1) If you use any IM clients that have an API for checking your activity, could you hook that up to the site for a more thorough data source than just an if statement based on time of day?
2) Why put Nginx or Passenger in front of the Sinatra app running Thin/Mongrel, instead of just having the app itself running on some port bare?
1) I don't routinely use IM clients, because either I'm working or I'm with the people I hope would be IMing me.
2) I suppose I could do that, but I like minimizing the number of externally visible services on general principles, and Nginx is like a Russian-built tank.
1) As all you need to change the call script is tinker with the XML you return to the Twillo server upon incoming call, making it dependent on your IM status so long as you have an API for it is trivial.
2) Not really sure about this one, but my guess would be that he is reusing the Nginx server in-front of the Rails app.
If you like playing with stuff like this, Cloudvox (cloudvox.com) is also worth a look. You can write callflows in various languages (including straight up JSON), which makes it very nicely hackable.
1) If you use any IM clients that have an API for checking your activity, could you hook that up to the site for a more thorough data source than just an if statement based on time of day?
2) Why put Nginx or Passenger in front of the Sinatra app running Thin/Mongrel, instead of just having the app itself running on some port bare?