Transform your iPhone into a beautifully framed, dynamic data display with MQTT Frame. Stay informed about environmental conditions, breaking news, or custom live data feeds elegantly presented within a selection of artistic frames.
Key Features:
Dynamic MQTT Integration: Easily subscribe to any MQTT topic and display live updates.
Customizable Frames: Choose from multiple high-quality decorative frames to complement your home or office décor.
Clean and Clear Data Display: Showcase important data such as temperature, pressure, news, and more with clear typography and layout.
Fullscreen Mode: Tap to seamlessly switch to an immersive fullscreen view, maximizing readability and aesthetics.
Easy Management: Add, edit, and reorder topics quickly through an intuitive interface.
Instant Updates: Receive real-time data updates over MQTT, ensuring you’re always in the know.
Perfect For:
Home Assistant/Home Automation Enthusiasts: Display sensor data, home statuses, or environmental conditions.
Personal Use: Stay updated with the latest news headlines, weather conditions, or any custom data stream.
MQTT Frame merges elegant design with powerful real-time MQTT functionality, creating the perfect smart display for any setting.
MQTT Frame is currently available on Test Flight on the Apple Store, with store review in progress, for support dm @digitalurban on X and bring your data to life in a beautiful new way.
Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how MQTTFrame (“we,” “our,” or “us”) handles your information.
Information We Collect
MQTTFrame does not collect, store, or share any personal data or user information. The app is designed solely to display real-time data through user-configured MQTT topics. All MQTT data subscriptions are entered and controlled by you, the user, and remain exclusively on your device.
How We Use Information
MQTTFrame does not collect or transmit any user data or personal information. Data configured and displayed by the app remains locally stored on your device.
Data Storage and Security
MQTTFrame stores your MQTT configuration settings (such as MQTT broker details and subscribed topics) locally on your device. We do not have access to this information, and it is never transmitted externally.
Third-Party Services
MQTTFrame does not utilize third-party analytics services or third-party advertising.
Changes to This Policy
We may occasionally update our Privacy Policy. Any changes will be reflected on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy for the latest information on our privacy practices.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
SHIFT, in collaboration with Arup and the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Connected Environments Group at University College London (UCL), have released the “SHIFT Digital Frontiers” report, a visionary roadmap outlining the transformative use of London’s physical and data assets within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to drive innovation and act as London’s testbed for addressing pressing urban challenges. The report’s release coincides with London Data Week, underscoring the critical role of data, notably real-time data, in shaping the city’s sustainable future.
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games sparked a renaissance in east London’s tech and innovation sector. Building on this legacy, the SHIFT digital ecosystem emerges as the next wave of east London’s evolution, aiming to transform the Park into a pioneering digital R&D hub.
The SHIFT Digital Frontiers report is the product of a dynamic collaboration between SHIFT, Arup’s Foresight and Technical Services Teams, and the Connected Environments Lab at the UCL Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis. The report outlines the background and future development roadmap of a real-time data ecosystem to act as a testbed for the city’s big issues.
Digital Frontiers Report
The partnership has crafted a strategic vision advocating for an ambitious digital innovation ecosystem made up of startups, universities, large corporations and local authorities. Users of the Digital Frontiers platform will contribute hyper-local data and in turn enable testing and showcasing of new technologies. This ecosystem leverages data, technology infrastructure, and robust stakeholder engagement to address the climate emergency, urban health, and urban mobility.
The report articulates the strategic vision through three strategic themes: digital integration, inclusivity and environment. It also details nine essential technology requirements to ensure the digital platform’s scalability, reliability, and security, focusing on interoperable, real-time, and spatial data. Demonstrating end-to-end data journeys within the Park and beyond, a set of case studies highlights market differentiators and best practices, showcasing the potential for local and global impact. Finally, a comprehensive set of recommendations and actionable steps towards establishing governance models, addressing immediate challenges, and achieving quick wins are presented.
SHIFT Digital Frontiers aims to amplify east London’s data capabilities, acting as a digital testbed to create a template for city-wide adoption in London and beyond. By integrating three-dimensional assets with cutting-edge research hardware, the initiative sets a pioneering path for businesses to develop, test, and refine innovative solutions.
Beyond technical innovation, the SHIFT Digital Frontiers vision seeks to empower policymakers with live, actionable data, informing strategic decision-making within the UK government and beyond. It represents a transformative step towards a more informed, responsive, and dynamic governance model.
Abdul Rahim, SHIFT’s Chief Innovation Officer, said:
“We are excited to unveil the SHIFT Digital Frontiers report during London Data Week. This initiative marks a significant step in transforming the Park into a leading digital ecosystem that not only addresses climate challenges but also fosters urban health and mobility. Our collaboration with Arup and UCL has been instrumental in shaping a vision that leverages data and technology to create tangible, sustainable solutions for our communities.” – Abdul Rahim, Chief Innovation Officer, SHIFT.
A literary clock is a unique fusion of literature and timekeeping. Every minute of the day is represented by a corresponding quote from a literary work, providing not just the time, but a nugget of wisdom, humor, or beauty from the world of books. This idea transforms the mundane act of checking the time into a delightful literary experience. The initial concept, as outlined by the original Literary Clock Project, involves creating a clock that displays quotes from various literary works for every minute of the day. This concept not only appeals to book lovers but also serves as an artistic and educational piece, bringing literature into everyday life in a novel way. For example, as we type this the time is twenty one minutes to five and the quote from the database, including the book name is:
“I was told that in his vest pocket he kept a chronometer instead of a watch. If someone asked him what time it was, he would say, “”A minute and twenty-one seconds to five.””” Book: The Collected Stories
Crowdsourcing the Literary Database
An essential aspect of this project was the crowdsourcing of the literary database. The Literary Clock Project engaged a global community of literature enthusiasts to contribute quotes for every minute of the day. This collaborative effort created a diverse and rich collection of quotes, encompassing a wide range of genres, periods, and authors. Contributors from around the world submitted their favourite passages, transforming this project into a communal celebration of literature. The concept was taken a step further by tjaap who cleaned up the database and ported it onto a Kindle, complete with a full instructable on how to build you own.
The Kindle Literary Clock by tjapp
Porting to MQTT
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight messaging protocol designed for small sensors and mobile devices optimized for high-latency or unreliable networks. It’s perfect for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications where bandwidth and battery power are at a premium. It is also good for transmitting short text messages to display across multiple devices at the same time, as long as a device is connected to an MQTT broker, it will automatically display messages as they arrive.
As such, as have created a Python script to read the database and publish the time quotes every minute to our MQTT broker on the following address: /personal/ucfnap/timequote (its a little but like tuning a radio, but in the case of MQTT, subscribing to topics).
How It Works:
1. Data Collection: We are using the extensive CSV file containing literary quotes provided by the Kindle Literarty Clock project, where each quote is tagged with a specific minute of the day. To make it work with our script we tidied things up a little.
2. Publishing: This CSV is processed and published via the MQTT feed. Each minute, a new message is sent out containing the current time and the corresponding quote.
3. Subscription: Any device can subscribe to this MQTT feed to receive the quotes in real-time. This could be an e-ink screen, a smart display, or even a mobile application – ie at 10.47 a device would receive the following message:
10.07 am: In a meeting with Rod, Momo and Guy. We are rehearsing the final for the third time, with Rod and Guy taking the parts of the clients, when Rod’s secretary, Lorraine, bursts in. Book: I Don’t Know How She Does It
Applications
E-Ink Screens
Perhaps one of the most elegant implementations of this concept is using e-ink screens. E-ink displays are known for their paper-like readability and low power consumption, making them perfect for a literary clock. For an example of this, you can check out our detailed guide on setting up an e-ink screen with MQTT via our previous project THE: Time Headlines and Environmental Information here.
Literary Clock using MQTT
Smart Displays and Mobile Apps
Beyond e-ink screens, this feed can be integrated into various smart displays and mobile applications. For example, we have intergrated it into our Home Assistant Dashboard, updating the time with a quote every minute. You could also add it to a HUB75 LED Matrix – below is our example of using an LED Matrix as a general data feed, but by simply changing the MQTT feed, it transforms into a Literary Clock.
Setting Up Your Literary Clock
Setting up your device is easy –
1. Choose Your Device: Select a device that can run an MQTT client. This could be an e-ink screen, a Raspberry Pi with a display, or a smartphone.
2. Install an MQTT Libary: There are numerous MQTT libraries available, we mainly use Paho.
3. Subscribe to the Feed: Point your client to the feed /personal/ucfnap/timequote
Configure your client to display the received messages. Our open MQTT Broker is mqtt.cetools.org on Port 1883
Of course you may not want to bother with Raspberry Pi’s or other about with MQTT, or hack a Kindle – in which case, for those looking for a ready-made commercial version, check out the Author Clock.
The Rather Lovely Author Clock
The Author Clock is a beautifully designed literary clock that comes pre-loaded with thousands of quotes from a wide array of literary works. It’s an excellent choice for those who want to enjoy the literary clock experience without the need for a DIY setup.
With our MQTT messages, any device can now be simply converted into a Literary Clock.
About Salient
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