We Did It!

In a mere 21 days, we cracked the $25,000 barrier - a truly impressive goal that wouldn't have happened without all of you! So, Thank You! A special shout out -- none of this would be even remotely possible without the tireless and brilliant work of my development team at Zero Innovates, and more recently, the AR experts at doPanic. Fundraising does not stop here -- instead, I'm aiming for a new goal of $35,000. With the additional funding we're planning on developing for Android, building a better web experience for those outside of NYC, and of course making an even more spectacular app. As a special Thank You for our backer's, I've uploaded a "behind the scenes" walkthrough of the app as it stands today. To see that update, click here. Thanks again for your continued support. Please tell your friends & family about the project, and I'll be back in touch in a few days. -Brian 8/6

About 110 Stories

Hello. I'm Brian August, and I've been obsessed with 110 Stories for almost 10 years. When I started thinking about the idea, Augmented Reality didn't exist, nor did iPhones. But they both do now, and I've assembled a talented team to build the 110 Stories Augmented Reality iPhone App and launch it by the beginning of September. I'm asking for your help to make my obsession a reality. Every penny I am raising will be used to design, build and launch the app. The app will be FREE. The project itself is not intended to make a profit. 

Orient. Augment. Comment. Activate the app on your iPhone and you'll be guided towards the World Trade Center. Once properly oriented, augmented reality kicks in and renders their silhouette -- in a pencil-like outline during the day and in shimmering light at night. Snap a picture, fine tune the image, add a personal story, and submit it to www.110stories.com.  

Once on the website, you'll see a 50 mile, doppler radar-like radius map of New York City, with lower Manhattan in the center. Each photo submission appears as a pin on the map. Scroll over any pin, click, and read that story. Comment and share, via Twitter and Facebook. Users beyond visual range of the Towers can still enjoy 110 Stories by seeing the images of those who are within.

For those of us who are lifelong New Yorkers, its easy to tick off iconic views of the Twin Towers -- emerging disoriented from the West 4th Street subway station, finding the towers, and using them as a compass. On a Fire Island roof deck, 45 miles away, seeing two tiny toothpicks on the horizon, backlit by the setting sun. On I-95, heading home from New Jersey, seeing the Towers looming over the Palisades. Stuck in traffic on the helix approaching the Lincoln Tunnel, marveling at the downtown skyline. The list goes on. These lost views conjure vivid memories in much the same way as hearing a favorite song from the past. "Seeing" the towers come to life through your iPhone will transport you back in time. 110 Stories lets each of us show and tell our personal stories and share them with the world. Simply tell your story, contextualized around a view of the Twin Towers, magnified by the power of crowd-sourcing.

The interactive augmented reality iphone app is merely the beginning of 110 Stories. It will hopefully continue with Phase 2 -- a series of physical art installations. At 110 locations around the NY metropolitan area, there will be identical benches, in locations from which you could once see the Towers. The purpose of each installation is simple - create a structure that, when viewed from the bench, visually places the outline of the Towers, where they once stood, in the right apparent size. Its the real-world cousin of the app, and equally compelling.

DEVELOPMENT:  [zero] innovates

VIDEO: @danieldelaney

AR TECHNOLOGY: doPanic

PR: Lane Buschel, First-Person Communications

CREATIVE CONSULTANTS: CultureShockNY

LEGAL: Prof. Jonathan Askin and Team Brooklyn Law School 

HOSTING SERVICES: Atlantic Metro Communications

EVENT CONSULTANTS: DigitalFlashNYC

MUSIC: Timmy Thomas "Why Can't We Live Together" 1973

ADVISORS: Natalie Clark Barratt, Jimm Meloy, Mark Skwarek, Kirsten Gronberg, David Barratt, Freddie Laker, Bill Belliveau, Jason Hirschhorn, Gary Vaynerchuk, Marc Ecko, Bill Weir, Debra Anderson, Hugh McGrory