duxup
Chris2048
It does have multiple uses - it communicates both your busy status, and your excess of disposable income.
delichon
I'd pay for a cheaper app version of this that I could run on an old no-SIM phone.
derefr
As the page points out (top-right corner), this thing is the physical accessory to an existing phone app: https://busy.app/
Though, mind you, said app doesn't perform exactly the same function as the bar itself; "Busy App" seems to be more of a distraction-blocking pomodoro timer for your own phone, rather than a digital "busy sign" for you to point at the rest of the room.
IMHO, presuming a desk implies a PC (or laptop dock) with at least one spare USB port — the simplest thing here wouldn't even be an old phone; it'd just be a red USB light (think a red siren, but without the moving/flashing) that you could set on top of your desk/monitor/cubicle wall, and control with a little menu bar widget (perhaps automatically, by heuristic.)
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tqwhite
It doesn't seem expensive to me at all. It does a huge amount.
numbers
I wouldn't buy this because of the price tag but I love the industrial design of this thing! I wish there were more things like this (albeit more practical) that I would like to upgrade my desk with.
deepfriedbits
Same. Reminds me of something Teenage Engineering would produce.
dmd
Theirs would be metal and cost $2300.
RockRobotRock
Great analogy. Expensive toys that look impressive but you'll spend 90% of your time fiddling instead of getting anything useful done with it.
dzhiurgis
GurnBlandston
Much better site than fandom: https://cari.institute/aesthetics/cassette-futurism
dzhiurgis
It misses key products that have same aesthetic as op
SalariedSlave
fandom is one shitty website. jesus christ, trying to look at this on mobile is absolute fucking torture
krunck
That hand... it's totally in the uncanny valley of hand motion.
rezmason
If there was a product that let me convey "Come back later" to a barging inquirer with a sharp and uncanny hand motion, I might consider paying $249 for it:
caseyy
It wouldn't look out of place in the Severance intro.
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timdiggerm
They don't have a functional physical product
scop
I hate it. Total revulsion of that hand. Makes me want to vomit. Single handedly turns me off from the product.
beng-nl
The way it moves makes me think it’s ai-generated..
raphman
I'm pretty confident that it is not AI-generated but simply a traditionally animated 3D model.
https://cdn.flipperzero.one/BusyBar_First_Block_Video_Deskto...
SAI_Peregrinus
The cinematics in Descent 3 (1999) had some very similar motion issues, enough so that I remember them today. It comes from incorrect smoothing in the IK animation, doesn't have to be AI generated.
wffurr
Yikes. First thing I noticed. Distracted me from the price tag of the thing at least.
cultofmetatron
now that you pointed it out.. holy #!$#$
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turtlebits
The back of the device is so "busy" with all the text, it's almost anti-productive. Especially if you have to stare at it hanging off your monitor.
Why put the ugly bits right in front of your face?
ranger207
How many times are you going to read the fixed text before your mind just glazes over it? I don't image it'd be particularly distracting
ninkendo
I had assumed those would be stickers that you can take off… if it’s etched onto the device it would indeed be bad design IMO.
Kozmik1
Back in my day the arrogant devs just used printer paper and a hand drawn sign saying "GO AWAY!" taped to the back of their chair.
CharlesW
In my tribes, the universal "please don't bother me right now" sign has more typically been the wearing of over-the-ear headphones.
voidUpdate
I wish I had the same tribes as you. People always come up to me when I'm wearing my headphones, even trying to get my attention in public
kstrauser
Shortening a story I've told a thousand times:
I went so far as to put a post-it note saying "I'M BUSY" on my headphones. The usual suspect came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder until I reacted, all so he could tell me, "hah, someone put a post-it note on your headphones!"
If I didn't kill someone that day, it's unlikely that I ever would.
gorjusborg
There will always be migration between tribes and we welcome you.
dylan604
Mine was updated to "Go away, or I will replace you with a small shell script". I wish I could remember where I read that from for proper attribution.
dizhn
Might have been the bible for how old that one is.
vonmoltke
I remember that on a Thinkgeek (RIP) t-shirt.
throwaway2037
Wow, the Urban Dictionary entry is from 2003. Damn, that is older than I remember!
HeadlessChild
That is probably the coolest sales pitch page I have seen. Love the design and animations.
dylan604
It's the Juicero of whatever market this is.
pantulis
I like it being touted as a "productivity" tool.
mempko
I work from home and this would be cool to communicate with my kids when I'm on a call before they barge in asking questions. HOWEVER, the price is WAY too high. This is at most a $50 dollar thing.
dfxm12
Don't you already have a door? With a lock? A mute button? OK, maybe those aren't cool, but don't you have a piece of paper, pens, markers and some time to design your own DND signs with your kids? $50 still seems like a lot. We don't have to buy something to deal with every little inconvenience in our lives when what we have on hand + maybe a tiny bit of creativity can probably suffice.
mempko
Do you have kids? Have you ever tried locking a door with a little one? Lol
Also, yes I've made signs. It's easy to forget to hang them.
odysseus
I got a 2-pack of do-not-disturb doorknob hangers (similar to the ones in hotels) from Amazon for $10.
Worked great with my kids for 2 months. Then they got used to it and barged in anyway. The same would happen with this gadget.
dylan604
And that's what makes it Juicero level.
fragmede
This is the boutique designed not-in-china version. If it proves successful, a $50 Chinese knockoff will be along soon enough. You can vote with your wallet and say fuck these guys for having a good idea and working on it and buy the cheap Chinese crap version when it's available if you'd rather.
JED3
uhh quite the opposite, this is made by Flipper https://flipperdevices.com/
trutz
I recently set up a "busy" indicator using Home Assistant (HA) and the Home Assistant Companion app for macOS. The desktop app exposes various MacBook sensors to HA, which can then trigger automations.
When my microphone activates, it triggers an automation that powers a socket. A red LED lamp lights up, signaling to everyone that I’m on a call or recording a video.
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vivzkestrel
you dont need all of that to improve focus. start with 30 seconds, clear your mind, set a timer for 30 seconds, sit in a corner and start meditating. the challenge is that as soon as you think of something inside your mind, stop the timer. do this daily and your meditation times will slowly improve and your focus will come back
qntmfred
i have a morning routine and the first thing i do is to set a timer to meditate for 5 minutes. i rarely make it to 5 minutes before the thoughts flood in and i decide to go ahead and dive into the work. hadn't thought about making it a counting-up timer instead to track the improvement but i'll be trying that from now on
DrawTR
don't people typically say to let thoughts pass by when you're doing meditation? seems like bitter medicine to disallow yourself any fleeting thought
vivzkestrel
the way you are actually supposed to meditate is to keep your mind completely clear. I have been testing this for almost a year now and even I cannot manage more than 5 mins of it but the idea is that as soon as you get a thought inside your head, open your eyes and stop the timer. It doesnt matter if it was 5 seconds or 2 mins but slowly and steadily your times will increase and so will your focus
vivzkestrel
i would chant "Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" while meditating because that is one way to force your mind to keep it from having thoughts but then maybe it is just me
spIrr
This feels like something one could easily procrastinate with (customizable, developer-friendly...).
dgimla20
I don't know why but that video on the homepage (third media item from top) split me up for how rude/brash it came across.
The mans thrusting his palm out in front of the colleague, slapping the top of his alarm clock, the woman's exaggerated third person glance and swift exit.
I can only imagine it's followed by a complaint to HR or gossip, with the man on the laptop quickly becoming a hate-figure in the office.
Surely a polite decline is the exact same thing.
urbandw311er
Exactly the same reaction as you!
anon6362
This should be a $4.99 app on a smartphone and/or desktop and doesn't take up any space.
Related but different better time/social management physical device for cube land would be an Arduino, a button, and an 4-7 color andon tower representing states such as:
- Working
- Lunch or errand (will return)
- Out-of-office (not returning for the day)
- Working remotely
- DND
- Open to socializing
- On vacation
And then a glossary for definitions posted prominently on the cube/office and on the intranet portal personal page. No app, no internet connectivity, no security vulnerabilities, no complexity, and <$20.
lilwobbles
[dead]
That's pretty neat, although $250 feels like a lot for that at first glance. I get it has a lot of features but it's hard to get past the "it's a $250 busy indicator".
Not that I'd spend $250, but even something like that sold more as an open device to be used for a lot of different things changes (for the better) the value proposition in my mind a little than just sold as a busy sign with lots of integrations. Granted ... this appears to be that too. That's more a of a commentary on perception.