tech
I vibe-coded a billionaire jet tracker to warn people about a possible apocalypse. Then the data started getting weird.
Kyle McDonald's jet tracker exposes wealth inequality by monitoring private jets, and questions who has access to critical information.
TL;DR
- The Apocalypse Early Warning System (AEWS) tracks private and charter jets using radio receivers that monitor signals for position, altitude, direction, and identification.
- The system compares current jet activity to historical data, accounting for daily, weekly, and holiday patterns, to determine an 'emergency level'.
- A level five emergency is defined as private jet activity exceeding the highest level in the past year.
- The project's creator noted a significant spike in jet activity on April 6, coinciding with a period of global tension that prompted the project's inception.
- The creator, a programmer with 25 years of experience who now heavily utilizes AI, also runs a business combining art studio and consulting services, and has faced threats for previous projects involving facial recognition and police activity tracking.
- The jet tracker has also become a small revenue stream through paid notifications, viewed by the creator as a conceptual artwork and software service.