alt Hacker NewsA macOS app that blurs your screen when you slouch
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Congrats on the app.
I'm seeing that "great-ai-unlock" is happening. I see in last month a lot of new software being codeveloped with claude/codex/gemini/you-name it.
Before, it was too costly to do sth like the Posture app: here, you would have to know Swift and apple apis to write such tool. Would you be C# (very good) programmer with free weekend, and an idea: no cookie for ya.
These days, due to "great-ai-unlock" your skills can be easily transferred and used to cross platforms boundary and code such useful app in a weekend or so.
Jevons paradox is indeed working (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox).
I'm not sure how you can use a laptop with good posture. An external monitor at the right height seems like a necessity.
I'm also optimistic about monitors in the form of glasses- even less effort needed to set yourself up for perfect posture. But the sweet spot problem is still very much a thing from what I've seen- can't wait until it's normal for them to have eye tracking, foveated rendering and streaming, and be wireless.
I guess it's technically cool, but one should be aware that there is no such thing as "good posture" or no accepted definition that lends itself to good science. slouching isnt bad, remaining in the same posture for a long time is, or at least it can lead to discomfort. people that sit up straight all the time still get back pain. i slouch all the time and i don't. The popular attachment to specific configurationa of your joints that look aeathetically acceptable os orthorexia, not science.
Anyone else with progressive lenses just think "I already have this"?
Sounds like a good idea but “good posture” meaning being upright is just such an outdated and incorrect thing. Be comfortable, relax in your chairs, it’s fine.
I’ve had chronic back problems due to computer use and back posture for 20+ years. This past year I bought an adjustable height desk and an Aeron chair to try and help, but I still slouch constantly without realizing it.
I cloned this a few hours ago and started using it and it’s amazing how effective the blur is! And it’s frustrating to learn how quickly I start slouching the second I’m not paying attention.
I’ll echo what I’ve seen others saying about how cool it is to see something come about due to LLM coding that likely wouldn’t have otherwise. Glad to see you actively working on it, and I’ll be using it every day!
P.S. I’ve been an iOS and Mac dev writing Obj-C and then Swift for 16 years now, so if you run into any issues that Claude isn’t sorting out feel free to reach out to me, you can find my contact via my GitHub which is in my profile (same username as hear). Also as I’ll be using this regularly, if I come up with any improvements I’ll be sure to open a PR!
I think the idea is wonderful, but a not-audited application that uses things like the camera is a “no go” for me.
Get it notorized and ask for some money! I will gladly pay it (and I hope others will do it as well).
Awesome concept: ergonomics and/or posture monitoring is a market opportunity for heavy users.
Does anyone ever reach a high level of productivity with correct posture? I can't.
This is a really cool idea. I’m a little put off with the idea that my camera is always watching me but the thought behind it is really cool.
Lots of things people might want to monitor for such as nail biting.
Once launched, Posturr runs in the background and displays a brief "Claude Mode Active" notification.
I haven’t checked the code yet, but what does the “Claude Mode” mean? Is it a poor naming choice? It implies that the local app is somehow connected to Claude (?)
Why use a proprietary stack for building this when there is a far more capable open ecosystem available at your fingertips?
Install a pull up bar in your room. It will fix your back better than anything else.
Not that I have particularly bad posture, but…
> Posturr uses your Mac's camera
Not all of us have web cams, or are willing to tolerate them from a security perspective. [apologetic grin]
While this seems to detect posture fairly well, the screen blurring doesn't work for me despite allowing what appear to be the relevant permissions. (macOS 15.1)
I wonder if this is less about “bad posture” and more about how people unconsciously optimize for stability when thinking deeply. When I’m reasoning through something hard, I tend to lock into whatever position minimizes micro-adjustments - even if it looks terrible ergonomically.
Works pretty well, probably too resource heavy to just always keep on. Suggestion: give the user a shortcut key to close the app in case the blur goes haywire on them.
I can't seem to open it. It keeps saying "Apple could not verify “Posturr.app” is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy.".
I tried opening by right-cliking on the app file, holding option, etc.
I'm on Sequoia 15.7.3 (24G419)
This is cool, I built something similar a while back. I originally wanted the screen to dim when I slouched but I couldn't get access to dimming on OSX. I ended up just playing a noise when I slouched. It became so distracting I stopped using it.
The blurring of the screen is a much better idea.
Love it - I did something like this for when codex is done - a script runs to detect if I’m at my computer or not and then notify my phone if I walked away that it’s done - mostly so I can get back to slouching ;)
It would be great if there was something like this, but for not wearing reading glasses.
Great, so now my eyes and back are going to be f'd. Just step away from the screen and take regular breaks.
Would be cool to see integration with something like Upright Go or other sensors you place on your back that detect tilt etc.
Is there anyone out there who’s productive and sitting upright? Asking for me..
Guzzles my CPU, cool though! Would use if it didn't eat up half a core to boot.
Black Mirror is nearly here.
.gitignore > # Claude Code > .claude/
Congratulations! I love seeing people express themselves to release things that were previously not economically viable to prioritize
Forget worrying about a 10x dev, Claude Code with the Opus 4.5 model has turned me into a 100x developer even in software stacks I'm not even familiar with. And with playwright-mcp its completely absolved the need for UX designers in my workflow because I just point playwright-mcp at an already established and A/B tested website for its UX principles. This gives me results far beyond what v0, lovable or Claude Code would come up with on its own.
lol, whenever I am hacking intensely, I am lying down on my bed with laptop tilted with the perfect angle.
I guess this app won’t catch me slouching then.
I would love this but for detecting when I'm not wearing my glasses!
Staying in upright posture for too long is also not good for you.
I would pay $10 for this.
That whole "good posture" thing is future physical problems waiting to happen. For 25 years, I've always put my feet up on the corner of my desk (to the left), set the seat as high as possible (or adjust the desk lower) and lean back, arms extended. Basically, I'm positioned like an F1 driver in a cockpit.
No back problems as there's no weight on my spine. No carpal tunnel issues, as my wrists are always flat. No fatigue from holding my body at right angles for hours at a time.
The downside is I look like a total slacker in the office, especially to narrow minded image conscious managers who expect me "to act professionally."
About 20 years ago they was an early XDG /Compiz plugin called ‘literal focus’ - as a joke, it only focused the focused window. It’s amusing to see this technique being used more practically.
How can you tell if a short person is slouching? Or a tall person?
One thing I learned from my physio: in your spine, everything is connected.
For example, even if you sit perfectly upright, if you have anterior pelvic tilt, it can change the whole dynamics of your spine, that the cervical segment takes a lot of load that it isn't supposed to do.
Or with bad habits you can reprogram your neuromuscular system that it uses the wrong muscles to maintain posture, that can lead a series of problems long term.
If you have back/neck pain or tension that does not resolve in 1-2 weeks, go to a physio.
Satire i hope
Plz make a Windows version :)))
Anyone want to vibe code this to work on linux or M$
So now I gotta squint while I slouch!
Great, now I'll get sick eyes too
* laughs histerically
You can measure my productivity by how slouched I am.
Sitting up straight at my desk, chair locked, perfect posture? I’m doing nothing, maybe looking through System Preferences to change the system highlight color.
Sliding down in my chair like jelly, with my shoulders where my butt should be and my head resting on the lumbar support? I’m building the next iPhone and it’ll be done by 2 AM.