April Zero Documents the Life and Times of One Brave Software Developer
Vasiliki Marapas — August 8, 2014 — Tech
References: aprilzero & techcrunch
Since March, software developer Anand Sharma has committed to tracking everything about himself and compiling the data into a website called 'April Zero.'
The extensive tracking includes how many steps he takes, the distance he travels, his travel apparatus and even his online activity, such as Instagram uploads. In terms of health, Sharma monitors things like his heart rate throughout the day, his weight, his body fat percentage and his blood levels. Of course, he hasn't left everything out on the table just yet. Some of the personal statistics he collects are for his eyes only, at least for now. This includes things like websites he reads, e-mails he sends, sleep patterns, mood, food and drink consumption and scuba diva stats.
Speaking of his motivation to publish such personal data to the Internet, Sharma says, “Knowing that my activity is being tracked and published to the world has been a really great motivator to do interesting things or try harder. Especially for things like whether to go running, or how fast/far I go. If no one else was watching I might cut corners, but now I feel like I’m being held accountable, like I’d be letting down my visitors and friends otherwise."
The extensive tracking includes how many steps he takes, the distance he travels, his travel apparatus and even his online activity, such as Instagram uploads. In terms of health, Sharma monitors things like his heart rate throughout the day, his weight, his body fat percentage and his blood levels. Of course, he hasn't left everything out on the table just yet. Some of the personal statistics he collects are for his eyes only, at least for now. This includes things like websites he reads, e-mails he sends, sleep patterns, mood, food and drink consumption and scuba diva stats.
Speaking of his motivation to publish such personal data to the Internet, Sharma says, “Knowing that my activity is being tracked and published to the world has been a really great motivator to do interesting things or try harder. Especially for things like whether to go running, or how fast/far I go. If no one else was watching I might cut corners, but now I feel like I’m being held accountable, like I’d be letting down my visitors and friends otherwise."
Trend Themes
1. Life-tracking - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced life-tracking technologies and platforms for individuals to monitor and analyze various aspects of their lives.
2. Quantified Self - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create personalized health tracking solutions that enable individuals to monitor and optimize their physical and mental well-being.
3. Data Visualization - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design intuitive data visualization tools to help individuals understand and derive insights from their personal tracking data.
Industry Implications
1. Healthtech - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate life-tracking technologies with healthcare systems to create proactive, personalized healthcare solutions.
2. Fitness & Wellness - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build sophisticated fitness tracking platforms that empower individuals to set and achieve their health and fitness goals.
3. Big Data Analytics - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced analytics tools and algorithms to process and analyze the large volumes of personal tracking data generated by life-tracking platforms.
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