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Ask HN: Are you still an information addict?

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21–26 of 26 posts

Re: Ask HN: Are you still an information addict?

#21

I blocked Reddit, Slashdot, OSNews, Cracked, Facebook, Twitter - everything except HN - for a month. Now I don't feel like going back to any of those timesinks. In fact, I've unblocked pretty much all of those websites in the last week, and I still don't spend any time on them (except short trips to /r/GoneWild :p). I've said it before, and I'll say it again: /etc/hosts is your friend.

Yeah, blocking works well. I removed 90 out of 95 RSS feeds I followed and I don't miss them.

Re: Ask HN: Are you still an information addict?

#23

The first major mathematical calculation, which is augmented by information, as babies, is the taking of our first step. The math and physics the brain must use to control what is essentially a fall is massive for such a young being. But, as noted by others, our minds are always taking in information. It is, as we get older, more of our choice in what we take in and what we find as "good" information. I found that wh…

Poor color-blind child.

Re: Ask HN: Are you still an information addict?

#24

The first major mathematical calculation, which is augmented by information, as babies, is the taking of our first step. The math and physics the brain must use to control what is essentially a fall is massive for such a young being. But, as noted by others, our minds are always taking in information. It is, as we get older, more of our choice in what we take in and what we find as "good" information. I found that wh…

Poor, color-blind child.

Re: Ask HN: Are you still an information addict?

#25
Yes I am an information addict, however like workaholism, abstinence is not an option. I've set a limit on how much time I spend reading interesting information (as opposed to stuff I need to read for work). To make better use of that time, I wrote a Web app for RSS feeds that learns from my reading and ranks other posts accordingly. It's available in beta form at http://AmethystRSS.net/. It's useful and getting better.

Re: Ask HN: Are you still an information addict?

#26
I'm an information dependent (not an addict). It's important to distinguish between dependency and addiction[1]. For example, a diabetic is dependent on insulin. It would be stupid to call a diabetic an insulin addict. In the same respect, I'm dependent on information because guess what? I'm a knowledge worker. Knowing things is my job.

[1] http://health.discovery.com/centers/pain/medicine/med_addict...

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