Poem/1: 48 hours on Kickstarter

10.02, Thursday 1 Feb 2024

Poem/1 is on Kickstarter! How has it been going?

I’m not going to go into the whole history here… I made my AI clock prototype – telling the time with a new poem every minute, every day, composed by ChatGPT. It made me laugh, I tweeted the pics, it went viral. So after many twists and turns, I pinned down a route to manufacture, and at 10am London time on Tuesday I launched it on Kickstarter to fund production.

I have been a nervous wreck.


The whole story is on the Kickstarter campaign page.

You know what? I really do recommend you go read that page, even if don’t plan on springing for a clock, because I’m super proud of it.

The lo-fi old-school 2012-vibes video at the top, the beautiful industrial design in collaboration with Approach Studio, the storytelling, the tiny Easter eggs that one or two people have noticed, the whole kit and caboodle.

It has also been a joy to collab once again with Tom Armitage, on the firmware and so much more besides.


We’re exactly 48 hours in as I post this.

Overall I need to raise £81,300 to hit escape velocity. The project is already at 60% funded with an amazing 455 backers and just shy of £50k pledged.

So I’m delighted. My upper-bound goal for the first day was 30% and it reached 48%. Wow. If you’ve backed Poem/1 then thank you so much!

28 days to go. It’s a marathon from here on.

I think about this in cricket terms, like a white ball game. I’ve had a great power play, now it’s into the middle overs and time to steadily build the innings – the game can be won or lost there. Then step up through the gears as we get to the closing stages.

(I think about everything in cricket terms.)

I posted my first Kickstarter update yesterday where I also posted a pic of the clock with a serendipitous rhyme:

Persistence is the key, no doubt. / At 1:37 PM, push through and shout!

I mean. How does it know??


I updated the press tracking page.

A couple highlights:

  • This whimsical clock is the playful gadget AI needs right now (Fast Company) is the story behind Poem/1 and was published to coincide with the campaign launch. It’s a great piece, really well balanced and full of detail, and I’m so appreciative of FastCo’s support.
  • 013 Matt Webb - Poem/1 (Journey With Purpose podcast). Randy Plemel invited me to have a conversation about the design process, and it’s alternately serious and very silly. It was a ton of fun to record and you should totally listen and subscribe.

I have a ton to say! I am learning at a million mph. Another time for all that.

Anyway. Back the campaign if you like, and (of course!) don’t if you don’t like, we’ll still be friends.

Please do spread the word in your slacks and discords and whatsapps if you’re happy to. An easy way to get to the Kickstarter campaign is with this say-out-loud-able short URL: poem.town/ks.

Ok let’s see what the clock says right now.

Unlock your potential, ignite the divine / It’s nine fifty-nine, time to let your light shine.

I… I feel so nourished.

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