Vibe Coding: A Clock With Soul
I didn’t set out to build a clock.
At least not the kind of clock that ticks away in quiet submission on a wall somewhere, slowly reminding you of your obligations. No, this one was always going to have a vibe. Something more fluid, expressive. Something alive.
So, I built a text-based clock.
Let me walk you through it.
The “Time Line” – A Minute in Motion
At the top of the screen, there's a single line: the current time. Hours and minutes are displayed as you'd expect, but the seconds? That’s where the magic happens.
Instead of showing the ticking seconds as digits (because… boring), I decided to represent them as color. Specifically, the color transition across the letters of the time line itself.
At 00:00 of every minute, each character in the time string begins in pure white (#ffffff). Clean, pristine. Like a fresh start. But as the seconds tick forward, something beautiful starts to happen—each letter gradually shifts into a cool, electric shade of blue (#007bff).
Each minute becomes a slow bloom of color, transforming the ordinary into something meditative. A quiet pulse. It’s not just telling time—it’s feeling it.
The “Date Line” – A Written Reminder
Just below the time is what I call the “date line.” It’s straightforward, but still elegant. The day, month, and year are written out in full. Think:
Tuesday, April sixteen, twenty twenty-five
What It Took to Get Here
I utilize a technique called 'vibe coding', which enables seamless interaction with the AI system. Simply input your requirements into the chat interface, and the AI-driven platform will handle the complex technical coding on your behalf. Need a different background? Just ask! Have an idea for the next step? Explain what you want to achieve, and it will take care of the rest.
There is no need to be fluent—in JavaScript. No “copy/paste and hope” and then “adapt and debug until it works or you lose your mind.” Back in the day, I would comb through examples that almost worked, then Frankensteined together my own logic, hoping the animation, for example, would actually run.
Its fun when you are building something that feels good. You’re not chasing efficiency or solving for some KPI. You’re crafting an experience. Something playful. A bit indulgent. But entirely yours.