PRAY.IMG: Faith, GPS, and the Holy Ghost in a Transparent Circuit Board

PRAY.IMG does something really well, combining religion, art, and electronics (some behind the scenes). It is a handheld electronic artifact that asks a very old question, a question older than circuitry. And this uses very modern tools. For me, it asked, “What does faith look like in the era of Algorithmic Faith?” In an age where digital and divine intersect, the question remains timely, according to many podcasts I listen to. Even “Digital age” sounds old now. And what does faith look like when belief has coordinates, power draw, and firmware? You don’t got problems, you got old firmware. Update your soul or crash in the cosmic BIOS.

tl;dr here’s my pick for a strange, meaningful object that refuses to be just a gadget. PRAY.IMG is for the friend who collects talismans, loves embedded systems, and enjoys objects that invite interpretation. A pocket relic for people who read schematics, poetry, and pinouts. It’s $160.

PRAY.IMG was created by artist Stefani Pletenetska as a personal experiment. What started as something she built for herself grew into a physical object that many people connected with in very different ways. That range of reactions feels like the point, I am sure there will some passion of the comments. She sent me some great text after I got mine and said I was going to write it up (thank you Stefani).

PRAY.IMG is a transparent, cross-shaped electronic device with a minimalist interface. Inside, everything is visible: a custom PCB, a lithium battery, a GPS antenna, an e-ink display, and a single button. Nothing is hidden. The transparency is intentional, both technically and symbolically.

The device uses an e-paper screen.This is not fast, glowing, or notification-driven. The constraints of e-ink give the imagery a stark presence that fits the object and its purpose.

Interaction is simple. One button, multiple meanings depending on how you press or hold it. This is embedded systems design with firmware as ceremony.

Two Modes, Many Interpretations

PRAY.IMG has two primary modes: Get a Sign and Pilgrimage.

Get a Sign presents a symbolic two-frame animation and a short phrase. The interpretation is up to you. There is no explanation layer, no correct answer. It is guidance only.

Pilgrimage mode uses GPS and environmental context. Where you are matters. The device interprets your location into a kind of digital relic. Some results are common, some are rare, and some are time-based. You can take it anywhere, including places without names or markers, and it will still respond.

Under the hood, the device pulls from more than a thousand marked locations and quotes from scripture, philosophy, metaphors, everyday sayings, movies, online culture, easter eggs, and small personal observations… and turns it into something more experiential and interesting than boring news-stock-weather.

Hardware As A Statement

From a hardware perspective, PRAY.IMG is refreshingly real. This nano banana world can really get ya down, what’s real?

You can see the USB-C port on the side. You can see the GPS antenna. You can see the battery and wiring. This is not a sealed black box pretending to be magic. It is an object that shows off its electronics as part of the meaning. The opposite of every black rectangle we all have. And AI machines probably would render something like this, or one day won’t…

It feels closer to something like an instrument. A finished artifact, not a breakout board. So you can kinda tinker with it, but focus on your soul or something.

My Pick: A Digital Relic You Carry

Maybe it’s the shape, it’s familiar, but it does not explain itself away. It gives you just enough structure to then ponder something. It’s my new favorite ritual device with a USB port. And I have tons.

Buying a PRAY.IMG means supporting an artist exploring how technology can carry meaning without making it the sole focus or making it hidden. I did not feel like it asked technology to replace belief, or for me to debug it, it could be asking what belief looks like when filtered through GPS coordinates, e-ink pixels, and a single physical button. The thing in my pocket goes beep and prays in pixels.

The zen-like one-button prophecy. Morse code to God, and back.

PRAY.IMG reminds me that computation does not have to make objects colder. When used thoughtfully, it can make them feel more alive – https://prayimg.myshopify.com/products/pray-img

Don’t sit on it.

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