It fits with trying to optimize for (intellectual) curiosity: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&sor.... If something is interesting enough, you'll be motivated to look at it. If you're not motivated, probably you're more interested in something else and should look at that instead.
We made a chrome extension to notify you of new comments on your stories and comments.
Once installed, it adds a bell to HN's header and shows new notifications in real-time. Clicking on the bell loads a notification inbox with easy access to all your notifications with a clear distinction between the read/unread ones.
Unlike some other options like HN replies, here are the key differences
We don't ask for your email address - we use the HN cookie to identify you. There is no setup beyond adding the extension. Apart from on-page notifications, you can also subscribe to web-push notifications.
We are using HN Firebase API to get a real-time feed of notifications, and our startup, [MagicBell (YC W21)](https://magicbell.io), to power the notification inbox. We built this extension because we found it hard to keep track of our [Launch HN thread](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26037645) comments.
We want to build a version for Firefox & Safari, and if you'd like to know when they go live, please follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/magicbell_io). Dozens of early users have tested the extension, but if you run into any issues, please tweet at us, and we'd be more than happy to help you with it. We'd also love to hear your ideas on additional functionality you'd like to see.
does this extension contact any servers apart from hn itself?
You are addressing the need gap - 'On-demand Hacker News notification'[1] posted on my problem validation platform. You're welcomed to explain how you're solving that problem with the link to your extension.
[1] https://needgap.com/problems/144-on-demand-hacker-news-notif...
Sometimes I come to a particularly interesting article in its early stages before there are many comments or I read through all the comments of a mature discussion that continues later. I'd like to be able to see what is new without rereading many comments.
My ideal would probably be an interface similar to mutt that shows all the threaded comments of an article. Keyboard driven, of course. Almost a bit like HN as newsgroups!
Do you have a blogpost of how you built it?
Impressive use of MagicBell too!
I honestly believe the underlying concept here is slightly immoral, moreso because it's an attempt to SAASify something that cleary doesn't need a server, and steal your info while they're at it. Hmmm, now that I've written it out like that I guess I'll bump it up to clearly immoral.
