Kittens vs the Daily Mail
September 28th, 2010
This is what the Daily Mail website now looks like on my computer. Let me explain.
It's hard to avoid the Daily Mail. Even if you'd never choose to buy a copy, links to its website are everywhere (except this post, obviously). Some are easy to spot and avoid, but when one is obfuscated by link shortening services – particularly common on Twitter, for obvious reasons – it's all to easy to visit Mail Online unintentionally. And this is bad for two reasons: it'll make you very angry or upset*, and it helps to bolster the newspaper's website stats and online advert impressions.
My solution involves kittens. All the best solutions do.
Kitten Block is a Firefox extension that blocks the Daily Mail and Daily Express websites. And nothing else. There are no configuration settings, options or adjustable blacklists and no override option, so once installed it looks rather like this:
If you click on a link – shortened, full or whatever – to either site the extension intercepts it and redirects you to a special page on www.teaandkittens.co.uk, as pictured above. The extension can of course be disabled or removed. It's free, obviously – the code that makes it tick is mostly cobbled together from snippets on the Mozilla Developer Hub site, so I take no real credit – and anyone's welcome to edit, reuse or improve it.
Kitten Block has been tested on Firefox 3.6 under Windows, but use it at your own risk – please let me know if you spot any bugs, problems etc. You can get it from the Mozilla Addons site, here.
UPDATE: Kitten Block version 1.1 is now up on the Mozilla Addons site. It includes support for Firefox 4 Beta (up to 4.0b7), optimised code (shorter, smarter, redesigned to prevent incompatibility with other addons) and – very excitingly – a new kitten icon.
UPDATE 2: Now also available for Chrome!
* Or both, obviously.
20 Responses to “Kittens vs the Daily Mail”
September 30th, 2010 at 19:45
[...] compulsive habit. The only excuse I can muster is attempting to know thine enemy. Browser apps like this one from TomRoyal.com – where when activated, any Daily Mail website link will be automatically redirected to pictures of [...]
October 2nd, 2010 at 18:37
What could be better! My kittens certainly approve!
October 3rd, 2010 at 10:12
Thanks :)
October 4th, 2010 at 09:09
Any chance this extension could be ported to Chrome? It'd save me a lot of ire.
October 4th, 2010 at 10:08
David – I'll take a look. I think Chrome extensions are essentially Javascript, so it should be possible.
October 11th, 2010 at 13:37
very nice. I run a site with similar intentions (reduce their hits/ad revenue) but you can still view their articles. Mind if I cannibalise your extension to run mailonline links through my proxy?
http://istyosty.com
October 11th, 2010 at 14:05
Hello – a colleague pointed out your site just the other day as it happens. And sure, if you want to adapt the code into something similar for your proxy, go for it – should be a very simple change.
October 11th, 2010 at 14:15
Thank you very much, I'll stick a credit to your original extension on my site also.
October 17th, 2010 at 04:38
[...] the Daily Mail: Kittens vs the Daily Mail. A useful plug-in. Can we have a more general [...]
March 20th, 2011 at 12:36
[...] If you'd like to do the same, and use Firefox, you'll find a good start is Tom Royal's excellent Kitten Block plug-in. [...]
April 23rd, 2011 at 19:52
I just love tea and kittens so much. Not having any kittens of my own, I took a photo of my lovely cup of tea in the hope of sharing it with other happy tea and kittens fans. I would make me happy if you added to your site, consider it a controbution of support. I do hope you like it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62041900@N05/5646351837/
June 15th, 2011 at 12:11
Hey Tom, I've installed the Firefox, Chrome and Safari kittenator. My computer is safe now, but the iOS devices aren't, is there a way to install Kitten Block on Mobile Safari? I hope Apple aren't being bums about it. Has anyone created it yet?
June 15th, 2011 at 18:56
Hi Aleix
I'm afraid Apple doesn't allow plugins for mobile Safari :( I think the Firefox version might work on Mobile Firefox for Android, but there's no way to install the blocker for iOS. Sorry!
Tom
August 17th, 2011 at 14:14
[...] can Sharkify the page and make Sharks appear all over it. Or even (as Istyosty says) use Kitten Block which prevents you even reaching the Mail Online in the first place – when you click on a [...]
November 12th, 2011 at 16:01
[...] on one copy: "Does this girl's tragic story mean the return of CJD?" (if you have KittenBlock you might need to disable it to read the [...]
December 10th, 2011 at 23:16
any chance of an Opera port?
March 9th, 2012 at 14:25
I'm using this addon for Chrome, and I love it so much.
Tea & Kittens – 1
Daily Mail and Express – 0
:D
April 29th, 2012 at 13:14
It won't allow me to download the blocker for safari. Please help! :)
April 29th, 2012 at 22:07
Sorry, looks like the T&K blog is failing. Try here: http://teaandkittens.tumblr.com/post/4344292286/kitten-block-now-for-safari
Tom
August 19th, 2012 at 14:11
[...] to have been the take of the Telegraph (of whom we might expect no better) and the Daily Mail (of whom we might expect worse and who recorded Mrs Ochota's arrival with the headline, "'What's she got [...]
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