Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48487229

Points: 144

# Comments: 73

(So yes, there are potential loopholes, but they are uncomfortable to crawl through. Dopamine is all about friction, I guess)

So after installing Leash and selecting it as the system browser, Safari can be deleted.

In an attempt to reduce my time spent on screens (and more time in real life), I uninstalled social media from my phone ages ago. The same for email: only on desktop for me.

At some point, I discovered that I would, however, not spend that much less time on my phone, but rather 'migrate' to other habits, such as impulse checking of news sites.

A mobile browser is like a fridge full of sweets if you're trying to stay on a healthy diet.

So I've been living without a mobile browser for a long time: I disabled Safari on my iPhone in parental controls (as you can't delete Safari without installing another browser), and it worked quite well for me: I indeed spent way less time on my phone (RSS for news works better, because the RSS feed has a defined ending).

But in some situations, this was a problem: Scanning a QR code to pay for a parking lot, tapping a link that a friend sent me over WhatsApp, or simply looking up something on the web (I even installed the Wikipedia app) – not possible.

So I decided to (vibe) code a simple browser myself, but:

- without an address bar - without 'favourites'

... so a browser that merely reacts to your life: QR code scanning works again (just scan via the camera app, will open Leash), so does tapping links and looking up stuff on the web.

I've been daily driving it for about 6 weeks now, and it works like a charm.

Of course, I'm also interested in any other 'low-dopamine' mods you're doing!

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48472475

Points: 4

# Comments: 6

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46995140

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

1. An app for personalized interactive audiobooks for kids - https://www.vivid.cx

2. A book about the edge of the thinkable - https://www.unthinkable.net

I was reminded of this when the discussion about "AI is a horse" came up again. The horse metaphor is great, because it – besides more 'horsepowers' under the hood - has its own will.

But if I had to pick one metaphor that feels right, it would be the car. Not for automation alone, but because of systemic impact: cars reshaped cities, labor, health, social life, inequality, and people's understanding of "freedom". Once cars were everywhere, opting out became difficult.

At the same time, the car metaphor breaks quickly. AI affects many areas of life at once, often with conflicting tradeoffs.

- Smoother relationships vs. authenticity and vulnerability (AI-mediated communication, companions)

- Automation of cognitive work vs. meaning and self-efficacy

- Infinite, pre-processed knowledge vs. mental obesity

- New freedom vs. responsibility for what we choose not to automate

(This is also the rough outline of a TEDx talk I gave last year — back then I called it "AI – A Car for the Mind?" [3]. I’m very glad I put the question mark in.)

How do you explain AI to those who ask, if they need a simple answer?

[1] https://emilkirkegaard.dk/en/wp-content/uploads/SJ-Gould-What-if-anything-is-a-zebra.pdf

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46686402

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IYqhdJuRfU

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46854497

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

https://www.escape-team.com

It‘s making about $700 on iOS and $300 on Android, solely from $2.99 IAPs for the later missions in the game (the first 2 missions are free).

I think a main reason for this is that escape rooms (and games) don’t „saturate“: you play them only once, because then you know the solutions. So another escape room (place, game, app) doesn’t cannibalize the market - it may rather strengthen the others by fostering it as a group activity.

I also put 0$ into ads- it solely spreads itself by being a group activity (3-5 people are best) and through its mission editor (people can make their own missions, used in school and for birthdays etc).

Curious to see where it goes next!