I’ll be the first to admit that the tech space is a bit frothy right now, and I suspect that most of the ballyhooed startups are destined for failure. But when I learned about Carrot, it swept away all my cynicism. This is the genuine article — a killer app of the old school, which will, I believe, revolutionize the way we eat.
I don’t write about startups — ever. But the product offered by Carrot is so unusual that I felt it was in an utterly different category and deserved my attention.
The essence of Carrot, and the element that speaks to me on a deep level, is its subtle mastery of organoleptic qualities. Organoleptics are the qualities that engage the human senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing, and whatever other unknown means we use to perceive the physical world around us.
Tech, so far, has been blatantly hostile to our organoleptic nature. Technology has distanced people from embodied, sensory engagement with the world around us. It tends to wall people off in safe sterility. Technology has done an amazing job of feeding us information, but till now it has failed at allowing us to feel, naturally and deeply.
The nutrient profile of Carrot is impressive, the operating system is stunningly intuitive, and it is 100 percent wireless from the ground up.
As with many startups, it’s a little hard to explain exactly what Carrot is. If you are confused, it’s probably easiest simply to watch the introductory video.
There have been two important system updates since that video was released. First, when subdividing Carrot (at :37), developers now recommend that users tuck their fingers back under the knuckles to avoid inter-app crashes with Knife. This is a technique pioneered by early adopters in restaurants, who have been working with versions of Carrot for years.
Secondly, when Carrot notifies you that it’s time for an update (at 1:05), there’s now a feature that allows you to transform your old Carrot into Vegetable Stock — or you can use the Compost app, to recycle every single component and make more Carrots.
