Tech

Apps You Can Relax With

Published

4 years ago

April 21, 2021

Jonathan Grilli

Sleep Cycle

Price and Platform: $1.99, iPhone

The people that have used this app are constantly singing its praises. When you use this app, you’ll want to place your phone next to you on your mattress. The app works alongside the accelerometer in the iPhone, using a sensor to monitor your movement so that it can accurately determine the phase of sleep you’re in and track your sleep cycle levels. It presents you with a graph that can tell you a lot about the quality of the sleep you’re getting. This data can be incredibly useful. For example, you can see if you don’t sleep as well on nights where you drink tea.

When you’re sleeping lightly, you’ll wake up more easily, and you’ll have more energy throughout the day. When you set an alarm, the app sets a 30-minute window ahead of that time. It will make sure you’ve woken up when you’re in the lightest phase of sleep. Even if you’re woken up 30 minutes earlier, you’ll feel much better when you woke up.

There’s a similar app with fewer features available on Android, known as Sleepbot. This app also keeps track of your sleep patterns so that it can wake you up at the appropriate time.

Earthlapse

Price and Platform: $0.99, Android, Free, iOS

This app does everything it can to help you relax. It plays cosmic-inspired music while showing you time-lapse photos that were actually taken by NASA astronauts. If you touch the views, you’ll be able to set the speed of your images. Thanks to the weather and clock availabilities, it’s handy to have this app on your night table. You can use this app to distract yourself from the stresses of your everyday life.

Deep Relaxation

Price and Platform: Free, iPhone

Deep Relaxation is based around the Silva Method, which teaches you to center yourself while meditating. There are two different options: a 30-minute track for deep relaxation or 20-minutes for quick relaxation The leader of these tracks, Laura, has a voice that’s pleasant and soothing. The app has plenty of positive reviews, and Laura’s relaxing voice is one of the things that people praise. Although the app is free, it’s possible that there are no costs because the app is trying to entice you to pay for another program. Still, you can get a lot out of the free version of the app. On Android, there’s a similar free app titled “Relax With Andrew Johnson Lite.” This is a self-hypnosis app that is designed to encourage relaxation.

Squeeze and Shake Stress Relief

Price and Platform: $0.99, iPhone

This app essentially operates as a stress ball. It looks like a rubber duck, and it makes a fun squeaking noise when you press down on the screen. If you press the sides of the phone and give it a good shake, you’ll be able to get a hand massage. When you shake faster, you’ll get a more intense massage. People have been using stress balls to unwind for a very long time. People often say that repeating the same movement over and over is enough to relax you. Of course, people will notice you shaking and squeezing your phone, which is why you’ll probably want to use that app when you’re at home. When you’re done using the app, you should feel far more relaxed.

Marine Aquarium

Price and Platform: $1.99, iPhone and iPad

Not everyone is a fan of aquariums. It can be creepy to look at fish in this sort of environment, especially if you spot some dead fish in the tank. However, studies have found that watching fish in the water can lower your heart rate, elevate your mood, and even bring your blood pressure down. This is the reason you see fish tanks in waiting rooms. You’ll see videos featuring real fish, not fish that are animated. You’ll be able to select your favorites from 28 different species and even change the lighting in the foreground and the background. Thankfully, you’ll never have to worry that these fish will die.

If you feel you may need professional help for stress or depression visit clarityclinic.com.

Tech

Future Unfolding: Your Guide to the Hottest Upcoming Solana Projects

Published

1 month ago

July 19, 2025

Jonathan Grilli

If you’ve been peeking into the world of blockchain lately, you’ve probably heard whispers about some exciting upcoming Solana projects. And no, this isn’t just the usual crypto chatter. Solana’s unique combination of speed, scalability, and low fees has been turning heads in all the right ways. Now, a fresh wave of developers is flocking to the ecosystem—and what they’re building could shake up the whole game.

Whether you’re a casual investor, a tech-savvy early adopter, or just crypto-curious, knowing what’s around the corner can give you a serious edge. So grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s take a closer look at where Solana is headed—and which projects might just become the next big thing.

Why Solana, and Why Now?

Let’s face it: not all chains are created equal. While Ethereum paved the way, and Bitcoin proved the concept, Solana showed up to prove that blockchains could be fast—really fast—without costing an arm and a leg to use. With transaction speeds clocking in at 65,000 per second (yep, you read that right) and fees that cost less than a penny, it’s no wonder developers are pouring in.

More importantly, Solana’s infrastructure opens up real creative freedom. Think dynamic NFTs, high-performance games, instant DeFi transactions, and next-gen social platforms. It’s like going from dial-up to fiber optic. And when does that kind of power meet an ambitious dev community? Sparks fly.

The Landscape: What’s Already Built

Before we dive into what’s coming, let’s talk briefly about what’s already here. Solana is no stranger to heavy hitters. Projects like:

Phantom (one of the smoothest crypto wallets out there)
Magic Eden (a major NFT marketplace)
Serum (a decentralized exchange engine)

…have already helped solidify Solana as a serious player in the Web3 world. But even more exciting is what hasn’t launched yet—the next wave of innovation that’s currently under wraps, in beta, or being whispered about in dev channels and alpha groups.

Categories to Watch

Let’s break this down a bit. These upcoming projects aren’t just NFTs or DeFi. They span several categories, and each one is pushing boundaries in its own way.

1. Gaming on Solana

Blockchain gaming is no joke anymore. We’re talking full-blown metaverses, player-owned economies, and real-time experiences that don’t feel like retro arcade games.

Projects like Aurory and Star Atlas are leading the charge, but newer games like Eizper Chain and Synergy Land are gaining steam. They aim to blend AAA-style graphics with actual on-chain mechanics, where players earn, trade, and even govern the game’s economy. Imagine a gaming world where your loot actually means something.

2. Next-Gen DeFi Platforms

Solana’s speed is a dream for decentralized finance. It eliminates lag and lowers gas costs, making it more attractive for traders and builders alike.

Keep your eye on platforms like Zeta Markets (for options trading), Mango Markets V4 (the next iteration of Solana’s leveraged trading platform), and Drift Protocol, which is all about smart margin trading. These platforms are redesigning financial systems—not just copying them.

3. Social and Creator Economies

You know how creators are always looking for ways to monetize without getting gouged by middlemen? Solana’s low-fee, high-throughput nature makes it perfect for social and creator platforms.

Projects like Grape Protocol, Only1, and Dialect are cooking up decentralized alternatives to Instagram, Patreon, and WhatsApp. Instead of centralized platforms owning your audience, you do. Finally, some freedom in the feed.

4. Infrastructure and Tools

Not every exciting project is consumer-facing. Some of the most powerful tools are being built quietly in the background.

Look out for GenesysGo, Helius, and SolanaFM—they’re building things like RPC networks, data explorers, and indexing solutions that help the entire ecosystem run smoother. It’s like paving roads before the cars show up.

How to Spot a Winner

Okay, so you’re excited. But how do you separate future stars from vaporware?

Check the Team

Do they have experience? Are they doxxed? Are they shipping updates consistently? A solid team isn’t shy about transparency.

Look at the Community

Great projects build great tribes. Join their Discord. Scroll through their Twitter. Are people engaged, or is it just hype?

Watch for Utility

Does this project solve an actual problem or improve something that already exists? If it’s just a reskinned NFT mint or copy-paste DeFi fork, maybe move along.

Follow the Builders

Founders often share sneak peeks, updates, and philosophies that give you insight into where a project is heading. Social platforms like X, Farcaster, and even dev blogs can be surprisingly revealing.

How to Stay in the Loop

Alpha doesn’t wait for newsletters. If you want to stay ahead, plug into:

Solana Hacker Houses and hackathons (they often preview upcoming talent)
Podcasts like Solana Breakpoint or Lightspeed
Research-focused Discord servers and Telegram groups
GitHub activity and dev toolkits

This stuff moves fast, but not without leaving clues. Pay attention to who’s building, not just who’s trending.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Chase, Anticipate

When everyone talked about it, the train had probably left the station. The trick with upcoming Solana projects is to think like a scout, not a fan. You want to spot the early signals, the creative builders, and the untapped problems being solved in clever ways.

Solana’s ecosystem isn’t just expanding—it’s evolving. As more serious capital, creators, and developers enter the space, the opportunities multiply. Stay sharp, do your homework, and remember: the best projects often start quietly.

In a world full of copycats, bet on the originals. That’s where tomorrow’s magic lives.