Too Much Internet, Mac Style

April 9, 2009 12:39 PM

Limiting internet access via Airport Extreme or Safari?

Hello mefites. I have some issues with internet addiction. While I would like nothing more than to almost completely eliminate my access, I do need the internet daily for work and for projects (about an hour or two a day.) And the occasional askme question, haha.

Currently I own a macbook and have been using "Leechblock" via Firefox to limit my internet addiction. While it initially worked ok, Firefox often slows down on my Macbook, or has a few weird issues displaying sites. I'd prefer to use Safari. (Especially since it still sits on the system anyways and is my other "go-to" browser.)

My questions:

1) Is there any Safari add-on that acts like Leechblock?
2) I have heard an Airport Base station can give timed internet access to different computers in the household. Is anyone using this successfully?
3) Do you have any suggestions for moderating internet time?

I agree this seems like a crazy question, and even weirder to post it on the internet (like walking into a bar and saying "help me with my alcoholism!"), but you can see the level of my desperation here! :-|

posted by The ____ of Justice to technology (8 comments total)

How about Freedom?
posted by alynnk at 1:00 PM on April 9

Looks intriguing, alynnk. Thanks for the suggestion.

If you do not have administrator access on your machine, Freedom will not work for you.

Simply restart the program to get another period of freedom.

The Readme sounds so 1984. Hilarious.
posted by The ____ of Justice at 1:06 PM on April 9

There's also SelfControl, if you want to block things selectively.
posted by O9scar at 1:39 PM on April 9

you could set up a managed account on your mac (an account with parental controls, essentially), and give yourself time-limited access to certain applications
posted by kid_dynamite at 1:49 PM on April 9

Thanks guys, those are great ideas. Things that I'd never find using my googling skills.
posted by The ____ of Justice at 3:05 PM on April 9

While it initially worked ok, Firefox often slows down on my Macbook, or has a few weird issues displaying sites.

What? I don't believe this. Firefox is at least as likely to well-supported by websites as Safari, and probably much more so.

If your Firefox is noticeably slower than Safari on the same websites... something is wrong, probably an extension (either Leechblock or another) chewing up your processor or memory, or you really need a Firefox update.

I use both, but a website that works better in Safari than Firefox? I can't think of any, not even Apple websites.
posted by rokusan at 3:12 PM on April 9

Rokusan, yes, I think it's leechblock and the other addons (RSS, etc.) I have installed that slows down Firefox.
posted by The ____ of Justice at 3:16 PM on April 9

My Time Capsule has that ability to restrict access via MAC address for certain times of day like the Airport Extreme. It does indeed work here, limiting my son from surfing on his iPod Touch through the overnight hours.
posted by eafarris at 7:03 PM on April 9