computer science

Spoonr

Spoonr is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spoonr rather than just read about it. In short: Spoonr (formerly Cuddlr) was a social-meeting application where strangers who lived within walking distance from each other could meet up for casual, platonic cuddling. Overview Users could send nearby prospective cuddle partners an invitation to cuddle, which the fellow users could either choose to accept or decline within 60 minutes.

Key takeaways

Spoonr belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spoonr to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spoonr from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spoonr (formerly Cuddlr) was a social-meeting application where strangers who lived within walking distance from each other could meet up for casual, platonic cuddling.

Overview Users could send nearby prospective cuddle partners an invitation to cuddle, which the fellow users could either choose to accept or decline within 60 minutes. The application provided real-time walking directions to cuddle partners, allowing them to meet up, either in a private or public setting. It was claimed the Tinder of cuddling. Unlike Tinder, the age of all users (and, potentially, gender) was omitted. Additionally, users were rated by previous cuddle partners according to their cuddling techniques and spooning preferences, their communication skills, and their ability to respect boundaries. These ratings, which acted as a safety measure, were then made available to all Spoonr users.

History Spoonr was launched as Cuddlr on September 18, 2014. The app was co-founded by Charlie Williams, an American who now lives and operates out of England. Williams, a software engineer and founder of Charlie Roberts Williams Ltd., previously helped develop Shazam, a popular application that offers music identification services. Williams studied at Northwestern University in the United States and at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The concept behind the application is said to have started as a joke at a dinner party and was further developed once a need for such an app was identified. Cuddlr's design was overseen by co-founder Jeff Kulak, a Montreal-based graphic designer and illustrator. Its media relations were managed by co-founder Damon Brown who operates out of Las Vegas and is a professional speaker, business coach, and author of twenty-five books. Brown has a Masters in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University and sat on the board of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. As of March 16, 2015, Cuddlr reported that it shut down, stating "Cuddlr closes up shop and wishes you all the best". In September 2015 Cuddlr was acquired by Hiplex LLC, an NYC-based company, and rebranded as Spoonr. As of January 2017, Spoonr has officially shut down.

Reception Cuddlr has been featured on Tech Times, Cosmopolitan, BBC News, and more. It hit the Apple App Store top 10 twice: In September 2014 and in January 2015, shortly after it was featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal. Approximately a quarter million users joined Cuddlr at its peak. The application has been subject to numerous critiques. According to Alex Sevigny, a Canadian communications expert at McMaster University, for CBC Hamilton, the app commodified intimacy and made a private activity public. Kate Bellamy, a journalist from Metro News UK, criticized the app for encouraging people to disrespect personal boundaries, which could supposedly potentially affect the lives of non-users as well. UWIRE wrote that only people desperate for human touch would turn to technology to fulfill this human need with a stranger, and that, therefore, the application was supposedly unsafe.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spoonr

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spoonr claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spoonr before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spoonr ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spoonr

In research: Spoonr appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spoonr in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spoonr is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2014 software, Defunct online dating services, Geosocial networking, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spoonr outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Spoonr in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spoonr means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spoonr out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spoonr in simple terms?

Spoonr (formerly Cuddlr) was a social-meeting application where strangers who lived within walking distance from each other could meet up for casual, platonic cuddling. Overview Users could send nearby prospective cuddle partners an invitation to cuddle, which the fellow users could either choose t…

Why does Spoonr matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spoonr?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spoonr.