The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall • Hacker News Board

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#11

Post by loosetypes » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 1:38 AM UTC

There really is something eerily beautiful, as the author states, about simple layouts that convey the immediate information sought as well as the intuition behind the abstraction.

Another I'd throw out there are the charts for latitude vs. hours of sunlight per day by month[0].

I have never wanted a tattoo, but that's an icon that I'd consider - maybe overlay each city in which one's lived, and periodically update it..

[0] http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/dayleng...

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#12

Post by Stratoscope » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 1:43 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #10

Wow this makes me want to buy an Apple Watch! In the military knowing first-light and last-light, down to within a few minutes, is essential daily. I have an app on my phone that tells me sunrise and sunset, but as the article describes these aren't the same thing. I also have a very expensive top-of-the-range Garmin watch and even that just tells me the less useful sunrise and sunset, which makes me suspicious it's…

The Weather Underground app for Android and iOS displays first light and last light.

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#13

Post by chrisseaton » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 1:45 AM UTC

Stratoscope wrote: post #12

chrisseaton wrote: post #10

Wow this makes me want to buy an Apple Watch! In the military knowing first-light and last-light, down to within a few minutes, is essential daily. I have an app on my phone that tells me sunrise and sunset, but as the article describes these aren't the same thing. I also have a very expensive top-of-the-range Garmin watch and even that just tells me the less useful sunrise and sunset, which makes me suspicious it's…

The Weather Underground app for Android and iOS displays first light and last light.

Ah and even moon-rise and moon-set! But it doesn't seem to tell you for any day except today!

But errr... isn't the Weather Underground a domestic terrorism and bombing group?

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#14

Post by chrisseaton » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 1:55 AM UTC

mxmilkb wrote: post #4

I wish https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.staticfre... (similar in an Android widget) worked without requiring location to be on all the time.

But light depends on location. How can it tell you the light if you won't tell it where it is?

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#15

Post by nefitty » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 2:30 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #13

Stratoscope wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Weather Underground app for Android and iOS displays first light and last light.

Ah and even moon-rise and moon-set! But it doesn't seem to tell you for any day except today! But errr... isn't the Weather Underground a domestic terrorism and bombing group?

They pivoted to weather data services

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#16

Post by darkerside » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 2:30 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #14

mxmilkb wrote: post #4

I wish https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=info.staticfre... (similar in an Android widget) worked without requiring location to be on all the time.

But light depends on location. How can it tell you the light if you won't tell it where it is?

It's trivial to specify location manually. Only partially related, but I get irrationally annoyed by websites repeatedly asking me to have my phone provide access to my location. In almost all cases, I'd much rather type in a 5 digit zip code and be done with it.

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#17

Post by chrisseaton » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 2:33 AM UTC

darkerside wrote: post #16

chrisseaton wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But light depends on location. How can it tell you the light if you won't tell it where it is?

It's trivial to specify location manually. Only partially related, but I get irrationally annoyed by websites repeatedly asking me to have my phone provide access to my location. In almost all cases, I'd much rather type in a 5 digit zip code and be done with it.

Hmmm but I think people using this feature will be extremely sensitive to it reporting it exactly for their current location. Forgetting to change your zip code and it silently telling you a light time off by five minutes could be a massive problem.

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#18

Post by TimC123456 » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 2:40 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #10

Wow this makes me want to buy an Apple Watch! In the military knowing first-light and last-light, down to within a few minutes, is essential daily. I have an app on my phone that tells me sunrise and sunset, but as the article describes these aren't the same thing. I also have a very expensive top-of-the-range Garmin watch and even that just tells me the less useful sunrise and sunset, which makes me suspicious it's…

I like The Photographer’s Ephemeris (https://www.photoephemeris.com/) which includes times for astronomical twilight, nautical twilight, civil twilight, as well as moon and sun rise and set times, golden hour, shadow estimation based on landmark position and height, and so many more great features. A very handy tool for location/photo scouting. Has a web app, APIs, and all the usual platform apps, too.

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#19

Post by zepto » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 2:47 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #13

Stratoscope wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Weather Underground app for Android and iOS displays first light and last light.

Ah and even moon-rise and moon-set! But it doesn't seem to tell you for any day except today! But errr... isn't the Weather Underground a domestic terrorism and bombing group?

It used to be a terrorism and bombing group, but then they pivoted into running a network of amateur weather stations.

(Since the bombing group was underground we can of course never know for sure exactly which members were part of the pivot)

Re: The Eerie Beauty of the Apple Watch Solar Face, and the Anatomy of Nightfall

#20

Post by jniedrauer » Sun, Jan 03, 2021, 3:07 AM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #10

Wow this makes me want to buy an Apple Watch! In the military knowing first-light and last-light, down to within a few minutes, is essential daily. I have an app on my phone that tells me sunrise and sunset, but as the article describes these aren't the same thing. I also have a very expensive top-of-the-range Garmin watch and even that just tells me the less useful sunrise and sunset, which makes me suspicious it's…

I also have a Garmin and it gives me sunrise, sunset, and twilight on the same screen, and you can advance forward to view times for future dates. I use it all the time for planning. I think you might just not have configured yours to display what you want.