A JimVention for you

I was thinking about this idea: "GetMeOuttaHere.com". You go to this website, and for a fee, you can have a text message sent to your pager, or a telephone call placed to your cell with a short recorded message at the time you indicate.

So if you're going to be on a date, or in a meeting, and want a possible out, 30 minutes in, beeeeep you get a page. You stand up and say "sorry, something's up with the server", and you're out. Or you get a call, and you have a short conversation with your previously recorded self, and if things are going poorly on the date, you can say you've been called in to work, or the kid is sick, or whatever.

On a less "sneaky" note, you could use the service to use your cell phone or pager as a wake up service, no matter where you are.

I actually had this idea many years ago (in talking with Eh Xiong back at Ameridata, of all places), but back then, the idea would have relied on a bank of analog modems... but now we have internet phones, and it would be as easy as sending an email...

The drawbacks I see to the plan are several:
1) The most obvious applications are just a little dishonest, and I wonder if that's really a "growth" industry. Is it worth $1 to get out of a meeting? REALLY?

2) It would be so easily abused by people to harass others - imagine programming 20 3 am "wake up calls" to your ex-es cellphone?

3) Suddenly I think about that whole "remote detonation of a bomb with a cellphone" scenario that Jack Bauer is always working against - only instead of a shady arab triggering it with his cell, it's the innocuous coffee bar patron on the web hitting "send"...

So that's a Jimvention that's been on my mind and i figured I'd just lay it out. Run with it people.