Apr
9
The Random Reminder System
April 9, 2008 |
This project is a bit of a stretch for me, but I think there’s something to it. Consider this: you’re walking down the street, something catches your eye, then BOOM: an idea springs to mind. Anxious not to lose the thought, you scrounge in your pockets and scribble down a note on the back of a cab receipt.
Maybe this never happens to you (you lucky, organized, PDA person, you) but it happens to me constantly. And it doesn’t help when I tap it into the notes section of some device because I inevitably forget to check it.
So, what I’m working towards is a dynamic web solution that is both a repository for those must-dos and vague ideas that keep getting overlooked. I’m dreaming of something you could simply send a text message to whereby your note is saved and then the system systematically reminds you via text or email at random. You can go into the web interface to change your settings (remind me daily, twice daily, monthly) but the beauty is that everything is there. It’s the poor man’s secretary.
Another key functionality I hope to build is random reminding. How can the system more closely mimic the way our minds work? I’m not one to tie every thing or event to a schedule, so I’d like this system to have the flexibility in its reminder functionality to surprise me and capitalize on serendipity.
It’s here in all its rough, pre-natal glory and needs a frightening amount of work…