Using a computer is seldom a happy, heart-warming experience — usually it’s somewhere between a marriage of convince and an all-out throwdown fight. This of course wears heavily on computer users, who are increasingly becoming stressed, isolated and generally unhappy.

What I’m hoping to do with this project is re-inject human contact into the stressed user’s day, triggering a phone call when too many unhappy words are typed. This phone call will feature one of several pre-recorded cheer-up messages, encouraging the user that everything is okay in the world. Additionally, by pulling the user away from the stressful situation (the computer), he or she will ideally take a moment to collect his or herself and return to work more focused and generally happier.

This project stemmed from my obsession with humanizing factors in technology, calm tech in ubiquitous computing, and frustration with typing. I ran a text logger for several weeks with the intent of making a program that would randomize my sentences, but when I saw how often I typed sad/angry/depressed/stressed words, I saw a new focus emerge. I’m hoping to be able to provide a little shot of happy for people who could really use it — myself likely included.