So this post is pretty late but I'd still like to talk about an app I released last month called Passive. It's uber simple and I only spent a few weeks on it, but I couldn't find anything else in the app store that serves the same need. Basically it's a list of RSS feeds that you can follow and displays them as a scrolling ticker:
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I got the idea after watching Her (If you haven't seen it, go do so now!) The movie focuses on AI and relationships but one thing that really stuck out to me was how passive all the technology felt. Lights came on by themselves as you walked by, phones and computers could just be spoken to; the effort it took to interact with technology was minimal yet the power and data that was readily available at your finger tips was incredible.
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When I got home I sat at my desk and looked around. Why can't we have that sort of world now? There's a million changes going on around us at this very moment and why should we have to seek them out to know what's happening?
Another thing I noticed was a neglected iPad sitting on my shelf. Passive is a great way to put unused iOS devices to work. By turning it on and letting it run, Passive will subtlety trickle breaking news and headlines (or even your tweets) across the screen. Then while working or walking by you can simply glance to the side to learn something new. If a headline warrants additional attention, tap it to open the full URL and from there you can save or share with friends.
I even went ahead and purchased an iPad wall mount so I can get updates when first waking up in the morning:
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| (not my actual hallway) |
I know this post doesn't have much to do with VR but I really wanted to express how much I can't wait for a cool cyberpunk future. Let's all push in any way we can.