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Posted by madinmo 7 days ago

Show HN: Scream to Unlock – Blocks social media until you scream “I'm a loser”

Hi all,

I kept wasting time on social media, even though I’d promised myself I’d stay focused. Regular site blockers didn’t help.

I needed something that felt annoying enough to break the habit. That’s how the idea came up: make the blocker ask me to say something embarrassing out loud before it lets me back in. If I actually have to yell “I’m a loser” into my mic. Even better - the louder I screamed, the more time I’d get.

So I put together Scream to Unlock. It’s silly, but so far it’s done its job. My social feeds stay locked unless I really want them.

Extension link - https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/scream-to-unlock-ye...

Its open source and transparent - https://github.com/Pankajtanwarbanna/scream-to-unlock. No data collection or tracking, Audio processing happens locally in your browser. No recordings saved or transmitted.

242 points | 129 commentspage 4
throwanem 7 days ago|
Now ship something that requires a convincing demonstration of inner peace before allowing the user access to X Dot Com The Everything App, and you'll really be cooking with fire.
netsharc 7 days ago||
Use the front-camera and tell the user to meditate for 30 seconds/algorithmically watch them while they do so.

I guess web browsers don't have integrated face recognition APIs yet, although phones could probably do this

throwanem 7 days ago||
iPhones could do it well, using the face ID lidar to measure the user's pupils. (It already does this, taking advantage of the property that they are reflective in IR.) Androids with only a front camera would do it poorly. But either would require pairing with a wearable capable of SpO2, skin galvanometry, HR measurement, etc., in order to credibly analyze physiological stress.

I suppose it needs clarifying that I say this all in jest, not as any kind of serious suggestion. Among other reasons, it would only improve the tone and not the substance.

throwaway889900 7 days ago||
Blade Runner 2049 style interrogation to prove you're not in a bad state of mind huh?
throwanem 7 days ago||
I mean, it is social media. Will you really say you never heard an idea you liked less?
titusblair 7 days ago||
LOl hilarious!
panic08 6 days ago||
[dead]
bdbenton5255 7 days ago|
[flagged]