Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Freedom: a Mac app that gives you up to three hours of internetlessness (ibiblio.org)
15 points by bouncingsoul on April 21, 2008 | hide | past | favorite | 11 comments



For a slightly less drastic solution, install the Firefox plugin LeechBlock.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476

It will allow you to block time consuming websites at time you configure.

I block Reddit, Digg, and Hacker News throughout the day with the exception of the first hour of the morning, over the lunch hour, and from 5:30pm on.


or 8aweek.com


Luckily you don't need this if you have a mac mini. The wireless card in it is so shitty that it essentially performs this service for you randomly throughout the day.


Bravo! I wish something like this existed on Linux: preferably implemented in the kernel so that it cannot be overridden with ifconfig or another command. Also: cute name for such a service: Go DOS Yourself.


It's too Clockwork Orange-y.

Just develop some freaking self-control.


This is actually not a bad idea, considering that pretty much everyone uses distributed version control now. Set the timer for an hour, commit commit commit, push, read hackernews, repeat. :)


It would be easy for the service to reject port 80 but allow the port used by the version-control system.

More difficult would be allowing access to programming documentation on the web while rejecting time-wasting web sites. One idea is to reject any web page that has changed in the last 24 hours on the theory that the time-wasting sites are constantly changing (are topical) whereas the sites you need to do your work are not. (I do not know if it possible programatically to determine when a page last changed.)


Honestly, I just removed reddit from my bookmarks toolbar, and make a conscious effort to not go there. That has made me much more productive even during "downtime". The side effect is that I post here more, but at least there is the lock out feature if I notice I'm wasting too much time here ;)


the only problem with this is that I use the internet for coding a lot (online docs, etc) I guess 10 minute spurts of freedom might be nice.


How ironic: "Freedom enforces freedom"


when I need "freedom" I just turn off my google notifier. no endless new mail sounds to distract me.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: