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Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
11–20 of 23 posts
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#12I wrote about this here a few times, but it works.
You don't need "airgapped", just disconnect from the internet with the kill switch or something and disconnect your laptop from the charger.
Your mission is to ship whatever you need to ship on one laptop's charge and without internet access.
You'll have time to refine later. It's great for proofs-of-concept and prototypes.
It is a self-imposed, artificial, constraint and it works.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#13You already know full well this will be a boon to productivity.
Your resolve to publicly ruminate about it and ask what people think instead of, you know, just going and doing it, speaks volumes of your actual level of desire for reducing distractions by working on an airgapped computer over receiving attention and praise for your ingenious idea from random strangers on the internet.
Saying "I've been thinking of ... what do you guys think of that?" instead of actually making the effort to do it it is nothing more than theatre.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#14I used to keep a separate laptop exclusively for DJing which contained nothing but my track library and music software. This helped ensure that nothing unexpected would happen while performing, but also gave me a distinct environment to play in. A hardware wifi switch was nice, but just turning it off in software works fine too.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#15This is common among musicians.
To your point, to preserve stability for their plug-ins of choice. Especially if they're interested in a specific version of Pro Tools or Logic.
Airgapping is simple if all you have is ethernet. Just remember to backup your hard drive.
I say do it.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#16So it seems from comments that this is a thing others do, but I have a question for you OP: What’s to stop you from just reconnecting internet? If you went through different tools to accomplish this already, and you bypassed them all, why will this be the successful tool? Not to be too much of a downer, but I think you will fail if you try it. You already said that you see notices that you recognize aren’t helpful an…
Great write up, thank you! I know there's a much better chance you're right on the nose than not. I have ADHD as well (diagnosed and medicated), so I empathized with your comment. I also have my 9-5 day job so these hobbies are usually done after and on the same desk I work from; I just undock my work laptop and dock my personal laptop. The thing that would stop me from reconnecting to the internet is I'd build a cus…
Thank you both for posting these comments. I see myself in both of them and feel somewhat spooked, because those are my problems and the things I do (especially the laptop docking part and trying to do a productive hobby after work). And to hear from other people that they also have these problems and also do these things, is kind of cool (although i don't wish anyone these problems).
Airgapping would have too much friction for me to be a feasible solution. But i still need to get away from this time/brain capacity/energy wasting thing called internet.
Literally every blocker i try to implement is just another time waster, first I need to spend time thinking of a blocker, implementing/setting up the blocker and then last but not least bypassing the blocker.
I don't really have "hobbies" that don't include using a computer. So there is not much time i spend doing the fun things but instead doing the things that just happen when i'm trying to do my hobbies.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#17[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#18I have yes. I often use my old VT520 when working on textual material. It's great. Not so great when you need online reference material of course.
There's also something really comforting about that soft orange glow. And it's the one display device where the brightness and contrast controls aren't hard to find. Just two analog dials. It can also regulate from barely legible in a dark room to eye-wateringly bright. In some ways LCD still hasn't caught up.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#19I don't think a separate desk works if you turn off your tools. You likely have to climb up a mountain or at least a cave with no wifi.
Re: Ask HN: Air gapped computer to avoid distractions when being creative?
#20You already know full well this will be a boon to productivity. Your resolve to publicly ruminate about it and ask what people think instead of, you know, just going and doing it, speaks volumes of your actual level of desire for reducing distractions by working on an airgapped computer over receiving attention and praise for your ingenious idea from random strangers on the internet. Saying "I've been thinking of ...…
Addiction is when one doesn't want to do what they know is best for them. When they tested dopamine on rats, the rats would die of starvation as they triggered dopamine. Knowing the right thing to do doesn't come with the desire to do it.