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99 sats \ 3 replies \ @Signal312 21 May \ on: Do you feel that your attention span has been effected by current technology? AskSN
Holy smokes, yes.
All the time. And I try HARD to work against this. My digital detox (most Sundays) is really useful.
I'm thinking about making a browser extension. Key would be that before opening ANY new tab, you'd have to solve a tiny math problem - something simple, but not too simple - maybe adding two 2 digit numbers together. When you do that, you can open the tab.
I'd have to change the way I browse, though. When I browse, I right click and open a bunch of tabs at a time, then go through them. I'd need - to rethink this.
I do the weekly digital detox, but also need to figure out daily digital detox - i.e. each day have at least an hour or two where I can't access ANY internet.
I'm thinking about making a browser extension. Key would be that before opening ANY new tab, you'd have to solve a tiny math problem - something simple, but not too simple - maybe adding two 2 digit numbers together. When you do that, you can open the tab.
Sounds interesting!
I think the goal of the math problem is to add friction to make the user reconsider their choice. (Sometimes it doesn’t even feel like we made a conscious choice.) Maybe a loading screen with suggestions what else you could do or how long you’ve already been browsing the web is enough?
Edit: Actually, I think solving a problem to continue will make it feel more like a choice so maybe that’s better.
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Okay, after a lot of "vibe-coding" with AI, I think I have the browser extension. I'm going to test it some more, and if everything goes okay, maybe I'll put it on github.
It really is a useful little thing - instead of me instantly popping up a new tab at the slightest little hint of boredom, I pause for a sec, and decide whether I really want/need to.
If I decide that I DO want to, I just open the tab, am presented with the little math problem, execute a bit of mental arithmetic to solve the problem, and VOILA the new tab comes up.
So far so good. I'm really impressed with this vibe-coding thing. I'm using ppq.ai., with grok 3. It's taken quite a few prompts - there's bugs, I tell the ai model what the bugs are, I get some updates, load them, and repeat.
But right now, I'm at a state where it seems to be working fine. I'll probably need to change it to make the math problem more difficult. Or maybe allow an option in that regard. Also it needs an icon...
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Yes, right now it's so automatic (cntrl + T to open a tab, type url in browser, hit enter) that if I'm just a tiny bit bored or frustrated, I will instantly pop open another tab, and do whatever (check weather forecast, stacker.news).
It's like scratching a little itch, or biting a fingernail or something. It's mindless. And very destructive of my ability to focus.
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