One Million Checkboxes (OMCB) was a web project launched on June 26th, 2024, which allowed 500,000 users to check over 650 million boxes collectively. Each change was global and instantaneous. The author initially thought the database had been hacked due to strange data, but it was revealed users were sending hidden binary messages. A community of sharp young developers formed around the project, creating elaborate drawings and complex animations using checkboxes. Despite concerns about botting degrading user experience, the author found the creative interaction deeply moving and reminiscent of his own early programming experiences.
Table of contents
What was One Million Checkboxes?Bit of context 1: OMCB made it hard to drawBit of context 2: how I stored stateHave I been hacked?The hidden messageDown the rabbit holeSo what’d they do?Is botting good?I found this so moving!32 Comments
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