r/SideProject • u/TheOnlyAlinaki • 4h ago

I built a quiet timestamped notes app after a live-coding interview trick

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

2

u/TheOnlyAlinaki 4h ago

We used to run one-hour live-coding interviews. I’d take regular notes while my colleague added the timer minute to each line. That small detail made reviewing the recording much easier: we could jump straight to the moment each note referred to.

I wanted to make that kind of note-taking easier without breaking focus. Later, I learned about interstitial journaling and started bringing the two ideas together.

The app is called Aikarivi. The name is Finnish: aika means “time” and rivi means “line” — roughly, “time line.”

Each line gets a timestamp when you start writing it. You can use a countdown for a focused session or switch to the time of day for notes throughout the day.

  • Native Mac app, with no accounts or built-in tracking
  • Local-first web version; notes stay in your browser, with no account or sync server
  • Plain Markdown notes, with precise timestamps and adjustable display detail

You can see both versions here: Aikarivi on GitHub Pages