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I love this. I would really like to have a clock like this with the outside temperature and maybe a counter for unread messages.

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A counter for unread messages on the bedroom clock? I can't think of anything more anxiety inducing for my sleep than that. Bedtime is the one time and place I want to fully disconnect from anything 'on-line'.

I even charge my phone in the other room just to eliminate the thought of reaching over from the bead to the nightstand to do 'smartphone things' with it.

It could be set with an allowed list of friends and family only. The idea for me would be to know if it's worth looking at my phone if someone I care about tried to reach me, or if I can keep my eyes closed a bit longer instead. I absolutely do not want an email or Slack messages counter, of course. But in any case, maybe you are right, and it's a bad idea entirely...

No, I agree: I'd want some kind of app/webui where I could select which people I really care about, and the counter will show me if those people, and only those people, have sent me messages. So basically, my most immediate family and my girlfriend and that's it. If any of them send me a message, I'm willing to check it out.

They make them. I used to have one years ago, minus the message notifications.

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