I dont have self-control, but I AM lazy.

September 14, 2009 3:24 PM

Is there any way (on a mac) that I can block myself from being able to visit a website without being able to go back and unblock it, aside from getting someone else involved to block urls for me?

Right now I have opendns set up and have blocked a url. But it would be too easy to just go log into opendns config and just unblock it. Is there anything that wouldn't let me unblock for a year or an amount of time I can set?
And I could block and throw out the password to opendns but I would want the ability to block more urls in the future.
With opendns I can still bypass it by just stopping using opendns but it is a hassle to reconfigure my IP settings, compared to just logging in and unblocking what I blocked. I need more roadblocks.

posted by who else to computers & internet (9 comments total)

LeechBlock add-on for Firefox?
posted by GuyZero at 3:28 PM on September 14

Create a new root account, and use a long, convoluted randomly generated number you could never recall as the password. Write it down. Change your current account in OSX to one that is limited so that you can't go into root mode to edit things once you're done.

Then, follow this guide. Add an entry for the site you don't want to see anymore. For the IP, label it as 0.0.0.0, which will block your access. Then, put the note into a safety deposit box, or leave it with a friend, or burn it if you're absolutely sure you'll never need root access again (not recommended). This means that if you want to access your account to unlock the site, you'll need to drive somewhere, or ask a friend for the note back.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:35 PM on September 14 [2 favorites]

PS: Also make sure you change your account into a Standard one. That way, you can still install software for yourself, but you still can't screw around with that host file because you have no root mode. The name for the mode I wanted escaped me, and I was too stupid to google it before hitting "submit."
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:40 PM on September 14

Actually, Standard accounts can't install many applications that require access to system folders like /Library, /System/Library, /Applications (sometimes), etc. If you frequently download software to try it out, or if you need to do anything involving changing files or permissions in those folders, that's a no-go. System updates will also require administrator access.

It's difficult to own and administrate a home computer without having access to everything. Could you ask a close friend to manage your OpenDNS account, just adding URLs quickly when you ask him/her to?
posted by aaronbeekay at 4:14 PM on September 14

What you need is somebody to write you a script that will block the site in a way unknown to you. Since this is something I've been working on for the past forever, that somebody is me. :) Here's the script download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?z3tyjujjdyg

Download the script, unzip the file and run it. The script is read-only, so you can't edit it. If you want to unblock a site email me. (The address to email me is told to you in the script.)
posted by 47triple2 at 4:22 PM on September 14

Many wireless routers can disallow site access. You can set up your blocklist, and then change your router's admin password to <monkey banging on keyboard>.
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 4:24 PM on September 14

Self Control? You set a time limit, though.
posted by synecdoche at 4:57 PM on September 14 [1 favorite]

Seconding Selfcontrol, it's ungetroundable for me.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:36 AM on September 15

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to start by trying Self Control linked above and when I find something that works for me I will post in here. So far Self Control seems to work, I just need a way to auto-renew the 12 hour lockout or make a longer lockout period.
posted by who else at 11:49 AM on September 15