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Comment by drinian | Hacker News Reader

Personal experience tells me that information addiction is very real. So, the question is, how do we turn this to our advantage, rather than becoming information burnouts?

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I have no idea about that, but recently I've started using LeechBlock to block out all websites that lead me into "dopamine loops". On my blocklist are Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and news.YC, among others.

The problem with LeechBlock is that it only works with Firefox, and only if I choose to install it. I'm seeking out a system that I can install on my router so that I can block time-sinks on all my computers at once. My router runs Linux, so there must be a way.

The D-Link DIR-655 can do this (and I'd imagine other D-Link routers). You can set it up for specific IPs, ranges, or all computers. I've never taken advantage of it, personally, except to mess with people by blocking sites like Facebook.

I'd imagine some of the other firmwares out there can do it as well. Guess it comes down to what kind of router you have.

OpenDNS can filter all your internet traffic to block out any websites you choose. You can choose preset block lists such as phishing or scams as well as select specific domains to block.

I'm a big fan of RescueTime's "Get Focused" mode. It has a large, pre-populated (but configurable) list of "distracting" sites, so it's amazingly effective (probably > 95% accurate in my experience) at blocking the productivity leeches while letting useful stuff (like reference websites) through.

RescueTime looks good. is there something similar(esp. distracting sites block option) , but free ?

It is free for the basic account. I'm pretty sure that includes the site blocking option.

You could redirect those sites to localhost in your hosts file:

127.0.0.1 news.ycombinator.com

Yes, Windows has one too.

Let me Google for the answer!

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