Solstone

More than a timer, Solstone is a magicial object made digital.

Imagine, you find a rock that gleems in your eye, just ever so. Smooth as river-worn glass, warm and sun-drenched. You rub, and you notice the smallest of clouds come into the scene, the lightest of drizzles.

You inhale a deep breath. The scent of rain on dry ground—petrichor—rises from the soil. The air is cool now. You keep rubbing, ever so softly, as the rock glows just a bit more. A few deep breathes as the drizzle forms.

That rock? That's a solstone.

This is not an alarm.

Alarms are aggressive, capitalist. They rupture time. Harsh and motion breaking. If focus if a river, an alarm is the dam. A solstone is smooth, it doesn't break the flow.

No distractions. No gamification. Nothing more than needed. A return to the quiet magic of presence.

No distractions from the flow state created by the means invented to enter it.

The rain softens, retreating like a tide. You look down, the canvas is wet with paint, the umbrella damp with dew.

In a moment of thought, you notice the rain has faded. Time for a break? No need to decide. Your fingers find the stone again. Rain resumes.

Tap once to reveal the time remaining. Tap twice to see the time as it is in the rock's world, in the digital space. 

The glow of the rock softly counts down the minutes. The light blue sky turns a deep blue as the rain moves in.

And no two stones are the same. Each Solstone bears its own curve, its own subtle hue—ochre, slate, sea-glass green, violet brown. A little rough here, smooth there. Yours is yours alone. It was never meant to be otherwise. It is a Solstone, after all—of course it would be.

Designed by Erik Houdini, Solstone is a new way to keep the time. One that feels more natural, while being uniquely digital. This is post-app design.