Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
01 About The Instant & Digital Sandbox
The Instant (theinstant.cc) is an independent, open digital laboratory, hobby sandbox, and experimental showcase. It features a continually evolving suite of free, interactive, in-browser utilities, computational models, mathematical visualizers, simulators, and code prototypes built for personal curiosity, fun, exploration, and educational demonstration.
We do not maintain user accounts, require logins, sell personal data, or process commercial payment transactions on this website. Our data collection is intentionally minimal, focusing solely on understanding site usability and tool adoption.
02 Analytics & Session Insights
To understand user journeys, diagnose interface bugs, and discover which experimental tools provide value, we utilize two third-party analytics services:
- Google Analytics (GA4): We use Google Analytics to measure aggregate, anonymized traffic indicators including page views, session duration, device operating system, browser type, and approximate geographic location (at city/country level). Google Analytics does not collect personally identifying information like names or home addresses. You can prevent Google Analytics from identifying you by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Microsoft Clarity: We partner with Microsoft Clarity and Microsoft Advertising to capture how you use and interact with our website through behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay to improve and market our products/services. Website usage data is captured using first and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies to determine the popularity of products/services and online activity. Additionally, we use this information for site optimization, fraud/security purposes, and advertising. For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Sensitive Data Masking: Microsoft Clarity’s session recordings automatically apply intelligent text and input field masking so that arbitrary keystrokes are obscured from playback.
03 Cookies & Local Browser Storage
Our website uses standard browser storage mechanisms to ensure preferences persist and analytics function properly:
| Type | Name / Key | Purpose & Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Cookie (Google) | _ga, _ga_* |
Distinguishes unique visitors for aggregate telemetry (2 years). |
| Cookie (Microsoft) | _clck, _clsk, CLID |
Persists Clarity user ID and ties pageviews into a single session recording (1 year / 1 day). |
| Local Storage | theinstant_cookie_consent |
Remembers that you have seen and dismissed the cookie notice banner. |
| Local Storage | theinstant_plan_theme, theme |
Remembers your preference for dark mode or light mode across visits. |
| Local Storage | gel_form_mode |
Stores your active mode preference in the DIY energy gel calculator. |
You can delete or disable cookies at any time through your web browser's privacy and security settings. Disabling cookies will not affect the functionality of any computational tools or calculators on this site.
04 External Services & Network Requests
Some specialized tools make client-side network calls to external public services:
-
Open-Meteo Weather API: In the GPX Ride Weather Planner (
ride.html), your browser queriesapi.open-meteo.comto fetch historical and forecasted weather conditions for coordinates along your route. Only numerical latitude, longitude, and timestamps are transmitted; no personal identifiers are attached. -
Buy Me A Coffee: If you choose to tip the creator via our external link to Buy Me a Coffee (
buymeacoffee.com/theinstant), your transaction and payment details are processed entirely on their independent platform under their privacy policy. - Public Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Web fonts and public JavaScript libraries (e.g. Google Fonts, Three.js) may be loaded from reputable CDNs to improve load speeds and caching efficiency.
05 Experimental Nature, Assumption of Risk & Complete Limitation of Liability
Universal Umbrella Scope: The provisions of this section apply automatically and comprehensively to any and all current, updated, and future tools, calculators, visualizers, simulations, mathematical models, algorithms, estimators, file processors, code, scripts, guides, text, and content published on or accessible through theinstant.cc or any associated subdomains, regardless of subject matter, category, or functionality.
Built For Fun & Personal Exploration: Every experiment, tool, and utility on The Instant represents a personal hobby project developed solely for personal curiosity, recreational fun, code experimentation, and educational demonstration. None of the tools are commercial products, certified professional services, or safety-critical applications.
Strict "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS", and "AS AVAILABLE": All tools, software, code, estimations, data, calculations, recipes, routes, takeoff metrics, and visual outputs are provided strictly on an "AS IS", "WITH ALL FAULTS", and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the creator, site owner, operators, developers, and contributors disclaim any and all representations and warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including but not limited to:
- Any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, quiet enjoyment, or non-infringement.
- Any warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, correctness, reliability, mathematical validity, precision, or timeliness of any tool, algorithm, output, takeoff, or calculation.
- Any warranties that the site or any tool will be uninterrupted, error-free, bug-free, secure, or compatible with any specific hardware, browser, or operating system.
Voluntary Assumption of Risk: Your access to, interaction with, and use of any current or future tool on this website—and any reliance you place on any calculation, formulation, measurement, material estimate, navigational path, weather projection, or output—is entirely, exclusively, and voluntarily at your own sole risk and discretion. You acknowledge and agree that mathematical models, heuristics, and procedural code scripts may contain errors, omissions, scale inaccuracies, or bugs.
Absolute Waiver, Release, and Limitation of Liability: Under no circumstances, and under no legal or equitable theory—whether in contract, tort (including negligence, whether active, passive, or imputed), strict liability, indemnity, breach of warranty, or otherwise—shall the creator, site owner, operators, developers, or contributors be liable to you or any third party for any claims, demands, causes of action, damages, or losses of any kind whatsoever arising out of or in connection with:
- Any access to, use of, or inability to use any current or future tool, experiment, software, or content on this website.
- Any bodily injury, physical illness, metabolic disruption, allergic reaction, impairment, or death resulting from physical exertion, athletic training, nutrition recipes, DIY formulas, bike geometry modifications, gear loading, outdoor recreation, or navigation.
- Any financial loss, lost profits, commercial damages, business interruption, contractor or subcontractor disputes, bidding mistakes, cost overruns, or purchasing errors arising from blueprint measurements, scale calibrations, area calculations, or material takeoff estimates.
- Any navigation errors, route hazards, property trespassing, adverse weather encounters, trail obstacles, traffic incidents, or emergency situations encountered while using or following GPS files, routes, or maps.
- Any property damage, equipment failure, component damage, or physical accidents.
- Any data loss, file corruption, browser crash, device malfunction, or failure to preserve locally processed files or settings.
This limitation applies whether such damages are direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary, even if the creator or contributors have been advised of the possibility of such damages. You explicitly waive, release, and hold harmless the site creator and contributors from any and all liability.
No Professional Advice of Any Kind: Nothing published on or generated by The Instant constitutes, or shall be construed as, professional advice of any nature. This includes, without limitation: medical, dietary, or health advice; sports physiology or professional coaching advice; structural, civil, mechanical, or architectural engineering advice; certified land surveying or licensed contractor takeoff estimation; legal, regulatory, or tax advice; or financial guidance. Always consult certified, licensed, and qualified professionals in the relevant field before making physical, medical, athletic, construction, structural, financial, or navigational decisions.
06 Your Choices & Controls
We respect your sovereignty over your web browsing experience:
- Cookie Controls: Use your browser settings to reject cookies or delete them when you close your browser.
- Do Not Track / Global Privacy Control: We respect standard browser privacy signals.
- Analytics Opt-Out: You may install the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on or enable ad-blockers / tracking protection (such as uBlock Origin or Brave Shields), which will block Clarity and Google Analytics scripts from firing without hindering tool usability.
07 Contact & Policy Updates
We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy & Terms to reflect changes in our tools, third-party analytics services, or applicable regulatory standards. Any revisions will be reflected with an updated "Effective Date" at the top of this page.
If you have questions, feedback, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, the Terms, or how data is treated on The Instant, please reach out directly:
Email: g@theinstant.cc
Website: theinstant.cc