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I tried predicting the next big thing by watching what my grandma's cat ignored
Honestly, I got sick of all the tech bros talking about 'signals' and 'trends'. So last month, I tried something dumb. I set up a cheap camera to watch my grandma's cat, Mr. Whiskers, in her living room in Akron. My theory was that if a new piece of tech or a gadget was truly seamless, the cat wouldn't even notice it. I put a new smart speaker that plays ambient forest sounds in the corner. Mr. Whiskers didn't even glance at it for three whole days. Tbh, I think that's a better test than any focus group. If an animal that's scared of its own shadow doesn't care, maybe the tech is actually blending in. Has anyone else tried a weird, low-tech way to guess what sticks around?
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leewalker5mo ago
My brother used to test if a new video game was any good by seeing if our dog would watch him play it. The logic was if the dog got bored and left, the game was probably too slow or complicated. It was a pretty bad system, honestly, because the dog just liked anything with bright colors. Your cat method sounds way more scientific, focusing on what gets ignored instead of what gets attention. That's a neat flip of the usual way people look at things.
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gavin3655mo ago
Hah, that's genius! I judge new apps by whether my mom can use them without calling me for help.
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adams.uma5mo ago
That's a really smart way to look at it. It makes me realize we pay way too much attention to what's loud and new. The stuff that actually lasts is the quiet stuff that just fits into your day without a fuss. It's like the best kitchen tool is the one you use without having to think about it. Maybe the real test for anything is if it can become boring and normal that fast. Your grandma's cat might be onto something.
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