Busy Bar

That's pretty neat, although $250 feels like a lot for that at first glance. I get it has a lot of features but it's hard to get past the "it's a $250 busy indicator".

Not that I'd spend $250, but even something like that sold more as an open device to be used for a lot of different things changes (for the better) the value proposition in my mind a little than just sold as a busy sign with lots of integrations. Granted ... this appears to be that too. That's more a of a commentary on perception.

It does have multiple uses - it communicates both your busy status, and your excess of disposable income.

I'd pay for a cheaper app version of this that I could run on an old no-SIM phone.

It doesn't seem expensive to me at all. It does a huge amount.

As the page points out (top-right corner), this thing is the physical accessory to an existing phone app: https://busy.app/

Though, mind you, said app doesn't perform exactly the same function as the bar itself; "Busy App" seems to be more of a distraction-blocking pomodoro timer for your own phone, rather than a digital "busy sign" for you to point at the rest of the room.

IMHO, presuming a desk implies a PC (or laptop dock) with at least one spare USB port — the simplest thing here wouldn't even be an old phone; it'd just be a red USB light (think a red siren, but without the moving/flashing) that you could set on top of your desk/monitor/cubicle wall, and control with a little menu bar widget (perhaps automatically, by heuristic.)

If offices still existed it could be a fun 'I'm a jackass' office flair.

This would really help my wife stop interrupting me during meetings (and vice versa). But it relies on the user to actively manage their status