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Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

help.delduca.org

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Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#1

Post by delduca »

I have a bad memory and can't memorize some important numbers, so I created this project.

I've always been concerned about being without my phone (getting robbed - which is common in Brazil - running out of battery, having it break, etc.), so I decided to create a page that sends SMS messages (LLM-summarized) and emails with more detailed information such as geolocation, IP address, and the full message.

It’s a simple page that allows sending one or more messages, with recipients being myself and other people - for example, in case I or they need help or need to communicate something important.

The source code is available at https://github.com/skhaz/dokku/tree/main/apps/help

Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family
help.delduca.org

Re: Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#3

Post by delduca »

cbracketdash wrote: post #2

Why is it more likely you'll have internet access when you don't have a phone? If you happen to find a computer, what's insufficient about writing an email?

My wife doesn't check email frequently, so SMS (or even better, WhatsApp) would be more reliable.

Maybe an alternative is to store the WhatsApp contact information of people who could help behind a password.

Then, if I need help, I can ask to borrow someone's phone on the street. If they don't have WhatsApp, I can just make a regular phone call instead.

Re: Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#4

Post by fn-mote »

delduca wrote: post #3
cbracketdash wrote: post #2

Why is it more likely you'll have internet access when you don't have a phone? If you happen to find a computer, what's insufficient about writing an email?

My wife doesn't check email frequently, so SMS (or even better, WhatsApp) would be more reliable. Maybe an alternative is to store the WhatsApp contact information of people who could help behind a password. Then, if I need help, I can ask to borrow someone's phone on the street. If they don't have WhatsApp, I can just make a regular phone call instead.

> If they don't have WhatsApp

Is this really likely? I would guess only 70 year olds don't have WhatsApp.

Seems more likely you forget the impoprtant phone numbers because you never enter them manually.

Re: Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#5

Post by zamadatix »

Before MFA was mandated on every service this was an easy problem to solve. Now when you lose your phone while out and about you lose your ability to log in to even Dave's Speed Cow Milker's Enthusiast Forum unless you're at home with another computer already logged in to various things.

Re: Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#6

Post by x187463 »

fn-mote wrote: post #4
delduca wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife doesn't check email frequently, so SMS (or even better, WhatsApp) would be more reliable. Maybe an alternative is to store the WhatsApp contact information of people who could help behind a password. Then, if I need help, I can ask to borrow someone's phone on the street. If they don't have WhatsApp, I can just make a regular phone call instead.

> If they don't have WhatsApp Is this really likely? I would guess only 70 year olds don't have WhatsApp. Seems more likely you forget the impoprtant phone numbers because you never enter them manually.

With iMessage, Discord, and Signal, I can't imagine a use case for me or anyone I know to use WhatsApp.

Re: Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#7

Post by sheept »

fn-mote wrote: post #4
delduca wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife doesn't check email frequently, so SMS (or even better, WhatsApp) would be more reliable. Maybe an alternative is to store the WhatsApp contact information of people who could help behind a password. Then, if I need help, I can ask to borrow someone's phone on the street. If they don't have WhatsApp, I can just make a regular phone call instead.

> If they don't have WhatsApp Is this really likely? I would guess only 70 year olds don't have WhatsApp. Seems more likely you forget the impoprtant phone numbers because you never enter them manually.

WhatsApp is not universally used. Line, WeChat, and KakaoTalk are more common in East Asia

Re: Show HN: I made an emergency page for my family

#10

Post by malfist »

fn-mote wrote: post #4
delduca wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife doesn't check email frequently, so SMS (or even better, WhatsApp) would be more reliable. Maybe an alternative is to store the WhatsApp contact information of people who could help behind a password. Then, if I need help, I can ask to borrow someone's phone on the street. If they don't have WhatsApp, I can just make a regular phone call instead.

> If they don't have WhatsApp Is this really likely? I would guess only 70 year olds don't have WhatsApp. Seems more likely you forget the impoprtant phone numbers because you never enter them manually.

Nobody in my friend group has a WhatsApp and I'm a millennial.
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