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Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

theminimalists.com

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Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#261

Post by kakarot »

hackermailman wrote: post #235
zestyping wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am really curious about this last technique you mentioned (predicting when the user might be about to put their phone away and intervening at that moment with enticing content). If you remember any clues that might lead to it, or find it again, please post. Thanks!

GeoHot talked about FB in a few interviews how they used machine learning entirely for the purposes of tricking people into using FB more, which is why he quit working there.

Never knew GeoHot worked at Facebook! What was he thinking?!

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#262

Post by jpttsn »

ungzd wrote: post #248
jpttsn wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Money can be exchanged for goods and services.

Goods and services to consume while sleeping? All wake time is dedicated to work.

You get to keep some of the money when you stop working.

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#263

Post by kakarot »

zestyping wrote: post #191
kakarot wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll list two because I've been on HN too long today already. 1) Facebook is part of an initiative to lay down internet infrastructure in Africa, with the catch being that access to Facebook, Google, et al. is heavily subsidized. They are attempting to trap an entire continent on their platform, with subsidized tax money, knowingly simultaneously creating the most advanced social monitoring tool ever to exist. The CI…

I am really curious about this last technique you mentioned (predicting when the user might be about to put their phone away and intervening at that moment with enticing content). If you remember any clues that might lead to it, or find it again, please post. Thanks!

I still couldn't find it and it really bugs me. If I do, I'll shoot you a PM.

In my search, I did come across this[0] and it concerned me. Seems like Facebook is expanding the ability of its users to enforce the chilling effect by allowing them to report "mentally unhealthy" posts so the users can be targeted for behavioral modification and automatic reporting to mental health agencies, as opposed to say, just messaging their friend directly and saying, "Hey, you OK man? You seem a bit sad."

They are also using ML to do the same thing, automatically. Just further separating us in the name of bringing us together.

[0] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-facebooks-mac...

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#264

Post by blurbleblurble »

therealdrag0 wrote: post #99
blurbleblurble wrote: post #81

I did this last year and it was amazing. I got so much done. I became way more fluent in git, started using syncthing to back stuff up, and began printing things I wanted to read.

Are you still doing it, or?

I'm not anymore. My house went for about 8 months without internet, but many of the lessons learned seem to still apply. I've been able to cut out a large amount of cruft from my browsing habits. I still struggle with news websites (i.e. HN), and twitter, but it's an ongoing journey.

I actually block a lot of stuff in /etc/hosts, and that helps temper habits. Deleting Facebook is up there in the top 10 greatest things I've ever done with my life. It re-expanded my whole universe, reintroducing such things as mystery and intrigue. There was a kind of perpetual 'wavefunction collapse' that Facebook imposed on my social and spiritual outlook. I really needed to let that one 'decohere' permanently.

When I say delete, I mean delete, as in https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=224562897555674

Pro-hacker-trick: If you want to get all of your activity off of facebook, open your activity page and put a heavy object on your keyboard's 'down arrow' key. Then wait for an hour or two while it loads the entire endless scrolling page. Once it finishes, use your browser's save feature to save a web archive. Now you have a record of all the links you've posted on that damn thing.

I wish it was easier to extract content off of facebook. Going through the process of doing it myself really drove home how parasitic the platform really is.

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#265

Post by sigi45 »

wonderwonder wrote: post #218
sigi45 wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you are just using your smartphone wrong? I use it to do: - Read News article and books on my communte - Use the flashlight in the morning or evening when it is to dark (when winter i use it every evening when going home from the train to my flat 10 minutes) - Use it as a phone - use maps for navigation - Check out gps stuff when sitting in a plain - use the sync feature to have an up to date contact list - g…

I think it is actually your first point regarding reading news articles and books that people are trying to avoid. People become addicted to constantly looking up things to distract themselves instead of paying attention to what is going on around them. If you take public transportation, look around, everyone is looking at their phones and no one is interacting with the real people around them. We have become a socie…

I look around, i'm not a very focused reader but i don't think a train is in any way a useful way of meeting people or communicating much.

I don't value shallow talk with strangers very much. Or have you been on a subway and was discussion with someone strange daily politics?

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#266

Post by sigi45 »

rjsw wrote: post #210
sigi45 wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you are just using your smartphone wrong? I use it to do: - Read News article and books on my communte - Use the flashlight in the morning or evening when it is to dark (when winter i use it every evening when going home from the train to my flat 10 minutes) - Use it as a phone - use maps for navigation - Check out gps stuff when sitting in a plain - use the sync feature to have an up to date contact list - g…

Dumbphones can have flashlight, alarms and mp3/radio too, mine does.

I had a 'dumbphone' before. But my phone now is much easier to use. The ui is big and clear.

My contacts are synced automatically and i can read news on it.

I'm not forcing people into using a smartphone and i don't have any issues with how i use it.

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#267

Post by soreal »

Programmatic wrote: post #200
pas wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't fruits full of sugar?

The problem with sugar is, IMO, glycemic index. With glucose being an index of 100, no sugar being an index of 0, and something that takes a moderate amount of time to convert from starches/etc to sugar being 50, things that are higher than 50-60 tend to spike your blood sugar and cause insulin to scavenge the sugar out and store it in fat. Doing that often causes things like insulin resistance and obesity as you get…

I checked the table you linked and:

Apple: 38 Banana: 51 Pineapple: 66 Watermelon: 72

vs.

Ice Cream (premium): 37 Sponge Cake: 46 Frosted Flakes: 55 Snicker's Bar: 55

Fruits really are very high GI compared to regular snack foods. They're relatively healthy for other reasons though.

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#268

Post by thatwebdude »

hbosch wrote: post #92
JacobJans wrote: post #79

I haven't dealt with my laptop based computer addiction, but I have solved my cell phone addiction. It's important to understand how much behavior around technology is based on ingrained habits. My goal with dealing with my phone was to "short-circuit" the habitual/addictive behavior. To do this, I did two things. 1. I turned off all automatic notifications on my phone, as well as all background updates of apps/email…

The "set Do Not Disturb for 12:00AM - 11:59PM" trick has been amazing for me the past month or so I started the experiment. I set it to allow texts and calls from my Favorites through (e.g. wife, mom, dad) -- but essentially every other type of notification is non-urgent and likely even non-important. By far the best app to silence has been my email. I consider it a luxury that I can come home and not worry about it.…

Is toggling "manual" just as effective? Good idea, I'll try this too.

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#269

Post by rudimental »

sigi45 wrote: post #265
wonderwonder wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is actually your first point regarding reading news articles and books that people are trying to avoid. People become addicted to constantly looking up things to distract themselves instead of paying attention to what is going on around them. If you take public transportation, look around, everyone is looking at their phones and no one is interacting with the real people around them. We have become a socie…

I look around, i'm not a very focused reader but i don't think a train is in any way a useful way of meeting people or communicating much. I don't value shallow talk with strangers very much. Or have you been on a subway and was discussion with someone strange daily politics?

People report being happier after talking to strangers on public transit. They also underestimate how open other passengers are to it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/26/opinion/sunday/hello-stra...

Re: Removing Home Internet Is the Most Productive Thing I've Done

#270

Post by 97s »

I have recently stopped playing video games. Uninstalled them all. I also cut off netflix, hbo, and tv in general. It was hard at first, but I am so much more productive. Creating things is so much more satisfying than consuming them. I am also getting healthier/working out and cooking better food.

I was thinking about cutting off internet, but the other members of my family would go bonkers.

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