Hey HN! I built Tickr as an experiment in attention-driven content. Every video starts with a life timer counting down. If you watch, the timer goes up. If you skip, it goes down. Hit zero = permanently deleted. No algorithm, no likes, no followers — just raw survival.
Tech stack: Fully serverless on AWS — Lambda, API Gateway (REST + WebSocket), DynamoDB, S3, CloudFront. Frontend is React + Vite. The timer works without any server-side decay loop: DynamoDB stores life_seconds + last_updated_at, and remaining time is calculated on read. DynamoDB TTL auto-deletes dead videos. WebSocket tracks watch/skip events in real-time — the client never sends duration, the server measures it via connection tracking.
Content moderation uses Rekognition for user uploads. Videos are capped at 15 seconds. The whole thing runs for pennies thanks to serverless.
Would love feedback on the concept and UX. Is the "attention = life" mechanic compelling or just stressful?
amoldavski•2h ago
Tech stack: Fully serverless on AWS — Lambda, API Gateway (REST + WebSocket), DynamoDB, S3, CloudFront. Frontend is React + Vite. The timer works without any server-side decay loop: DynamoDB stores life_seconds + last_updated_at, and remaining time is calculated on read. DynamoDB TTL auto-deletes dead videos. WebSocket tracks watch/skip events in real-time — the client never sends duration, the server measures it via connection tracking.
Content moderation uses Rekognition for user uploads. Videos are capped at 15 seconds. The whole thing runs for pennies thanks to serverless.
Would love feedback on the concept and UX. Is the "attention = life" mechanic compelling or just stressful?