Think for me apps
Whilst I had some time off in 2025, I ended up creating two small web apps:
- RandomHour
- FlipCook
It was a simple idea. I wanted a way to make faster decisions on what to do by randomly picking from a pre-defined list of options. RandomHour would decide what hobby or activity to do next, and FlipCook would help me to decide what to cook.
I built them both in Streamlit, and vibe coded using guidance from ChatGPT. This basically meant jumping in, experimenting, seeing what worked and learning as I went along. I had no idea how it was all working, and one of the biggest challenges I faced was learning about how to create persistent storage. In the end I decided to use Google Sheets for this. It all felt very amateur at the time, but I was excited it was working!
Then James decided to give it a try himself and do one better than me. He used Instant, NextJS and Cursor and in all fairness, his apps looked better, loaded faster and were all round better than mine.
And then he went and made them using Apple Shortcuts, which we both preferred, so I just copied the automations he had created. These are based on a reminders list and the Shortcut randomly selects one and shows it as a pop-up notification.
The current apps we use are as follows:
- RandomHour - a list of hobbies and activities
- Our Next Content - a list of TV, Film and Games
- Next Task - a list of tasks around the house (DIY etc.)
It was fun seeing an idea evolve and turn into something we actually use on a regular basis. I’m excited to see what else I can do on Apple Shortcuts.