The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast:

Episode: 1KHO 588: Tantrum-Free Technology is Here!
Guests: Anjan Katta and Tristan Scott, Daylight Computer
Date: October 2, 2025
Host: Jenny Urch

Overview: Technology Reimagined for Kids and Families

In this thought-provoking episode, Jenny Urch welcomes Anjan Katta and Tristan Scott, the visionaries behind Daylight Computer—a health-focused, screen-time alternative for children and adults. The discussion explores the unintended harms of conventional tech (addiction, "junk light," EMFs), how the Daylight Computer solves them, and why offering intentional, calm, and less-addictive technology might just be the answer modern families need.

Origins of Daylight Computer: A Personal Mission

Anjan Katta's Journey

• Grew up super-sensitive to light, screens, and being indoors, which led to challenging experiences throughout school and college.
• Inspired to create a computer that didn't overstimulate or trap him indoors—a device he wished he’d had as a child ([01:42]).
• Quote:

  "I just found computers very, very overstimulating...I was always fighting myself with a computer. I'm sensitive to light. I have seasonal affective disorder...So I just had a really tough time through college." — Anjan Katta ([01:42])

Tristan Scott's Background

• Came from health, wellness, and electrical engineering after suffering multiple concussions and exploring every avenue for healing.
• Noted the gap: while food and exercise get attention, the impact of light, EMFs, and environment are often ignored.
• Passion for decentralization led to writing Bitcoin and Beef, furthering his desire to challenge "big systems" for better well-being ([04:53]).
• Quote:

  “Why is it that we're progressing, ‘quote, unquote,’ but more and more people are feeling kind of worse off...Technology is a big part of that.” — Tristan Scott ([04:53])

A Meeting of Minds

• Both were uniquely positioned—one as an "ultra-sensitive" tech founder, the other as an engineer-health advocate.
• Shared a mission to build not just new hardware, but a new paradigm for screen interaction.

Why Big Tech Fails (and Knows It):

Hypocrisy at the Top

• Big Tech innovators often prohibit their own children from using their products:
  • Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg—none allowed their own children on social media or using iDevices young.
  • Quote:

    "The part that broke my heart...is they didn't let their own kids use technology much." — Anjan Katta ([11:12])

• Despite having resources and awareness, the industry hasn’t tackled core health problems because they profit from addictiveness and overuse ([09:45]).

What Makes Daylight Computer Different?

1. Philosophy: "The Least Computer Possible"

• Initial experiments tried to ditch computers entirely (print/scanning solutions)—too impractical.
• Goal became: offer only essential digital tools, mirroring analog objects (notebooks, typewriters, single-purpose devices).
• Avoid unnecessary apps, colors, and distractions; maximize “calmness.”
  • Quote:

    "What is the least computer possible? ...How do I make something that's calm, as simple as possible, and go from there?" — Anjan Katta ([14:35])

2. Hardware Innovations

• No blue light: Prevents sleep disruption and eye strain.
• No flicker: Conventional screens flicker rapidly—even when invisible—to control brightness, contributing to nervous system dysregulation and inattention ([30:17]).
• Outdoor usability: Reflective display works with sunlight, like paper, removing the need for a bright, eye-straining backlight.
• Calm presentation: Muted colors, reduced saturation for less stimulation.
  • Quote:

    "You can sort of think of the daylight as two aspects...we made a computer screen that doesn't have blue light, number one. Number two, we got rid of flicker. Number three is you can use it outdoors in the direct sunlight." — Anjan Katta ([30:17])

3. Software Philosophy

• By default, removes access to millions of superfluous apps and the open internet.
• Focuses on limited, finite applications—reading, writing, select educational tools.
• Promotes “intentional” rather than passive, endless screen use ([30:17], [50:42]).

Tackling Addiction by Design

The "iPad Kid" Problem

• Modern digital tools are deliberately engineered to maximize time on device, undermining impulse control especially in children.
• Analogy to a Las Vegas casino: the whole environment (lights, sounds, algorithms) is designed to keep you playing.
  • Quote:

    "It’s a trend and that’s ‘iPad kids.’ ...The kids can’t put down the iPad and when you take it away...the tantrum is just out of this world." — Tristan Scott ([22:28])

• By making the device less stimulating, removing infinite scrolling (algorithms), and supporting use in nature, addiction potential is dramatically reduced.

Real-world Test:

• Kids given YouTube on the Daylight eventually got bored—a first for most parents ([47:53]).
• Quote:

  "I've never seen my son get bored of YouTube. What just happened?" — Reported by a parent ([48:23])

“Calm Technology” and Healthy Bodies

Effects on the Brain & Body

• Flicker and blue light—ubiquitous in standard devices—destroy natural circadian rhythms, disrupt melatonin, and over-stimulate the nervous system.
  • Children’s physiologies make them uniquely vulnerable: their eyes let in more blue light; their sleep and attention pathways are more sensitive ([34:54]).
  • Quote:

    "The percentage of melatonin suppression by light in children is almost twice that in adults..." — Jenny Urch relaying Daylight’s research ([34:54])

• By using continuous, non-flickering, natural-spectrum illumination, the Daylight Computer fosters better regulation, focus, and easier transitions on and off screens.

No More Tantrums

• Devices move from being “digital slot machines” to more like books—easy to leave, hard to get addicted to ([49:39]).
• Quote:

  "The Daylight is more similar to the book for so many reasons." — Jenny Urch ([50:42])

Minimizing Tech Harm: Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)

• EMFs (WiFi, cellular, etc.) are pervasive and potentially harmful—especially for children whose bodies are smaller and more absorbent ([38:22]).
• Daylight addresses this:
  • Smart Airplane Mode: Device automatically disables antennas when idle/not in use.
  • Coming soon: Directional transmission (only away from the body), “low EMF” or wired-only mode for extra-sensitive users.
  • Quote:

    "If you have devices that accept the fact that, hey, maybe EMFs are harmful for our biology, why don’t we just take the easy option, have some software that says, okay...it just turns the antenna off." — Tristan Scott ([38:22])

  • *Grounding: Using devices outdoors, with feet in the dirt, reduces EMF impact.
  • Wired options (ethernet) are available.

Taming the Algorithm, Reclaiming Childhood

• Daylight’s operating system deliberately blocks social media, ads, tracking, endless scrolling, and most notification-driven apps ([47:53], [48:57]).
• Parents can whitelist (from their phone) specific curated videos—no recommended rabbit holes, just finite exposure ([51:21]).
• “Default is closed,”: everything except a handful of OSSentials (reading, writing, core EdTech) is off—parents and children are not overwhelmed.
• Emphasizes reclaiming time, reducing stress, and bringing childhood back outside.

Notable Quotes & Ideas

"It doesn't need to be ideological. ...You notice you feel better. Yeah, you are healthier. And guess what? You don't procrastinate..." — Anjan Katta ([14:37])

“How many people have cognitive sovereignty? ...Where they're spending their attention, their time. I don't fully. I could tell you, you know, on Instagram, occasionally get sucked in.” — Tristan Scott ([53:13])

"We just want to have the humility that big tech says 'this is what you all need'... I think for us, it's like, wow, we sort of made something awesome here. But let's work with moms, let's work with nature schools, let's work with homeschoolers. Let's be in community and try to learn how we could adapt this." — Anjan Katta ([59:38])

Key Timestamps by Topic

• Introductions and backstory: [00:30]–[08:46]
• The danger of Big Tech’s hypocrisy: [09:45]–[12:13]
• Design philosophy: “Least computer possible”: [12:13]–[16:46]
• Daylight’s distinctive features (hardware/software): [21:49]–[34:54]
• Light, flicker, circadian health explained: [30:17]–[34:54]
• EMFs and device strategies to mitigate harm: [38:22]–[46:22]
• Addiction-by-design, algorithms, and how Daylight resists: [47:53]–[52:33]
• Closing thoughts on decentralization, freedom, childhood: [52:33]–[59:38]

Final Reflections & Childhood Memories

• Anjan: Recalled mutiny on a paddleboat as a kid—scraped shins and laughter—stressing how adventure comes from being outside, not glued to screens ([56:34]).
• Tristan: Memories of Austrian mountain towns, disconnected from media, underscore the life experience Daylight aims to make possible for everyone ([57:47]).

Closing Sentiments

• Daylight is positioned as the world’s first “calm technology” computer, purpose-built for well-being, attention, and family freedom.
• The project stands in humble opposition to Big Tech’s top-down approach—seeking constant input from real families and communities.
• Quote:

  "You have made a computer that's good for people...for kids, a computer that's good for families, a computer that's good for parents, a computer that's good for corporate America..." — Jenny Urch ([55:27])

Find Out More / Connect

• Website: daylightcomputer.com
• Daylight Kids: kids.daylightcomputer.com
• Direct email: anjan@daylightcomputer.com | tristan@daylightcomputer.com
• On Instagram: @DaylightCo and @DaylightKids

Summary Prepared for Listeners Seeking an In-depth, Actionable Understanding of This Landmark Episode.