What I've been doing

[motocicleta2]

Last edited Mon Dec 2, 2013, 08:46 PM - Edit history (1)

Somebody asked me to post when this sucker got done, so here goes.

Back in August 2012, I reconnected with a friend from high school in person. Over the preceding couple of years, we had engaged in some spirited conversations with his conservative family members and with some of our mutual conservative friends on Facebook. We regularly had each other's back in these moments, and came to realize that we were among the very few liberals/progressives to come out of our small home town in the late 80s. So when we hung out briefly in Seattle last year, he showed me something he was thinking about.

He had found an app aimed at conservatives, supposedly giving them help in debating the liberals in their lives. It was ugly. In every sense. Completely factless, no citations, no links, visually unpleasant, it simply contained a huge list of issues, from ACORN to birth certificate to AGW hoax to every inane right-wing conspiracy theory. Super unpleasant to view.

Long story short, he found that there was no corresponding app for people like he and I, and for people like us. He convinced me to join him in making one.

By the time this happened, even though Obama was in the WH, I had definitely lost a lot of hope that the divides between Americans could ever be bridged. I used to post on DU as motocicleta back in the early 2000s, paid a ton of attention to what was going on in 2000-about 2005. But I became so disillusioned with our country's rightward surge and Bush's reelection that frankly I was worn out and kinda gave up. Then I lost my password and closed the email account I used to login as motocicleta, so I had to return with this new username.

In August 2012, I was intrigued by my friend's optimism. Somehow he had remained positive and believed that not only could things get better but was also convinced we could make a difference. That we could help. And I went along with the app project because I wanted hope.

We were joined by another friend of his, and the three of us have spent 15 months working our butts off to get the thing done - frankly they have worked a lot harder than I have, but we all put in a ton of effort. We've worked with dozens of writers and researchers who have done phenomenal work to build the thing out. Through the process I have definitely gotten some of the hope back. I have heard from people who have gotten through to their conservative family and friends, in little ways and big. I have seen my mother-in-law change her position on marriage equality. I have heard of parents of friends changing their position on military spending, gun control. It is possible. I am incredibly excited to be a part of what I now see is a huge movement of people saying enough is enough.

The app is predicated on the idea that a vast swath of the American electorate is caught in a bubble of right wing misinformation spewed out 24/7 by the likes of Fox News, Rush, Drudge, etc, but that if we approach them with love and respect and citations, over time we can chip away at that bubble and let the light in, and the truth will win out eventually.

I am proud that the app went live this week. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn cool, very meaty with tons of information on 8 issues - climate change, the death penalty, gun control, health care reform, income inequality, legalizing marijuana, marriage equality, and military spending - and have plans to add many more in the coming months. Each issue contains many facts and stats slides, ways to make points with folks trapped in the bubble, quotes from conservatives in support of our positions, useful analogies, that sort of thing. Everything is linked and cited.

You can find it on iTunes as Bubble Busters the app, or go to our website http://www.bubblebusters.com . We're charging $3.99 for it in the hopes of recouping our investment and to fund making an android version since we only have one for Apple at this point.

Thanks for reading. Hope you all have a great evening, I'm kinda walking on cloud 9 right now, I really am super happy and proud of what we've managed to do with this thing.

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Congratulations on your accomplishment

and may your endeavor be a successful one.

[motocicleta2]

6. Thank you!

[NBachers]

2. Congratulations! And thanks for your continuing hard hard work work.

[motocicleta2]

17. Thanks!

[Courtesy Flush]

3. Eagerly awaiting the Android version.

[maced666]

4. No! Me too.

android cheated again.

[burrowowl]

5. When the Android version?

[freshwest]

7. Okay, just found it in the iTunes Store. Only problem is it requires OS7. Go for it, folks!

NOTE:

It's under Bubble Busters the App, not the game, the first few Apps search results.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubble-busters-the-app/id665985532?mt=8

[motocicleta2]

10. goldurned links

It is available on the app store, search for bubble busters the app. And not sure why the link doesn't work but if you google bubble busters it should come up, or just type in bubblebusters.com. It's pretty maddening and wild west-y that all the different platforms and browsers and versions like to act differently with the same input. And how my trusty computer will do different things with identical input depending on how long my kids have been netflixing. But I digress.

[freshwest]

13. Thanks. I edited my post with the link. But don't run OS7 yet.

I'm still running OS 5.8. It's causing me a lot of problems now, but I don't want to lose the features that I now have, which it will overwrite and delete. Might do it on my laptop and leave my iMac alone. It sounds like a great App for those who are on the go with iPads and iPhones and do twitter and the like. Good job guys, this was very needed!

[motocicleta2]

12. It doesn't actually require iOS7

My wife bought it and liked it (thankfully), and she doesn't have 7.

[freshwest]

14. Really? Okay, I'll try again!

[Buster88]

27. It require OS 6.0 and above

Because it was released in the OS 7 format - it only can go back one OS version and render correctly - unfortunately it's Apple's way of getting people to switch OS versions over time...

[motocicleta2]

8. When is the Android version?

Good question. Depends on if we can sell enough to the Apple folks to be able to pay for another build - out. We're not coders, we're researchers and writers and a designer. And our funds are not unlimited. As it turns out, Android apps generally do not sell anywhere near as well as Apple, so we started with them. Even the likes of Bill Maher, etc, can sell oodles of apps on Apple but have to basically give them away on droid. If we sell a million Apple apps, we'll have android by the end of February, I'd say. If we sell enough to cover the costs but it takes longer, we can definitely have it by summer. If we don't sell enough in this round, I'd doubt the droid version ever gets made. By us, anyway.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

9. great job!! I could definitely use an app like that.

Love the name too. Can't wait to see the suggestions on how to break through the bubble.

With facts at hand, I'd feel less frusrated.

Lookin forward to the android version.

[motocicleta2]

11. Thanks!

[eridani]

15. I still have a not so bright clamshell phone

If I ever upgrade to a smarter phone, I'd definitely consider this app worth it.

[motocicleta2]

16. Thanks eridani!

It's really best on an iPad, to be honest, there is seriously so much in there that a bigger screen is better. Phones make my eyes all vague and confused when I stare at them too long. I'd like to do one for desktops but that is a whole different level of Dante, I hear. If we can have some success with this we definitely intend to make a more full functioning website, but the app must succeed so we can pay for that kind of thing.

[NYC_SKP]

18. K/R and would you mind posting this in this other DU group, too, please?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1269

I think it's a good fit!

Thanks!



`

[motocicleta2]

19. Thanks nyc_skp

will do!

[motocicleta2]

20. If I can figure out how

Do I just post it verbatim or link to this post? Sorry I'm so incompetent about this stuff.

[NYC_SKP]

21. The easiest way is to hit the "edit post" button on this OP, the select all, copy...

then hit the back button or close window, go the the new group to post the new thread and then paste.

If you add a link back to this OP, that's even better, so you can get more views.

Thanks!

[Hekate]

22. I remember you, motocicleta -- welcome back! and congratulations to you & friends!

Best of luck with this endeavor. I'm going to go over to the website now and have a look around.

[motocicleta2]

24. I remember you too, one of my OG faves!

Thanks for the welcome and congratulations, Hekate.

[Nictuku]

23. I bought it on iTunes, it was only $2.99

Nice work! I wish you the best success, I hope the app sells wide and far.

[KoKo]

25. Recommend! Definitely this is needed!

I don't use Apple but can pass it along to others who do.

Thanks for posting!

[motocicleta2]

26. Thanks so much KoKo!

[motocicleta2]

28. Not so sharp, this one

I messed up the link. It should be
http://www.bubblebusters.com
without the period attached to the end. Luckily the stuff on the site and the app has editors after me

[Lasher]

29. You can edit your original post that started this thread.

You should do that to correct the link.