<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" src="https://gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-1024x768.jpeg" alt="photo of a can of black beans resting on top of two red clay bricks" class="wp-image-4791" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C576&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1152&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1536&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C113&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/gamesatwork.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Beans-and-Bricks-scaled.jpeg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by Michael Martine, Chapel Hill, NC August 2025</figcaption></figure>
<p>Published 25 August 2025</p>
<p>e526 with Andy and Michael M &#8211; stories about focus &#8211; finding things that are missing, reducing distractions with apps like Focus Friend and Brick, viewing photo collections and a whole lot more.</p>
<p>Andy and Michael M get things rolling while Michael R is away, starting with an update from Andy’s recent presentation at FrOSCon 2025.&nbsp; Then the pair focus on an always on AI smart glasses concept, replete with all of the privacy and security considerations.&nbsp; Next up is an AI powered image search that resulted in the discovery of a long missing hiker.&nbsp; This reminded Michael of crowdsourced image searches powered by humans for search and rescue, and found the story of Jim Gray which was part of e44 back in 2013.&nbsp; Next in view is Vivo’s&nbsp; announcement of their mixed reality headset, followed quickly by a Vison Pro photo viewing app called PhotoDome.</p>
<p>Continuing on the concept of focus, Andy and Michael take a look at the Focus Friend app, which has a friendly bean shaped avatar that knits and unlocks prizes while the user remains focused on their task, and gets sad when interrupted.&nbsp; This reminded Andy of the Brick app, which he learned about from the hiro.report.&nbsp; The Brick app and physical tile creates the necessary friction to have the user bring the phone close to the Brick tile to “unbrick” the phone.&nbsp; The lengths required to create such friction to improve productivity spark a further discussion on the challenges that immersive software create for person to person connections and the increase in loneliness.</p>
<p>The team wraps up this episode with a callback to 2023 for software restricted Polish train repairs and software enabled subscriptions to increase automotive performance.</p>
<p>What apps, systems or techniques have you used for creating focus?&nbsp; Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@mastodon.social (our home for now) and let us know!&nbsp;</p>
<p>These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot.&nbsp; All rights reserved.&nbsp; That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Selected Links</strong></h2>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size"><strong>FrOSCon 2025</strong></h2>
<p><a href="http://media.ccc.de">media.ccc.de</a> <a href="https://media.ccc.de/v/froscon2025-3408-decentralising_freedom_open_source_for_sovereignty#t=15">Decentralising Freedom: Open Source for Sovereignty</a></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ApLjFlCuOGk?si=ubw8RpO8gEZ7sUs7" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size"><strong>AI</strong></h2>
<p>TechCrunch article: <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/20/harvard-dropouts-to-launch-always-on-ai-smart-glasses-that-listen-and-record-every-conversation/">Harvard dropouts to launch ‘always on’ AI smart glasses that listen and record every conversation</a></p>
<p>Wired article: <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/missing-hiker-ai-drone-recovery/">A Hiker Was Missing for Nearly a Year. Then an AI System Spotted His Helmet</a></p>
<p>Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences UC Berkley technical report UCB/<a href="https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2010/EECS-2010-142.pdf">EECS-2010-142 : Searching for Jim Gray: A Technical Overview</a></p>
<p>Games at Work <a href="https://gamesatwork.biz/2013/06/18/episode-49-crowdsourcing-crowdfunding/">e49: Crowdsourcing & Crowdfunding</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size"><strong>AR / VR</strong></h2>
<p>9 to 5 Mac article: <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/21/vivos-vision-pro-clone-costs-1400-and-weighs-398g/">Vivo’s Vision Pro clone costs $1,400 and weighs 398g</a></p>
<p>Vivo press release: <a href="https://vivonewsroom.in/press-release/vivo-unveils-first-mixed-reality-headset-and-new-imaging-strategy-at-30th-anniversary/">vivo Unveils First Mixed Reality Headset and New Imaging Strategy at 30th Anniversary</a></p>
<blockquote  data-instance="mastodon.social" data-post-id="115072265391393245" class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed">
<p>PhotoDome on Apple Vision Pro is a delightful way to revisit photos and albums. Combining XR concepts and interfaces with the rest of my computing life is why I&#39;m so excited about visionOS. The developer of this app did an amazing job </p>
<p><a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/photodome/id6748567431" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">apps.apple.com/us/app/photodom</span><span class="invisible">e/id6748567431</span></a></p>
<p class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-author">
            &mdash; Joseph Simpson (@vrhermit@mastodon.social)
            <a class="ftf-fediverse-post-embed-link" href="https://mastodon.social/@vrhermit/115072265391393245">2025-08-22T11:50:24.588Z</a>
        </p>
</blockquote>
<p><script data-allowed-prefixes="https://mastodon.social/" async src=“https://mastodon.social/embed.js"></script></p>
<p><a href="https://tornmetal.com/photodome/">PhotoDome</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size"><strong>Focus: Beans and Bricks</strong></h2>
<p>Tedium post: <a href="https://tedium.co/2025/08/19/focus-friend-hank-green-adhd-app/">Me And The Bean</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.yourfocusfriend.com">Focus Friend</a> by Hank Green</p>
<p>IMDb: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096657/">Mr. Bean</a></p>
<p><a href="https://getbrick.app">Brick</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.hiro.report">hiro.report</a></p>
<p>BBC Research and Development feature: <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/articles/2025-06-social-media-change-issues-problems-report/">Where is the social internet taking us?</a></p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size"><strong>Repairs and Upgrades</strong></h2>
<p>TechDirt article: <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2025/08/19/train-maker-sues-hackers-for-exposing-dodgy-efforts-to-make-train-repairs-more-difficult/">Train Maker Sues Hackers For Exposing Dodgy Efforts To Make Train Repairs More Difficult</a></p>
<p>Games at Work <a href="https://gamesatwork.biz/2023/12/11/e444-glitch-in-the-matrix/">e444: Glitch in the Matrix</a></p>
<p>BBC article: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62weyp4qqgo">VW introduces monthly subscription to increase car power</a></p>
<div class="wp-block-post-author">
<div class="wp-block-post-author__avatar"><img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/413b204bea2a9cb455940cdcb1580892e0777e4b07485d1ebbdf43db70375711?s=48&#038;d=retro&#038;r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/413b204bea2a9cb455940cdcb1580892e0777e4b07485d1ebbdf43db70375711?s=96&#038;d=retro&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-48 photo' height='48' width='48' decoding='async'/></div>
<div class="wp-block-post-author__content">
<p class="wp-block-post-author__byline">Web 11.0 mashup junkie, and co-founder / co-host of the GamesAtWork.biz podcast. My views are my own.</p>
<p class="wp-block-post-author__name">Michael Martine</p>
</div>
</div>


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