Do people really have such little self-control that they need to block a particular internet site via a tool like this? Just don't type news.ycombinator.com or click your bookmark for it. Simple as that.
I don't think this is a question of self-control. I noticed (only after I installed this plug-in) that sometimes when I got frustrated with a problem I would type in news.ycombinator.com by habit.
Exactly, almost like you need the endorphin so you rush to the easiest source of satisfaction. Probably similar to a smoking or eating habit, you just need an easy win so you click on the site. Same here.
My bad. I hadn't considered that for some, it was an emotional experience. My relationship with HN is purely informational: I go here daily to find some interesting technical stuff and read interesting discussion. But the names behind the submissions and comments are purely words.
There have been internet communities that I've been a part of that I have been emotionally bonded to. You get to know some people well and suddenly it's more a social experience than intellectual. That's a completely different story, and you'd need more than self-control to stop going there if it was becoming a time-suck.
In a sense, yes, it does work that way. There's no way to say "Please block all popcorn from entering my vicinity." You can keep it out of your house, but you're still going to have to consciously not reach for it in the grocery aisle or the movie theater lobby (or fair ground booth, etc.)
Sounds like you've figured it out. Just as it's easier to avoid the popcorn in the grocery aisle or theater lobby than when it's within arm's reach, it's easier to block HN than to avoid typing "Cmd-L n" in your browser.
Breaking that habit definitely helped my cause.