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+---
+title: "Pull vs push: intentional notifications"
+date: 2023-03-16T17:20:32-04:00
+draft: true
+toc: false
+---
+
+Modern internet services heavily rely on push-based systems. YouTubers used to
+say "smash like and subscribe!" at the end of videos because they wanted you to
+get a _push_ notification when they publish a new video. When YouTube stopped
+sending notifications for subscriptions and added the bell, YouTubers started
+saying "smash like, subscribe, and hit that bell!" instead. Free Android games
+often ask for permission to send notifications because they want to periodically
+remind you that "hey!! you downloaded me! don't forget about me! come play me,
+run out of energy, get annoyed, then buy some extra energy with your hard-earned
+money! also, pay a bit more and remove the ads while you're at it! 😃"
+
+E-commerce platforms often ask you to subscribe to their newsletter in exchange
+for a small discount on your next purchase because they want to _push_ their
+marketing to your inbox. Some news websites serve massive popups asking you to
+subscribe to their newsletters so they can, again, _push_ their new content in
+front of your face. In some cases, this tactic may be perfectly benign; there
+are some individuals and companies with newsletters that might be genuinely
+interesting and they just want to let you know that the newsletter exists in
+case you want to subscribe. But they still result in content being _pushed_ in
+front of their subscriber's faces.
+
+Similarly, instant messaging is all about push notifications. It's in the name:
+_instant_. When someone sends you a message, you usually want to know
+immediately; maybe it's a family emergency, maybe your food delivery person just
+arrived, maybe the sky is falling, etc. Those are all situations where you
+genuinely do want notifications pushed in front of your face. But think about
+while you're at work. Do you really need to know that there's no more coffee in
+the lounge when you're waist-deep in a big code refactor and having to mentally
+juggle variables and signatures and business logic and overarching structu— look
+at this funny meme!
+
+Ah shit. Where was `x` set again? _Does_ this function duplicate the logic of
+that other function 83 lines above? You've lost your train of thought and it's
+going to take you about 30 minutes to get it back.[^1]
+
+Maybe you're spending time with your family but that new hire keeps asking for
+help with this snippet of code they can't figure out. You genuinely want to help
+them, but time with family is incredibly valuable. It can wait until tomorrow.
+
+There's a time and place for push notifications. Intentionally setting
+boundaries and being thoughtful with your time is important.
+
+## Some suggestions
+
+Make heavy and extensive use of Do Not Disturb rules on as many platforms as
+possible; on mobile devices, it's often possible to automatically enable DND
+during calendar events as well as enable it while you sleep. Mark yourself as
+unavailable in Slack (or Teams or XMPP or \_\_\_\_) outside of work hours.
+Disable push notifications for YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, etc. Maybe consider
+using alternative clients for those services that are more user-respecting in
+general.
+
+Get an [RSS reader!][rssr] Please!
+
+[rssr]: https://wikipedia.org/wiki/News_aggregator
+
+They allow you to subscribe to multiple sources of information — like news
+websites, YouTube channels, blogs, etc. — and aggregate that content into one
+place. You can read what you want when you want without having anything thrust
+in your face by The Algorithm™. Depending on the reader, you can sort sources
+into categories or folders that allow you to focus on one thing at a time rather
+than being treated to a firehose of the internet.
+
+If you're looking for a service, check out [Feedbin,][fb] [NewsBlur,][nb]
+[Feeder,][feeder] [Feedly,][fdly] and [Inoreader.][ino] Be thoughtful about
+enabling notifications though.
+
+[fb]: https://feedbin.com
+[nb]: https://newsblur.com
+[feeder]: https://feeder.co
+[fdly]: https://feedly.com
+[ino]: https://www.inoreader.com
+
+If you're into self-hosting, I very highly recommend [yarr.][yarr] At the time
+of writing, I've been using yarr for 6 months and don't see myself switching any
+time soon. I only wish it had a maximum content width so reading was more
+pleasant on wide screens and that [the theme would switch based on your system
+theme.][yarr-theme]
+
+[yarr]: https://github.com/nkanaev/yarr/
+[yarr-theme]: https://github.com/nkanaev/yarr/issues/46#issuecomment-798896310
+
+[^1]:
+ I've seen and heard 30 minutes cited many times from sources I remember
+ trusting, but I can't remember exactly which sources they were. After a
+ quick search, The Muse says [_It Takes Nearly 30 Minutes to Refocus After
+ You Get
+ Distracted._](https://www.themuse.com/advice/this-is-nuts-it-takes-nearly-30-minutes-to-refocus-after-you-get-distracted)