4019 replies to this topic

[lostfalco]

Welcome back G

Thanks mettmett! Good to hear from you again. Seems like 2013 was only yesterday. ha

 

Hope you've been doing well!

[lostfalco]

Here is an excellent free full text article explaining that:

1) Long Term Memory formation is the primary cause of expertise/understanding.

2) There are two different sources of input into working memory: a) input from the outside (environmental input), b) input from the inside (your long term memory sends input into your working memory).

3) Working memory has limited capacity for environmental inputs AND almost unlimited capacity for Long Term Memory inputs.

 

Key Takeaway: Build a massive long term memory base and practice sending those long term memories into working memory. This is the essence of expertise. 

 

Key Example: Chess experts

 

https://link.springe...648-019-09465-5

 

There are a thousand other gems in this paper and I would suggest digesting the whole thing in order to begin to understand the theory behind Spaced Generation Learning. I'll start making YouTube vids soon because I really need to explain this verbally and pictorially. Written words are pretty feeble. This article is a great place to start though. I hope it improves your lives. Enjoy!

Edited by lostfalco, 03 September 2022 - 09:52 PM.

[Q did it!]

Hey LostFalco! Long time no see! My life since 2015 up till these last few months have been un upward climb trying to regain lost congestive function from my first few episodes of bipolar type 1. Plus the hospital mistakenly sent me home with a shot of Haldol and a script of the largest pill as well. Ended back in the ER a few days later and my heart stopped shortly after arriving. It was an overdose/allergic reaction. The bipolar was brought on from a stressful relationship that pulled me away from my skills and talents as well as biohacking, 2 years leading to this.

Anxiety ruled my life and decisions! A mixture of the bipolar and Autism anxiety broke me. The darkest my minds ever been. I had prior to all this and absence from longecity, been very successful and things came with ease from a young age. It’s been my aim to get it all back and I am close to having back what I lost at 20 years of age. I think TULIP could help me get my game back.

I initially got into biohacking wanting to live a longer life maybe long enough to see aging cured aging and a killer memory. Too see what the industry and leading voices like Dave Aspery advocating and bring light to all this is awesome!!

A year ago I stared testosterone and it’s seems to have done more the anything to end my anxiety rounded out with a few meds and supplements! The last 3 months zero anxiety unless I over stress or miss a medication window. Even then it’s nothing compared to what it was for years.



DAILY REGIMEN

TULIP
Tendlite 850 and 660nm (ordering soon)
5G daily of Dr Best Calamari oil 500mg DHA 50mg EPA (ordering soon)
20mg PPQ (anyone tried bulletproof unfair advantage?) (Best brand anyone?)
100mg Uridine (ordering soon)
D3 & K2 Magnesium truramic/black pepper Adam Multi (just nutritional things here)
200mg Phenylpiracetam ( I have name brand modafinal but prefer this)
800mg Aniracetam twice daily
10mg Colouracetam twice weekly
180mg Latuda (only way I can sleep and small doses during waking hours helps my appetite!)
2.4g Gabapentin 800mg 3x daily (helps the weird anxiety uncomfortable feeling like something is wrong)
60mg Armour Thyroid (I want to fix this issue so I no longer need it!)
Testosterone twice daily as cream.

I have other nootropics in my possession but these are the ones u use regularly that help the most.


DANGER COFFEE

Fresh ground Danger coffee
2tps grass fed butter
1tbs MCT oil Bulletproof brand
17g Collogen+ from MindBodyGreen.com Dave promotes this brand so..!


Has anyone seen the new Tendlite Pro? It does both 660nm and 850nm! I still like the LED boards for coverage.

Falco what’s your regime now? As well as tech u use now to achieve your state of high performance?
What did u settle on for the ultimate TULIP stack? Best tech and supplements combos for it? There is still so much in the old thread I have not reread yet.

[lostfalco]

Hey LostFalco! Long time no see! My life since 2015 up till these last few months have been un upward climb trying to regain lost congestive function from my first few episodes of bipolar type 1. Plus the hospital mistakenly sent me home with a shot of Haldol and a script of the largest pill as well. Ended back in the ER a few days later and my heart stopped shortly after arriving. It was an overdose/allergic reaction. The bipolar was brought on from a stressful relationship that pulled me away from my skills and talents as well as biohacking, 2 years leading to this.

A year ago I stared testosterone and it’s seems to have done more the anything to end my anxiety rounded out with a few meds and supplements! The last 3 months zero anxiety unless I over stress or miss a medication window. Even then it’s nothing compared to what it was for years.

Hey Q, I'm sorry to hear about everything you've been through but I'm so glad to hear that things have been turning around lately. Keep pressing on my friend. Small incremental daily improvements are what it's all about. I hope TULIP helps you out! I can still remember watching your YouTube vids a few years back. 

 

 

Has anyone seen the new Tendlite Pro? It does both 660nm and 850nm! I still like the LED boards for coverage.

Falco what’s your regime now? As well as tech u use now to achieve your state of high performance?
What did u settle on for the ultimate TULIP stack? Best tech and supplements combos for it? There is still so much in the old thread I have not reread yet.

I have not seen the new Tendlite Pro. I'll have to check it out. I really liked the pulsing feature on the original. Hopefully they kept it with the new 850nm wavelength. 

 

As for my regimen for the past 5 years, I've primarily focused on the Big 5: Diet, Exercise, Sleep, Fasting, and Meditation (the data on standing is pretty mixed these days...hence, no big six). I've pretty much relegated supplements to truly supplementary status (ie. to cover dietary deficiencies that are hard to remedy with food) and fairly occasional/situational use when needed (ie. modafinil if I haven't slept and I 'have' to stay awake). 

 

My biggest gains have come from learning how to learn and applying that "how-to" to multiple, fundamental areas of human knowledge. In fact, if someone doesn't know how to learn, how will they know if a new supplement is actually enhancing the learning process? You have to learn that process first in order to know if you're improving it with various substances. 

 

That's where I'm focused these days. Don't worry, I still try some crazy sh*t sometimes (I swear that MDMA + Trenbolone stack massively enhanced synaptogenesis for me! /s (sort of)) but before heading down some insane rabbit holes I recommend mastering the fundamentals of Spaced Generation Learning:

1) The 20/10 Method: Study 20min, rest 10min, study 20min, rest 10min, study 20min. (10/2 or 10/5 works well too; working memory gets depleted, rest restores it) See The Lag Effect https://thedecisionl...ases/lag-effect and Working Memory Resource Depletion https://core.ac.uk/d...f/293753316.pdf  The 20/10 Method https://www.lostfalc...he-2010-method/

2) The Generation Effect/Retrieval Practice: 'generate' answers and DO NOT re-read unless necessary. (create flashcards during the 20/10 segment and begin generating answers as quickly as possible) https://en.wikipedia...neration_effect

3) Spaced Repetition: practice generating answers on a spaced repetition schedule. (I use Anki; SuperMemo is good too) See Spaced Repetition https://en.wikipedia...aced_repetition    Anki https://apps.ankiweb.net/

4) Generate Reference Frames: answer flashcards by physically drawing reference frames by hand with the answer embedded within the frame while speaking your thought processes out loud. This is the part I need to explain more fully using videos. Coming soon. 

5) Massive Interleaving: Discover connections between all of your reference frames and weave them into one massive mental model. I've co-opted the principle of interleaving from the learning and memory literature and made my own use of it. Here it is in it's actual form: https://www.scientif...oosts-learning/  

 

Anyway, those very simple steps (in addition to MANY others related to learning/memory) are the foundation of my high performance. The most important step imo is drawing flashcard answers instead of just thinking them silently OR answering with just words OR flipping the card over before answering, etc. (don't cheat!). I've had huge results just from that. If you 'draw your answers out loud on a spaced repetition schedule', then your results will explode. That will give you an advantage over just about every other person out there because almost no one does this in combination. 

 

I hope that helps you Q! I'm so happy to hear about your recent growth and I look forward to watching it continue indefinitely into the future. 

Edited by lostfalco, 07 September 2022 - 04:58 AM.

[APBT]

I believe this Andrew Huberman podcast is relevant.  

Focus Toolkit: Tools to Improve Your Focus & Concentration | Huberman Lab Podcast #88

 

[lostfalco]

Hey APBT, thanks for the vid! I've enjoyed Huberman's work over the years and I would test the focus tools he listed above to determine whether they help me do the following:

 

1. Break the information I am learning into small elements to account for the limited capacity of working memory (4 + or -1 items) and the limited duration of working memory (15 to 30 seconds)

2. Create flashcards of those elements (elemental flashcards) that I can generate answers to on a space repetition schedule in order to encode those elements into long term memory. 

3. Organize or consolidate those encoded long term memory elements into ordered groups of elements called reference frames or schema.

4. Continue reviewing flashcards and now answer them by generating my previously built schema each time using hand drawings and and speaking out loud (ie. 'drawing out loud on a spaced repetition schedule'). 

5. Generate schema enough times so that they automatically generate themselves when presented with a flashcard question (schema automation) and begin embedding schema within schema (schema embedding) and linking schema to other schema (schema linking).

6. Send entire embedded schema + linked schema (schema constellations) from long term memory into working memory so that one of the 4 slots of working memory is now filled by an entire schema constellation (working memory expansion). 

7. Use schema constellations to predict new element input from the environment and compare the new element input to the existing schema constellation to determine whether the element should be added to the constellation (schema updating) or ignored.

8. Continue this prediction and updating process indefinitely and incrementally update my schema and schema constellations as new data elements are assessed. 

 

Anyway, that's a quick outline of Spaced Generation Learning and how it takes advantage of Human Cognitive Architecture to enhance the learning process. I would measure any supplement or device as to whether it enhances or inhibits that entire process. 

 

Here's another fantastic article by Sweller explaining from an evolutionary perspective why we have a small capacity, short duration working memory and a large capacity, long duration long term memory. It can reasonably be argued that this cognitive architecture is a large part of what makes us uniquely human. Truly amazing stuff. 

 

https://www.pafec.or...rchitecture.pdf

Edited by lostfalco, 13 September 2022 - 01:50 PM.

[Q did it!]

Hey Lostfalco! You might like this https://qdidit.blogs.../tulip.html?m=1
Its an old blog I started right after my first episode when my brain still worked well. Getting it all back slowly with biohacking! I am considering comping back to the scene on YouTube and maybe this blog?!
You should deff make content for what u have developed! What would u recommend as the best Laser/LED boards for tulip? I got the tendlight pro in mind? Maybe a 850 board to go with it. Any 808nm devices u would recommend? Seeing thats more common in studies. Just that infared tech took off these last few years so I bet there is tech that I am not aware of

[Adaptogen]

What would u recommend as the best Laser/LED boards for tulip? I got the tendlight pro in mind? Maybe a 850 board to go with it. Any 808nm devices u would recommend? Seeing thats more common in studies. Just that infared tech took off these last few years so I bet there is tech that I am not aware of

 

https://www.alibaba....0458716798.html

This is the best red light therapy cap I've seen (that doesn't cost $1,000+). GembaRed did some testing of it on his youtube channel, and recorded very high irradiance. IMO it's a much better choice than a tendlite or handheld device for irradiating the brain.

[lostfalco]

Hey Lostfalco! You might like this https://qdidit.blogs.../tulip.html?m=1
Its an old blog I started right after my first episode when my brain still worked well. Getting it all back slowly with biohacking! I am considering comping back to the scene on YouTube and maybe this blog?!
You should deff make content for what u have developed! What would u recommend as the best Laser/LED boards for tulip? I got the tendlight pro in mind? Maybe a 850 board to go with it. Any 808nm devices u would recommend? Seeing thats more common in studies. Just that infared tech took off these last few years so I bet there is tech that I am not aware of

Thanks Q. I'll check out your blog. 

 

Here are my recommendations for TULIP. The data hasn't changed much on LLLT in the past few years so my recommendations should still be fairly accurate. http://www.lostfalco...-laser-therapy/

 

Tendlite pro looks like it could be worth a try. 

 

The 808nm device I used was called the Vetrolaser. https://shop.vetrola...e-987654321.htm

 

I'd recommend using the LED arrays because they are much cheaper and they are easier to lightly press into the skin so that you can get more photons into neuronal mitochondria. I'd start there before spending money on the Vetrolaser. My results were actually better with the arrays but everyone is different!

[lostfalco]

https://www.alibaba....0458716798.html

This is the best red light therapy cap I've seen (that doesn't cost $1,000+). GembaRed did some testing of it on his youtube channel, and recorded very high irradiance. IMO it's a much better choice than a tendlite or handheld device for irradiating the brain.

Hey Adaptogen, thanks for the link!

 

That hat should give nice coverage of the prefrontal cortex. My only reservations would be getting past hair (especially thick, dark hair) for those of us who have it and also the inability (as far as I can tell) to press the treatment head into the skin to enhance penetration. 

 

The first video on this page explains the importance of pressing down during LLLT treatment. http://www.lostfalco...-laser-therapy/

 

The hat could still work great though. Just depends on someone's goals. 

[Dallasboy]

Hi Lostfalco,

 

Good to see you back.  I have been interested in and applying some of the techniques you have described and want to ask some questions.  Fro context, I use Anki and try to use the "type in the answer" questions as much as possible.  There is more of a connection in having to type out your answer than just flipping the card around while saying the answer in your head.  Would you consider that similar to using a pencil to write out your answers?

 

On the 20/10 study/rest method, how are you grouping 1. Epochs and breaks.  So say, you do 4 20/10 sessions for a total of two hours, then a bigger break?  Then, I agree that changing the subjects each round is helpful, but again it depends on what exactly you are trying to learn.

 

For example, say I am learning Python and I want to learn about 1. objects 2. arrays and 3. functions.  Do you stay on the same overall all topic and rotate minor-topics?  

 

Topic - Python

20/10 - objects

20/10 - arrays

20/10 - functions

 

OR, say you have another subject you are learning that is either a different computer language or a whole different topic:

 

Topic - Any OOS language

20/10 - Python(objects)

20/10 - C#(strings)

20/10 - etc.....

 

OR

 

Topic - Anything

20/10 - Python(objects)

20/10 - Medicines(agonists)

20/10 - etc...

 

I have been trying to implement a 45/15 block, 6x a day.  So a total of 6 hours of an epoch, with 4.5 hours of active study and 1.5 hours of breaks.  I have 3 different topics each day, and prioritize them 3,2,1 - with 3 being the most important to me and thus I want to do that block 3 times.  So the structure looks like this:

 

45/15 - Topic 3

45/15 - Topic 2

45/15 - Topic 1

 

** BIG BREAK **

 

45/15 - Topic 3

45/15 - Topic 2

45/15 - Topic 3

 

It's hard to do, but I also believe that I am doing too long of a study session because of the "working memory" only has so much time.  

 

Just wanted to get your thoughts on how you structure your topics and schedules on an "ideal" day.

 

Cheers!

 

[lostfalco]

Thanks Dallasboy! It's good to be back. I'm grateful the past five years have given me some cool stuff to share with everyone. 

 

 Fro context, I use Anki and try to use the "type in the answer" questions as much as possible.  There is more of a connection in having to type out your answer than just flipping the card around while saying the answer in your head.  Would you consider that similar to using a pencil to write out your answers?

In my opinion, there is a qualitative difference between 'drawing your answers while speaking them out loud' compared to simply answering them in your head. 

 

Here's why:

1) Drawing AND speaking out loud involve massive output from the motor cortex to the hands and lips/tongue (see the sensory-motor homunculus below). Getting multiple, unique brain regions involved in the encoding and retrieval processes enhances memory (prefrontal cortex + hippocampus + motor cortex + somatosensory cortex + cerebellum IS GREATER THAN just prefrontal cortex + hippocampus). 

 

 Screen Shot 2022-09-20 at 6.29.10 PM.png   346.67KB   1 downloads

 

Here's another pic showing the relative amount of cortex devoted to each bodily region for the sensory cortex and the motor cortex.

 

 Screen Shot 2022-09-20 at 6.33.40 PM.png   235.48KB   1 downloads

 

Fun Fact: The legendary cognitive neuropsychology patient, H.M. (Henry Molaison), who had his hippocampus removed at age 27 and couldn't form new declarative memories (the movie 'Memento' was based partially on him) could actually form new procedural memories even though he had no memory of how he learned them. This shows that different regions of the brain encode memories differently (ie. declarative memories are encoded and stored in the brain differently than procedural memories). Therefore, we should encode memories using multiple modalities so that they get stored in different parts of the brain and thereby make the memory stronger AND more resistant to loss.  https://en.wikipedia.../Henry_Molaison

 

Fun Fact 2: The cerebellum has 69 billion out of a total of 86 billion neurons in the brain. That's 80%! The cerebellum is primarily associated with movement. We were built to move! Therefore, take advantage of movement (hand drawing, speaking) to explode your learning. https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC2776484/

 

2) Drawing AND speaking out loud send input from the hand and mouth/tongue/lips back to the sensory cortex. The input to the sensory cortex comes from mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors in the hands and mouth/tongue/lips. Additionally, you get input into the photoreceptors in your retina (because you see the picture you are drawing) AND you get auditory input that stimulates the mechanoreceptors in your inner ear (because you are speaking out loud). Multi-modal input gives you a huge number of cues from a variety of receptors that activate a variety of brain regions which enhances recall. Here's a simple sketch I drew to model these ideas. 

 

 Screen Shot 2022-09-20 at 6.25.45 PM.png   374.39KB   4 downloads

 

The "I" at the bottom right hand corner is for input and is the element of data that you want to learn. The big circle is your brain and is divided into two major sections: 1) "WM" = working memory and 2) "LTM" = long term memory. The element gets passed into working memory ("WM") which has 4 + or - 1 spots (modeled as 4 vertical boxes) and is encoded ("E") into long term memory ("LTM") in an individual, disordered state (the disconnected boxes at the bottom of the LTM segment). Once in LTM, you consolidate ("C") that element with other disjointed elements to create an ordered schema (the four horizontal ordered boxes). That entire schema can now be retrieved ("R") from LTM and sent into one of the four slots of WM. As previously discussed, schema building in LTM and schema retrieval from LTM into WM are the fundamental skills that differentiate experts from novices. Additionally, one of the primary purposes of the brain is to generate motor output ("O") which, in this case, will come in the form of speaking out loud (my 'amazing' sketch of a speaking mouth. lol) and drawing by hand (my da Vinci quality sketch of a hand). These outputs now act as auditory/mechanoreceptor feedback to the ear (my sketch of sound waves going into the ear) and photoreceptor input (my sketch of a photon entering the eye). Your own outputs become your own inputs and act as memory enhancing cues which massively enhance recall. Congratulations! You've created a memory strengthening virtuous feedback loop. 

 

I've now explained the fundamentals (there is A LOT more) of Spaced Generation Learning by using Spaced Generation Learning. How much more 'meta' can I get! ha For example, if I had a flashcard that said, "What is working memory?" then I would quickly sketch the model I drew above while answering that, "Working memory is a limited duration AND limited capacity store for environmental element input and long term memory schema input that holds 4 + or - 1 items for approximately 15-30 seconds before encoding individual elements into long term memory." I would add this flashcard to Anki and quickly draw the reference frame/schema above by hand on paper each time the card came up on a spaced repetition schedule. After enough drawing/speaking repetitions on a spaced repetition schedule, the entire reference frame above feels almost like it starts generating itself with no conscious effort on my part. Previously unforeseen connections and related ideas start flowing quickly and effortlessly. Simple, elegant, and VERY effective.

 

Basically, I am using icons (I try to keep words to a bare minimum) to represent real world objects as elements and as sets (set theory). I'm using the idea of functions (input, processor, output...thanks Alonzo Church!) and directed graphs (from graph theory) to show the relationships between those elements and how data moves as it passes from one structure to the next. Behind the scenes, I'm actually using propositional logic (IF-THEN, AND, OR, NOT) as my foundation but that would take us a little too far afield to go into today. Essentially, I'm modeling the brain using Discrete Mathematics. This is VERY basic so far and it gets WAY crazier (and more powerful!) when you start embedding schema within schema and connecting various schemas together and adding additional interactions between multiple brains where the output of one brain becomes the input to another brain...but this is a nice start. 

 

Since we have Human Cognitive Architecture laid out, lets move on to spaced repetition using flashcards...

 

3) Now that you've encoded your element into LTM, you want to add it to an Anki flashcard. https://apps.ankiweb.net/  Keep the flashcard to one simple question and answer and when presented with your flashcard (your initial cue) you want to make a quick sketch of your schema by hand while speaking your reasoning out loud and locate your answer within the schema. This is pretty difficult to do in your head at first but can be done quickly and almost automatically after you draw your schema so many times that your brain reflexively generates your schema when presented with the front of the flashcard (schema automation). 

 

This post has gotten a little long so I'll stop there and answer your other questions in the near future. I hope that gives you a general outline of my recommendations and the reasons behind them...and I hope it helps you learn what you've always wanted to learn!

Edited by lostfalco, 22 September 2022 - 05:26 PM.

[lostfalco]

On the 20/10 study/rest method, how are you grouping 1. Epochs and breaks.  So say, you do 4 20/10 sessions for a total of two hours, then a bigger break?  Then, I agree that changing the subjects each round is helpful, but again it depends on what exactly you are trying to learn.

 

For example, say I am learning Python and I want to learn about 1. objects 2. arrays and 3. functions.  Do you stay on the same overall all topic and rotate minor-topics?  

Good questions Dallasboy! I'll do my best to clarify. 

 

1. Yes, I would take a bit of a longer break after an entire set of three 20/10 sessions are complete. https://www.lostfalc...he-2010-method/

 

So, instead of making the last break 10 minutes you could make it 20 to 30 min. This is reminiscent of what the Pomodoro technique recommends. https://todoist.com/...odoro-technique   

 

Of course, I think there is some flexibility here to experiment and see what works best for you. 

 

On a side note, I'm a busy person so I really only take 2 to 5 minutes in between 20 minute work sessions these days.

 

So, it's more like 20-5-20-5-20-20.

 

The main goal is to work as long and as hard as I can while giving myself enough rest to recover from working memory resource depletion.

 

This paper discusses working memory resource depletion and the spacing effect:  https://repository.l...es/22174848.pdf

 

2. As far as the subject matter goes, each 20 minute study session in the set of three should be about the same topic/subject matter.

 

So, if you're learning objects for Python then you would want to study objects for all three 20 minute study sessions.

 

This single subject approach allows for the lag effect, priming, genetic activation, etc.

 

The 'massive interleaving' I was referring to is for "post-day-one" study when you are reviewing flashcards you've already created from multiple subjects at the same time. 

 

By contrast, the 20/10 Method is primarily for day one acquisition with the following goals:

1) Get the elements of your subject matter into your LTM,

2) Build a schema that organizes those those elements and

3) Create elemental flashcards for future study.

 

Side note: If things are a little fuzzy on day one of studying, that's ok. On day one, try to determine what the elements of your subject are, discover what the relationships are between those elements, draw a schema that illustrates the relationship between those elements, and create elemental flashcards for review. Then, sleep on it and come back and review your flashcards the next day and attempt refine your schema. I can't tell you how many times a subject seemed fuzzy on day one and then 'magically' seemed clear and obvious on day two after I had slept. I simply cannot overstate how amazing a good night's sleep is for your brain! Sleep also gives your subconscious a chance to organize the material...and your subconscious is way smarter than you are!

 

I hope that clears things up a little. Let me know if you have any additional questions!

Edited by lostfalco, 24 September 2022 - 01:01 PM.

[Groundhog Day]

https://www.alibaba....0458716798.html

This is the best red light therapy cap I've seen (that doesn't cost $1,000+). GembaRed did some testing of it on his youtube channel, and recorded very high irradiance. IMO it's a much better choice than a tendlite or handheld device for irradiating the brain.

 

 

this is geared for hair loss but still works good for the brain? 

[lostfalco]

this is geared for hair loss but still works good for the brain? 

 

Hey Groundhog Day, yeah it could still work for the brain.

 

I've discussed LLLT dosing in pretty great depth here. https://www.lostfalc...therapy-dosing/

 

The main parameters are wavelength (808nm, 825nm, 850nm, and 870nm are all good) and energy supplied to the brain using the following formula (allow myself to quote myself): 

"Energy (in Joules per cm2) = Power (in Watts per cm2) x time (in seconds).

 

It can be rewritten as E(J) = P(W) x t(s) or E(J/cm2) = P(W/cm2) x t(s).

 

In the Naeser studies they settled on:

 

E(J) = 13.3 Joules/cm2

P(W) = .0222 Watts/cm2

t(s) = 600 seconds"

 

Of course, the hat is going to work better in areas where hair is not blocking the photons but it could still work even if you have hair.  

 

This video does a great job of explaining some of the key parameters around lllt:

 

 

Here's a fairly recent (2020) video of Harvard Medical School professor Mike Hamblin discussing human studies of photobiomodulation for brain disorders. 

 

 

I hope that helps!

Edited by lostfalco, 24 September 2022 - 01:38 PM.

[Sikorsky]

Hi lostfalco, 

 

I just wanted to thank you for all the suffering you have eliminated with sharing your knowledge.

 

Do you have any plans on posting all the useful new information you have accumulated during these past years when you haven't been active?

 

Best wishes.

 

[lostfalco]

Hi lostfalco, 

 

I just wanted to thank you for all the suffering you have eliminated with sharing your knowledge.

 

Do you have any plans on posting all the useful new information you have accumulated during these past years when you haven't been active?

 

Best wishes.

Hey Sikorsky, no problem! Thankfully, I don't view my experiments as too intensely painful. ha I'm just a really curious person who likes to test what is possible in life. Occasionally, I come across some really powerful tools and I like to share those with people so they can benefit from my craziness. 

 

As far as posting all my useful information goes...absolutely! I'm currently getting my website cleaned up and trying out some different electronic drawing tools so I can make YouTube videos that explain things as clearly as I can. I'm going to start with how to learn first since that is fundamental to everything else. Then, I will apply those learning skills to multiple disciplines and hopefully build flashcard sets and reference frames for everyone so that they don't have to build frames themselves. Of course, learning how to learn is first so let's take a quick look at that...

 

The first thing I did was model the brain as an input(I)-processing(P)-output(O) device (a function) using a directed graph. (see below)

 Screen Shot 2022-09-26 at 6.03.56 PM.png   444.24KB   2 downloads

 

Then, I read a little more in the cognitive psychology literature and updated my model to include Working Memory (WM), Long Term Memory (LTM), and encoding (E) from WM to LTM, and retrieval ("R") from LTM to WM. 

 Screen Shot 2022-09-26 at 6.07.31 PM.png   514.35KB   1 downloads

 

After a little more research, I realized I could update my model further by adding four spots in working memory (modeled by the four vertical squares) as well as dividing LTM into an individualized disordered state (modeled by the disconnected squares) followed by an ordered schema state (modeled by the four horizontal squares) which can be sent in it's entirety into one of the four working memory slots. The importance of this cannot be overstated...the fact that we can order data in our long term memory and then send the entire ordered schema into our working memory is world changing! This is the essence of expertise and mastery.

 Screen Shot 2022-09-26 at 6.12.57 PM.png   479.46KB   1 downloads 

 

Once I figured those things out, I realized that the output (hand movements involved in drawing, spoken words, etc) could actually be fed back into the input which would then enter the processor again (see the arrow from "O" to "I").

 Screen Shot 2022-09-26 at 6.19.42 PM.png   443.28KB   1 downloads

 

This might seem absurdly obvious but it really opened my eyes to the fact that "I am watching myself"...ie. "I affect me." With this in mind, I realized that I could enhance my learning by building schema in a way that I could see and hear. This act of building would feed back into my brain and give me a huge number of diverse cues (motor, visual, auditory, etc.) when I was trying to recall something. I can't tell you how many times I have trouble remembering something, I grab a pencil and a piece of paper, and I say to myself, "Just start drawing." I start my sketch and suddenly, the entire schema comes flooding back into my mind and the specific fact that I want to remember just appears in my consciousness. It's pretty damn cool. 

 

All of this might seem extremely simple...and it is! However, that is the essence of its power. We can add a huge number of variables to this simple model to suit our purposes. Let me give you a couple of brief examples. 

 

Example #1: Someone asks you, "What is teaching?" Answer: teaching is the process of passing an expert's long term memory schema into the long term memory of a novice. I've modeled this process below.

 Screen Shot 2022-09-26 at 6.34.25 PM.png   336.43KB   1 downloads

 

The output from one person becomes the input ("O = I") to the working memory of another. The important thing to remember is the expert can have an entire schema in their working memory (since they can send it there from their long term memory). If they try to input the whole schema into the working memory of a novice, it will overload the novice's working memory and fail. The novice can only take in bits of data at a time. In order to become an "expert teacher", the expert must break down their schema into small enough bits to fit into the novice's working memory a few at a time. This will present the data in a way that the novice can process. Then, once the bits of data are in the novice's LTM, the expert can explain how to join the disconnected bits into an ordered schema. Being an 'expert' is different than being a 'teaching expert'!

 

The power in this is realizing that our goal in learning is to get the expert's schema into our long term memory. We need to ask the expert questions about what they view as the fundamental elements of their discipline, what are the relationships between those elements, and how they update or change their schema in light of new information. This opens up a whole new set of insightful questions to ask that can cut right to heart of what we are trying to achieve and massively accelerate our learning. 

 

We also need to remember that we are only going to be able to add an expert's schema to our long term memory a few small pieces at a time. Working memory is a bottleneck that only allows bits of outside data to be passed in at a time. We need to get those bits into long term memory so that we can begin to organize them into a proper framework.

 

Example #2: Someone asks you, "What are Stanford Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman's tools for increasing focus?" (see video below; Thanks APBT!) Answer: I haven't completely supplied the answer below but have shown you one way to model it. I added an arrow in the middle of the processor to indicate Huberman's arrow model with dopamine at the bottom (D), norepinephrine at the shaft (N), and acetylcholine (A) at the tip. Additionally, I have set the output (O) as equal to "Focus" since that is the output we are aiming for (I could also have put 'Focus for 90 minutes" to emphasize his desire to focus for 90 minute ultradian cycles). Huberman's video mainly focused on inputs and I've modeled those as photons to the photoreceptors of the eye, air pressure waves to the mechanoreceptors of the ear, chemicals to the chemoreceptors of the tongue/mouth, and thermoreceptor inputs to the body. I've also modeled a lack of inputs as "not-I" which is the minus sign next to the boxed I (-I). This shows a lack of inputs to those receptors.

 Screen Shot 2022-09-26 at 7.01.32 PM.png   589.5KB   1 downloads

 

So, for photonic input Huberman mentioned gaze training. We could set photonic input as equal to gaze training since it entails a change in photonic input. For sound wave input, he mentions 40Hz binaural beats and white noise/pink nose/brown noise. We can input those from that spot. For input to the mouth he mentions things like alpha gpc, omega 3 fatty acids, creatine, L-tyrosine, etc. We can put those there. For thermoreceptor input he mentions cold exposure so we can put that there.

 

For lack of inputs, he mentions sleep...which could be considered a lack of most photonic, sonic, and chemoreceptor input. So we can set sleep as equal to those. Also, I consider one of the goals of mediation to be to eliminate inputs from the outside world so that our non-perceptual brain networks take over internally. Therefore, we can model mediation as a lack of photonic and sonic input (we could include others). We could also include Huberman's mention of fasting as a lack of oral input of food. Again, I haven't included every single one of Huberman's tools but I think you can see how we could if we wanted to. We have a versatile overarching reference frame with which we can organize everything. This makes all of his tools way easier to remember since they are now categorized by our framework.

 

Anyway, that gives you an idea of what we can do just by expanding the input variable a little. We have a framework to hang new ideas upon so that our massively connected brains can use our 1,000 trillion synapses to form intricately interconnected webs. Ideas are not meant to be alone.

 

I hope that gives you a better understanding of my process so that you can apply it yourself. You can make flashcards out of the various elements listed above (input, working memory, encoding, schema, long term memory, retrieval, output, feedback, learning, etc.) and when you read the front of the flashcard you will want to draw by hand the reference frame illustrated above while speaking your logic out loud and locate the answer to your flashcard within the reference frame. I can't say this enough...repeated drawing of the reference frame is key!

 

When you do this repeatedly on a spaced repetition schedule, frame generation becomes automatic. When you build up enough automatic reference frames they start joining together in your mind and you see very clear connections that might have slipped past you before (For example, one obvious connection I recently made is that working memory to the brain functions very much like a selectively permeable membrane to a cell. Think about it. It's pretty damn cool!). Then, once you start seeing connections you can embed reference frames within reference frames and connect entire reference frames together in a way that is simply impossible to do otherwise. These entire structures can be sent into working memory from long term memory. It's been very eye opening to me how completely revolutionary and qualitatively different this is. I've given you an inkling above, but it becomes more and more powerful the more you use it.

 

 

Edited by lostfalco, 27 September 2022 - 04:34 PM.

[lostfalco]

After looking at the reference frames I sketched out in my last post you might be asking yourself, "Why does LF use icons and letters instead of full words in Spaced Generation Learning?" 

 

Well, I'm glad you asked! There is a VERY good reason that I try to model things as wordlessly as possible...it's because of "Feynman and the Bird".

 

Back in 1973, the legendary Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman was being interviewed about how he views the world and what had allowed him to make such transformative discoveries in science. 

 

He went on to share a story about when he was growing up and a kid asked him to state the name of a bird they had observed. When Feynman said he had no idea, the kid confidently stated that it was a brown throated thrush. 

 

Feynman simply shrugged at the kid because his father had already taught him that you can know the name of a bird in any language and still know nothing about the bird...ie. there is a difference between knowing 'the name of a thing' and knowing about 'the thing itself'. 

 

The goal of my reference frames is to get myself to focus on 'the thing itself' and not just 'words about the thing'. 

 

This brings us to one of the primary fundamentals of Spaced Generation Learning: concretization. 

 

Model your ideas in as concrete a way as possible and focus on the actual thing itself...not just words about the thing.

 

I'll let Feynman say it better than I ever could....

 

Edited by lostfalco, 27 September 2022 - 03:35 PM.

[Sikorsky]

Wonderful!

Thank you for your time!

 

I have been researching a lot about different interventions aimed at increasing intelligence. Even though there is some evidence for Dual N-back ( working memory training ) and musical instrument, meta - analysis of these interventions are quite depressing. Relational frame theory ( relational reasoning ) seems to be effective in improving fluid reasoning which is only one component of General Intelligence. I am currently trying this - https://www.iqmindware.com/ - it is based on Dual N-back and attention training. 

 

I know that by applying all of your information, one is positively influencing some components of general intelligence and improving cognitive output - which is the whole point behind raising intelligence, but I was wondering:

 

1. Have you thought about these interventions and how to improve their efficacy?

2. Do you have any ideas about creating an effective brain training program which would justify invested time and energy, or do you think there are more productive ways of investing time and energy for cognitive improvement?

3. Have you been measuring your IQ during all of these years that you have been experimenting on yourself? Have you noticed any improvement?

4. Do you think it would be more productive to try increasing intelligence by applying methods that target individual components of G, rather than trying to find some method which is positively influencing all of them?

 

As I said, I understand that by applying all of your methods, one is partly accomplishing the same effect that raising general intelligence would have ( since it affects different components of G, or at least optimizes the brain for the best possible use of its intelligence ), but finding a method ( or at least, improving the efficacy of the existing ones ) which would have a direct impact on intelligence ( which could be measured by a performance on a standardized test - IQ), would be extremely revolutionary.

Edited by Sikorsky, 27 September 2022 - 05:27 PM.

[Dallasboy]

Thanks lostfalco!!  Now, some more questions 

 

Let's lay out a typical day.  Let's also make scenarios for time allowed to SGL per day:

 

Terminology:

Session = 20/10 or 20/5.  A single study/rest period

Epoch = A session x 3. This is a core block of study on one topic/subject.

Rest = Your rest period after each epoch.

 

You are a student and can allocated the majority of the day to SGL:

 

Day 1 - Acquisition

1. You are learning 5 different subjects, so you do 5 epochs for each subject.

OR

2.  You do ALL 5 epochs on the same subject, then rotate subjects the next day of acquisition.

 

Day 2 - Interleaving

1. SGL Method with Anki of all the cards you made yesterday.

 

Questions, on "post-day-one" (Day 2), do you also do MORE Acquisition SGL study OR do you wait till Day 3, then repeat the cycle?  It seems that reviewing Anki with the SGL method of pencil/paper/verbal would take less time and leave you with more time to do more Acquisition training.

 

Obviously, all of this is highly customizable and is dependent on jobs, family, other life commitments.  I guess the question is if you can allocate time for Acquisition & Interleaving each day, does it look like this:

 

Day 1 - Acquisition

Day 2 - Interleaving & More/New Acquisition

Day 3 - Interleaving & More/New Acquisition

Day 4 - Break/Family/Personal tasks

Day 5 - Interleaving & More/New Acquisition

etc....

 

OR 

 

Day 1 - Acquisition

Day 2 - Interleaving

Day 3 - Acquisition

Day 4 - Break

Day 5 - Interleaving

etc....

 

Other scenario is you can only allocate 2 hours per day due to job/family, which would be one epoch, it would seem you would have to rotate Acquisition and Interleaving each day regardless.

 

I do project work in which I can be slammed and have little time to learn new things, to having "student" like time to really put SGL to use each day.  BUT, it all goes back to WM (working memory) and how there is only so much information you can learn CORRECTLY each day.  I've been guilty of overloading myself with learning thinking I can be a hero.  I also have tried taking too much time off (in-between study sessions) to solidify new neurons, and thus I feel lazy and guilty.  It's all a balance, but there is scientific (like 20/10) methods to maximize learning, or the awesome SGL!

 

Lastly lostfalco, do you have an example of a schema/sketch for something like learning Python objects or some other technical (like learning to fly) subjects?  

 

Cheers!

[lostfalco]

Wonderful!
Thank you for your time!

No problem! Glad I could help. =)
 

1. Have you thought about these interventions and how to improve their efficacy?
2. Do you have any ideas about creating an effective brain training program which would justify invested time and energy, or do you think there are more productive ways of investing time and energy for cognitive improvement?
3. Have you been measuring your IQ during all of these years that you have been experimenting on yourself? Have you noticed any improvement?
4. Do you think it would be more productive to try increasing intelligence by applying methods that target individual components of G, rather than trying to find some method which is positively influencing all of them?

1. I have a deep fascination with methods for improving g but my current focus is on maximizing my current potential and the potential of others...ie. I'm focused on optimization, not enhancement.
2. I think that making sure that you are optimizing your current abilities is the better cost/benefit play...at first. Once you max out your potential, then you can think about going beyond your natural limits. Again, just my opinion. Different people are perfectly welcome to have different priorities than mine! However, I think you will be shocked at the difference that good diet, exercise, sleep, fasting, meditation, learning techniques, etc. can make. Cover the ordinary, then shoot for the extraordinary.
3. I have not measured my IQ in about 6 years. I took so many IQ tests for a while that I started running into testing effects where I think my IQ test scores outpaced my actual IQ. lol I also turned my focus to optimization which included making sure I had the best learning algorithm I could create for myself. I've been very happy with those results and the outputs have been extremely positive (high gpa, great career, IT certification exam success, etc.)
4. I think g is going to be enhanced by genetic changes and/or technological implants/accessories. I'm pretty convinced that changing raw, fundamental computational power is going to entail a structural brain change. Structure is determined primarily by genetic expression. Additionally, it is vital to remember that we are organisms that develop in stages. During certain periods of life we have massive synaptic creation followed by rapid synaptic pruning/reorganization. Once certain developmental windows close, our brains move on to the next stage and have to work with the output from the previous stage. Lastly, it is absolutely essential to remember that every second of our lives we are constantly bombarded with photonic input, auditory input, chemical input, somatosensory input, proprioceptive input, etc, etc. It's subconscious but it's always streaming in. Our brain is building a model of the world based on an unthinkably massive number of inputs constantly pouring in every nanosecond. The fact that an adult human can learn anything new at all after 25 to 30 years of constant input still amazes me. You have to keep all of these factors in mind (and MANY more) when thinking about how changeable g potenitaly is for an adult human.

Haier (whose book has influenced my thinking here) had great discussion of g on Lex Fridman a few months back. (see below)

The Neuroscience of Intelligence by Richard J. Haier
https://www.amazon.c.../dp/110746143X/
 

 

Edited by lostfalco, 30 September 2022 - 11:04 PM.

[Groundhog Day]

 

Hey Groundhog Day, yeah it could still work for the brain.

 

I've discussed LLLT dosing in pretty great depth here. https://www.lostfalc...therapy-dosing/

 

 

 

Hey Lostfalco,

 

Do you have any opinion on the nasal light devices? Example: https://www.ebay.com...e-/143688269257

 

That's a cheap one, I know there are more elaborate devices out there. 

[lostfalco]

Thanks lostfalco!!  Now, some more questions 

 

Day 1 - Acquisition

1. You are learning 5 different subjects, so you do 5 epochs for each subject.

OR

2.  You do ALL 5 epochs on the same subject, then rotate subjects the next day of acquisition.

 

No problem. You've got questions, I've got answers...or, ya know, I'll give it my best shot. 

 

Do #1: 5 different subjects, different subject for each epoch. 

 

 

Day 2 - Interleaving

1. SGL Method with Anki of all the cards you made yesterday.

 

Questions, on "post-day-one" (Day 2), do you also do MORE Acquisition SGL study OR do you wait till Day 3, then repeat the cycle?  It seems that reviewing Anki with the SGL method of pencil/paper/verbal would take less time and leave you with more time to do more Acquisition training.

 

 

You're exactly right. On day 2 you want to review everything you learned on day 1 and make sure you understand all of the day 1 material reasonably well. Once you get the day 1 material down, then you can do another acquisition epoch. If you're ready for another acquisition epoch on day 2, then great...if it needs to wait until day 3 that's fine too. As you mentioned, this is going to vary A LOT depending on your own goals, your own familiarity with the material, the difficulty of the subject matter, the amount of time you have to study each day, etc.   

 

Additionally, as you mentioned, reviewing is usually much faster than acquisition. If it took you a 90 minute epoch on day 1 to set up your flashcards and schema then you may only need 10 to 20 minutes to review. It will again depend on the subject and how many flashcards you made on the previous day. Once you finish that review, then you can spend the rest of your study time on day 2 acquiring new knowledge.

 

As far as interleaving goes, I wouldn't worry too much about it at first. The most important skills you want to develop are breaking down the material into elements that fit the size of your working memory, creating and reviewing flashcards until you get the elements from working memory into long term memory, ordering the elements into schema in your long term memory, and continually generating your schema when reviewing flashcards going forward.

 

Interleaving simply refers to studying flash cards of two closely related but slightly different subjects at the same time. As a simple example, think of having a deck of flashcards for addition and another deck for subtraction. Interleaving would consist of mixing those flashcard decks together and reviewing them at the same time. By contrast, you would not want to review an addition flashcard deck with a biology flashcard deck. Interleaving is only for closely related subjects. Of course, I mess around with mixing decks that are very different because I like to experiment to see how my brain responds. When I do this, however, I am breaking the rules of the learning and memory literature. Such a rebel. lol 

 

 

Day 2 - Interleaving

 

Day 1 - Acquisition

Day 2 - Interleaving & More/New Acquisition

Day 3 - Interleaving & More/New Acquisition

Day 4 - Break/Family/Personal tasks

Day 5 - Interleaving & More/New Acquisition

etc....

 

OR 

 

Day 1 - Acquisition

Day 2 - Interleaving

Day 3 - Acquisition

Day 4 - Break

Day 5 - Interleaving

etc....

 

I would replace 'Interleaving' with 'Review' in all of the instances you listed above. 

 

And I would lean toward the first set of 5 days you listed above. Acquire on Day 1 and then Review and Acquire on Day 2, etc. 

 

The amount of review each day compared to the amount of new acquisition each day will depend on how long you've been using SGL and what your current goals are. For example, in my case I have 10's of thousands of flashcards and I review hundreds every day. The amount of time I have for new acquisition will depend on how busy I am at work, family/friend responsibilities, current goals that I am trying to achieve, etc. 

 

The main thing is to make sure you don't lose important knowledge that you've acquired and to insure that you spend your time going forward studying important things. 

 

The goal of SGL is NOT to cram for a test for a few days or weeks and then forget everything. The goal is to give everyone the best tools to acquire the best knowledge that they can use for the rest of their lives to create their best lives. 

 

You figure out pretty quickly what types of knowledge are absolutely essential and what types can be outsourced to Google. I have a massive graveyard of thousands of flashcards that I will probably never look at again. Such is the price of experiment. lol

 

 

 

Lastly lostfalco, do you have an example of a schema/sketch for something like learning Python objects or some other technical (like learning to fly) subjects?  

 

Cheers!

 

As far as having Python schemas or flying lesson schemas...I don't. My goal is to give everyone a general purpose outline on how to learn whatever they want for now and then I'll focus more on specific schemas in the future. In the meantime, I thought this guy did a good job explaining data structures and that is a similar approach I would use to building schema for programming.

 

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any additional questions. 

 

Edited by lostfalco, 04 October 2022 - 11:25 PM.

[Sikorsky]

Thanks!

I know that the whole discussion about intelligence basically comes down to the fact that it depends on the structure of the brain, which is largely determined by genetics, which means, at least for now, there isn't much we can do about that. I was just hoping you had some magical solution to this problem.  

 

Have you found any effective supplements for improving energy other than the following:

L-Carnitine, R-Lipoic Acid, Q10, PQQ, Shilajit, Magnesium, Iron, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, B vitamins, Creatine, Citrulline, Beetroot, Tyrosine, Caffeine, L-theanine, Citicoline, MCT oil, Cannabis, Chlorella, D-ribose, SAMe, Saffron

 

Any experiences with monatomic gold?

 

Btw, I am sorry if you have already answered these questions. I am planning to read all of your posts, I just haven't managed to find time for it. 

[lostfalco]

Hey Lostfalco,

 

Do you have any opinion on the nasal light devices? Example: https://www.ebay.com...e-/143688269257

 

That's a cheap one, I know there are more elaborate devices out there. 

Hey Groundhog Day, there is some human evidence that nasal light devices in conjunction with transcranial devices can be effective. Hamblin discusses some intranasal human studies in the video below at about the 16 minute mark.  

 

The ebay device you linked looked like it's 650nm but the power output was difficult for me to determine. Hard to say on that specific device for sure. Most of human evidence for brain enhancement is in the 800ish nanometer range although the 600ish nm range has some evidence for it as well. 

 

I need to update this to account for the most recent data, but I gathered a number of the human studies here: http://www.lostfalco...in-enhancement/

 

 

Edited by lostfalco, 09 October 2022 - 02:49 PM.

[Groundhog Day]

Hey Groundhog Day, there is some human evidence that nasal light devices in conjunction with transcranial devices can be effective. Hamblin discusses some intranasal human studies in the video below at about the 16 minute mark.  

 

The ebay device you linked looked like it's 650nm but the power output was difficult for me to determine. Hard to say on that specific device for sure. Most of human evidence for brain enhancement is in the 800ish nanometer range although the 600ish nm range has some evidence for it as well. 

 

I need to update this to account for the most recent data, but I gathered a number of the human studies here: http://www.lostfalco...in-enhancement/

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. I bought that ebay device and also the Kinreen helmet from Alibaba. I've had an infrared sauna the last couple years, so I'll be running plenty of experiments. 

 

[lostfalco]

 

Thanks!

I know that the whole discussion about intelligence basically comes down to the fact that it depends on the structure of the brain, which is largely determined by genetics, which means, at least for now, there isn't much we can do about that. I was just hoping you had some magical solution to this problem.  

 

Have you found any effective supplements for improving energy other than the following:

L-Carnitine, R-Lipoic Acid, Q10, PQQ, Shilajit, Magnesium, Iron, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, B vitamins, Creatine, Citrulline, Beetroot, Tyrosine, Caffeine, L-theanine, Citicoline, MCT oil, Cannabis, Chlorella, D-ribose, SAMe, Saffron

 

No problem Sikorsky. If you forced me to answer, I would postulate synaptogenesis, spinogenesis, axonogenesis, and dendritogenesis combined with brain training as the most probable mechanisms for enhancing g in adult humans. These, of course, consist of changing genetic expression in order to build 1) more synapses AND 2) more types of synapses. More synapses give the brain more options for building the most efficient ion (calcium, sodium, potassium, etc.) flow path structures (and therefore pruning the less efficient ones). Ideal brain training would help select the most efficient neuronal/synaptic connections from the larger set of possible synapses created by increased synaptogenesis. Higher brain efficiency has been correlated with higher g.

 

Synaptogenesis/spinogenesis is enhanced most powerfully by things like estrogen, testosterone, dht, igf-1, ketamine, mdma, lsd, lllt, etc. 

Estrogen: https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC4396386/

Ketamine/MDMA/LSD: https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC6082376/

LLLT: https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/25196192/

 

Obviously, extreme caution is warranted. 

 

Additionally, building neuronal structures requires ATP so start with the most fundamental ion flow path (the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane). Energy from electrons in the mitochondrial matrix power proton pumps that pump protons out of the matrix and into the intermembrane space. This gradient of protons flows back through ATP synthase to produce ATP in the matrix which is then transported out of the mitochondria and into the cytosol of the cell to do work. 

 

The work that ATP does consists of powering ion pumps in neuronal membranes that create new gradients (calcium and sodium especially). These ions flow back into neurons during action potentials which rapidly cause one neuron to communicate to the next neuron. These networked successions of neuronal firings create our reality. 

 

Pay attention to discrete carriers of energy (electrons first, then ATP) and continuous carriers of energy (proton gradient, calcium/sodium gradients). The neuronal gradients depend on the mitochondrial gradient. Discrete units of energy causing discrete units of energy. Gradients causing gradients. Beautiful. 

 

Always ask yourself: How can I make this simpler? How can I make this smaller? How can I make this more fundamental? What are the simplest actions (Turing taught me this) I can take on the most fundamental things? I focus on spacetime, photons, electrons, protons, oxygen, the electromagnetic force, ions, beliefs/desires/feelings, simple actions/movements, fundamental rules of thought, etc.

 

Photon causing mitochondrial electron excitation: LLLT

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC5436183/

 

Photon exciting melanopsin in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells: Blue Light 

https://onlinelibrar.../jbio.201900102

 

Oxygen accepts electrons at the end of the electron transport chain: Inspiratory Muscle Training

http://eprints.bourn...ts ACCEPTED.pdf

 

Fiber 1) feeds the microbiome 2) creates butyrate 3) butyrate feeds enteric endocrine cells 4) enteric endocrine cells secrete GLP-1/PYY 5) affects the entire body: I like dextrin personally. 

https://reader.elsev...=20221013171359

 

Potassium is a major neuronal ion that many people are deficient in (especially compared to sodium intake): I take potassium gluconate powder to make sure I get enough since it's a bit challenging through diet alone. 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/20223568/

 

Of course, Spaced Generation Learning is my attempt to optimize spacetime. My reference frames are spatially organized models that indicate the temporally ordered relationships between elements being modelled. Additionally, I acquire my knowledge using timing rules (The 20/10 Method) and I retain my knowledge by generating my reference frames on a spaced repetition schedule (SGL)...which entails generating a 'spatial' structure (drawing by hand) on a 'temporal' time frame (the forgetting curve). 

 

The best I've been able to do with quark enhancement has been taking advantage of natural sunlight since solar nuclear fusion consists (in part) of an up quark changing to a down quark due to quantum effects. I'll let you know if I figure out a way to hack the sun! lol

 

Anyway, that should give you a few things to get started. =)

Edited by lostfalco, 14 October 2022 - 02:44 AM.

[lostfalco]

 

Thanks for the feedback. I bought that ebay device and also the Kinreen helmet from Alibaba. I've had an infrared sauna the last couple years, so I'll be running plenty of experiments. 

 

 

No problem Groundhog Day. Glad I could help. Let us know how the experiments go!

[lostfalco]

In my previous post I talked about:

1. using dextrin to feed your microbiome to increase butyrate to increase glp-1 to affect the entire body;

2. using blue light first thing in the morning to affect intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells to set your circadian rhythm to therefore enhance sleep, to therefore enhance your entire quality of life;

3. using powdered potassium gluconate to supplement your daily requirement for this very important neuronal ion which is hard to get enough of through diet alone (and through supplement pills because of the limited dosage per pill);

4. using inspiratory muscle training to enhance oxygen which is the essential electron accepting endpoint of the electron transport chain in mitochondria which produces the proton gradient that produces the ATP that powers life;

5. using photons (LLLT) to excite electrons to enhance the pumping of protons which ultimately enhances ATP production which ultimately powers everything the body does.

 

I'm still cleaning up my extremely messy website but I've put links to dextrin and potassium here: http://www.lostfalco.com/supplements/

 

And I've put links to the affordable led arrays for lllt, one of the blue light devices I have, and the inspiratory muscle trainer I have here: http://www.lostfalco.com/devices/

 

I could write tomes on all of these things and I'll get some more thorough articles written for you guys soon. 

 

Remember, the brain is aimed at movement. We learn things in order to take action. That's why I love experiments so much! Experiments are 'information acted upon'.

 

The items listed above allow you to start performing simple actions. These actions performed in combination and performed for a long enough period of time can start incrementally improving your life. 

 

Think TINY, incremental changes. Think, "+1". That's it. Just "+1".

 

If you think and act on +1 long enough then after a hundred days it will be +100...and if you think and act +1%, then after a hundred days your results will compound into the stratosphere. 

 

Start performing one or two actions at a time. Then, add another one a few days later...then another a few days later, and so forth. Do this long enough and you won't even recognize the amazing person you've become.

 

Start small...but start now. 

 

The action-oriented cerebellum has a whopping 80% of the neurons in your brain for a reason. Use them! =)

Edited by lostfalco, 21 October 2022 - 09:33 PM.

[lostfalco]

A few days ago we talked about the importance of synaptogenesis (the creation of new synapses) in the creation of new memories.

 

A synapse usually (not always) consists of an axon and a dendrite. 

 

Therefore, one aspect of synaptogenesis is dendritogenesis.

 

Additionally, one aspect of dendritogenesis is dendritic 'spinogenesis'. 

 

Here's an excellent recent summary article that explains how learning consists of:

1) new dendritic spines

2) bigger dendritic spines

3) more dendritic spines per bouton

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC9547722/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's what a dendritic spine looks like on the inside. 

 

 

 

As you can see, learning causes the creation of new structures and/or the change of existing structures.

 

These structures consist of an internal scaffold that can be built from scratch or remodeled if it already exists. 

 

How is this scaffolding built/remodeled?

 

The dendritic spines are often vast molecular distances from the body of the cell so the individual units of the scaffold are created in the body of the neuron and then are literally walked to the spines on microtubules by amazing molecular machines: kinesin and dynein. 

 

These machines are powered, of course, by ATP. 

 

Here's how it works!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The movement of kinesin is so intimately bound to ATP that mitochondria are often attached to kinesin. 

 

 

 

 

So, you have this vast sea of random motion inside a cell (see the videos above) that is ordered by certain structures that limit the possible directions of that motion. 

 

Random motion = ALL possible directions

Non-random motion = NOT-ALL possible directions

 

These structures limit the possible movements of particles/machines to a subset of all possible movements. 

 

This limitation of random movement is how order is gradually built out of the chaos of random motion.

 

Physicist turned biologist, Peter Hoffman, does an excellent job of describing this in his book 'Life's Ratchet'. 

 

I've linked it here: http://www.lostfalco.com/books/

 

So, how does this relate to our recent discussions of long term memory formation in Spaced Generation Learning?

 

Obviously, long term memory consists of synaptic structures that get built, are remodeled, and are maintained. 

 

One of the major purposes of of these structures in long term memory is to build an accurate model of the world so that the output of our actions is planned, designed, and ordered (ie. our motor output is non-random). 

 

This guided, non-random movement allows us to take the appropriate actions at the appropriate times in the appropriate order in order to attain our goals.

 

The ordered activity inside our brains builds neuronal structures that model the world so that we can order our activities in the outside world to maintain the structure that is ourselves (through survival movements AND reproductive movements). 

 

Ordered activity in the brain creates more ordered activity by the body which allows the body and brain to maintain themselves. Wtf!?! That's frickin' cool. 

 

Stated in a more motivational, self-help kind of way (lol):

 

Motor output guided by long term memory (aka experience) is the key expertise. 

 

Start taking actions (random is fine at first), then begin ordering those actions. 

 

That is not just 'how' we learn, that is 'why' we learn. 

 

Standardize (ie. just start taking small actions), THEN optimize (ie. take the RIGHT small actions in the right ORDER). 

 

See James Clear's 'Atomic Habits' for a fantastic discussion of these ideas: http://www.lostfalco.com/books/

 

Happy reading!

 

Edited by lostfalco, 23 October 2022 - 12:42 PM.