Couch Potato Salad was created right here in Westport. And with its clever premise, compelling graphics and daily addictive/social/creative buzz, it could be the next thing to break the internet.
Just click on CouchPotatoSaladGame.com. You’ll see an image. The correct answer will describe it using 2 common phrases, linked by a shared middle word.
For example:
It’s “Shrimp Cocktail Party.”
Try this:
Of course, it’s “Smart Cookie Monster.”
The game is the brainchild of Zack Gross. The 2001 Staples High School graduate moved back to Westport last year, with his wife and 2 young children.
He enlisted current Staples senior Joshua Jordan to turn the idea into a web-based reality.
(Full disclosure: I got the 2 together. I coached Zack in soccer back in the day. And Josh developed the very successful “06880” app last summer. Zack calls Josh “the smartest 18-year-old on the planet.” That’s low-balling it.)
In about 2 months, Josh created the website. Zack made the graphics. And last week, they soft-launched Couch Potato Salad (get it?) on the world.
Zack Gross
The game’s genesis dates back more than a decade. Zack and Lauren McCabe — also a Westport resident — hashed out the idea on a couples’ trip. They played occasionally, using words only, over the years.
But Zack always thought the game would work well as a visual puzzle.
“The best phrase couplets are amusing because they create a silly image in your mind,” the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law graduate says.
“Crab Walk of Shame” works because you imagine a hungover crab stumbling home on the beach. But he had no way of generating the hundreds of images he needed for the game.
Then came Artificial Intelligence.
Now — with the right prompt — he can create endless images. AI generates “The Wicked Witch of the West Wing” or “Drunk with Power Rangers” at a tiny fraction of the time — and cost — it would take an illustrator.
“The images are amazing,” Zack says. “Embarrassingly, I have several hanging in my house masquerading as ‘art.'”
Try this beauty:
Of course, it’s “Elephant in the Room for Improvement.”
Even with AI, of course, capturing the right image is not easy.
“You can’t just type ‘Bachelor Pad Thai’ and get a workable puzzle,” he notes.
He first figures out the necessary visual elements and style, then explains it to the program.
From there, it’s a lot of trial and error.
For the “Couch Potato Salad” image — on the website’s home page — Zack generated over 100 options. A professional illustrator revised it further.
What’s especially cool, Zack says, is that the game was created, tested and developed entirely by Westporters.
Josh Jordan
After developing it with McCabe, he sent it to high school classmates Will Downey, Mike Carey, Jordan Schur, Everett Boyle and Jim Wolf (some of whom, like Zack, have returned here to live).
Josh — the Staples senior — took care of all the back end tech work. As with the “06880” app, he worked quickly, efficiently, creatively and very professionally.
Now Zack and Josh — 23 years younger, and a soon-to-be fellow Staples grad — have shared Couch Potato Salad with the rest of the world.
What a great Brain Food Chain!
(Where else but “06880” can you find a story like this? When you finish downloading Couch Potato Salad, please consider a contribution to your hyper-local blog. Click here — and thank you!)
A couple of readers thought the type size on the new app was difficult to read.
So developer Joshua Jordan went to work. He added the ability to increase type size — and/or the spacing between lines — in the easiest possible way.
There’s now an “eyeball” icon on the top right of any story you read (see image below). Just click it, and adjust the type size and spacing. It stays there automatically, every time you visit.
The eyeball icon.
If you’ve got the app, it should have automatically updated to include the new feature. If it did not, click “Updates” in your app store. The “06880” app is available for both iOS and Android phones.
Thanks again to Joshua, for taking time out of his busy schedule as a Staples High School senior to add this feature.
It was standing room only yesterday afternoon, for Patty Haberstroh‘s memorial service at The Inn at Longshore.
The longtime Department of Human Services social worker/former PTA Council president/Staples Building Committee member/beloved wife, mother, grandmother, friend, confidante was remember warmly, personally, insightfully and laughingly by her husband Charlie, 3 sons, daughter, grandchildren, neurologist and minister.
Videos of Patty accepting an award from a national ALS organization — midway through the disease that ultimately took her life this summer — and of the Haberstroh family’s “ALS Pepper Challenge” that raised over $1 million for research added extra spice to the afternoon.
People of all ages came from near and far to honor Patty. She got a sendoff worthy of her wonderfulness.
Patty Haberstroh’s children address the SRO crowd at yesterday’s Inn at Longshore memorial service. (Photo/Mark Mathias)
The Westport Rotary Club’s LobsterFest is always a highlight of late summer/early fall.
This year’s event — set for Saturday (September 23, 3 to 7 p.m.) — is even more highlight-y than most.
It’s also the kickoff for Rotary’s Centennial Project: a rehab of the Compo Beach playground, in partnership with the Westport Young Woman’s League and town of Westport.
The ginormous fundraiser — the biggest 1-day Rotary event in New England — sold out just 4 days after tickets went on sale, in July.
It’s an enormous effort. Volunteers — Westport Rotary members, and others — feed 2,000 people, in 4 hours.
This year’s LobsterFest includes many new activities for the 400-plus youngsters who will attend. For the first time, a “kids’ meal” food truck will be on site.
Over the last 12 years, the event has raised $1.5 million. Over $1 million has been reinvested in local and regional program, while $350,000 has supported international humanitarian projects, mostly in Central America and Africa.
This year, $100,000 will go toward the playground project.
Planning has already begun. The organizing committee is looking for volunteers (click here to help).
LobsterFest also kicks off 2 weeks in which the public can provide input on features they love and want to keep, those that are not great and could be replaced, and new elements they’d like to see.
The data will then be analyzed and sent to Play By Design. They’ll generate a preliminary design, which will be revealed to Westport at the end of October. Click here to provide input on the redesign.
Everyone loves the Westport Rotary Club’s LobsterFest.
One of the best — and most underrated — is Saturday, September 30 (7 to 10 p.m.). Earthplace’s “Woodside Bash” includes an open bar, harvest dinner, fire pit, music by Pimpinella, and a mechanical bull (with a prize for the longest time on it). It’s all under the stars (with, of course, a tent).
This year’s signature cocktail is a spiced apple cider margarita.
They include beer tasting from dozens of craft breweries; live music; food by Walrus Alley, Kneads Bakery, Lobstercraft and Little Pub; a children’s area run by the Artists’ Collective of Westport and MoCA; a street magician, bubbles and face painting; pumpkin and apple giveaways; food trucks, and vendors like Savvy + Grace.
Take-home tasting glasses with koozies are courtesy of Lux Bond & Green.
It all takes place October 14 (2 to 5 p.m.), off Elm Street. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Westport is chockablock with organizations that change lives. “06880” reports often on them.
But we’ve never mentioned PEO. That’s because until yesterday, we’d never heard of it.
That’s amazing. It’s been around for over 150 years.
Philanthropic Educational Organization was created in 1869 in Iowa to offer more educational opportunities to women. There are now 225,000 members in 6,000 chapters in the US and Canada.
Over the years, PEO has provided over $398 million in financial assistance through direct scholarships and special projects to more than 110,00 women worldwide.
The local chapter – Chapter B CT — created its own scholarship fund last year in honor of the chapter’s 80th anniversary. They’ll award a scholarship to a female high school senior beginning next spring.
Young women with a successful academic record and financial need can apply here. Click here for the Chapter B CT website — designed by Miggs Burroughs — which includes donation information and details on other scholarships.
For more information, email chapter president Angela Wormser at aworm@aol.com, or scholarship chair Priscilla Long at pal9948@aol.com.
Her Time is a Bridgeport-based social justice program that serves women and children impacted by incarceration.
The women were either formerly incarcerated, or work multiple jobs and carry the loads their spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends and children left behind during incarceration.
On September 30, 2 powerful contemporary folk artists — Abbie Gardner and Tracy Grammer — will bring their energy and positive vibes to Voices Café (Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport, 8 p.m.). All proceeds benefit Her Time.
Voices Café offers tables and individual seats. Bring your own beverages and snacks, or buy a snack from their sweet treats table. Groups of 4 or more can reserve table space. General admission: $25 per person.
Drummer Joe Farnsworth wowed the crowd at his first Westport appearance.
He returns this Thursday to Jazz at the Post (VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; shows at 7:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7 p.m.). He’ll be joined by bassist Brandi Disterheft, pianist Caelan Cardello, and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall.
Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
And finally … happy birthday to Westport’s own Nile Rodgers.
The Chic front man/3-time Grammy Award-winning/Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee/ “We Are Family” songwriter-producer has played at the Levitt Pavilion, helped out the Library, and contributed to the Saugatuck Shores vibe.
He’s 71 today. Here’s to many, many more!
(Nile Rodgers is a local guy. And “06880” is Westport’s favorite source for local news. Thanks for clicking here, and supporting your hyper-local blog.)
Our new “06880” app is earning raves from the hundreds of readers who already downloaded it. (Missed that story? Click here!)
The app — for both iOS and Android users — was created by 2 young geniuses. Georgetown University sophomore Matthew Jordan and his Staples High School senior brother Joshua took a very vague concept, and soon developed a very usable, clever and handsome product.
They understood exactly what “06880” is, what our virtual community is about, and what our readers want. They made it all happen, with creativity, grace and good humor.
The “06880” splash screen is a perfect representation of the blog. The up-to-date record of stories and comments is very cool. The screen appears for 2 seconds — as the app loads
I’ve worked with other developers, on different projects. They often tell me what they want, not what I want. They are all about bells and whistles. They want to show off how much they know, how cool they are.
Matthew and Joshua were the easiest collaborators I’ve worked with. They actually listened to everything I said. They understood every facet of “06880” — its mission, its style, its readers, its look, its quirks — and were able to tweak it, app-style.
They explained all their ideas in plain, easy-to-understand English. They were clear and up-front too about the challenges they faced.
Then they overcame every one of them. Their problem-solving skills are masterful. They were patient and persistent (and at the same time, quick). If one path did not work, they pivoted to another. They did not force solutions; they found new ones.
If you were in a war, you’d want them as generals.
Joshua and Matthew Jordan.
And here’s the best part: Matthew and Joshua were a ton of fun to hang with. They’re teenagers. They have senses of humor. They are dope.
Like most developers, they toil in the background. But they deserve a feature story of their own.
Matthew was an excellent varsity soccer player at Staples. He volunteered with Kids in Crisis, developing a messaging app for young people thinking about suicide. (Moffly Media gave him a “Light a Fire” award for his work.)
At Georgetown, the math and computer science major started the Hoya Developers Club. He is involved with Hoyalytics (analyzing data). Now he’s creating a dating app with a twist: It offers only 3-5 matches a week, and includes partnerships with restaurants (for those awkward first dates).
Joshua, meanwhile, has been ranked #1 in the US — and #3 internationally — among the tens of millions of players of the strategy video game Clash of Clans.
He is currently developing his own multi-player game: a “geometry-type puzzle-solving battle royale.” There can be no better creator.
Joshua’s interest in programming began at Coleytown Middle School, and really took off at Staples.
He too has worked on a Kids in Crisis project. “When you realize your software can save lives, that’s pretty important,” he says.
The brothers work well together. “I help the genius,” Matt — who has a keen eye for graphic design — says modestly. “I do the stuff that users see. I get the instant gratification.”
“06880” is not the only very satisfied client. For example, Georgetown’s Psaros Center for Financial Markets & Policy has also benefited from Joshua’s coding skills, Matthew’s front-end talents, and both Jordans’ ease of collaboration.
Now back in college, Matthew is developing a curriculum to tech Python coding. He’s diving even deeper into data science and analysis.
Joshua is plowing through his senior year at Staples.
While hundreds of “06880” readers appreciate their clever, creative work, several times a day.
Now they know who to thank.
(To learn more about their work, contact Matthew Jordan: mdj82@georgetown.edu; 203-258-0115. Or Joshua Jordan: joshua.hqy@gmail.com 203-666-6543.)
(“06880” has made our new blog free to users. It’s our gift to you. Of course, reader support is always welcome. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Thanks to Matthew and Joshua Jordan, the “06880” app includes a different photo from the “Pic of the Pic” books each day, and a daily, randomized list of local restaurants — with clickable links for menus and their websites.
If you’re reading this story on a smartphone, you know our “06880” interface sucks.
The font size is too small. You have to tap on the headline to get to a readable version (a trick some users don’t know). Some of the features from the laptop/ desktop version are missing.
By the end of this story, all that will change dramatically.
Today, “06880” announces a new app. Designed specifically for smartphones, with many great features, it will make your mobile experience much easier, more enjoyable, and just plain cool.
The “06880” app — available in both iPhone and Android versions — was created by 2 young geniuses. Georgetown University sophomore Matthew Jordan and his Staples High School senior brother Joshua took a very vague concept, and soon developed a very usable, clever and handsome product.
They understood exactly what “06880” is, what our virtual community is about, and what our readers want. They made it all happen, with creativity, grace and good humor. A feature story on these very sharp and fun teenagers is coming soon.
Meanwhile, here’s what you’ll find when you download the app (just search, of course, for “06880”).
A splash screen (below) …
… makes way for the most recent stories (below). Tap one to read it.
Tap on any photo to enlarge it. At the end of a story you can easily comment, reply to a previous comment, or share the story, in a variety of ways.
There are 5 buttons on the bottom (see photo above). The one on the left is the least important; it brings up information about me.
The balloon-like map icon next to it means “Westport.” There’s a photo gallery from our “Pic of the Picks” book that changes every day, along with details about all the restaurants that support “06880.”
The restaurant list is randomized; it too changes daily. Clicking on any restaurant brings up more information, plus its menu and social media.
The middle icon is the “home” button. It brings you back to the “Stories” page.
The headphones are for podcasts. One click takes users to dozens of “06880” podcasts — a partnership with the Westport Library.
The dollar sign on the far right is a “donate” button. Contributing to “06880” has never been easier 🙂
At the top left of the app is a magnifying glass. Click on to search the entire “06880” archives. (Stories with the keyword in the title appear first; then come stories where the keyword is only in the text.)
A “bookmark” icon on the right allows you to save any story for future reference.
Clicking the “gear” icon at the far right gives the option to have notifications sent directly to your phone. You can choose “immediately” (whenever a new post is published), once every morning (10:30 a.m.) or once every night (9:10 p.m.). It’s possible to enable both morning and nightly recaps.
There you have it: our new app. Just search for “06880” in either the iPhone or Android stores.
Now, thanks to Matthew and Joshua Jordan, you will never squint again.
PS: Don’t want the app? Prefer to continue receiving email notifications about new posts? No problem! That’s not changing. The app is just one more way now to access “06880.”
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
He too has worked on a Kids in Crisis project. “When you realize your software can save lives, that’s pretty important,” he says.
