How it works

Your version number

Your version number is your age, written like software: decades, then years, then the days since your last birthday. Someone who is 52 years and 113 days old is 5.2.113. The last number goes up by one every day, and on your birthday it goes back to zero for a new release: 5.2.113 becomes 5.3.0.

One email a day

Each morning Release Notes sends you one email, at the time you choose. Its subject is that day’s number: “You’re 5.2.113 today”. The email asks what happened, and shows what came before: yesterday’s notes, what you wrote on the same day in earlier releases, your streak and the day’s forecast. The morning email goes through each part.

Your reply is the entry

Reply with anything about the day: a line, a page, photos, a voice memo. Your reply becomes the release notes for that day’s version. Reply as often as you like; every reply is kept, and together they are the day’s notes. You can also write on the web, today or on any day back to your birthday.

A reply counts for the day of the email it answers, for 72 hours. A Thursday reply to Tuesday’s email is Tuesday’s note. Later than that, it isn’t added, and a short email comes back to say so (up to 3 of those a day); you can still add the note on the web. Replying has the details.

A birthday closes the release

A release is a year of your life, birthday to birthday. On your birthday the email sums up the year just ended (the days with notes, the notes, the photos, your longest streak) and links to a page that holds the whole year.

Signing up

1. On the front page, type your birthday to see your number. The sample email under it is then drawn with your number: your date, your next release and your own patches in On this day. Its notes, weather and streak stay made up. Nothing is kept until you sign up.
2. Type your email address. Release Notes sends a link and a six-digit code, each good once, for 15 minutes.
3. Release Notes is free with a Weekly Thing subscription. If your address doesn’t get the Weekly Thing yet, Release Notes offers to subscribe it for you. Confirm from the Weekly Thing’s email, then carry on.
4. Pick your city, which sets your time zone and your weather, and the time your email comes.

Your first email comes at once: today’s, with a welcome line. From tomorrow it comes every day at the time you picked. Getting started covers your first week.