Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#1

Post by walrussama » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 11:37 AM UTC

I had an issue where I would journal stuff, and then never look at what I wrote. So I thought it'll be cool to schedule something that will get sent to you at a later time (like a time capsule). Also, was inspired by futureme, where you can send yourself letters that'll arrive in the future.

Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules
resurf.me

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#2

Post by emrekzd » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:12 PM UTC

This is very cool and makes me smile because I used to use a simplified version of this as a take home project in engineering interviews.

One usecase I find particularly interesting is predictions. People often predict the future like “in 2 years we will have AGI” etc. It would be fun to fact check these predictions on the exact date 2 years later. Pick top tech leaders or politicians and scrape all their predictions and make a leaderboard of who got it right or messed up. could be fun to try.

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#3

Post by leshenka » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:15 PM UTC

I hear about time capsule apps from time to time and my main concern about them is longevity.

Will this application exist in say 10 years from now? 20? And even then will I be using the same email by then?

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#4

Post by bschne » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:19 PM UTC

leshenka wrote: post #3

I hear about time capsule apps from time to time and my main concern about them is longevity. Will this application exist in say 10 years from now? 20? And even then will I be using the same email by then?

I've been occasionally using futureme.org since ~15 years ago, in case you're a believer in the Lindy effect. FWIW I don't think I've ever used it for anything more than ~1 year ahead, that always seemed fun/interesting enough. Of course there's other considerations entering the picture if you plan ten years ahead, but then again this seems like the kind of fun/light-hearted thing where it doesn't really bother me that I might not end up reading it again --- life happens...

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#5

Post by Nathanba » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:24 PM UTC

Gmail has this feature built in, you can plan the sending of an email for a later point in time.

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#6

Post by munro » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:30 PM UTC

just use a calendar event, it's more robust, and gives you the same feeling of 'oh yea...'

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#7

Post by Jach » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:33 PM UTC

This reminded me of a more whimsical old service that used real snails to send email at some indeterminate time. Looks like their home page is still up but it's totally defunct: http://www.realsnailmail.net/ The only message I sent with it (or at least that made it through, maybe I sent more that I don't remember) was initiated in June 2008, at last collected by a snail in May 2011, and the snail Marko delivered it in August 2011.

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#8

Post by hrimfaxi » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 12:54 PM UTC

You might like Diarium, a local-first journaling app that will bring up past entries a year later. Since journalling is private, not everyone is comfortable sharing with an email provider.

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#9

Post by walrussama » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 1:17 PM UTC

emrekzd wrote: post #2

This is very cool and makes me smile because I used to use a simplified version of this as a take home project in engineering interviews. One usecase I find particularly interesting is predictions. People often predict the future like “in 2 years we will have AGI” etc. It would be fun to fact check these predictions on the exact date 2 years later. Pick top tech leaders or politicians and scrape all their predictions…

Oh that's a great use case! Never thought of that. Thanks!

Re: Show HN: Web app that lets you send email time capsules

#10

Post by dmd » Mon, Dec 08, 2025, 1:19 PM UTC

munro wrote: post #6

just use a calendar event, it's more robust, and gives you the same feeling of 'oh yea...'

Exactly. I give services like this - generally coded as someone's first "wow I know PHP now!" or the modern equivalent - approximately 5 years shelf life, at best.

Whereas I have notes-to-future-me on my calendar that I put there 30 years ago.