Welcome to the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight, curated by HackerNoon’s editors to showcase noteworthy tech solutions to real-world problems. Whether you’re a solopreneur, part of an early-stage startup, or a developer building something that truly matters, the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is your chance to test your product’s utility, get featured on HackerNoon, and compete for $150k+ in prizes. Submit your project to get started! Welcome to the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight, curated by HackerNoon’s editors to showcase noteworthy tech solutions to real-world problems. Whether you’re a solopreneur, part of an early-stage startup, or a developer building something that truly matters, the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is your chance to test your product’s utility, get featured on HackerNoon, and compete for $150k+ in prizes. Submit your project to get started! Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight Proof of Usefulness Hackathon Proof of Usefulness Hackathon $150k+ Submit your project to get started Submit your project to get started In this interview, we talk with Jean-Philippe Ulpiano, the creator of Firefox Managed Session Controller, an open-source technical solution designed to help parents manage internet access on Ubuntu systems. With a focus on digital wellness, this project aims to protect children from unrestricted internet exposure while allowing them to leverage technology for work and learning. Firefox Managed Session Controller What does Firefox Managed Session Controller do? And why is now the time for it to exist? Giving children unrestricted access to the internet isn’t freedom—it’s exposure. https://dev.to/jeanphilippe_ulpiano_46b/your-child-is-still-awake-raising-kids-in-a-world-of-screens-and-ai-1kk7 https://dev.to/jeanphilippe_ulpiano_46b/your-child-is-still-awake-raising-kids-in-a-world-of-screens-and-ai-1kk7 Now’s a good time for Firefox Managed Session Controller to exist because navigating the digital landscape with children requires granular control to ensure their safety without hindering their technological literacy. What is your traction to date? How many people does Firefox Managed Session Controller reach? Parents all over the world Who does your Firefox Managed Session Controller serve? What’s exciting about your users and customers? Children gain enormous value, most interested cutomers will be digital wellness parents ( They focus on the pursuit of an intentional and healthy relationship with technology: They view screen time through the lens of its impact on physical health and emotional well-being.) What technologies were used in the making of Firefox Managed Session Controller? And why did you choose ones most essential to your techstack? The project is built using a combination of Node.js, Linux Services, and PostgreSQL. These technologies were selected to ensure deep system integration with Ubuntu via Linux Services, while Node and PostgreSQL handle the application logic and data management necessary for reliable session control. What is traction to date for Firefox Managed Session Controller? Around the web, who’s been noticing? As the project is currently in its early stages, significant public traction has not yet been established. The focus remains on development and refining the utility for its niche user base of technical parents. Firefox Managed Session Controller scored a 36 proof of usefulness score (https://proofofusefulness.com/report/firefox-managed-session-controller) https://proofofusefulness.com/report/firefox-managed-session-controller What excites you about this Firefox Managed Session Controller's potential usefulness? Making an impact to reduce the identified and documented risks targetting future adults all by allowing them to work leveraging technology. Meet our sponsors Meet our sponsors Meet our sponsors Bright Data: Bright Data is the leading web data infrastructure company, empowering over 20,000 organizations with ethical, scalable access to real-time public web information. From startups to industry leaders, we deliver the datasets that fuel AI innovation and real-world impact. Ready to unlock the web? Learn more at brightdata.com. Bright Data: Bright Data is the leading web data infrastructure company, empowering over 20,000 organizations with ethical, scalable access to real-time public web information. From startups to industry leaders, we deliver the datasets that fuel AI innovation and real-world impact. Ready to unlock the web? Learn more at brightdata.com. Bright Data: brightdata.com Neo4j: GraphRAG combines retrieval-augmented generation with graph-native context, allowing LLMs to reason over structured relationships instead of just documents. With Neo4j, you can build GraphRAG pipelines that connect your data and surface clearer insights. Learn more. Neo4j: GraphRAG combines retrieval-augmented generation with graph-native context, allowing LLMs to reason over structured relationships instead of just documents. With Neo4j, you can build GraphRAG pipelines that connect your data and surface clearer insights. Learn more. Neo4j: more Storyblok: Storyblok is a headless CMS built for developers who want clean architecture and full control. Structure your content once, connect it anywhere, and keep your front end truly independent. API-first. AI-ready. Framework-agnostic. Future-proof. Start for free. Storyblok: Storyblok is a headless CMS built for developers who want clean architecture and full control. Structure your content once, connect it anywhere, and keep your front end truly independent. API-first. AI-ready. Framework-agnostic. Future-proof. Start for free. Storyblok: Start for free Algolia: Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents. Learn more. Algolia: Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents. Learn more. Algolia: Learn more

Between Two Computer Monitors: This story includes an interview between the writer and guest/interviewee. 

Firefox Managed Session Controller Earns a 36 Proof of Usefulness Score by Building an Open-Source Digital Wellness Tool

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