rimr is a light-hearted social competition. It allows users to log in through the Twitter API to tally their Tim Hortons “Roll Up the Rim” rolls and winnings, and compare them to everyone else’s results. I created the site when a few friends started using Twitter to tally their rolls.
While creating the site, I ran into a quandry: by making the site, am I helping my friends have fun, or am I encouraging polution? Tim Hortons’ cups are made from brand new paper only (recycled paper is too weak to contain hot liquids), they’re only recyclable in a handful of places in Canada, and are the most common litter item in the country. The only way to play Roll Up the Rim is to get a special RUtR cup. This means, to play, customers can’t use in-store mugs or their own travel mugs. Hopefully they’ll come up with a different means of running the contest very soon.
Despite this, I made the site, as I didn’t expect it to become popular. It was a great experiment in using the Twitter API and using a small, quick database. I also got to adapt another company’s design elements to suit my own needs.
