Hacker News: _kush

New comment by _kush in "Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (April 2026)"

_kush — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:04:43 +0000

I'm working on LookAway, a Mac app that reminds you to take breaks from the screen at the right moment instead of interrupting you at random. https://lookaway.com

Right now I'm focused on the stats side. It already shows how much time you spend in each app, and I'm adding website tracking too, which should make the picture much more useful.

I'm also working on better break timing for dictation. LookAway already delays a due break if you're in the middle of typing, so it does not interrupt at a bad time. Now I'm trying to extend that same behavior to dictation as well, which turns out to be a pretty interesting detection problem because it overlaps with some of the other context signals I already use.

Most of the challenge is making it smarter without making it feel more intrusive.

Show HN: LookAway 2.0 – a break reminder for Mac that respects what you're doing

_kush — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:26:17 +0000

Hey HN,

I’m the solo dev behind LookAway, a macOS app that reminds you to take breaks.

I built it because I spend most of my day in front of a screen, and I noticed that a lot of break reminder apps kind of fail in the same way: they do help, but they also interrupt you at the worst possible time. After a few days people just start snoozing everything or turn them off.

I just released LookAway 2.0, which is a pretty major update.

A lot of the work in this version went into making the app behave less like a timer and more like something that understands when to back off a bit.

Some things that changed:

- i added a stats system, so it can track sessions, natural breaks, break adherence, daily totals, and a screen score

- it now shows where you spend your screen-time including apps, as well as things like meetings or watching videos, etc

- it can automatically pause / delay reminders in more situations now, like meetings, active mic usage, screen recording, games, video playback, etc

- there’s now a proper heads-up flow before breaks

- stricter break controls if you want enforcement instead of just gentle nudges

- redesigned menu bar / quick controls

I’m still iterating on the balance between being helpful and being annoying. That part is honestly the whole product.

Happy to answer any questions!

- Kushagra

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47673524

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by _kush in "Floor796"

_kush — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:51:01 +0000

So fun! Are there any other easter eggs like this? I've been clicking everywhere and didn't find any

New comment by _kush in "Indie, alone, and figuring it out"

_kush — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:24:00 +0000

that's awesome, thank you!

New comment by _kush in "Indie, alone, and figuring it out"

_kush — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:23:48 +0000

thank you, it's my prized possession

New comment by _kush in "Indie, alone, and figuring it out"

_kush — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:23:08 +0000

It would be easier to do it with a runway or do it along with a full-time job so you don't have to worry about money at the start

New comment by _kush in "Indie, alone, and figuring it out"

_kush — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:25:09 +0000

Couldn't have summarized it better

New comment by _kush in "Indie, alone, and figuring it out"

_kush — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:24:36 +0000

I’ve been indie for about four years now. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, but it does come with its own kind of hell. The lack of security and the fear that everything could disappear overnight is always there. Some days feel euphoric, and some days everything feels dark.

At one point I even built a live sales dashboard[1] to keep my dopamine in check, but a year later I realized it was a mistake. It started shaping my motivation instead of supporting it.

I guess the main lesson is that the ups and downs are normal, and you get better at riding them over the years.

[1]: https://x.com/kushsolitary/status/1777306909344715158

Color Synthesizer

_kush — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 02:49:26 +0000

Article URL: https://colorpalette.pro

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46000690

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

New comment by _kush in "fuckborderradius.com"

_kush — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 11:21:02 +0000

Border radius has been one of the best things to happen to CSS. If you've done web development during the Internet Explorer 6 era, you'd know what I mean.

Perplexity Acquires Visual Electric

_kush — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:17:42 +0000

Article URL: https://visualelectric.com/about/perplexity

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45442013

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

New comment by _kush in "Ask HN: What are you working on? (September 2025)"

_kush — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:12:04 +0000

I am building LookAway[1] - an antidote to seductive screens. Many people have been facing issues like eye strain, digital fatigue, CVS, posture issues, and more due to prolonged screen use and I aim to solve it with this product. I believe managing screen time is as important as managing sleep (if not more).

1: https://lookaway.com

Eye Strain Affects Productivity

_kush — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:48:58 +0000

Article URL: https://lookaway.com/blog/2025/09/17/how-eye-strain-affects-productivity/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45267061

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by _kush in "Atlassian is acquiring The Browser Company"

_kush — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:26:47 +0000

Atlassian's announcement: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-acqui...

Atlassian to Acquire the Browser Company for $610m

_kush — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:20:53 +0000

Article URL: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250904645125/en/Atlassian-Enters-Into-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-The-Browser-Company-of-New-York

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45126423

Points: 10

# Comments: 2

New comment by _kush in "Fuck up my site – Turn any website into beautiful chaos"

_kush — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:15:02 +0000

There's a Mac version too! https://simonbs.gumroad.com/l/smashsmash

Why Do Eyes Feel Heavy and Tired

_kush — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 18:05:17 +0000

Article URL: https://lookaway.app/blog/2025/08/11/why-do-eyes-feel-heavy-and-tired/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44867392

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Show HN: LookAway Now Syncs Screen Breaks with iPhone

_kush — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 17:56:00 +0000

Article URL: https://lookaway.app/blog/2025/07/23/lookaway-114-iphone-sync-is-finally-here/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44662046

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by _kush in "Tell HN: Notion Desktop is monitoring your audio and network"

_kush — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 18:29:38 +0000

No, that’s the new "Local Network" prompt which started appearing since macOS 15. Any app that opens a multicast/broadcast socket (mDNS, SSDP, WebRTC ICE, etc.) now has to ask. Electron apps (including Notion) do this by default, so you see this dialog.

New comment by _kush in "Tell HN: Notion Desktop is monitoring your audio and network"

_kush — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 17:47:34 +0000

It's the latter. An app can't access the audio without explicit microphone monitoring permissions.