Astrobot is an SMS service that allows you to (sort of) browse the web entirely over SMS. Here's what it looks like:
1. You: help
2. Astro-bot:"Go to wsj.com", "search wikipedia for Azerbaijan". Text the # of a link to click it.
3. You: hackerschool.com
4. Astro-bot: Hacker School is a retreat 4 programmers. Want 2 spend three months coding & learning
in New York w/ smart, friendly, & intellectually curious people? [Rea
5. You: more
6. Astro-bot:d on](1) . [APPLY NOW](2) New blog post: [Paper of the Week: Error Detecting &
Error Correcting Codes](3) Hacker School is… Self-directed We value in
7. You: 3 more
8. Astro-bot:trinsic motivation & self-direction, & believe people learn best when they’re free 2
explore their passions & interests. Accessible We’re free 4 everyone.
9. Astro-bot:We also offer need-based grants 4 living expenses 4 people from traditionally
underrepresented groups in programming. Stimulating We look 4 smart, friendly,
10. Astro-bot: self-directed, & intellectually curious people who enjoy programming & want 2 get
dramatically better. Exceptional We have exceptional residents including
11. You: click 1
12. Astro-bot: We review applications on a rolling basis. u should receive a confirmation email
immediately after u apply, & we will review ur application within three weeks
13. You: 2 more
14. Astro-bot:. In general, clear & concise answers are better than long ones. Most answers have a
1500 character max length, but u don’t need 2 write that much. We strongl
15. Astro-bot:y encourage u 2 read our [about page](1) , [FAQ](2) , & [User’s Manual](3) b4 applying.
Choose ur batch If you’re admitted but ur preferred batch is full,
16. You: click link 2
17. Astro-bot:What's that? I don't understand. Say 'help me' for help.
18. You: click 2
19. Astro-bot: Welcome 2 an unusual experiment Hacker School is unlike the rest of the world. This
guide is designed 2 help u get settled in & get the most out of ur batch.
20. You: 3 more
21. Astro-bot: 1 of the things that makes Hacker School different is that it's largely self-directed . This
means u won't have someone telling u what 2 do, learn, etc, while
22. Astro-bot: you're here (though we do have a few [social rules](1) ). This self-directedness is baked
into the core structure of Hacker School, & is why we don't have grad
23. Astro-bot:es, exams, curricula, or even classes. It comes from our belief that people learn best when
given the freedom 2 explore what most interests them. This doesn't
Astrobot is a Google Appengine app that supports responding to incoming messages from Twilio. You can use a live version at astro-bot.appspot.com or by texting 646-576-7688 .
Download the Google Appengine launcher and just drag the repository folder into it.
You've also got to create a file called secrets.py, which includes a variable BING_API_KEY, holding your Bing search API key (not a Simple Search API key—the full API key). You can get these for free. You'll need it for web search — otherwise, leave secrets.txt empty and it'll all work except web search.