Stare at the Orb

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  ...Keep staring!

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  Stare at the orb...

Inspiration

We wanted to build something absurd yet technically polished—something that makes you laugh, question your choices, and admire the overengineering. Thus, the Orb was born.

What it does

Stare at the Orb is an interactive web app where a glowing cosmic orb speaks AI-generated nonsense while you sink deeper into its 10-level visual trance. Every interaction is tracked, every stare measured.

How we built it

We used React 18 + TypeScript + Vite for the frontend, Supabase for backend and analytics, OpenAI for generating Orb wisdom, and ElevenLabs for voice synthesis. We built a full event tracking pipeline, a progressive intensity engine, and rate-limited serverless functions for stability.

Challenges we ran into

• Managing API costs while keeping the experience seamless
• Dealing with browser autoplay restrictions for audio
• Keeping performance tight (<150KB bundle) as intensity scaled
• Designing graceful fallback systems when AI or voice fails

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• 10-level intensity progression system
• Full analytics suite with real-time insights
• Voice+AI integration with tight cost controls
• <2s load time with smooth performance across devices
• It’s both a meme and a serious product

What we learned

• The line between art, joke, and product is thinner than you think
• Rate-limiting and fallback design are essential when using AI in public apps
• You can overengineer humor—and it’s worth it

What’s next for Stare at the Orb

• Daily Orb wisdom drops
• Leaderboard for longest stare durations
• "Wild Mode" intensity beyond level 10
• Expand the Orb into other apps as a recurring cosmic character

Built With

• analytics
• custom
• elevenlabs-(tts)
• netlify
• openai-(gpt-3.5)
• postgresql)
• react-18
• supabase-(edge-functions
• tailwind-css
• typescript
• vite