Coming back to Pebble
I got my first Pebble in high school. I loved its simplicity and the open source spirit around it. When I got the Pebble Time 2, I wanted to do something I hadn’t done with the original: build my own watchface.
Now that I’m well into my software development career, I wanted to make something of my own. Something I would wear and use every day, shaped around the way I think.
The things I actually need
Hollow Time is simple because my needs are simple. I want to know the time, the day of the week, the day of the month, and how many days are left in the year.
The date at the top brings those last two together. 26/96 means it’s the 26th, with 96 days remaining in the year, excluding today.
For weather, I want enough information to plan my day. Cold? Jacket. Rainy? Umbrella. On the watch, a single word like Rainy or Sunny gives me a sense of the day’s conditions.
A circle around the time fills as I walk, shifting from blue to green toward 10,000 steps. It gives movement a place on the screen without adding another number to read.
Software as personal expression
AI has sped up software development so much that building something for your own tastes and enjoyment can be a small, everyday project. I’m excited by how quickly an idea can become something you use.
I’m imagining a world where people can reshape all of their software to fit their lives. The layout, the information on the screen, the way it behaves: all of it could reflect your tastes and needs. Standard settings and page views should give way to software you can make your own.
There’s something beautiful about putting that much of yourself into the technology you use every day. I see it as a form of artistic expression.
If you have a Pebble, skip my watchface and make your own. Choose what matters to you and how you want to see it. Build something for the way you live and the things you enjoy.
Show who you are through what you build.