This is the problem with random reinforcement. Things that are always good, are good. Things that are always bad, are easy to stop doing. Things that are almost always bad… but occasionally good… are addictive, we regret doing them, but we can’t give up.
I waste a lot of time on Hacker News, too. (Used to be every day, but now I reduced it to maybe once a week.) So many interesting thing! I make bookmarks in browser, multiple categories: programming, math, science, etc. I almost never look at them again—because I have no time. So it’s basically a list of cool things I wish I had time to spend studying. But sometimes, very rarely, something is actually useful.
Debating on Hacker News is totally a waste of time, though.
This is the problem with random reinforcement. Things that are always good, are good. Things that are always bad, are easy to stop doing. Things that are almost always bad… but occasionally good… are addictive, we regret doing them, but we can’t give up.
I waste a lot of time on Hacker News, too. (Used to be every day, but now I reduced it to maybe once a week.) So many interesting thing! I make bookmarks in browser, multiple categories: programming, math, science, etc. I almost never look at them again—because I have no time. So it’s basically a list of cool things I wish I had time to spend studying. But sometimes, very rarely, something is actually useful.
Debating on Hacker News is totally a waste of time, though.
Ah great point about the random reinforcement. I’m familiar with the concept, but never realized that it applied to HN.