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I completely agree and I find it mystifying that you would be downvoted for that comment.

by aiscott 15y ago

jodrellblank 15y ago
It reeks of ad-hom, it's a bad explanation. It has no more explanatory power than "because you're a bad person". It's nothing more than a way to feel smug with sciencey sounding buzzwords. If you want to read a book, just get off the computer and read a book. Really? I guess I'll "just" stop all my bad habits and replace them with good habits as well, shall I? And I'll "just" stop playing wrong notes on the piano too. Because, y'know, there's no reason I'm playing wrong notes, is there? There's no reason I have bad habits continuing year on year, there's no reason he's spending too much time on the internet, no complex interplay of a lifetime of biological, neurological and psychological drives and feedbacks, right? Humans are simple. That's why there are no problems in the world and everyone "just" is the ideal person they want to be.
- Dylan16807 15y ago
  It's easy to avoid playing wrong notes on a piano. Just don't play the piano. Nobody is saying that it's easy to avoid internet distraction while using the internet. But it is easy to block out a few hours of not using the internet even if you are paying for a connection. It's quite similar to not going to a coffee shop for the same few hours.
  - graeme 15y ago
    OP here. I think it depends on your habits and situation. For me, avoiding the cafe for 4 hours is a lot easier than ignoring my computer and phone for 4 hours. To use the internet at the cafe, I have to put on my shoes, my coat, walk 5 minutes, buy a coffee, sit down, open my computer, etc. It's not hard to do any of that. But it's a lot more effort than pulling my phone out of my pocket.
    - abalashov 15y ago
      And, having gone through doing all that, presumably once you get there, you feel a stronger to at least accomplish something, to vindicate your efforts. :-). It's one of the main reasons I find value in having an office, and it is a non-trivial (though, thankfully, subway-based) commute away.
- Locke1689 15y ago
  There's no reason I have bad habits continuing year on year, there's no reason he's spending too much time on the internet I addressed that rather simply, I thought. It seems that his biggest problem with the Internet was that it was too easily accessible. Not having Internet is a very obdurate way of approaching this, in my opinion. Note that most of the things the writer did as an alternative were not on the computer. Instead of separating the Internet from their computer, I simply suggested separating themselves from the computer.
  - thebigredjay 15y ago
    But I am also much more effective at tasks on the computer when I don't have internet.

I completely agree and I find it mystifying that you would be downvoted for that comment.

by aiscott 15y ago

I completely agree and I find it mystifying that you would be downvoted for that comment.

It reeks of ad-hom, it's a bad explanation. It has no more explanatory power than "because you're a bad person". It's nothing more than a way to feel smug with sciencey sounding buzzwords. If you want to read a book, just get off the computer and read a book. Really? I guess I'll "just" stop all my bad habits and replace them with good habits as well, shall I? And I'll "just" stop playing wrong notes on the piano too. Because, y'know, there's no reason I'm playing wrong notes, is there? There's no reason I have bad habits continuing year on year, there's no reason he's spending too much time on the internet, no complex interplay of a lifetime of biological, neurological and psychological drives and feedbacks, right? Humans are simple. That's why there are no problems in the world and everyone "just" is the ideal person they want to be.

Dylan16807 15y ago
It's easy to avoid playing wrong notes on a piano. Just don't play the piano. Nobody is saying that it's easy to avoid internet distraction while using the internet. But it is easy to block out a few hours of not using the internet even if you are paying for a connection. It's quite similar to not going to a coffee shop for the same few hours.
- graeme 15y ago
  OP here. I think it depends on your habits and situation. For me, avoiding the cafe for 4 hours is a lot easier than ignoring my computer and phone for 4 hours. To use the internet at the cafe, I have to put on my shoes, my coat, walk 5 minutes, buy a coffee, sit down, open my computer, etc. It's not hard to do any of that. But it's a lot more effort than pulling my phone out of my pocket.
  - abalashov 15y ago
    And, having gone through doing all that, presumably once you get there, you feel a stronger to at least accomplish something, to vindicate your efforts. :-). It's one of the main reasons I find value in having an office, and it is a non-trivial (though, thankfully, subway-based) commute away.
Locke1689 15y ago
There's no reason I have bad habits continuing year on year, there's no reason he's spending too much time on the internet I addressed that rather simply, I thought. It seems that his biggest problem with the Internet was that it was too easily accessible. Not having Internet is a very obdurate way of approaching this, in my opinion. Note that most of the things the writer did as an alternative were not on the computer. Instead of separating the Internet from their computer, I simply suggested separating themselves from the computer.
- thebigredjay 15y ago
  But I am also much more effective at tasks on the computer when I don't have internet.