abibibo
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law
Even when I experimented with lsd (many years ago), precisely because of this shift I'd never really be able to remember or comprehend what I was getting into--let alone describe it--until I was in it. And when your in it, its seeing without the safety barriers your subconscious has erected. I've heard Buddhists monks relate: its like catching a glimpse of Nirvana without the spiritual work necessary to prepare you for it. Yes, seeing the awesome potential and absolute miracle of consciousness and life can be a truly ecstatic experience. But, being brought face-to-face with your failings and inadequacies before you're ready to see can be equally harrowing.
Towards the end, I was left to realize that although I kept showing up to class the lessons were over. The experience was no longer pleasurable, just disorienting. For most, it eventually becomes obvious that what you're experiencing is only a tired picture and that there is real work still to be done.
I think far more effective than a complete blackout would be requiring HNers contact their representatives before they can access HN content. Not sure how best to implement, but a email form that grants a token upon completion should be feasible (you'd need to decide how to handle non-US based IPs).
I have my doubts regarding the effectiveness of form emails on congresspeople, but I imagine those HNers who were going to call or write a more personal letter still will, with the added benefit of massive form emails from those less motivated to do so otherwise.
edit: grammar
When I played with a unit a friend had, at 200 yards the beam was already ~3' in diameter--so it's not exactly a tiny dot your trying to aim. In addition, you can see the beam as it travels through air, making it much easier to align if you were trying to aim it at something distant.
Edit: For a decent video of these handheld units in action, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAeF_bTF9CM. Units can be acquired relatively cheaply now (sub $100) which probably explains why this is an increasing trend.
Also, become comfortable with silence. Standing front-and-center in a crowded room and staying quiet for even a couple moments can be terrifying at first--much more difficult than actually speaking in public. As a result, many inexperienced speakers end up rushing through their entire speeches, reciting word for word what they practiced without emotion or even an awareness of what they are saying, too afraid of silence to stop for even a moment.
In reality, such pauses do wonders in not only breaking up the cadence of your speech to grab the audiences attention, but also allowing you the opportunity to collect your thoughts and contemplate what points you want to make on your next topic or what points you need to add before moving on. Try forcing yourself to pause for a couple seconds as you put up each new slide.
Although I usually like to have the first few sentences of a speech planned out verbatim to get the ball rolling smoothly, I still make a point of just standing quietly for about 10 seconds after the introduction. It's enough to get me comfortable with the feeling of silence so that I'll be able to pause and collect my thoughts later on, and just long enough to make the audience curious and attentive--ideally causing everyone to look up and be alert as your start into your speech.