Here is a response from Hans Fugal, to my PLUG posting back in March 2007
– Distinctive ring
– Mother-in-law logic (aka ex-girlfriend logic)
– e.g. different messages or behavior depending on who’s calling
– or even change the CID name for incoming calls to something more
hip, for a finite set of numbers (or a match of numbers)
– ring only one of the phones depending on who’s calling
– DND
– room-to-room calls
– Set up a meetme conference that you can use at the drop of a hat, e.g.
to get a bunch of people together to sing happy birthday to your cat
– TTS announcing who’s calling. aka couch potato caller ID
– caller ID pops up on the screen of your laptop/desktop/whatever – aka
computer geek caller ID
– system access, e.g. uptime, load, memory, run a script (might want to
password-protect that)
– call in and secretly monitor your cat in the living room using the
console
– call in and scare the cat with the console (aka paging or intercom)
– zapateller
– make up a wacky answering machine message with Audacity
– dial-a-song
– dial-a-madlib (markov chain)
– math game for the cat
– horoscope
– dictation machine
– control your rhoomba
– jukebox control
– place an automatic call to yourself when some event occurs (using the
manager API)
– new PLUG email
– SCO stock drops further
– alarm clock
– get a motion sensor and combine the intercom and call placing ideas,
to scare the cat (burglars)
– time-of-day logic (fewer rings at night, or no rings)
– write a script to place a crank call
– places call
– with spoofed CID (Jason Hall <801-555-4956>)
– playback(tt-monkeys)
– Use that crank call script automatically from a spam filter, but use
the FBI’s CID this time. Or maybe Bill Gates.
– Don’t abuse caller ID too much and ruin it for the rest of us who want
to use it for legitimate purposes (look like we called from a business
phone even though we’re at home)
– voicemail to email
– time and temperature (and other weather)
– speed dial
– gambling IVR (blackjack hand – if you win your call will be completed.
if you lose you will be disconnected)
– DUNDI
– Allow extended family to place calls in your local area over VOIP
– Set up family voicemail (press 1 for Chris, 2 for the wife, 3 for the
cat…)
– music on hold that reflects what you’re currently listening to
