A Life In Bits
July 12, 2014 4:54 PM Subscribe
“For the past 105 days, I've been tracking everything about myself.” Anand Sharma shows the progress of his life through a beautifully designed site.
If you want your own micro browser-based momento mori, you might start with the Motivation Chrome extension by Alex Maccaw, which shows your real-time age passing in every freshly opened browser tab.
Related, previously: the Feltron Annual Report.
If you want your own micro browser-based momento mori, you might start with the Motivation Chrome extension by Alex Maccaw, which shows your real-time age passing in every freshly opened browser tab.
Related, previously: the Feltron Annual Report.
This is what I imagine hell looks like.
I get antsy when I know what TIME it is.
posted by The Whelk at 5:09 PM on July 12, 2014 [9 favorites]
I get antsy when I know what TIME it is.
posted by The Whelk at 5:09 PM on July 12, 2014 [9 favorites]
I get the feeling that people like this would like to know, if possible, the exact second of their death.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:10 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:10 PM on July 12, 2014
"Well designed?" Huh. Struck me as quite the opposite.
(Took me quite a bit of editing for me to get this comment down to a sufficient level of civility, such was my hatred of the design.) Maybe I'm just old and crotchety.
(edit: add missing "to")
posted by smcameron at 5:16 PM on July 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
(Took me quite a bit of editing for me to get this comment down to a sufficient level of civility, such was my hatred of the design.) Maybe I'm just old and crotchety.
(edit: add missing "to")
posted by smcameron at 5:16 PM on July 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
I'm tracking someone's narcissism.
posted by davebush at 5:17 PM on July 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by davebush at 5:17 PM on July 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
I get the feeling that people like this would like to know, if possible, the exact second of their death.
Oh, I would. And I'd be all, family, gather near, for I have a secret to tell you about a great fortune, and I hid it right under the
posted by maxsparber at 5:18 PM on July 12, 2014 [23 favorites]
Oh, I would. And I'd be all, family, gather near, for I have a secret to tell you about a great fortune, and I hid it right under the
posted by maxsparber at 5:18 PM on July 12, 2014 [23 favorites]
"Well designed?" Huh. Struck me as quite the opposite.
I am convinced (and I speak with absolutely zero authority on the subject) that modern web design theory posits that the more time you spend "engaging" with a website, searching for the bit of data you actually want, the better that website must be.
If you could find what you want in 5 seconds, in and out like a convenience store, that would be the failure. Just one more tiny consequence of the advertising-driven internet.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:28 PM on July 12, 2014 [10 favorites]
I am convinced (and I speak with absolutely zero authority on the subject) that modern web design theory posits that the more time you spend "engaging" with a website, searching for the bit of data you actually want, the better that website must be.
If you could find what you want in 5 seconds, in and out like a convenience store, that would be the failure. Just one more tiny consequence of the advertising-driven internet.
posted by 2bucksplus at 5:28 PM on July 12, 2014 [10 favorites]
I'm on the couch where I always am.
posted by srboisvert at 5:33 PM on July 12, 2014 [7 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 5:33 PM on July 12, 2014 [7 favorites]
I have so many questions about the things he's not tracking, many of them rude and nosy and intrusive. How much money have you made? How much money have you spent? How much cilantro was in your last burrito? How many bowel movements have you had, and where were they on the Bristol Stool Scale? Who was the last person you said "I love you" to? How much growth has your personal brand experienced? When was your last existential crisis, and how long did it last? Do you even lift?
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:40 PM on July 12, 2014 [12 favorites]
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:40 PM on July 12, 2014 [12 favorites]
What if he asked for it without cilantro?
i assume we ride him out of town on a rail
posted by elizardbits at 5:42 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
i assume we ride him out of town on a rail
posted by elizardbits at 5:42 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
How many bowel movements have you had, and where were they on the Bristol Stool Scale?
[looks sheepishly downward at shoes]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:22 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
[looks sheepishly downward at shoes]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:22 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's a very pretty looking site, what with all the dials and timelines and measurements, but I'll be damned if I know what the hell it is about. Fitbit?
posted by monospace at 6:38 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by monospace at 6:38 PM on July 12, 2014
How much money did you spend on that last burrito?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:57 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:57 PM on July 12, 2014
This is how Gattaca starts, people.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 8:02 PM on July 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by bitter-girl.com at 8:02 PM on July 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
“I live in San Francisco and build internet companies. I enjoy running, flying and beaches.”
The actual data is kind of a formality.
posted by migurski at 10:47 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
The actual data is kind of a formality.
posted by migurski at 10:47 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Where was he on Sunday, June 22? There is no data. Nothing, not even an acknowledgement that Sunday happened at all!
posted by Anitanola at 11:07 PM on July 12, 2014
posted by Anitanola at 11:07 PM on July 12, 2014
Kinda reminds me of Bridget Jones's Diary, except without all the good stuff.
posted by valkane at 3:43 AM on July 13, 2014
posted by valkane at 3:43 AM on July 13, 2014
ME! ME! LOOK AT ME!
posted by GallonOfAlan at 4:48 AM on July 13, 2014
posted by GallonOfAlan at 4:48 AM on July 13, 2014
"Well designed?" Huh. Struck me as quite the opposite.
Same here. I'd click on what i thought was an entry regarding a restaurant or other similar place, and all I'd get was an unintelligible line of random blue dots, little hearts and whatnot, with utterly no explanation as to how all the little pretties related to the entry.
I am convinced (and I speak with absolutely zero authority on the subject) that modern web design theory posits that the more time you spend "engaging" with a website, searching for the bit of data you actually want, the better that website must be.
I think you may be on to something there. Though, I still prefer my own pet theory that "well designed" is anything that makes the dev in the next cubicle go "Sweet!" (or some other expression of approval) when shown the design.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:13 AM on July 13, 2014
Same here. I'd click on what i thought was an entry regarding a restaurant or other similar place, and all I'd get was an unintelligible line of random blue dots, little hearts and whatnot, with utterly no explanation as to how all the little pretties related to the entry.
I am convinced (and I speak with absolutely zero authority on the subject) that modern web design theory posits that the more time you spend "engaging" with a website, searching for the bit of data you actually want, the better that website must be.
I think you may be on to something there. Though, I still prefer my own pet theory that "well designed" is anything that makes the dev in the next cubicle go "Sweet!" (or some other expression of approval) when shown the design.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:13 AM on July 13, 2014
Samuel Pepys wept.
posted by kinetic at 5:28 AM on July 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by kinetic at 5:28 AM on July 13, 2014 [2 favorites]
-1 renders inoperable the navigation menu on mobile safari.
posted by grubby at 5:46 AM on July 13, 2014
posted by grubby at 5:46 AM on July 13, 2014
Grubby, tap the URL box at top and they'll appear at the bottom.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:23 AM on July 13, 2014
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:23 AM on July 13, 2014
"Well designed?" Huh. Struck me as quite the opposite.
Having designed some web pages using non-standard interaction, I appreciate the efforts. I like to relate non-standard GUIs metaphorically to puzzles such as the simple 2D sliding tiles puzzle upwards to the 3D Rubik's Cube. It all depends on your audience. And just like any puzzle, there is a law of diminishing returns in effect--at some point the more energy you put into solving the problem, the payout get's smaller and smaller.
This piece falls short after the second drill down. As soon as you get to that full-screen calendar thingy with the photos in the background. Oh, brother. What a piece of...waste of my time.
posted by xtian at 7:09 AM on July 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Having designed some web pages using non-standard interaction, I appreciate the efforts. I like to relate non-standard GUIs metaphorically to puzzles such as the simple 2D sliding tiles puzzle upwards to the 3D Rubik's Cube. It all depends on your audience. And just like any puzzle, there is a law of diminishing returns in effect--at some point the more energy you put into solving the problem, the payout get's smaller and smaller.
This piece falls short after the second drill down. As soon as you get to that full-screen calendar thingy with the photos in the background. Oh, brother. What a piece of...waste of my time.
posted by xtian at 7:09 AM on July 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
I don't understand the constant effort some people make to catalog/quantify their lives. I have social media, which I do use, but it's more about saying things to make people laugh, sharing links and whatnot. Do people really think the minutiae of their daily goings-on are that interesting?
posted by pony707 at 12:41 PM on July 13, 2014
posted by pony707 at 12:41 PM on July 13, 2014
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Presumably extrapolated from food tracking, but it would be pretty cool if done directly.
The site interface is pretty whizzy, but I wonder about the data quality and there isn't much there to explain where it comes from.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 4:59 PM on July 12, 2014 [1 favorite]