At the core of the Passing Glances system is an annotated image database that can be triggered by SMS message. The system retrieves picture segments from the database based on an analysis of the SMS input. It loads and plays the images in real time at a public site. Successive images thus begin to form an emerging story. The language of the 'texter' is key to the system. The SMS world has developed its own modes of conversation and the database is appropriately annotated.