Resurrecting the 1980s to cure modern information overload.
Teletext Zero is a "Slow Web" browser that resurrects the aesthetic and technical limitations of 1980s TV Teletext systems. In an age of infinite scroll and notification overload, we're going back to basics: 40 columns, 24 rows, 8 colors, and keyboard-only navigation.
No mouse. No links. No doom-scrolling. Just you, a glowing CRT screen, and the news—delivered one page at a time.
A strict 40×24 character constraint engine that enforces authentic teletext limitations:
- Every character occupies exactly one grid cell
- Content is truncated, never scrolled
- Aspect ratio preserved at any screen size
Authentic 3-digit page dialing just like the original teletext remotes:
200- BBC World News300- Tech News (The Verge)400- Weather (with geolocation)500- ESPN Sports666- ???
Type a page number. Watch the screen clear. See the new page appear.
Real content from real sources, formatted for the 40-column grid:
- BBC World News via RSS
- The Verge via RSS
- ESPN Sports via RSS
- Open-Meteo weather with local forecasts
Navigate to sub-pages (201-205, 301-305, 501-505) to read full article summaries.
Some pages should stay buried.
Navigate to Page 666 and discover the Ghost in the Machine:
- Visual glitches corrupt the text
- The screen flashes dark red
- Static noise crackles through your speakers
- Stay too long, and... it notices you
A haunted 1980s television brought back to life:
- Phosphor glow bleeding from every character
- Horizontal scanlines scrolling endlessly
- 50Hz refresh flicker
- Vignette darkening at the curved screen edges
- Dancing signal noise grain
- Chromatic aberration on the edges
This project showcases two complementary approaches to AI-assisted development:
The core teletext rendering engine was built using Kiro's Spec feature—a structured approach to complex features:
- Requirements Document: Defined 8 core requirements covering grid constraints, color palette, navigation, and transitions
- Design Document: Specified 16 correctness properties that must hold true across all inputs
- Property-Based Testing: Used
fast-checkto verify properties like:- "For any page content, output is always exactly 40×24"
- "For any color value, it must be from the 8-color palette"
- "For any 3-digit input, navigation triggers correctly"
This approach ensured the constraint engine was mathematically correct, not just "working for the test cases."
The CRT effects, Page 666 horror experience, and live data integration were built through conversational iteration:
- "Make it look like a haunted 1980s television" → CRT shader effects
- "Add a Ghost in the Machine for Page 666" → Glitch effects + audio + progressive horror
- "Connect BBC, The Verge, and ESPN" → RSS integration with caching
Kiro handled the implementation details while I focused on the creative vision.
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mdraf1/teletext-zero.git
cd teletext-zero
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Start development server
npm run dev
# Build for production
npm run build
# Run tests
npm testOpen http://localhost:5173 and start typing page numbers!
| Page | Content | Sub-pages |
|---|---|---|
100 |
Index / Welcome | - |
200 |
BBC World News | 201-205 Article details |
300 |
The Verge Tech | 301-305 Article details |
400 |
Weather Forecast | - |
500 |
ESPN Sports | 501-505 Article details |
666 |
??? | Don't stay too long |
- React 18 + TypeScript - UI framework
- Vite - Build tool
- Vitest + fast-check - Testing (unit + property-based)
- CSS Custom Properties - Theming and constraints
- Web Audio API - Spooky sounds
- RSS2JSON - Feed parsing
- Open-Meteo - Weather data
This project is submitted for:
- 🧟 Resurrection: Bringing back 1980s Teletext technology
- 🎭 Costume Contest: The full CRT aesthetic transformation
This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0) — see the LICENSE file for details.
- The BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 engineers who built the original Teletext systems
- The Ceefax and Oracle services that informed a generation
- Everyone who remembers waiting for page 302 to cycle around
Built with 📺 and mass amounts of mass nostalgia for the Kiroween Hackathon