It’s a familiar story for many tech enthusiasts: the initial excitement for a new Google product, often followed by the quiet dread of its eventual discontinuation. This cycle of anticipation and anxiety has increasingly surrounded Google’s Nest Hub lineup. With no new hardware releases since 2021, dwindling stock, and future updates limited to software patches like the upcoming Gemini voice integration, it feels less like a product roadmap and more like a farewell tour for a beloved, yet aging, category.

The current Nest Hubs are, for many, stuck in a state of limbo. While a Gemini-powered voice update is welcome, it’s essentially a software band-aid on hardware that hasn’t evolved in years. The same underpowered chips, static user interfaces, and limited customization options make it clear that Google’s focus has shifted. Without fresh displays, faster processors, or a UI designed for more than just rotating advertisements, the promise of the smart display seems to be fading into obsolescence.

Driven by this stagnation, one user reimagined what a truly effective smart display could be, culminating in a personal manifesto for a superior device. The core principles included:
* Mine: Embracing open-source firmware and hardware to ensure device functionality even if vendor support ceases.
* Calm: Utilizing e-ink technology to eliminate backlights, glowing screens, and ambient anxiety, providing a gentle, paper-like display.
* Secure: Prioritizing privacy with a one-way data flow, devoid of cameras or microphones to minimize attack surfaces.
* Future-proof: Building on standards-based APIs to allow for easy swapping of components, servers, or cloud services.
* Planet-friendly: Designing for ultra-low power consumption, using less energy than a typical LED night-light.

This rigorous checklist led to the discovery of TRMNL, an open-source, 800×480 e-ink display specifically designed for creating calm, custom dashboards. It acts as a pure information sink, with no outgoing data, no invasive listening, just a clear, static display that updates discreetly in the background.

The user then embarked on crafting a personal dashboard, prioritizing just three crucial pieces of information that directly influence daily actions:
1. Blood Glucose: Essential for managing Type 1 diabetes, guiding immediate decisions on diet or medication.
2. Next Bus Arrival: Determining whether to walk, bike, or sprint, based on real-time public transport schedules.
3. Temperature & UV Index: Particularly important for sun protection in high-UV environments like Sydney.

This focus on actionable data eliminated unnecessary clutter and notifications. The technical implementation involved a serverless pipeline, remarkably cost-effective and efficient. A BuildShip workflow, running every five minutes, pulled data from Nightscout (for glucose), TfNSW (for bus times), and Open-Weather (for temperature and UV). This data was then merged into a flat JSON format, rendered into a 1-bit BMP image (800×480, black or white only), and exposed via a private endpoint. Finally, the TRMNL device polled this endpoint, flashed the compact 38KB image, and then returned to an ultra-low power sleep state, completing the entire refresh loop in under two seconds without any light pollution or distractions.

This project wasn’t merely a weekend endeavor; it served as a powerful demonstration that individuals can actively opt out of restrictive, stagnant tech ecosystems. By leveraging open-hardware boards, serverless solutions, and the tranquility of e-ink, it’s possible to build tools that genuinely serve our needs, rather than making us subservient to them.

What critical, distraction-free information would you choose for your own custom dashboard? Share your ideas and let’s explore the possibilities of building a more personalized and purposeful digital future.