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Do people really have such little self-control that they need to block a particular internet site via a tool like this? Just don't type news.ycombinator.com or

by ruddzw 17y ago

Do people really have such little self-control that they need to block a particular internet site via a tool like this? Just don't type news.ycombinator.com or click your bookmark for it. Simple as that.

Estragon 17y ago
There's usually some emotional reaction associated with such behavior. Characterizing it as a broad failure of self-control oversimplifies it.
- ruddzw 17y ago
  My bad. I hadn't considered that for some, it was an emotional experience. My relationship with HN is purely informational: I go here daily to find some interesting technical stuff and read interesting discussion. But the names behind the submissions and comments are purely words. There have been internet communities that I've been a part of that I have been emotionally bonded to. You get to know some people well and suddenly it's more a social experience than intellectual. That's a completely different story, and you'd need more than self-control to stop going there if it was becoming a time-suck.
falsestprophet 17y ago
I don't think this is a question of self-control. I noticed (only after I installed this plug-in) that sometimes when I got frustrated with a problem I would type in news.ycombinator.com by habit. Breaking that habit definitely helped my cause.
- aswanson 17y ago
  Exactly, almost like you need the endorphin so you rush to the easiest source of satisfaction. Probably similar to a smoking or eating habit, you just need an easy win so you click on the site. Same here.
bkovitz 17y ago
"Just don't reach for the popcorn." It doesn't work that way.
- ruddzw 17y ago
  In a sense, yes, it does work that way. There's no way to say "Please block all popcorn from entering my vicinity." You can keep it out of your house, but you're still going to have to consciously not reach for it in the grocery aisle or the movie theater lobby (or fair ground booth, etc.)
  - bkovitz 17y ago
    Sounds like you've figured it out. Just as it's easier to avoid the popcorn in the grocery aisle or theater lobby than when it's within arm's reach, it's easier to block HN than to avoid typing "Cmd-L n" in your browser.
icefox 17y ago
Think of it more as a drug. Goto this site and get a little hit, you probably already have a browser running.
spkthed 17y ago
Yes. http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/why_information_is_its_own_reward_-_same_neurons_signal_thir.php http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/why_informa... Most people that visit sites for new content get a tiny burst of pleasure. It's the same reason that people gamble, and the impulse is strong.
felideon 17y ago
I have very little self-control when it comes to HN as it is more interesting than my day job.

by ruddzw 17y ago

Estragon 17y ago

There's usually some emotional reaction associated with such behavior. Characterizing it as a broad failure of self-control oversimplifies it.

ruddzw 17y ago
My bad. I hadn't considered that for some, it was an emotional experience. My relationship with HN is purely informational: I go here daily to find some interesting technical stuff and read interesting discussion. But the names behind the submissions and comments are purely words. There have been internet communities that I've been a part of that I have been emotionally bonded to. You get to know some people well and suddenly it's more a social experience than intellectual. That's a completely different story, and you'd need more than self-control to stop going there if it was becoming a time-suck.

falsestprophet 17y ago

I don't think this is a question of self-control. I noticed (only after I installed this plug-in) that sometimes when I got frustrated with a problem I would type in news.ycombinator.com by habit. Breaking that habit definitely helped my cause.

aswanson 17y ago
Exactly, almost like you need the endorphin so you rush to the easiest source of satisfaction. Probably similar to a smoking or eating habit, you just need an easy win so you click on the site. Same here.

bkovitz 17y ago

"Just don't reach for the popcorn." It doesn't work that way.

ruddzw 17y ago
In a sense, yes, it does work that way. There's no way to say "Please block all popcorn from entering my vicinity." You can keep it out of your house, but you're still going to have to consciously not reach for it in the grocery aisle or the movie theater lobby (or fair ground booth, etc.)
- bkovitz 17y ago
  Sounds like you've figured it out. Just as it's easier to avoid the popcorn in the grocery aisle or theater lobby than when it's within arm's reach, it's easier to block HN than to avoid typing "Cmd-L n" in your browser.

icefox 17y ago

Think of it more as a drug. Goto this site and get a little hit, you probably already have a browser running.

spkthed 17y ago

Yes. http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/why_information_is_its_own_reward_-_same_neurons_signal_thir.php http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/why_informa... Most people that visit sites for new content get a tiny burst of pleasure. It's the same reason that people gamble, and the impulse is strong.

felideon 17y ago

I have very little self-control when it comes to HN as it is more interesting than my day job.