TRACE

The Shape of Time.

Time doesn't just pass; it leaves a trace.

TRACE is not a calendar to manage your appointments. It is a digital instrument designed to visualize the sensation of time passing. By rendering the entire year as a single, high-density landscape, TRACE transforms your screen into a meditative surface that helps you intuitively understand where you stand in the flow of the year.

Designed as "Digital Furniture," it is perfect for filling empty screens in multi-monitor setups, acting as a calm, aesthetic anchor in your workspace. It enhances the aesthetics of work setups for photos, provides clear reminders of the year's progress, and helps you share your journey with others.

---

🌐 The Vision

In a world of notifications and deadlines, we lost the ability to see the "whole." TRACE restores that perspective. It invites you to observe time not as a sequence of demands, but as a fluid journey—where the past is accepted, and the present is vivid.

🧠 Psychology & Design Principles

TRACE is built upon specific neuroaesthetic principles to reduce anxiety and promote focus:

• Temporal Fading (Acceptance): Past days do not vanish; they desaturate and fade into a "ghostly" state. This visualizes memory—it’s there, but it no longer demands your energy.
• The Pulse of Now (Focus): We removed the ticking clock. Instead, a subtle, glowing bar fills up throughout the day, representing energy rather than deadlines.
• Subliminal Context (Calm): The year is rendered as a watermark with only a 4% difference in brightness from the background. It provides context without distraction.
• Fluid Motion (Flow): Interactions are smoothed with physics-based transitions, ensuring that checking your progress feels like touching water, not hitting a button.

🖼️ Use Cases

• Workspace Aesthetics: A minimalist backdrop that elevates photos of desk setups for social sharing.
• The Second Monitor: A "Screensaver with Purpose" for moments when you need to clear your mind.
• Shared Progress: A beautiful, non-intrusive way to visualize how much of the year has been traversed.
• Focus Reminders: A silent, visual anchor that keeps the bigger picture in mind during daily tasks.

🕯️ Interaction Guidelines

TRACE follows a "Zero-UI" philosophy. There are no visible buttons to clutter the view.

1. To Change the Mood: Long Press (or Click & Hold) anywhere on the empty background for about 1 second. Why? This ritual requires intention. It is a moment of pause to shift the atmosphere of your room.

2. To Explore: Hover over any cell to bring it into focus. Why? The grid remains quiet until you choose to engage with it.

---

📦 Installation & Setup

TRACE is a standalone web instrument. No installation is required.

1. Download the index.html file.
2. Open it in any modern browser.
3. Press F11 for Fullscreen mode to complete the immersion.

📝 Changelog

Refer to the CHANGELOG.md for technical history and version updates.