Anyone who didn't know has by now learned that Sir Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity during his isolation from Cambridge University, having fled home to avoid the plague.
And Shakespeare wrote King Lear during another such period of social distancing.
Not to be outdone, the Gillis siblings invented, and present to you, the Selfie Mask, printed onto cloth on your own home printer.
It all started with my brother Jack. About a month into isolation, and after seeing a hospitalful of masked faces, he had a bright idea, and texted all of us, "I can't believe no one's thought of this already!" He held us in suspense but a few minutes later texted us this:
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| Prototype |
It was very realistic, except that cheeks appeared narrow because the flat image was wrapped around his 3D face. I wondered aloud (but of course over text) if he could edit the image to pull the cheeks out at the edges, making them wider.
Then I went down for a nap, and the next thing I know, Andy's developed an app to do just that, and a website to boot; and Jeanne's invented the bandana version for a simpler face covering. After about 10 days of back and forth the Selfie Mask debuted on the web and in real life, with Jack premiering it at Lahey and my nephew Isaac sporting his at his Walmart. It was a hit.
Literally, a hit-on, as according to Jeanne, when she wore it to shop at HEB she got hit on!
We're all doing what we can to flatten the curve, and that includes staying home whenever possible, and covering your mouth and nose when you have to go out. The best thing about all the masks people are wearing is that it saves our lives. The worst thing is that we can't see smiles anymore. The Selfie Mask solves this problem by taking your smile from in back of the mask to the fore. You can upload your own photo and print a mask at this website. Use of the site is free, but a link is there to provide support to the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
We'd love to see your results! If you make one, show Jack on Twitter @jfxgillis with the hashtag #Smiles2the4.
Here are ours ...
#Smiles2the4
Click here to upload and render your selfie
Click here for instructions and recommendations
Stay Safe. Stay Home.
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