driver who is sensitive to the wishes of the rider.

The taxi cab features a body color that universally identifies it as such. A light on the roof of the cab indicates whether it is available or occupied. There is absolutely no mistaking of this car’s service for that of another. The color and state of the light give the user instant information about what this car has to offer. All the user must do in order to hail a cab for service is to raise an arm. This is a completely intuitive action. Luckily this action can be confused with perhaps only a couple like it; waving to a friend or maybe blocking the sun from one’s eyes.

One interesting factor in the design is the window between the driver and passenger. It is usually open to allow communication. However, the window opening is relatively small. It is small enough to be perceived as closed if the driver and passenger do not necessarily want to converse during the ride. However it is large enough to allow sound to carry with the illusion of no window at all. This is useful when the rider and driver talk frequently during the ride as they often do. It is the best of both worlds.

Adding cup holders to the back seat of taxis might help users to prevent spills and provide an added sense of comfort. A type of car seat for babies could be placed in the trunk when not in use and quickly attached in the back seat to ensure the safety of the little ones. AM/FM radio tuners in the back seat might add a sense of luxury to the ride and may be a welcomed alternative to the LCD screens currently installed in many New York City cabs.