Texting is a quick way to exchange information with another person:
The buzz in our corner of Manhattan is all about the Inwood Seal.
Seal spotted sunbathing near Inwood Hill Park: http://t.co/YesN4O7PlM #wahi #whin @NYCParks pic.twitter.com/VaVTaSDq7H
— Lindsay Armstrong (@lindsay_anne81) April 14, 2015
Not only did the seal appear on a dock in Spuyten Duyvil Creek just off the Hudson River, but he came back. So naturally, we keep an eye out for the cute critter when we visit Inwood Hill Park.
But what about when we’re not there? How will we know if he’s returned?
Now, there’s a bot for that.
(This post originally appeared on the Opennews Source blog.)
The students’ eyes opened wide in a mix elation and evil-mad-scientist.
Lines of code projected at the front of the class had just done something in the real world: They sent a tweet. And you could see it, right there on the internet.
The power of this little exercise was crystal clear to the undergraduates. And they couldn’t hide their giddiness.
“Use this only for good,” I admonished.
They had followed along as I built basic Twitter bot. You can do it, too.