OMFG! Sorry, but this is inane. Boiling it down, he's saying he doesn't have enough self-control to use a decent work-station because he would fill the screen with distractions. It is entirely possible to live a full and happy life without twitter, IM, email, or even (dare I say it) refreshing HN every 10 minutes. The longest time mentioned in his post was 30 minutes - if this is his measure of "flow" time, I'm actually amazed he gets anything done at all.