I have actually known about IFTTT for a while but never really looked into the potential.  It has grown quite a bit since I first checked it out and will be looking into in more depth.

My project recipe is a simple task of sending each days Nasa Astronomy picture of the day to my phone...  Of course, had to do a little photo retouch to hide personal numbers...

I was intrigued by your back story as well... Spent 20 years in the military (Navy) doing law enforcement, investigations, anti-terrorism and such.  Really enjoyed the job and I am sure you have some stories!!