Eamonn Fitzgerald's Rainy Day

Despite the many travails that assail today's traveller, a journey abroad is still worthwhile. One finds oneself surrounded by novelties, and this pleasant state of affairs can be most stimulating. It's often the smallest things that offer the greatest reward, by the way. An example: there I was last week in London, reading the Evening Standard and sipping a refreshing mango-flavoured frappuccino in the charming Starbucks outlet on Piccadilly Street, located just a few doors down from Fortnum & Mason, when I wandered across the "General Appointments" pages. In the classified section, I saw "BI-LINGUAL people req. for rapidly expanding wellness business" as well as "Stewards and Security Staff Wanted for sport and concert events. 18+ training given. Pay from ?5-10 P/H", but what really caught my eye was this: "SMS TEXT-CHAT HOME WORKERS Adult Entertainment Flexible hours to suit".

Question: Which of our revered and vastly over-paid technology prophets predicted that people would be able to earn money sending text messages from their mobile phones?

Answer: Not one of them.

And that's the amazing thing about our new communication technologies; they keep throwing up the most unexpected opportunities. Anyway, I followed the web address given in the ad, where I engaged with the site in the following manner:

"Are you good at flirting? We are looking for Texters that can have very sexy and flirty text-chats with our customers?" Modesty aside, I feel that I meet these basic requirements.

"If you have a mobile phone and an exhibitionistic side then you're ready to start!" Why, that's me!

"As a Texter you set your own hours and schedule. Work as much as you want or as little as you want. You're the boss." Isn't this a perfect description of the "invisible hand, as Adam Smith termed the great moral force of the free market?

"The more you text, the more you earn. You can choose when and where to work anywhere from where you can send a text from your mobile phone!" Twenty years ago, radical South American priests spoke of "Liberation Theology". Today we've got "Liberation Technology".

"We will send a text to you as soon as we have someone that wants to flirt with you. We will only text you in the hours that you have specified." Bring 'em on!

"Earn even more money by using a PC with our Instant Web Texter where you can be engaged in text-chat with more than one customer at once." Hey, a job in the adult entertainment industry where you get to use both hands! Ideal for those who are into multi-tasking, eh?

The form I had to fill out was dead easy. Being an open-minded individual on most matters, apart from the repulsive Michael Moore, that is, I checked both boxes where it said, "Conversation preferences: Straight conversations, Gay conversations". And that was it. "Make Fists Full of Cash All From the Privacy of Your Home" said the site, so let's see what happens. If you've got a mobile phone, and if you've answered "yes" to any of the questions above, pop over to box-69.com. Gr8 biz idea, btw.