IRIS

December 2014 - February 2016

In middle school, I did not have a smart phone. I had what I liked to call a "dumb" phone. Buying a new phone was too simple of a solution. Instead, I had a better idea. I already knew that it was possible to text an email address, I just put the pieces together and realized I could have something monitor that email address. The idea was to text an email and have a service respond to the commands in the emails. It was effectively like Apple's SIRI.

The service, named IRIS, is a Visual Basic program that monitors a Gmail account using mail.dll. IRIS then runs it through a list of commands to find what I am asking, then responds with an appropriate response.

Examples of these commands are:

• What are my grades?
• What is the weather?
• What homework do I have?
• What does barbarous mean?
• Is Ollie's open? (Ollie's is an Ice Cream Shop)
• Turn on my lamp.
• Google the pledge of allegiance
• What is pi?
• Tell me a joke.
• Start a game of ZORK.
• Turn on the thermostat.
• (5/7)^2/3+19/14

IRIS also has the ability to notify me when these events happen:

• I receive an e-mail.
• My GPA changes.
• Someone turns on my lamp.
• I have homework due today.

If someone sends a message that is not in the command list, it goes to a chat robot to create a response that makes sense conversationally. For example, If you ask it what it's favorite color is, the chatbot may respond blue. Some of my friends would talk to it for hours.