Night Phone is born from my experiences as the owner of a smartphone. Like many screen addicts, my sleep patterns have shifted dramatically over the past few years. One of the most impactful changes I've made is sleeping with my phone in a different room—a simple but powerful habit for better rest.
Night Phone is a macOS app that turns this healthy habit into art. If you plug your phone into your computer before bed to charge, the Mac app begins creating a unique work of generative art that unfolds slowly through the night. There's a little surprise waiting when you wake up and check your screen.
The current version simulates a cosmic scene, where distant stars gradually appear every few seconds, accompanied by occasional brighter stars that emerge every few minutes. The stars twinkle and radiate throughout the night.
Future Directions
What interests me most about Night Phone is its potential for evolution and collaboration:
The concept of time-stretched generative art—pieces that unfold over hours—opens up new possibilities. This could be a platform where artists can contribute their own generative artworks.
We're also prototyped a companion phone app that would create a symbiotic relationship between your devices. Think about the phone and computer working together to create synchronized artistic experiences during your rest hours.
We even thought about a dedicated hardware version: a simple docking station with LEDs or a basic display that could create color patterns throughout the night, independent of your computer. There's something appealing about a dedicated physical shrine for this nighttime ritual.
Try It Out
The first version of Night Phone is available now on the Mac App Store, completely free.
We're seeking feedback and contributions from the community. Whether you're an artist interested in creating visualizations, a developer with ideas for new features, or someone who just wants to try it out and share their thoughts, we'd love to hear from you at nightphone@noefoundry.com.
Stay tuned for more experiments from the Noe Foundry. If you're in SF or interested in creative technology projects, we'd love to have you join us on this journey of exploration and creation.