At a startup camp weekend, I've made this (incredibly sketchy, amateurish) app (NSFW) which implements classical conditioning to create a negative response to candy, smoking, or meat.
After using it intensively for about a day while writing it, I certainly feel disgusted at the sight of candy or chocolate. There's a little bit of evidence that something like this could actually have an effect on people: I'm reminded of the penny jar fetish experiment and this chapter on "curing" homosexuality.
I post this here for two reasons: to get advice on how to improve the app, and to get your opinions on whether this type of program might actually be useful. I'm reminded a bit of Anki, how the science led to the effective app. In this case, I'm not sure if it will turn out to be actually useful: in the experiments which have shown an effect from aversion type stimulus like this, the unpleasant image has been causally connected to the stimulus we're conditioning against, eg unhealthy food and diseased tissue.
Go easy on the web design, I'm just an amateur. :)
Thanks
EDIT: Yeah, it should be marked NSFW. Sorry.
What does the strikeout mean in this context?
Anyway, lots of reasons. Advertises and commits to certain behaviors (re:karma). Slightly odd behavior is useful for gauging social norms (slight perturbation of the system); best by newcomers. Weakly plays with identity (e.g., I am easy to impersonate). Weakly advertises my interests (frivolous). Weakly expresses benign intent for playful behavior (i.e., the names can clearly be linked so not trying to conceal myself; if that ever happens it would be not the reason for my doing it). May let me remain an apparent newcomer longer. Establishes pattern which can be repurposed. Other stuff. Of course, mainly because it's super easy.
It means this is the first time I've tried to delete a comment ever since the retraction system came in. I asked and then thought better of it as soon as I hit the 'post' button. Anyway, my main concern was the potential for mass voting shenanigans, although as you point out, there's nothing stopping anyone else from creating their own collection of accounts.