The Windows Live Invasion of the Robots contest has ended, but there's still time to vote for your favorite RobotInvader. One of the more interesting ones connects Messenger to your Media Center PC to remotely record programs, all from your mobile device. Casey Chesnut, a Media Center MVP, has written a Messenger bot called /mobileRecord -
"an MSN instant messaging bot that allows you to schedule TV recordings on your Media Center Edition PC. you communicate with the bot using Messenger, and the bot communicates with your MCE PC through a client application."
It works like MSN Remote Record , which works with any PC with an internet connection and a browser. Since Media Center does not allow 3rd party uses of the guide for tv listings, Casey has used Zap2it as a listing guide, which requires a free registration. After that, connect to the Messenger bot from any device using Messenger, and set up your recordings. A free anonymous listing of what people are recording with the bot can be found at http://mobilerecordbot.spaces.live.com
While this is a cool little app, it is a better showcase for both Messenger bots and also the Windows Workflow Foundation, which Casey used to develop the software. Read more about it in his article at /mobileRecord.