Overgrown, when plants invade your abandoned tabs(charliegerard.dev)
319 points by speckx 3 days ago | 111 comments
tl;dr: A developer built a Chrome extension that gradually covers neglected browser tabs with animated vines and plants, blocking interaction once overgrowth exceeds 5%. Users must slash through the overlay with a machete, chainsaw, or flamethrower to regain access, with configurable timing for how quickly tabs become overgrown. The code is split into a background worker, popup UI, and content script handling the SVG overlays and neglect timer.
HN Discussion:
  • •Minimalists prefer few tabs and suggest alternative bookmark tools instead
  • ↑Extension provides useful visual indicator of tab age, with suggested improvements
  • ↑Heavy tab hoarders find the concept appealing for managing hundreds/thousands of tabs
  • ↑Requests for additional features like blocking tab closure when overgrown
  • •Points to related prior work with aging/wear visual metaphors