4 ms·

I'm seriously thinking I should develop a plug-in that blocks news articles about the Kardashians.

kgwxd 7y ago
I made and use this to do exactly that: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ssure/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ssure/ I recently added "covid" and "corona" to my desktop list, I wouldn't have seen this post, or your comment (because you said Kardashian) but I dont use my phone to browse much so I haven't updated the list much.
- thelittleone 7y ago
  I have the same plugin, it’s very effective.. I blocked them years ago and have largely forgot they exist.
  - kgwxd 7y ago
    Wait, someone besides me is using it? And browsing the same HN thread nearly the same time as me?
    - thelittleone 7y ago
      I'm pleased to meet someone who shares the same desire to ignore attention seekers :) This warrants the founding of a secret society (of 2) with cloaks and moose hats.
  - mavsman 7y ago
    2 out of the total 6 users of the plugin, and one of the others has to be the author. Amazing.
guerrilla 7y ago
I've never seen an article about the Kardashians. Maybe your news sources are the problem.
- tzs 7y ago
  Same here. I don't recall ever seeing anything about them in newspapers or on TV news except in entertainment news sections/segments. I think that a lot of people nowadays don't really have news sources. Whatever news they get is whatever shows up on their social media feeds which include hard news, sports news, entertainment news, satire, opinion pieces, and come from a variety of sources including what their friends post or like, wire services, newspapers, blogs, and paid promotions, selected according to what the social media site's algorithm predicts will keep them most engaged. For most people, they will be a lot better informed if they pick a handful of news sources that either are just news, or that clearly separate news from other content, and skip the "news" that shows up on their social media--just use social media to see what your friends are saying. Also, there is no need to constantly follow the news. That's another problem with the "news as part of social media" approach. It's just mixed in with everything else that way, coming in 24/7. It's easy to get overwhelmed. Best, I think, is to watch the first half of one of the daily news broadcasts on your local TV station. That should give you all the important things you need to know for your city. Do the same for the national news broadcast of one of the major over-the-air TV networks to keep up with the major national issues. You can even do this while doing other things, like reading or web surfing. Just make it a habit to put on the daily local and national news broadcasts, and give them enough attention while reading or surfing to notice and watch when something important goes on. In addition to, or instead of those, use a major newspaper if you want more depth.
- jasonv 7y ago
  Apple news and google news shovel the Ks at me, along with brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I’ve tried instructing both to stop suggesting them to me but they won’t. I don’t use either anymore, but the forces are out there. I wanted some of those feeds but couldn’t control it. And so I did make a choice about the sources, but those are very popular news platforms that promise customization.
  - guerrilla 7y ago
    try an rss reader like liferea or feedly

I made and use this to do exactly that: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ssure/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ssure/ I recently added "covid" and "corona" to my desktop list, I wouldn't have seen this post, or your comment (because you said Kardashian) but I dont use my phone to browse much so I haven't updated the list much.

thelittleone 7y ago
I have the same plugin, it’s very effective.. I blocked them years ago and have largely forgot they exist.
- kgwxd 7y ago
  Wait, someone besides me is using it? And browsing the same HN thread nearly the same time as me?
  - thelittleone 7y ago
    I'm pleased to meet someone who shares the same desire to ignore attention seekers :) This warrants the founding of a secret society (of 2) with cloaks and moose hats.
- mavsman 7y ago
  2 out of the total 6 users of the plugin, and one of the others has to be the author. Amazing.

guerrilla 7y ago

I've never seen an article about the Kardashians. Maybe your news sources are the problem.

tzs 7y ago
Same here. I don't recall ever seeing anything about them in newspapers or on TV news except in entertainment news sections/segments. I think that a lot of people nowadays don't really have news sources. Whatever news they get is whatever shows up on their social media feeds which include hard news, sports news, entertainment news, satire, opinion pieces, and come from a variety of sources including what their friends post or like, wire services, newspapers, blogs, and paid promotions, selected according to what the social media site's algorithm predicts will keep them most engaged. For most people, they will be a lot better informed if they pick a handful of news sources that either are just news, or that clearly separate news from other content, and skip the "news" that shows up on their social media--just use social media to see what your friends are saying. Also, there is no need to constantly follow the news. That's another problem with the "news as part of social media" approach. It's just mixed in with everything else that way, coming in 24/7. It's easy to get overwhelmed. Best, I think, is to watch the first half of one of the daily news broadcasts on your local TV station. That should give you all the important things you need to know for your city. Do the same for the national news broadcast of one of the major over-the-air TV networks to keep up with the major national issues. You can even do this while doing other things, like reading or web surfing. Just make it a habit to put on the daily local and national news broadcasts, and give them enough attention while reading or surfing to notice and watch when something important goes on. In addition to, or instead of those, use a major newspaper if you want more depth.
jasonv 7y ago
Apple news and google news shovel the Ks at me, along with brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I’ve tried instructing both to stop suggesting them to me but they won’t. I don’t use either anymore, but the forces are out there. I wanted some of those feeds but couldn’t control it. And so I did make a choice about the sources, but those are very popular news platforms that promise customization.
- guerrilla 7y ago
  try an rss reader like liferea or feedly