Tamagotchi's Life Dependant on Vaping: A Cursed Vape Creation
A bizarre creation emerged from the recent NYU Stupid Hackathon: a vape device linked to a Tamagotchi whose life depends on the user's vaping habits. Conceived by former Meta and Anduril engineers, this "vape or die" Tamagotchi adds a darkly humorous twist to the concept of digital pets.
The Stupid Hackathon Tradition
Stupid hackathons are a beloved tradition within the software engineer, hacker, and maker community. These events bring together creative minds to build hilariously pointless, yet often ingenious, inventions. Previous editions have featured contraptions like a device that simulates public urination to escape unwanted conversations, a selfie stick designed for beer cans, and a head-mounted apparatus mimicking the view through a digestive tract.
The NYU Stupid Hackathon, organized by the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, spanned 12 hours and showcased a variety of absurd innovations. Among them were a perpetually shaking table and a printer that generates legally binding agreements for trivial promises. However, the "vape or die" Tamagotchi stood out as the most talked-about creation.
Vape to Keep Alive
Rebecca Xun, a former Meta employee, and Lucia Camacho, formerly of Anduril, are the masterminds behind this unusual device. Initially, Xun intended it as a personal aid to quit vaping. However, the project took a turn towards the absurd. "Originally, the idea was to do this for good, because I would like to quit vaping," Xun told Washington Square Times. "But it’s more fun and more stupid if we use this power and harness it for evil and make myself more addicted."
Unlike traditional Tamagotchis that require diverse care, this digital pet has only one need: constant vaping. Failure to puff results in the Tamagotchi displaying a tearful face on the screen. An early version of the project involved connecting a vape to a computer running the digital pet simulation. The current iteration is self-contained, resembling a block with a screen displaying the crying Tamagotchi. It incorporates a pink Elf Bar BC5000 vape with a small screen attached, connected to basic components on the back.
Despite the attention received, Xun shared that the experience had its downsides. Ironically, the extensive testing required for the project led to increased vaping. "Because we tested it so much, we were both diseased from vaping," she admitted.
Source: Gizmodo